Kitchener, Ontario — An Ontario woman says her family was stranded in 30-degree heat for hours and Hyundai’s roadside assistance failed to help the family get home.
Shama Cunningham along with her husband Bruce and their daughter Jessa were driving home from their cottage in Trenton, Ont., when on Highway 401, their 2020 Hyundai Venue slowed and refused to exceed speeds of 10 km/h. When they called roadside assistance, the agents said that they could send a tow truck, but wouldn’t be able to send a loaner vehicle or taxi.
After waiting for three hours for a tow truck, and calling family to pick them up, Cunningham says Hyundai failed to help them in what could have been a really dangerous situation due to the heat.
“We felt we were completely abandoned by the company in that moment where we actually needed their help,” said Cunningham. “We were lucky in that we had AC, we had food and water, but if someone had just been stuck there without their car actually working in 30-degree heat, it could have been a very dangerous situation for people.”(SOURCE CBC News)
Hyundai did respond to the Cunningham’s in an email statement, and they said that the reason they were unable to send a taxi or a loaner vehicle is because they have to abide by COVID-19’s physical distancing protocols.
Jennifer McCarthy, a Hyundai spokesperson said that they did try to find a loaner vehicle but the nearby agencies were closed because it was a Sunday.
“We are deeply sympathetic to Mrs. Cunningham as the experience of having a vehicle malfunction under these circumstances would no doubt be stressful — on a Sunday during the pandemic, all the more so.”
Cunningham says that this wasn’t the first time their Hyundai had problems and when bringing it in to get fixed they were told that everything was fine with the vehicle. Now that the vehicle has broken down a second time, Cunningham is having a hard time trusting that her vehicle is safe to drive.
“When it happened again, on the side of the road, it was very clear that they did not actually look at our car properly,” said Cunningham. “I don’t know if we can trust this vehicle anymore.”
