2026 Hyundai Elantra

To Whom It May Concern: I am submitting this formal complaint to request review of a potentially serious vehicle-safety failure involving a rental automobile provided to me by Hertz at its [XXX] location. Although Hertz is presently attempting to collect approximately $97 from me for alleged tire damage, the monetary dispute is secondary to the substantially more important issue: Hertz released a vehicle to me with an objectively abnormal tire-pressure reading, was expressly notified of that condition before I left the rental facility, advised me to disregard it, and subsequently documented a nail in that same tire. The chronology is straightforward and concerning. On XXX, I rented a vehicle from Hertz at [XXX]. At the time of checkout, the dashboard tire-pressure monitoring display showed that the passenger-side rear tire was approximately three pounds below the expected pressure. Although the reading had not yet reached a critical or red-warning level, it was clearly abnormal. The vehicle was also dirty and did not appear to have been carefully prepared between rentals, which further raised concern regarding the adequacy of the vehicle's pre-rental inspection. Before driving the vehicle from the Hertz facility, I specifically informed the Hertz employee handling the checkout that the right rear tire was displaying low pressure. The Hertz employee told me, in substance, not to worry about it. I relied upon that representation and drove the vehicle. Over the course of the rental, the pressure in that same tire continued to decline by several additional pounds. When I returned the automobile on XXX, I again specifically advised Hertz personnel that the tire was losing pressure and should be inspected. I also documented the issue in my written customer review, specifically expressing concern that providing a rental automobile with an apparent tire problem was inappropriate INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11756046

Incident

Jul 27, 2026

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN), that have been identified in U.S. vehicles following prior crashes, theft, or non‑certified airbag replacements. These inflators are not approved for use, may rupture during deployment, and have caused serious injuries and fatalities. Please see attached announcement, provided by NHTSA, for more details.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN). These inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehicle manufacturers and have primarily been found in vehicles that previously experienced a crash and underwent airbag replacement using non-genuine parts. These dangerous inflators have ruptured during deployment, posing a serious risk of injury or death due to metal fragments entering the vehicle cabin. To date, Hyundai is aware of three people who have died while driving a Hyundai vehicle with one of these substandard replacement airbag inflators that deployed in what likely would have been a survivable crash. NHTSA has issued a public advisory urging vehicle owners and service professionals to have vehicles inspected if there is reason to believe that a non-genuine replacement airbag may have been installed. Vehicles with salvage or rebuilt titles, prior airbag deployments, or unknown repair histories may present a higher risk. NHTSA strongly cautions against self-inspection by vehicle owners and recommends inspection by trained technicians.