Hyundai Owners Satisfied With Fuel Economy Reimbursement Program

Hyundai and Kia have become used to receiving great press over the past few years, so it came as a surprise to many when bad news came out of the Korean automakers.

The companies were found to have delivered false fuel economy estimates on many of their vehicles, but, to their credit, reacted quickly to issue an apology and put in place a reimbursement program to pay back owners affected by the wrong mpg numbers.

That meant more than 900,000 car owners who are in line to receive money to cover the difference in the mileage estimates.

The deal would see them submit their odometer reading and receive 15% over dollar value, which basically adds up to an $88 reimbursement for someone who had driven 15,000 miles.

Speaking at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Hyundai Motor America CEO John Krafcik updated everyone on the progress of the reimbursement process.

He expressed delight at how well Hyundai dealers across the country have handled the issue, and went on to say that somewhere in the region of 90% of owners who had visited dealerships for details of the reimbursement were happy with what they heard.

Krafcik said that he was extremely happy with those numbers, going on to explain that it actually ranks higher than any previous dealer service campaign that has gone before.
As a result of the error, the Accent, Veloster, and Elantra will see their fuel economy numbers drop below 40 mpg, down to about 37 or 38.

Krafcik said that the entire experience has been very difficult on the people at Hyundai, especially since they make it their goal to be the industry leader in fuel economy. He went on to say that rather than dwelling on the error, Hyundai are in fact strengthening their resolve and looking to do much better as they move forward.

The company has been very quick to apologize for the “honest mistakes” made during fuel economy testing. Krafcik said that Hyundai is treating the situation with the seriousness that it deserves and are making every effort to completely own up to and take responsibility for the situation.

He said that the goal now is to make people aware that they really do care about the customers and making things right.