Man says water bottle spill in electric SUV ended with $12,000 auto repair bill
LAKELAND, Fla. (WKRC) — A man claims that a water bottle spill resulted in thousands of dollars in repairs.
According to WFTV, Michael McCormick of Lakeland, Florida, said he was hit with nearly $12,000 in repair costs after a bottle of water spilled in the back seat of his Hyundai Ioniq 5 all-electric SUV.
"I was panicked, to be honest with you," McCormick told the outlet.
McCormick said he loved several features of the vehicle, which was only a few years old.
“It’s instant torque, instant torque. And it surprises a lot of people how fast it goes," he said.
Last month, however, the warning lights on the dashboard of McCormick's Ioniq 5 began to flash after he had to slam on the brakes when interstate traffic slowed abruptly, according to the report. He told the station that a 20-ounce water bottle had been in the back seat and "flew forward" when he braked.
McCormick said his turn signals stopped working and the vehicle wouldn't shut off when he got home.
“Start/stop [button] — nothing happened. Yeah, so the car was totally unresponsive to anything. I was probably lucky to get home," he said.
According to the outlet, McCormick visited a local Hyundai dealership, where a service team informed him that someone sitting in the back with wet clothes or a liquid spill was likely to blame, but added that sand on the floorboards could also have contributed.
The dealership told him he would need to have his floor and driver-seat wiring harnesses replaced, costing $11,882.08.
"I was like, what am I that’s a huge amount of money and not covered. I’m like, that’s not right, because I didn’t do anything wrong," McCormick said.
WFTV reported that the dealership said Hyundai would not cover the cost because the issue was caused by external factors rather than a manufacturing defect.
State Farm, McCormick's insurance provider, said it wouldn’t cover the repair because the problem was due to “corrosion building over time,” not damage from an accident, according to the report.
A consumer advisor told the station, “One of the hardest things is that cars are so complicated now. Fixing them, as a result, is so much more expensive,” adding that modern vehicles are essentially computers on wheels. The station noted that other consumers on forums like Reddit have criticized the vehicle for having too little space between the wiring and the floor, causing the wires to snag and become damaged.
The consumer advisor told WFTV, “I'm totally unconvinced that a bottle of water should have caused this kind of damage.”
McCormick said he believes the issue was the result of a design flaw. “Kids are always spilling things in the backseat, or, you know, people. You know, there are a zillion cup holders everywhere. Things spill," he said.
State Farm issued the following statement to WFTV regarding the situation:
"Due to our company privacy policy, we can’t speak to the specifics of any individual customer claim. In general, if a vehicle shows evidence of long-term exposure to moisture, such as rot, rust, or corrosion, that type of damage is not covered by an automobile policy. For more information on standard industry auto coverage,
www.III.org
is a helpful resource. In this situation, we have been in communication with our customer and would encourage him to reach out to State Farm if he has any additional questions or concerns."
McCormick told the outlet that he later received a letter stating the problem appeared to have been caused by an outside influence and not a design defect.
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