My car was stuck in shop for a year after battery died at Publix – a mechanic told me too late my model was ‘notorious’

A HYUNDAI owner turned to the media after being made to wait nearly a year for a new hybrid battery - she drove three loaners.

The dealership she bought it from told her the model was 'notorious' for burning the battery out and taking a long time to replace.

Kari Kind, a 2015 Hyundai Sonata owner in Osceola County, Florida, had just finished paying off her hybrid when it started making a terrible noise in October 2023.

"It sounded like a pinball machine going off," Kind told CBS affiliate WKMG.

"It was banging and lights were going off."

She quickly drove her Hyundai to the dealership she'd bought it from, where a service technician diagnosed what she learned was a common problem.

"Right away they said they thought it was the hybrid battery," she recalled.

"It’s notorious for taking some time to get that."

In the nine months from when she brought it to the dealership to late July, she's used three loaner cars.

Having waited nearly a full calendar year, Kind isn't sure she can wait much longer.

She said several people told her to buy another car, but she's not ready to give up on her Sonata.

"I keep getting all these emails, ‘Oh, buy a new hybrid,’" she said.

"I’m thinking, if you can make all these hybrids, why can’t I have one of those batteries?"

She contacted investigative reporters with WKMG, who emailed Hyundai on her behalf.

Ira Gabriel with Hyundai promptly sent her a statement reading as such:

"Due to a delay in getting raw materials from the supplier, we are experiencing a small number of backorders on certain battery components that impact the 2011-2015 Sonata Hybrids. We are aware of the concern and have significantly increased our ordering above demand to drive a sufficient parts supply. Hyundai is working directly with the impacted suppliers to facilitate the necessary flow of parts."

The automaker also responded, noting they offered to buy Kind's Sonata from her at Kelley Blue Book price, but she declined.

She said she doesn't want to wrestle with payments and higher insurance costs.

"I just paid for my master’s program, that’s because I was planning on using my car," she said.

However, shortly after the outlet's communications with Hyundai over a few weeks, some good news came from Kind.

She was finally able to get a battery for her Sonata.

The U.S. Sun has contacted Hyundai for an updated statement.