How mighty brands fall. Bad leadership, bad planning, a run of bad products: any of these can damage a brand in a short amount of time, and it can take years to recover: if, indeed, the brand recovers at all. What brands are the most battered in the United States right now? 24/7 Wall Street rounded them up, based on which publicly-traded major companies are currently dealing with aggressive competition, reputation disasters, and a lack of direction. [More]
Hyundai Pulls Awful Ad Showing Failed Suicide Attempt Using Car Exhaust Because It’s Awful
By April 25, 2013
UPDATE: Hyundai has issued a longer apology on its British Twitter page, reading: ”Hyundai understands that the video has caused offence. We apologise unreservedly. The video has been taken down and will not be used in any of our advertising or marketing.” [More]
Hyundai Recalls 13,500 Veloster Coupes Because Sitting Beneath A Shattered Sunroof Isn’t Fun
By December 19, 2012
Driving along on a gorgeous day with the sunroof open is fantastic, which is ostensibly why the Hyundai Veloster Coupe and its panoramic sunroofs could be attractive to custoemrs. But having that closed sunroof shatter? Well that’s far from fantastic, which is why the car company is recalling 13,500 model year 2012 Velosters. [More]
Ford Continues To Sink Toward Bottom Of Consumer Reports’ Reliability Ratings
By October 29, 2012
In 2010, Ford was among the top 10 auto brands in Consumer Reports’ Annual Auto Reliability Survey, with more than 90% of its models rated average or better by CR readers. But in the two years since, the shine has gone off the Ford brand, and in the newly released survey, it now comes in next to last place. [More]
Wes Anderson Helms Impossibly Adorable Commercials For Hyundai
By February 28, 2012
Director Wes Anderson, he of the requisite slow-motion scene in his much-gushed over movies like Bottle Rocket, The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou and The Royal Tenenbaums, is now bringing his twee touch to commercials for Hyundai. [More]
The Repo Man Always Rings Never
By September 21, 2011
Tim fell behind on his car payments, then made one big payment to get all caught up. The next day, Hyundai Motor Finance Company repossessed his car. [More]
Hyundai To Guarantee Trade-In Values For New Cars (Big Asterisk)
By April 22, 2011
As Hyundai’s “lose your income and we’ll buy your car back” Assurance program comes to an end, the automaker is about to roll out a new plan, Assurance Trade-in Value Guarantee, for keeping customers loyal: guaranteeing trade-in values for up to four years after you purchase the car. Of course, this deal does not come sans conditions. [More]
Man Gets Pick Of Hyundais After Threatening To Write "LEMON" On His Rear Window
By March 4, 2011
Michael leased a 2010 Hyundai Genesis and found that none of the buttons on the steering wheel worked. No horn, no cruise control, no radio volume. It’s been in and out of the shop several times for steering wheel issues. When he called up the regional office to complain they seemed to take his issue a little more seriously after he said he was planning to get a windshield marker and write that he got a $40,000 lemon from Hyundai. Now he’s getting to pick a new Hyundai of his choice. Here’s the timeline: [More]
Consumer Reports Announces Its Top Car Picks For 2011
By February 28, 2011
Our test-happy kin at Consumer Reports have released their annual auto issue, which means it’s time for the magazine’s list of its top picks in 10 categories. [More]
Going Green Doesn't Always Mean Plugging In When It Comes To Cars
By February 16, 2011
You don’t have to buy a car that plugs into an outlet to be green or run on batteries, says a new scorecard of the most eco-friendly vehicles on the road. [More]
Hyundai Edges Out Target & Best Buy To Win Worst Holiday Ad Title
By December 23, 2010
Of all the ads nominated by Consumerist readers for the title of Worst Holiday Ad of 2010, the Hyundai spots featuring Pomplamoose have been the most vociferously defended in the comments. Alas, it looks like the spots still had enough detractors to push Hyundai into the winner’s circle. [More]
Vote Now For The Worst Holiday Ad Of 2010
By December 20, 2010
Last week, we asked you to vent your frustrations by nominating the most annoying, repetitive holiday-themed commercials of the year, and we heard you loud and clear. [More]
139,500 Hyundai Sonatas Recalled
By September 28, 2010
Hyundai recalled 139,500 model year 2011 Sonatas this Sunday because of a steering issue. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NTHSA) said that on some of the cars, the steering column intermediate shaft universal joint connections were not put together correctly, or were too loose, which could make the car hard or impossible to steer. [More]
Hyundai Changed My Rebate Terms After I Bought The Car
By July 6, 2010
Jeremy says Hyundai is trying to pull a fast one on him by making it tougher to get his rebate after he bought a car. He said the company is denying him a $2,400 recent college grad rebate he was assured he’d get when he made the purchase. The reason: He doesn’t make enough money. [More]
Skeezy Car Dealer Is Holding My Deposit Until I Come Back To Talk To Him
By July 5, 2010
Don plopped down $500 at a Hyundai dealership with the understanding that he’d get his money back if the sale fell through. He wasn’t happy with the terms of the deal, so he went with another dealership and was assured that he’d get the money back. The dealer still has the deposit and told Dan he’d like him to come in and have a sit-down about why the sale didn’t happen. Dan just wants his $500. [More]
Hyundai Dealer Wouldn't Give Car Back Because They Ordered The Wrong Part Seven Times
By June 13, 2010
They say the third time’s the charm, but that wasn’t the case for a Hyundai owner in Springfield, Illinois, whose car sat in the dealer’s garage for nearly two months because the dealer kept ordering the wrong replacement part — seven times in a row. [More]
GM Hires Former Hyundai Marketing Guru To Bail Out Its Image
By May 6, 2010
Following the media drubbing of their not-exactly-true “We paid the government back” ad, GM has snatched the marketing whiz who most recently help Hyundai burnish its public image. [More]
The 13 Best Cars For Teen Drivers
By April 29, 2010
It’s almost graduation time, which means that lots of parents and recent graduates will be in the market for a dependable car for heading off to college or full-time work. Our cousins with the cool test track at Consumer Reports have come up with their annual list of Best Cars for Teens. [More]
