A driver was stuck with a nearly $12,000 auto repair bill after a bottle of water spilled in the back seat of his SUV.
“I was shocked. I was panicked to be honest with you,” said SUV owner Michael McCormick.
His Hyundai SUV is just a couple of years old, but the carmaker has refused to cover the repairs under warranty. His insurance company initially denied coverage as well.
Michael McCormick believed he would have to shell out the money himself to repair the 2023 Hyundai Ioniq 5, a car he said he loved.
“It’s instant torque, instant torque. And it surprises a lot of people how fast it goes,” McCormick said.
But in October, traffic slowed as he was driving on I-4. He had to hit the brakes. There was a 20-ounce water bottle in his back seat. McCormick said it flew forward and spilled.
“I felt it hit the driver’s seat, probably dropped out at that point, and I felt on my ankles a little bit of the water,” he said.
Within minutes, he said warning lights on his display started flashing. By the time he got home, the turn signals didn’t work, and the car wouldn’t shut off.
His local Hyundai dealership determined someone sitting in the seat with wet clothes or a water spill was likely to blame for frying wiring harnesses and told him sand on the floorboards could have also played a role.
The floor and the driver’s seat wiring harnesses have to be replaced. The total cost for the repair is estimated at $11,882.08.
McCormick said, “I was shocked. 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.”
Hyundai wouldn’t cover it under warranty, claiming it was caused by outside influence, not a defect. McCormick then filed an insurance claim, but State Farm initially denied it after determining it was due to corrosion building over time, not sudden accidental damage.
McCormick believes it’s a design flaw that parts so critical to the operation of his SUV would be so vulnerable under the seats.
He said, “Kids are always spilling things in the backseat, or, you know, there’s a zillion cup holders everywhere. Things spill.”
But earlier this month, he got a welcome surprise. A letter from State Farm let him know it has conducted an additional review of the wiring harness and has now adjusted its position and will cover the loss.
McCormick sent messages to the State Farm CEO and all members of the board of directors. He believes that helped lead to this change. He will now only pay a $250 deductible.
Unfortunately, the wiring harnesses are on back order, so he doesn’t know when they will get repaired, but he will now have some rental car coverage in the meantime.
State Farm said it couldn’t comment on specific customer claims, but wrote in an email:
With any claim, our goal is to help our customer by reviewing the facts of their loss, identifying the damages and applicable coverage, and providing any payment available under the policy.
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