What 37 owners told NHTSA about the 2014 Hyundai Equus

To: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) – Office of Defects Investigation From: [XXX] Date: 2 June 2025Vehicle: 2014 Hyundai Equus Location: Columbus, GA   (Other driven locations: Buford, GA; Alpharetta, GA; Duluth GA)1. Summary of Vehicle Cyber Incident:My 2014 Hyundai Equus has been compromised through what I believe to be a remote cyberattack targeting the vehicle’s infotainment and navigation systems. This began shortly after I reported widespread digital and identity theft to law enforcement in Columbus, GA.2. Symptoms Observed: Navigation system lockout: The navigation system is entirely disabled. A satellite symbol with a circle and diagonal slash appeared on the interface and has not gone away, indicating a potential denial of satellite/GPS signal or remote access control. Rear Seat Entertainment (RSE) Override: The RSE system appears to be remotely controlled, with the interface appearing on my front console screen without input. I attempted to check the RSE control box in the settings menu, but it was consistently unchecked upon restart—as if overridden remotely. Video evidence interference: I recorded multiple videos of the system anomalies, including screen mirroring and control takeover. Some were blocked from sending or sharing; others went through under inconsistent conditions. Unauthorized device influence: I believe connected devices (iPhones, etc.) are being used as access vectors into my vehicle system.3. Timeline of Events: [XXX] (Sunday evening): After visiting the Columbus Public Safety Center and speaking with Deputies McBride and I. Sanchez about ongoing cyber intrusions (mobile, home, and vehicle), the car infotainment system began behaving abnormally that night. May 20, 2025 (Tuesday): I returned to Columbus Police Department to formally report the vehicle hacking. A CPD officer expressed genuine concern and said he would relay my case to Detective Gross. May 23, 2025: I visited AutoNation Hyundai in Columbus INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11664557

Car is equipped with an air bag suspension system. There was a failure with the airbags around 18 months ( in 2016) of the car being put in service. I was driving on a hway at 70 mph w/grandkids in the car when the airgbags failed and the nose of the car immediately went down and the car started to veer. Luckily there was no other cars around me and I was able to slow down and pull off the hway. Coincidentally, I was just a mile from the dealership and immediately took the car to them and they gave me loaner car and took it in to repair under warranty. Approximately 18 months later, the air bags failed again and the car was just past warranty so I paid for the repair but contacted Hyundai and they reimbursed me.Hyundai told me they had problems with the design of the airbags and redesigned it which is what my car was then equipped with. The air bag system has failed twice more since then. The most recent incident caused many problems with the car. The air bag system had a leak and caused the compressor to keep filling them. I don't believe this compressor was built to be in use so much and caused my battery and alternator to fail, then the compressor itself finally failed. All this took place because of the faulty suspension air bag system. I believe Hyundai was negligent in not issuing a recall when the airbags originally failed back in 2016 as it could have led to a bad accident. I went on line and found many chat rooms with people having had the same or similar experiences to me. Hyundai is well aware of the problems with the system yet has chosen to ignore it and hope the problem goes away. Because of all the problems with this suspension, they have since done away with it and gone to a standard suspension system on all the newer cars that are similar to mine ( now Genisis). They need to do something for all the older cars still on the road with this old suspension. The date listed below is for the last incident mentioned in this document.

NHTSA ODI 11424809

THE STRUTS WENT OUT WHILE I WAS DRIVING. AFTER IT WENT OUT THE, TIRES WOULD TOUCH THE FENDER OF THE CAR. IT DAMAGED THE PASSENGER SIDE AND DRIVER SIDE OF MY FRONT FENDER. IT ALSO RUBBED THE TREAD AWAY FROM THE TIRE DUE TO RUBBING AGAINST THE FENDER. IT WAS NOT SAFE TO DRIVE BECAUSE IT WAS SO LOW TO THE GROUND THAT I ALMOST TORE THE FRONT FENDER OFF.

NHTSA ODI 11277697