For years, the automotive industry has seen no better standard warranty than the one offered by Hyundai Motor Company. At no extra cost and attached to their entire line up is a 10 year/100,000 mile full powertrain warranty as well as a fully transferable 5 year/60,000 mile new vehicle warranty. When the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid hit the market a few years ago, it brought up an interesting question: what about the lithium battery pack? In order to make sure that a full powertrain warranty was indeed “full powertrain”, the automaker has announced the industry’s first Lifetime Hybrid Battery Replacement Guarantee.
“By offering the Lifetime Battery Replacement Guarantee, Hyundai is addressing customer concerns and demonstrating our confidence in the durability of our product,” said Michael O’Brien, vice president of Corporate and Product Planning for Hyundai Motor America. Affixed to all 2012 Sonata Hybrids will be the assurance that if lithium polymer battery fails, it will be replaced at no extra cost to owners. The defective battery will be properly recycled and this service holds true for the life of the car.
Considering that the Sonata is the first Hybrid to use a polymer unit, it is a true trailblazer and could therefore potentially make consumers uneasy. “Even with all the hybrid vehicle options on the market today, there is still limited demand for these vehicles because of barriers to customer adoption such as uncertainty about the technology and performance,” said O’Brien.
Source: Hyundai
