Chicago-area car owner unable to get extended warranty for peeling paint problem
The Center for Auto Safety is the nation’s premier independent, member driven, non-profit consumer advocacy organization dedicated to improving vehicle safety, quality, and fuel economy on behalf of all drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.
“There is a fix for some owners but not for others, and essentially it comes down to which color they picked out and that’s fundamentally unfair,” said Michael Brooks from a consumer watchdog group, The Center for Auto Safety.
Brooks says his agency is also getting complaints about all car colors, not just white colors.
“We’ve been contacted by numerous consumers with all types of colors of Hyundai who have had problems with the paint peeling, so it’s certainly not limited to the white or the lighter colors,” Brooks said.
By Jason Knowles
January 8th, 2026
People say their car’s paint has been peeling, with no solution in sight.
One Chicago-area driver turned to the ABC7 I-Team because the paint on his vehicle was falling off. The I-Team found similar problems on other vehicles from the same manufacturer.
The manufacturer, Hyundai, has acknowledged paint problems on certain models and even extended warranty coverage, but that’s only for certain white paint colors. A local owner says that’s leaving drivers like him stuck with a costly defect.
West suburban Westchester resident Michael Ehlers says the paint on his 2017 Hyundai Elantra started peeling, shortly after he bought it in 2020.
“It’s all over the place, it’s just peeling off, bubbling up,” Ehlers said. “It shouldn’t be peeling that soon.”
First, he brought it to the dealer.
“They told me it was beyond the paint warranty, and they weren’t responsible for it,” Ehlers said.