I am reporting a suspected safety defect involving inconsistent deceleration behavior in my 2026 Hyundai IONIQ 5. I regularly use Hyundai’s i-PEDAL one-pedal-driving mode. In this mode, releasing the accelerator produces strong regenerative deceleration and can bring the vehicle to a stop. However, the vehicle does not retain this selected driving behavior after it is turned off and restarted. It reverts to a mode requiring substantially more use of the brake pedal. The behavior also changes in connection with shifting into reverse. In a Costco parking lot in [XXX], I stopped near the customer pickup area while using i-PEDAL. I briefly turned off the vehicle while a passenger loaded groceries. When I restarted and began moving, I expected the strong accelerator-release deceleration the vehicle had provided immediately before shutdown. Instead, the vehicle continued moving because i-PEDAL had been reset. A crosswalk ahead contained pedestrians, and I had to apply the brake pedal to avoid striking them. No collision or injury occurred, but this was a serious near-miss. The concern is not simply that the vehicle offers different regenerative-braking settings. The safety concern is that a driver-selected setting that materially affects accelerator-release deceleration changes automatically after a brief shutdown or simply backing up. A driver who has adapted to i-PEDAL may reasonably expect the vehicle to decelerate as it did moments earlier. The regeneration level should be set and remain as the driver prefers, not reset on each start or backup of the vehicle. I request that NHTSA evaluate whether this inconsistent default behavior creates an unreasonable risk of unintended vehicle movement or pedestrian collisions and whether the vehicle should retain the selected mode or provide a prominent warning requiring driver acknowledgment whenever the deceleration behavior changes. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
No injuries · No fire · No crash
The vehicle will not turn off. I returned it to the Dealer, Oakland Hyundai, and their service department has had the vehicle since 7/27/26. When I brought the vehicle in to service it had 2,519 miles. Service rep has advised that technicians are trying to find the faulty part and have been unsuccessful to date. A technician from another location is scheduled to see the vehicle during the week of 8/31/26. I have filed a case with Hyundai America and will send a demand for restitution on 8/28/26. I view this situation as a clear safety issue - the car will not turn off.
No injuries · No fire · No crash
While driving on the freeway with adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assistance on heading east into the morning sun my car suddenly attempted to veer strongly to the left as I exited the shadow of an overpass. I was able to stop the lane assist because I had a firm two handed grip on the steering wheel. Even with the firm grip and attentive driving I nearly left my lane as the wheels suddenly and strongly jerked to the left.
No injuries · No fire · No crash
- unintended acceleration problem (VCU malfunction?); happened 8/16/26 - safety at risk - yes; drove a little ways with brakes on; brakes started to smell like they were burning; then vehicle screen said to stop (with loud warning noises), which i did - tow truck took it to dealer; haven't heard yet from service staff - hopefully will be seen today at San Bruno Hyundai - no warning or problems earlier in the day yesterday; see above
No injuries · No fire · No crash
See attached document for complaint.
No injuries · No fire · No crash