Hyundai's New Low: Paywalled Repairs and Child Labor? Seriously?
So, Hyundai wants to be a "premium" brand now, huh? Good luck with that when you're pulling stunts like paywalling frickin' brake pad changes and allegedly using child labor. I mean, give me a break.
Let's start with the brake pads, because that's just peak corporate greed. The story of that Reddit user, SoultronicPear, trying to change the pads on their Ioniq 5N is infuriating. $60 a week for a NASTF subscription? A $2,000 interface tool? And then Hyundai suspends their account because it's "not intended for use for anyone but service professionals"? What kind of BS is that? This isn't rocket science; it's brake pads. According to Hyundai Paywalls Brake Pad Changes, this is a new strategy by the company to squeeze more money out of its customers.
I get it, EVs use regenerative braking, so pads last longer. But to actively prevent owners from doing basic maintenance? That's not innovation; that's extortion. It's like Apple deciding you can only charge your iPhone at an Apple Store. And offcourse, you can try third-party tools, but get ready for error codes.
The Labor Nightmare
But wait, it gets worse. A lawsuit alleging Hyundai and Kia are exploiting children, immigrants, and inmates in their supply chains? Are you kidding me? "Severe labor exploitation, including coerced prison labor, child labor and migrant labor with working conditions that led to higher safety issues and death." That's not just bad; that's straight-up evil.
"Hyundai uses children to build its vehicles, who aren’t even old enough to drive a car themselves." That quote from attorney Brian Olney is chilling. And State Senator Durazo is right to ask how public agencies can even consider buying vehicles from a company with these kinds of allegations hanging over its head. Labor lawsuit says O.C.-based Hyundai, Kia are exploiting children, immigrants, inmates.
Hyundai didn't respond to requests for comment, which speaks volumes. Former employee Mark Miller's description of unsafe conditions, lack of training, and disregard for injured workers? Rosalinda Soriano-Torres alleging she was fired for getting pregnant? It paints a picture of a company that cares about nothing but the bottom line.
Greenwashing and Empty Promises
And then there's the whole "green" push with EVs. Hyundai wants us to believe they're saving the planet while potentially relying on child labor and prison labor to build their cars? That's like BP sponsoring an Earth Day festival after causing an oil spill. The hypocrisy is astounding.
They're investing billions in Korea, building AI data centers and robot manufacturing plants. Fine. Good for them. But what about the human cost? What about the workers allegedly being exploited in Alabama and Georgia? Are we supposed to just ignore that because they're promising "green energy"?
They're providing STARIA MPVs for the G20 Leaders' Summit in South Africa. "Solidarity, Equality, Sustainability" is the theme? Oh, the irony is thick enough to cut with a knife.
Maybe I'm being too harsh. Maybe these are just allegations, and Hyundai will clear its name. But let's be real: where there's smoke, there's usually fire. And this is a five-alarm blaze.