My new car broke down after 6 weeks - what are my rights?
I bought my first ever brand new car on 3rd March, a Hyundai Kona N-line S hybrid. Six weeks later It would not select gear and displayed the warning "Shifter malfunction, service immediately." The AA took an hour to get it off my drive because it was stuck in park. It was in the Hyundai garage for a week and the shift actuator was replaced and the mechanism rebuilt. A day after collecting the car the gear shift wouldn't work again saying that "reverse is already selected" then "forward gear is already selected" while nothing could be selected. I switched the whole thing off then started again and this time it worked. I am now feeling that I cannot rely on this car to start. My wife is a cancer patient and we need a reliable car, this being my first ever unreliable car in 50 years of motoring and my first brand new car. How do I stand with my consumer rights?
Asked on 30 April 2026 by Keith Bullock
Answered by
David Ross
You can read our in-depth guide to rejecting a car here - www.honestjohn.co.uk/advice/car-buying-advice/how-.../ - but in brief you have done the right thing by giving the dealer the opportunity to repair the fault, although it may be the case that it has not been successful. You have the option to return the vehicle to the dealer and ask them to inspect it again as the fault has returned, or attempt to reject it at this point, but it may help your case if you ask them to repair it a second time - they may solve the issue this time but if they do not then it will be harder for them to deny your rejection.
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