Be Careful: A Bottle Of Water Could Cause A $12K Car Repair Bill

A water or coffee spill is like a rite of passage for car ownership. Yeah, the interiors get messy, but you don't necessarily need to take the car to a mechanic to get things tidied up. For a Florida driver, however, a spilled bottle of water turned into an expensive nightmare, and they ended up with a bill worth twelve thousand dollars that was neither covered by the insurance agency nor the car dealership. Apparently, the spilled water caused liquid damage to the wiring system beneath the seat, according to an investigation by Action9. The liquid spill occurred due to a sudden slowdown in traffic, prompting the aggrieved driver to hit the brakes, which caused a bottle of water to spill in the backseat.

"A few minutes later, I started to get warnings from the car that various systems were offline," Michael McCormick, the Florida resident, was quoted as saying. According to the local news outlet, the Hyundai SUV in question — an IONIQ 5 EV — was merely two years old, but the carmaker reportedly denied coverage under its warranty, claiming it was not a manufacturing defect. The brand's dealership concluded that the liquid damage was severe enough that the floor and driver's seat harnesses had to be replaced, which would cost $11,882.

That's nearly one-third of the car's asking price on the market. Interestingly, the insurance firm denied coverage, claiming that the damage resulted from slow corrosion rather than an accidental liquid spill. In general, liquid exposure is considered a fairly sensitive event for warranty claims. Apparently, McCormick isn't the only Hyundai owner who got a shocker for repair services.

On Reddit, another IONIQ reported a "$10,000 nightmare" case with their Hyundai EV due to exposed harnesses that are particularly susceptible to damage. "Because it's part of the airbag circuit, Hyundai requires replacing the entire floor harness," the owner wrote on the platform. Hyundai also denied the warranty claims, arguing that the damage resulted from external factors and, as such, the owner was left with a non-functional airbag system in a two-year-old car. The owner lambasted the experience as an "insane nightmare" and "worthless warranty" terms by Hyundai.

In McCormick's case, Hyundai once again cited "outside influence" as the reason for not covering the damage and repair services under the standard warranty terms.  An automobile expert told WFTV Channel 9 that it was a design flaw, adding that modern-age cars are getting increasingly complex to repair and maintain, likening them to a computer on wheels. Whether it's a man-made event or a natural calamity like flooding, carmakers usually don't cover damage from water exposure. 

A Hyundai user manual for car owners in the US explicitly mentions that "water contamination" is not covered by warranty, and that damage resulting directly or indirectly from water or flooding will have to be covered from the buyer's pocket. A Florida-based Hyundai dealership also makes it clear that neglect and scenarios such as flood and fire are excluded from the Hyundai warranty terms in 2025. Simply put, if you own a Hyundai EV, make sure it's protected from water exposure, and in the event of any spillage or high-level exposure, take immediate corrective action. In case you're not particularly skilled in how cars work, don't go on a DIY repair adventure and take it to a licensed service center — preferably, one that is run by Hyundai.