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Hyundai Warranty Questions, Answered!

118K views 94 replies 54 participants last post by  michael.kling 
#1 · (Edited)
IMPORTANT! Read before proceeding!

The information contained within this section refers to law only within the United States of America and the territories where the Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act of 1975 applies. Laws vary from country to country and I am not familiar with how they all work. If you're curious about consumer protection laws in your country, do some research and see what you find. Please be aware that I am NOT a lawyer and if you have disputes regarding warranty coverage against your dealer and/or Hyundai Motor America (HMA), you need to speak with a legal professional who specializes in automotive warranties and manufacturer disputes.

Feel free to post questions regarding your warranty coverage below and I'll do my best to answer them. Thank you. Hopefully you find this section helpful and informative.

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Introduction...

It seems that I encounter, almost on a daily basis, members here who have been told by their dealership's service department, in some form or another that the customer needs to do what the service department says or you'll lose your entire warranty. I'm sick and tired of watching good, honest people get swindled by those just trying to make an extra buck and frankly, I'm tired of repeating myself so I'm posting this to have the information out in the open for everyone to see.

Recently I took my Elantra in for a minor repair under warranty and the service advisor kept bugging me to schedule my 30,000 mile service so upon getting home, I cracked open my owner's manual and found it consisted of nothing more than an oil and filter change and swapping out the cabin air filter along with a list of cursory inspections. However the recommendations the dealership made (printed out and stapled to my RO) were far more extensive and totaled nearly $600! Some of the services they were recommending were not listed in the manual at all while others weren't due until 100,000 or 120,000 miles! Others were charging between $60 and $80 for the installation of a $20 part that takes literally two minutes. I plan on swapping out the cabin air filter and doing the oil change myself for a tenth of the cost of the dealer's 30K service.

And while you may be encouraged to perform some of these suggested services, keep in mind that your owner's manual and related service booklet are your guide through long-term ownership and care of your new Hyundai as recommended by the very people who designed and built it. Sit down with your favorite beverage in a comfy chair, open them up and do some reading to educate yourself as to how you drive your car and what it will need when it will need it. Knowledge is power, especially in the battle between man and dealership.

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Frequently asked questions...

Here are some of the most frequently asked questions regarding warranties, servicing, and the law which can be read here.

Q: My dealership claims that they have to perform all of my services or my entire warranty will be voided.

A: FALSE - Nothing boils my blood faster and more thoroughly than this absolutely bald-faced lie. Neither the dealership nor the manufacturer has the legal power to void any one part or the entirety of a warranty for any reason. This does not mean they can't deny coverage but we'll get to that later. Long story short; if any dealership staff tries to intimidate you into a service with the threat of a voided warranty, it's simply that: intimidation.

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Q: I was told that I cannot perform my own maintenance on my car.

A: FALSE - As the service department is by far the most profitable of all the branches of a dealer, this is another steaming pile of dung perpetrated to keep you coming back for your services. You may perform your own maintenance (I do) so long as proper records are kept. And I don't just mean writing it down in the logbook; keep receipts and if possible, log them on an Excel spreadsheet, too. Make your record-keeping absolutely bulletproof and for an extra layer of armor, I strongly recommend using genuine Hyundai filters and parts for the length of the warranty just to remove any chance of doubt regarding aftermarket parts and filters.

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Q: My dealership claims that my factory warranty is only valid at their location.

A: FALSE - Your Hyundai factory warranty is provided to you by Hyundai Motor America and is valid at any of their authorized service centers in all 50 states. Note: This does not apply to any aftermarket or 3rd party warranty coverage you may have purchased, in which case you need to refer to the paperwork that came with that service.

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Q: I denied a list of recommended services based on my vehicle's mileage and the service writer said my warranty would be void if I did not have them performed. Is this true?

A: On the surface, this is definitely FALSE however it can lead to complications. As I've stated before, your dealer does not have the legal power to void your warranty as that is illegal and they cannot require you to purchase a service in order to keep the warranty in effect. However, warranty coverage can be denied (key word, remember it) in the event of a modification or lack of maintenance. Let's take a look at a few hypothetical scenarios.

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Example 1 - Lack of maintenance in a warranty claim: Let's hypothesize that you bought your car brand new and do not change your oil except every year and 20,000 miles or so despite doing heavy city driving. At 35,000 miles, your oil pressure light comes on so you have the car towed to the dealer where the technician finds that oil sludge has blocked the oil uptake tube and starved the top end of oil, causing valve damage. At the same time, you mention that the radio has also been acting up and you'd like them to take a look at that, too while the car is in the shop. You're the original owner so your car still falls under the 3 year, 36,000 mile coverage for the radio and the 10 year, 100,000 mile duration of the powertrain warranty.

When your dealer submits to Hyundai of the parts that they need to complete a repair under warranty, Hyundai may request maintenance records if they feel the claim is suspicious, abnormal or unsubstantiated so the dealer sends a copy of your service records to the district representative. In this case, the district rep will see that you've only changed the oil once on your car since you bought it and as the technician has found no obvious defect, the failure was caused not by a fault in manufacturing but rather, a lack of maintenance at which point the engine warranty claim will be denied and you will be stuck footing the bill. The remainder of your powertrain remains covered but just not the part that you neglected.

Now a gross negligence of engine maintenance will not cause the radio to fail and as the two are not related and you'll have a nice shiny new radio to listen to while you sit in your car in the driveway trying to figure out how to pay for a new engine.

Example 2 - Modifications:

We all love to personalize our cars but if you read one of the first pages in your owner's manual you will find a hidden little passage that reads 'Do not modify your Hyundai in any way'. Let's elaborate on that and we'll use a common modification (aftermarket intake) with a common excuse as an example.

Let's say you bring your car into a dealership for a check engine light and the technician takes your car back into the shop where upon opening the hood, he sees your non-Hyundai intake. He promptly closes the hood, drives the car back around front and informs the writer of what he's found at which point the writer tells you they won't be fixing your car under warranty due to the modification you've performed and that it is responsible for your issue despite the fact they have not done any diagnostic to prove this fact. You may consider it ludicrous but it's happened. You head home and borrow a friend's OBDII scanner at which point it reveals your fault code as a P0261, low voltage on the cylinder 1 injector.

While an aftermarket intake may trip a check engine light code, especially with today's super-sensitive and highly refined emissions control systems but it certainly would not cause a voltage issue on your fuel injection system.

Moral of the story? Warranty coverage can be denied on a failed item (and only that item) provided that it can be proven that the modification caused the failure. However, speculation is not proof and if they can prove that your E85 conversion caused the injector issue, then the company is off the hook to cover the part as it is no longer original and cannot be deemed a manufacturing defect.

Example 3 - The shadetree mechanic in a warranty claim:

For the sake of simplicity, I'm going to rehash our story from example one regarding a lack of oil changes, or in this case, a perceived lack of oil changes. Your oil pump has failed causing the engine to be starved of oil and it seizes. The technician working on your car sees that the oil in the crankcase appears clean and the oil filter looks new however he can find no record of the car ever having its oil changed there.

In the event you find yourself in a situation where your dealership service records may be a bit threadbare or totally nonexistent, make sure you inform your advisor immediately upon receipt of the diagnosis that you have performed all maintenance yourself and will provide all the receipts and records of those services. When you supply them with your records, the district rep will review them, compare them against HMA servicing guidelines and make a decision to cover your engine under the powertrain warranty. A few days later and you're back on the road, all thanks to fastidious record keeping!

I keep records for all my services in four places; on MyHyundai.com, in the maintenance handbook, on the receipts stapled together in a manila folder and in an Excel spreadsheet. Also remember that many receipts are now printed on heat-reactive paper that will fade and eventually vanish over time so don't hesitate to copy those onto normal paper and keep the two together, just in case.

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Thank you...

Hopefully you find this section well-written, informative and helpful. Remember that an informed consumer is a powerful consumer and there's no shame in covering all your bases, especially when it comes to spending and saving your hard-earned money. Finally, always remember that the dealership works for YOU, not the other way around.

Happy motoring, friends. :)
 
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#38 ·
So I have a similar question to the recent one, specifically regarding the air filters.
I purchased my 2012 Accent CPO with 27K mi 10 months ago.
I brought it to the dealer for an oil change (they do a multi-point inspection with this and give you a sheet with their findings).
Since I purchased this car CPO at 27K mi, and brought it in at 32K mi, they inspected everything including the air filters and confirmed they were fine.
Now the air cleaner filter and climate control air filter are both marked for replacement at 30K mi per the maintenance manual.
1 - Since these were dealership inspected at 27K (CPO inspection) and at 32K (multi-point inspection with oil change) is it necessary to replace these, just to say I did it?

It seemed that there was a significant added value in bringing the car to the dealership for oil changes, as they will use recommended fluids, do multi-point inspections there, log their findings and keep you in good standing with your warranty.
2 - Am I correct in this assumption?

3 - Since I got my car and this first scheduled maintenance cycle passed at 30K, have marked everything that was inspected in my log. Is there anythign else that I should be doing, such as keeping receipts for products used, etc?
4 - Fuel additives are listed every 7500 mi. Is there a list of accepted additives? I only really use Marvel Mystery Oil on occasions, or Heet at end of fall to get rid of moisture,
5 - Other cars I've seen, had a line for door seal lubrication. If not done, it was not ocvered if your seals crack and start coming apart. Did I miss this? (I use lithium grease and check every couple years).

I know this is a lot of questions, but they don't seem to be directly answered and I'm sure there is someone else who can benefit from the answers as well as myself.
Thanks in advance.
 
#40 ·
Hi everyone,

I need a quick response. Please help!
I took my car to a Hyundai dealership to check the engine's noise in the morning. Before dropping off the car they told me since the vehicle's under bumper-to-bumper warranty they won't be charging me for inspection. Now, they just called me and told me they have spent an hour on the vehicle and haven't been able to duplicate the engine noise and I have to pay them like ~$100 for labor!!

Are they asking the ~$100 legitimately?!

Please response early as I need to pick up the vehicle in about 2 hours from now.

Thank you
 
#42 ·
Hi, Im wondering if someone can help me here. It maybe a quick answer but I just need clarification as I do not know where else to find the information.
I purchased a 2010 ix35 model with some of the 5 year warranty still on it. Almost near the end of the warranty we noticed there was diesel leaking into the sump. It took 6 weeks for it to be fixed, i had to hire a car for 2 weeks and then they gave me a run down punto for the remainder as it cost over €200 for the 2 weeks and i couldnt afford it...anyway.... the warranty is now up however we have noticed that the part they replaced is now leaking Diesel!! I know our 5 year warranty is up but is there a warranty on the new part they replaced?
If not then could they not have just put any old part in and let us drive away knowing our warranty was up in the next few weeks???? surely the part should be covered at least?
I am waiting for Customer Services to come back to me but would love some feedback if possible from anyone in the know.

Car is a UK import to Ireland

Thanks in advance

G
 
#43 ·
I don't know if UK/Irish Hyundai Warranty terms are different than USA warranty terms.

I also am not sure, but I believe under USA warranty, replacement parts are covered for 12-months/12K miles. However, I don't think they HAVE to give you a new part (could be rebuilt) under USA terms, although they usually would.
 
#47 ·
What year and model car?

The Florida severe service area is BS, but your warranty guide will specify what type of usage constitutes severe service.

As far as voiding the warranty - yes and no.

First off, oil changes really would only affect the engine and powertrain warranty - i.e. if you alternator dies, it should still be covered (under the 5/60) even if you NEVER changed the oil.

Now, if your oil rings go bad and the engine starts burning oil ...

Legally, HMA has to show that they specified a severe service interval, your driving fell into that category, you did not maintain the car per their recommendations AND that failure is what caused the oil rings to go bad.

In reality - you could have receipts for oil changes every 3K miles and HMA could say "we think the engine was over-revved - not covered by warranty" and it would be up to you to fight them in court over it - you would probably win, but it's a hassle.
 
#49 ·
i think florida IS in the severe service area. in my battle with hyundai customer service, i eventually got to a master tech. he told me that hyundai designates places as severe service if one of the conditions is the average yearly temp is 81 deg or higher. since the area we live in was designated 80, and by hyundai, we do NOT come under the service severe umbrella. i was assigned a case number, which i kept, and he assured me that in the future, if any dealer denied warranty because of this, all i have to do is tell them the case number, and they gotta go find another reason. for those of you who have never spoken to hyundai customer service, it is very ummm....enlightening. my experiences(and there have been many) is that the first line of reps are all kids. either 12 years old, or trained to be 12. most have only owned 1 car in their life. none can tell you the difference between a steering wheel and a road wheel. their only answer is to refer you to the local dealer, and whatever the local dealer says is correct. the last one i "spoke" to, and i admit it was in a louder tone than i generally use, "escalated" the call to a threat. i did mention jd powers, and some other things. that initiated a return call from the tech, who actually works on cars, is much older, and can easily answer technical questions. another nice thing to have is the maintenance log, we got one with one of the elantras, but not the other. i have been trying to get another, and have been round and round with hyundai customer service, the selling dealer, but no luck. i have found them on ebay. the maintenance log clearly shows service severe and normal, and what is required and when. also, on myhyundai website, you can print out the maintenance requirement that hyundai wants.
 
#50 ·
Not officially.

Hard to find Hyundai manuals online, but I managed to find the 2015 Sonata.

It describes severe service as (technically severe Usage or severe driving conditions):

Severe Driving Conditions
A - Repeatedly driving short distance of less than 5 miles (8 km) in normal
temperature or less than 10 miles (16 km) in freezing temperature
B - Extensive engine idling or low speed driving for long distances
C - Driving on rough, dusty, muddy, unpaved, graveled or salt- spread roads
D - Driving in areas using salt or other corrosive materials or in very cold
weather
E - Driving in sandy areas
F - Driving in heavy traffic area over 90°F (32°C)
G- Driving on uphill, downhill, or mountain road
H - Towing a Trailer, or using a camper, or roof rack
I - Driving as a patrol car, taxi, other commercial use or vehicle towing
J - Driving over 106 mph (170 km/h)
K - Frequently driving in stop-and-go conditions

Nothing related to 81 degree average temperature - but there is something about heavy traffic over 90-degrees F.

I'm not saying they might not hassle you if you did the normal schedule in Florida, but according to the manual you don't HAVE to and you SHOULD eventually win that argument.
 
#51 ·
Just going to add something here. I don't agree with this, but I was told that both Florida and Ohio are considered SEVERE driving conditions by all car manufacturers. But, when I took my car in for the 1st oil change at around 4200 miles I also found out that for warranty repairs, it is more of an individual case. At least 2500 of my 4200 miles at the time were highway miles as I traveled from Ohio to Florida and back in a 3 month period of time. When I reached 3500, I was on the road.

That classification is what the dealer uses as far as recommending scheduled maintenance. If you register on the Hyundai USA website, you can enter your personal driving habits. They recomended my 1st oil change at 7500. It is not that expensive of an investment to change your oil every 3 months, it is the best thing you can do to extend the life of your car.
 
#53 ·
Is the PCM part of the Power train warranty?

My genny has been stalling without warning, not starting, limp mode etc for the past 9 months. To date, service dealer has replaced Crankshaft position sensor (I paid), timing chain (they paid), crankshaft position sensor again (they paid), sealed all contacts (they paid), immobilizer unit (they paid) and now say I need a PCM replaced - I will be invoiced $ 1200 and if it doesn't solve the problem, too bad, I don't get my money back. Car is 2010 with 62,000KM on it.

Since I am out of normal warranty, should the PCM be covered under power train warranty? I have been without my car for months.
thank you
 
#56 ·
#54 ·
My Elantra now has 36,000 miles. The engine splash guard is loose and rattles. I took it to the dealer, Napleton River Oaks in Illinois, and they said it was not covered under warranty. They called it a "wear item". I'm pretty sure it's not in the same category as wiper blades but I wasn't in the mood to argue. Am I right?
 
#65 ·
My 2016 Elantra had less than 10,000 when the splash guard became loose. The screw clamps were falling off and I was travelling when the splash guard came down. I was on the highway, had to get off. The splash guard got caught under the car. Hyundai denies it is possible. I had to pay to replace it.

Hyundai also denies the noise my wipers make, denies the interior panels are coming off.... I have a huge list. Problem is that Hyundai has an arbitration agreement. I am in the process of filing a lemon law case. It is SO irritating! What good is a warranty if everything is N OT covered
 
#57 ·
Hi my name is Carlos and here it’s my Story. I recently move from a Territory of the US to the mainland. Bought My Santa Fe 2013 2.0 Turbo in October 2013 and move to the States on June 2014. Before move I went to a USA Credit Union to ask the steps to move my vehicle, I complete the refinance process. Also told my service representative at Hyundai my plans to move to the states (they told me there is not an Issue . After I complete all the process finally ship my vehicle and finally register the car in Florida on October 2014 with less than 19k miles. I take the car couple of times to Hyundai dealer near my house for oil changes and some under warranty items (Broken Fog Lights due to a vibration) the fix it without a problem. They told me about the issue in my VIN that it’s a Puerto Rico Vin. After a couple of Call between Hyundai Puerto Rico and Hyundai USA the agree to fix my fog lights. Before 59k miles I also request a recall verification (back door latch) they also fixed without an issue. Now My vehicle is 78k start to make some noise on the engine so I take it to Hyundai near my house (I move recently so I have to take it to another location) they told me powertrain its not under warranty now because its out of USA vin they only cover 60k miles not 100k. Im fighting this because PR is a territory and its clearly cover under US laws and manufacturing policy’s for great brands. I’m a Hyundai fan since my first car. Hyundai Excel, Scoupe and now Santa Fe. I cannot believe this is happening. Any of you guys have similar issue here in the US. Please let me know.
 
#58 ·
Interesting ...

Garantía | HYUNDAI - NEW THINKING. NEW POSSIBILITIES.

They (Hyundai PR and Hyundai USA) operate as separate companies, but they both have the 10-year/100K mile powertrain warranty.

IMHO, they can't have it both ways ...

i.e. I considered buying and importing a Canadian Hyundai - no real problem with that, but the warranty work would have to be done in Canada (they would fix it locally as a courtesy if I were a Canadian vacationing and stranded in the USA, but not as a citizen who bought and imported the car.)

I could see them doing the same thing with PR and USA - but if they had no problem doing other repairs under warranty since you brought the car here, I would think the PT should be covered also.
 
#59 ·
"i.e. I considered buying and importing a Canadian Hyundai - no real problem with that, but the warranty work would have to be done in Canada (they would fix it locally as a courtesy if I were a Canadian vacationing and stranded in the USA, but not as a citizen who bought and imported the car.)

I could see them doing the same thing with PR and USA - but if they had no problem doing other repairs under warranty since you brought the car here, I would think the PT should be covered also.[/QUOTE]

That's what my service advisor said. But like I mention, its a territory of US. My car was purchase under US territory, with US Dollars under US laws. You know what I mean. Hopefully they agree to fix that. But it's been 6 days without a final response.(Florida without a car its expensive) daily rental its not cheap. If any other forum reader happen to have similar situation in the past, comments will be appreciated.
 
#61 ·
That's what my service advisor said. But like I mention, its a territory of US. My car was purchase under US territory, with US Dollars under US laws. You know what I mean. Hopefully they agree to fix that. But it's been 6 days without a final response.(Florida without a car its expensive) daily rental its not cheap. If any other forum reader happen to have similar situation in the past, comments will be appreciated.
As I said - it is a US Territory, but it is not part of the USA - and it is administered by two different Hyundai corporate divisions.

IANAL - but I think if you need a legal leg to stand on, you have it in that they honored the non-PT part of the warranty while that was in effect. IMHO, either they should have initially said "This is a PR car, and we can't honor the warranty on it", or since they honored the non-PT warranty, the PT should be covered also ...
 
#60 ·
Hyundai dealer has no problems with me doing my own maintenance, just document it, and 7,500 miles is maximum. For 28 bucks get dynasaur oil, 40 bucks more for SAE grade SM, plan on using SAE grade SN that is only about five bucks more than dynasaur oil. And will change at 7,500 miles, not much of an in city driver.

Due to EPA emission standards, only two things left to play with, car back and throttle body forward, both are a huge waste of money, so happy just to leave it the way it is.

Do have a good Hyundai dealer, sold me oil filters at internet prices, actually cheaper, didn't have to add shipping charges. Daughter's Kia dealer is not so nice, know him, wanted 175 bucks from her for a 15K mile check up. Charge a small fortune for a cabin and air filter, even if they don't replace it. Know other dealers that don't even replace the oil filter, who crawls under there and looks?

Corrected a lot of problems in her Soul, but she paid for the parts, came to 25 bucks. Can't even rotate the tires correctly, left side was torqued at over 250 ft. lbs, right side lug nuts were ready to fall off. They look at the pad, but don't check for pad dragging, something I always do, all four of her pads were dragging. Kia forgot to lubricate some of the caliper guide pins and the parking brake was adjusted way too tight so the rear disc calipers were not going to the home position. Rubber suspension bushings were not sprayed with silicone. Spark plug gap was all over. She wasn't using Seafoam, also lots of carbon built up, but was another 16 bucks for four brand new plugs.

She was ready to dump this thing for lack of power But she sure has power now. Also getting six more miles to the gallon.

Hope I never have to use my warranty. 04 Cavalier was sure this way, can't say the same thing about my 2012 Cruze.
 
#63 ·
Replacement Engine Warranty

I have a 2013 Santa Fe Sport 2.0T that blew up on itself. They are unsure at this point what exactly happened but there was a fair amount of metal shavings in the crankcase. Anyways they are replacing the engine since it's covered under warranty.

I asked them about the warranty on this new engine and they said that it would only be covered under the remainder of the original 10yr/100k warranty. That doesn't seem right to me, if the engine they put in the car originally would have been covered for 10 years and 100k miles, why would this replacement engine only be covered for a little less than 6 years and 60k miles?
 
#64 ·
I have a 2013 Santa Fe Sport 2.0T that blew up on itself. They are unsure at this point what exactly happened but there was a fair amount of metal shavings in the crankcase. Anyways they are replacing the engine since it's covered under warranty.

I asked them about the warranty on this new engine and they said that it would only be covered under the remainder of the original 10yr/100k warranty. That doesn't seem right to me, if the engine they put in the car originally would have been covered for 10 years and 100k miles, why would this replacement engine only be covered for a little less than 6 years and 60k miles?
That is typical in automotive warranties. The original PT is warranted for 10-years and 100K miles (USA). Replacement parts are usually warranted for the remainder of the original warranty or 12-months/12K miles, whichever is longer. (Not quite that, the shorter of 12-months or 12K miles IF either of those is longer than the remaining PT warranty.)

Doesn't apply to Hyundai, but you also have to watch out for Lifetime parts warranties - that can mean either:

  • The expected service life of the part - (i.e. Garmin map updates are lifetime, but the units from 10-15 years ago can't read the latest map formats and they don't offer map formats for them, so no updates.
  • The lifetime of the original purchaser.
  • Forever - but only for the original part, the replacement might have NO warranty.
  • Forever, and all replacements are warranted forever - assuming the company doesn't go bankrupt.
 
#66 ·
****Update abuot my case*******
Today it's a happy day folks. I got my Santa Fe back...About a month ago the engine was making a bad knocking sound on acceleration. I take the car to service and they told me that the engine has a faulty main bearing that has come apart. At first, they don't want to cover it because I purchase the car in PR. After a couple of calls to important people, and fighting for my rights to have an honest and detailed answer from a guy from corporate at Hyundai Motor Co and Hyundai PR to push the issue and they finally approved the repairs. I still love My Hyundai after all this nonsense but also I want to give a heads up to anyone planning to move to the states. If you purchase any car brand in Puerto Rico not only Hyundai make sure you have your warranty coverage in writing and a document showing you're the original owner. Otherwise you will have a **** of a fight to make any warranty specialist to help you with a big claim like that because a tiny little detail. The vin's assign for cars delivered to PR are not process like the ones in the US Mainland. It’s the same coverage 10/100k powertrain warranty but thy have to request an approval documents from Hyundai *Sojitz de PR" The warranty in PR it’s the same as US but the claim process its different when you export the vehicle outside Puerto Rico. They didn’t take into a consideration that the Island is a US Territory. If someone else have this issue, feel free to send me a PM and I will help you.
****
 
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