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Safety Regulators Probe Hyundai Model's Brake Complaints

MIAMI (CBSMiami/AP) – Complaints of brakes failures on a certain car model from Hyundai has got the attention of U.S. safety regulators.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration posted on its website Monday that the probe affects about 40,000 Hyundai Genesis cars from the 2009 model year.

The agency has received 23 complaints from drivers said they had to push harder than normal on the brake pedal to make the car stop.

In one complaint, a driver from South Florida told NHTSA that as she approached cars stopped at a red light at about 30 mph, she tried to brake, but the pedal went all the way to the floor. "I was in panic mode as I started pumping the brakes and nothing," the woman wrote. The car started to coast to a stop, but the woman ended up hitting a car stopped in front of her, causing minor damage.

The car was towed to a dealer, where mechanics drained and replaced the brake fluid. The woman said her husband still questioned the car's safety, so a manager drove it during a weekend but couldn't duplicate the problem. The woman was told that the dealer couldn't replace any parts. She wrote that she is dissatisfied with how her dealer handled the situation. Her family now has a car "we feel is unsafe to be driving."

Another driver also complained that the brakes failed four times. A dealer replaced the brake master cylinder, but the problem didn't stop. "It is only a matter of time before a crash and possibly injury occur," the driver wrote. "Brakes are like jet engines. They really need to work all the time."

No injuries have been reported. Several complaints alleged that the problem was traced to a faulty antilock brake computer.

NHTSA investigators will determine if the problem is big enough to cause a recall.

(TM and © Copyright 2013 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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