Lawsuit Says Blue Link Decreases the Vehicle’s Value

Hyundai is being sued for permanently disabling Blue Link systems if a subscription has been inactive for more than one year. The plaintiff claims on or about January 7, 2015, Hyundai notified owners of its Blue Link vehicles whose Blue Link subscriptions had been inactive for more than one year. Hyundai told owners, “If you do not reactivate your Blue Link services by January 28, 2015, your current Blue Link system in your vehicle will be permanently disabled.

Except, permanent didn’t mean forever if you’re willing to pony up the cash. The Blue Link handbook mentioned that disconnected services could be easily restored for a “nominal reconnection fee.” They just didn’t say what it was.

Hyundai told owners the service could be reactivated, but the hardware would need to be changed and installed by a Hyundai dealer. The automaker said the job would cost a minimum of $500 to replace the Blue Link unit in addition to the new subscription fees.

Nothing says we value you as customers like some good, ole-fashioned extortion.

Want to Learn More?

Blue Link is Not As Standard as Advertised

Messages that self-destruct and dastardly extortion – it all sounds like the plot to Mission Impossible, right? But it’s actually the story of Hyundai’s Blue Link systems. Pay up, or it’ll blow up ... or at least shut off.