rear wheel bearing - 2000 sonata

I just got back from my dealer and found the right rear wheel bearing is
going. I heard the noise which was why I brought it in. Now its a 2000 and
has only 59000 km on it. Isn't it abnormal for a wheel bearing to go that
early? I've only had the car for 3 weeks by the way and I'm hoping the
dealer is going to cover it. He'll call me tomorrow morning.

Abnormal for most cars, yes. Abnormal for a 2000 Sonata, no. In their
misguided wisdom, Hyundai did not put a dust cover on the part of the
wheel hub assembly that faces toward the inside. This area is exposed to
road dirt and splash, etc. The new part now has a dust cover, so I
wouldn't expect the failure to be so frequent on the replacement.