2012 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

2012 HYUNDAI SONATA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE ENGINE REVVED VERY HIGH WHEN STARTED. *SMD THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. SEVERAL WEEKS LATER, THE ENGINE REVVED TO 4000 RPM. AGAIN, THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM.

I HAD JUST PULLED INTO A SMALL RURAL PARKING LOT AND PARKED FACING A WOOD FENCE IN THE AFTERNOON. I HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND PUT THE CAR INTO PARK. THE CAR SUDDENLY LURCHED FORWARD ABOUT TEN FEET, KNOCKING OVER A WOOD FENCE POST AND INCURRING $3,000 DAMAGE TO THE CAR. I STILL HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE, AND SLAMMED IT INSTANTLY AS THE CAR LURCHED. FORTUNATELY, NO PERSON WAS WALKING ALONG THE SIDEWALK, AND I HAD MY SEAT BELT IN PLACE. I INSISTED THE CAR BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST HYUNDAI DEALER RATHER THAN TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP, SINCE I WANTED TO FIND THE CAUSE OF THIS ACCELERATION MALFUNCTION. THE DEALER SAID THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG, OTHER THAN THE FRONT END DAMAGE. I INSISTED THAT HYUNDAI NATIONAL SEND OUT AN ENGINEER TO CHECK THE CAR. I HAVE ALSO FOUND A REPORT ON THE INTERNET FROM KMOV.COM NEWS IN ST. LOUIS 2/28/13, THAT THREE LOCAL OWNERS THERE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE CASE DETAILED IN THE NEWS REPORT WAS EXACTLY LIKE MY EXPERIENCE OF SUDDEN LURCHING ACCELERATION FROM A PARKED POSITION, BUT THE HYUNDAI ENGINEER REPORTED NOTHING WAS WRONG. HOWEVER, OUR EXPERIENCE DOCUMENTS AN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION PROBLEM UNRELATED TO DRIVER ERROR. I HAVE TOLD HYUNDAI THAT I WILL ABSOLUTELY NOT CONTINUE TO DRIVE THIS CAR.

I WAS GETTING READY FOR WORK AND THE TEMPERATURE OUTSIDE WAS -2 DEGREES SO I WENT TO WARM UP THE CAR FOR 20 MINS AND THEN STARTED TO HEAD OUT TO WORK. AS I WAS LEAVING NOT EVEN 5 MINS LATER I STARTED TO SMELL SOMETHING BURNING. SO I PULLED OVER AND STARTED TO SEE SMOKE, THEN I STARTED TO LOOK AROUND TO FIND OUT WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM AND I SEE SMOKE COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE BACK SEAT RIGHT BEHIND THE DRIVER SEAT. SO I STARTED TAKING MY PERSONAL BELONGINGS OUT OF THE VEHICLE. AFTER REMOVING MY PERSONAL BELONGINGS, I WENT TO THE CAR AND NOW THERE WAS MORE SMOKE COMING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE REAR SEAT CLOSEST TO THE REAR DOOR DRIVER SIDE. SO THEN I PULLED UP THE SEAT AND I SEE FLAMES, AND THERE WERE FLAMES, I CALL 911 AND THEY CAME LIKE IN 5 MINS.I'M JUST BLESSED THAT I DIDN'T HAVE MY KIDS WITH ME. *TR

IT IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP THE CAR DRIVING IN A STRAIGHT LINE. I AM CONSTANTLY HAVING TO OVER CORRECT THE PROBLEM. IT IS VERY HARD TO DRIVE ESPECIALLY ON THE INTERSTATE. I FEEL LIKE THE CAR CONSTANTLY WANDERS AND NOW WE ARE HAVING PROBLEMS WHEN WE ARE CORRECTING THE CAR THE WHEEL IS STARTING TO STICK. THIS IS VERY SCARY AND I WORRY FOR MY SAFETY AS WELL AS MY FOUR YEAR OLD AND MY WIFE'S. PLEASE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THIS PROBLEM I KNOW WE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES HAVING THIS ISSUE! *TR

MY 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA STEERING IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY, IT IS PULLING TO THE LEFT AND REQUIRES CONSTANT CORRECTIONS. IT IS VERY UNSAFE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AND DOES NOT WANT TO STAY IN ITS LANE. IT HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP TWICE IN THE LAST 2 MONTHS, ONCE FOR AN ALIGNMENT AND ONCE FOR CHANGING THE SETTING FOR THE ELECTRIC STEERING. I INFORMED HYUNDAI OF AMERICA ABOUT MY PROBLEM AND WAS TOLD THE CAR SHOULD BE WORKING AS IT SHOULD AND THAT IS ALL THEY CAN DO. *TR

WHEN I WAS BRAKING, THE PASSENGER FRONT BRAKES MADE A HORRIBLE METAL ON METAL SOUND. I HAD A MECHANIC LOOK AT THE BRAKES (TO FAR FROM A HYUNDAI DEALER). THE MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS. THIS. HAS GONE ON FOR MONTHS. I HAD THE BRAKE PADS REPLACED EVEN THOUGH THE ORIGINAL PADS WERE STILL GOOD. I FINALLY TOOK MY CAR TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER WHO EXPLAINED TO ME (THE ROTORS WERE EXTREMELY RUSTED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED) WHAT, THIS SOUNDS LIKE A MANUFACTURING ISSUE. NO, I HAD ALL ROTORS REPLACED AND NEW BRAKE PADS ALL THE WAY AROUND. GUESS WHAT, STILL MAKING THE SOUND IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE. *TR

I HAVE HAD ISSUES GALORE WITH MY CAR SINCE THE DAY I DROVE IT OFF THE LOT. FIRST ISSUE AND STILL IS JUST GAVE UP ON BRINGING IT BACK WAS THE STEERING THAT DRIFTED. THEN I HAD A SOUND COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE CAR THAT MADE A LOUD NOISE. I ALSO HAVE A SOUND COMING FROM THE SUN ROOF. AFTER THAT I HAD A OIL LEAK IN IT'S FIRST YEAR. MY RADIO WENT OUT, MY DRIVER WINDOW STOP WORKING. MY TURBO QUIT ON ME. BATTERY DIED. I WAS STRANDED BY THE CAR 3 TIMES. IT WOULD TURN OVER FAST BUT NOT CRANK. I CALLED ROAD SIDE ON ONE OF THOSE. MY AIR BAG LIGHTS COME ON WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. IT RATTLES LIKE CHEAP PARTS. I HAVE CALLED HYUNDAI WITH NO RESPONSE AS OF YET. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY CAN'T DO ANYTHING. I PAY A CAR NOT FOR A CAR I DON'T TRUST TO DRIVE. *TR

WALKED OUT OF STORE I HAD BEEN SHOPPING IN FOR OVER AN HOUR AND CAR WAS IN FLAMES. THE FIRE INVESTIGATOR EXPLAINED IT AS AN ELECTRICAL SHORT THAT STARTED AT THE MAIN ENGINE WIRE HARNESS AND MELTED THE TUBING/WIRING ALL THROUGH THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT DOWN NEAR PASSENGER HEADLIGHT AND THE MELTING WIRES/TUBING/RUBBER DRIPPED AND IGNITED ON A PILE OF LEAVES UNDERNEATH THE CAR IN THE PARKING SPACE. THE RESULTING FIRE AND ELECTRICAL BURN MELTED ALL RUBBER PLASTIC,EXTERNAL BELTS, WIRE HARNESS, FRONT BUMPER, INTAKE MANIFOLD AND ANY PLASTIC RUBBER,FLUID LIDS, EXTERIOR PARTS SURROUNDING OR ATTACHED TO THE ENGINE. *TR

I BROUGHT MY CAR IN FOR ROUTINE SERVICE WHERE I ALERTED THE SERVICE REP TO AN ISSUE WITH MY DASHBOARD. FOR OVER A YEAR I HAD NOTICED AN AREA OF 'SLICKNESS" ON MY DASH .AS THE SUMMER WENT ON, THIS AREA NOW APPEARS TO BE MELTING! I WAS TOLD THAT THE AREA WAS THERE BASED ON :SOMETHING " THAT I HAD DONE & HAD SUBSEQUENTLY TRIED TO FIX IT! NEEDLESS TO SAY , I WAS FIT TO BE TIED!! HOW DO YOU ACCUSE SOMEONE OF SOMETHING WHEN YOU DO NOT HAVE THE FACTS? I WAS TOLD BY NUMEROUS SERVICE PEOPLE AS WELL AS MANAGEMENT THAT THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS NEVER SEEN BEFORE! DOES NOT ONE NEED TO CONDUCT AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE MATTER AS OPPOSED TO IT IS YOUR PROBLEM -NOT OURS? IT IS CLEARLY A DEFECT & I WANT THE DASHBOARD REPLACED!! *TR

WHILE BACKING UP OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, I HEARD A CRASH AND REALIZED THE RIGHT SIDE OF MY REAR BUMPER COVER FELL OFF. THIS WAS COMPLETELY RANDOM, AS I HAVE NEVER BEEN HIT FROM BEHIND AND THERE WERE NO DENTS, SCRATCHES, CRACKS OR OTHER VISIBLE DAMAGE TO THE BUMPER COVER WHEN IT FELL OFF. THE BUMPER AND BUMPER COVER SEEMED TO BE IN GOOD CONDITION, BUT THE PLASTIC CLIPS HOLDING THE BUMPER COVER TO MY BUMPER APPEARED SEVERELY DEGRADED AND DAMAGED. WITH VERY LITTLE EFFORT, THE MAN WHO TOWED MY TRUCK BROKE OFF THE REMAINING CLIPS THAT WERE ATTACHED TO THE LEFT SIDE OF MY BUMPER. THE NEXT DAY, I ARRIVED AT THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAMAGE, AND MY BUMPER AND BUMPER COVER NEEDED REPLACEMENT. I WAS SHOCKED, CONSIDERING THE BUMPER FELL OFF, AND BELIEVE THERE IS NO REASON WHY I SHOULD SPEND MONEY ON A COMPLETELY NEW BUMPER AND BUMPER COVER IF JUST THE CLIPS WERE BROKEN. THE SERVICE MANAGER SIMPLY TOLD ME THE CLIPS WERE DAMAGED AND THAT WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. HE DID NOT HAVE AN ANSWER FOR WHEN I ASKED HOW THE CLIPS COULD POSSIBLY BECOME DAMAGED TO THE POINT OF BREAKING, WHEN THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF DAMAGE TO THE BUMPER COVER. HE BROUGHT UP THE POSSIBILITY THAT I HAD BEEN HIT IN A PARKING LOT AND DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT IT. IN A WORST CASE SCENARIO, IF THIS WAS THE CASE, I WOULD LIKE AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THAT WOULD LEAD TO AN ENTIRE BUMPER FALLING OFF A VEHICLE. LITTLE FENDER BENDERS AND PARKING LOT ACCIDENTS ARE COMMON, BUMPERS FALLING OFF A CAR ARE NOT. HAVING A BACKGROUND IN POLYMER SCIENCE, I DO NOT BELIEVE THE GRADE OF PLASTIC USED TO MANUFACTURE THE CLIPS IS AN APPROPRIATE CHOICE. I BELIEVE THIS TO BE AN IMPORTANT SAFETY ISSUE, AS I AM SURE MY VEHICLE IS NOT THE ONLY ONE. I WAS LUCKY TO HAVE BEEN JUST IN THE DRIVEWAY, BUT IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN ON THE HIGHWAY, IT COULD HAVE EASILY FLOWN INTO A DRIVER'S WINDSHIELD CAUSING A FATALITY. *TR