2000 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

I'M SEEKING HELP GETTING HYUNDAI USA MOTOR CO. TO PAY FOR THE REPAIRS NECESSARY TO MAKE MY 2000 SONATA SAFE TO DRIVE AND TO TRY AND START AN INVESTIGATION OF THE NEED OF A RECALL ON ALL SIMILAR SONATA MODELS 1999 ' 2001 AND POSSIBLY 2002 ' 2005 AS WELL. THE PROBLEM IS THE FRONT SUB-FRAME WAS NOT DESIGNED WITH SUFFICIENT CORROSION RESISTANCE AND IS ROTTING AWAY. HYUNDAI CUSTOMER AFFAIRS (1-800-633-5151) STATES THAT BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS 8 YEARS OLD AND HAS 120K MILES ON IT THAT IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I BELIEVE THAT AN AUTOMOBILE MANUFACTURER HAS CERTAIN LIABILITIES FOR SAFETY AND THE STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY OF THE VEHICLES THEY PRODUCE BEYOND THE NORMAL WARRANTY PERIOD. THE FIRST I NEW OF THE ISSUE WAS WHEN I HIT A POTHOLE IN A PARKING LOT AND THE CAR IMMEDIATELY STARTED PULLING TO THE RIGHT. THE NEXT MORNING I JACKED THE FRONT OF THE CAR UP THINKING A WHEEL BEARING WAS GONE OR SOMETHING. I WAS SHOCKED WHEN I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND SAW THE 'ELBOW' THAT COMES FROM THE FLOORBOARD AREA TO THE WHEEL WAS ROTTED THROUGH ON THE CORNER AND SPLITTING DOWN THE SEAM. THE DRIVER'S SIDE IS ALSO CORRODED BUT NOT NEARLY AS BAD. I CALLED HYUNDAI CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND WAS INSTRUCTED TO TAKE IT TO THE NEAREST DEALER FOR EVALUATION. THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE SUB-FRAME NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND WOULD COST $2300. AFTER SEVERAL PHONE CALLS BACK TO CONSUMER AFFAIRS THEY WON'T CHANGE THEIR OPINION THAT BECAUSE IT'S OUT OF WARRANTY THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE. SINCE THEY HAVE HAD TO FIX THIS ON OTHER VEHICLES SHOULDN'T THE DEALERS BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THE CORRODED SUB-FRAME. MY SONATA WAS AT THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES BETWEEN 2003 -2006 AND THE VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY. MY MAIN CONCERN IS THERE ARE PEOPLE OUT THERE DRIVING CARS THAT THE FRAME HAS BEEN WEAKENED BY CORROSION AND COULD HAVE A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. IF I HAD HIT A POTHOLE ON THE INTERSTATE INSTEAD OF IN A PARKING LOT, MY WIFE'S LAWYER COULD VERY WELL BE ADDRESSING THIS ISSUE INSTEAD OF ME. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER OWNS A 2000 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHILE THE CONTACT'S DAUGHTER WAS PULLING INTO THE DRIVEWAY, THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT WHEEL DETACHED FROM THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE CRADLE RUSTED OUT WHERE THE TWO BOLTS WERE ATTACHED TO THE SUBFRAME. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A MECHANIC AND HE CONFIRMED THE FAILURE. THE SPEED WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 143,000. UPDATED 01/23/08 *LJ. UPDATED

NOTICED AT LAST OIL CHANGE, POTENTIAL STRUCTURAL FAILURE OF FRONT SUB FRAME/ENGINE CRADLE DUE TO RUST OUT CAUSED BY DESIGN THAT ALLOWS WATER TO ENTER AND BE TRAPPED IN SUB FRAME. CARS IN "SNOW BELT" AREAS (OHIO) ARE AFFECTED BY ROAD SALT. SUB FRAME HAS 2.5" RUST HOLE AND SURROUNDING AREA SHOWS FATIGUE AND CRACKING. CAR APPEARS TO BE ONE "CHUCK HOLE" AWAY FROM FAILURE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT DOWN A NEWLY PAVED ACCESS ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 20MPH, THE CONTROL ARM BROKE FREE OF MY ROTTED/RUSTED OUT SUBFRAME. I HAVE RECENTLY HAD THE CAR IN FOR AN ALIGNMENT, AND BRAKE WORK AND NO PROBLEM WAS DETECTED WITH THE RUSTED SUBFRAME. THE CAR IMMEDIATELY SEIZED UP AS THE WHEEL SLAMMED INTO THE WHEEL HOUSING AND THE CAR CAME TO AN IMMEDIATE STOP AND WAS IMMOBILIZED. THE CAR IS NOW IN THE SHOP AND I AM CONTACTING HYUNDAI DIRECTLY REGARDING THE UNLIKELY FACT THAT MANY DRIVERS ARE EXPERIENCING THIS VERY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. I SUSPECT THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL BE INCREASING DRAMATICALLY IN THE NEAR FUTURE AS THE HYUNDAI SONATA'S 1999-2001 CONTINUE TO AGE. I HAVE NOTED AT LEAST A DOZEN INSTANCES OF COMPLAINTS REGARDING THIS ISSUE ONLINE AND ALMOST ALL INSTANCES APPEAR TO BE VERY DANGEROUS. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHILE APPROACHING A STOP AT 10 MPH, THE DRIVER SEAT SLID. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE SEAT ROLLERS FAILED. THE SEAT HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 86,000.

I HAVE A 2000 HYUNDAI SONATA WHICH I PURCHASED USED IN 2003 FROM KOEPPEL HYUNDA IDEALER IN LONG ISLAND CITY NEW YORK. I HAVE NOT HAD ANY MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR AT ALL. THIS WEEK I BEGAN TO NOTICE SOMETHING NOT FEELING RIGHT IN THE FRONT END, SO I BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC. HE SAID THE STRUTS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, BUT THAT I HAVE A BIGGER PROBLEM THAN THAT. IT SEEMS THAT THE ENTIRE SUBFRAME OF THE CAR IS RUSTED AND ROTTING AWAY. HE TRIED TO LOCATE A USED FRAME FROM A JUNKYARD,(BECAUSE THIS IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRENTY), BUT WAS UNABLE TO GET ONE. EACH PERSON HE SPOKE TO AT VARIOUS JUNK YARDS KNEW EXACTLY WHAT HE NEEDED , BUT INFORMED HIM THAT A USED SUBFRAME FOR THE SONATA WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO COME BY BECAUSE ON ALL THE SONATAS THAT WERE JUNKED, THE SUBFRAMES WERE ROTTED THROUGH FROM RUST. I'M BETTING THAT SOME OF THESE CARS WERE JUNKED FOR THAT VERY REASON. APPARENTLY THERE'S A PROBLEM HERE, BUT HYUNDAI IS UNWILLING TO ACKNOWLEDGE IT. WHEN I CALL THEY TELL ME THEY'VE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. HARD TO BELIEVE. I WAS TOLD A NEW FRAME WOULD COST ME1300 DOLLARS. THE ONLY THING THE MECHANIC CAN OFFER TO DO FOR ME IS TO WELD STEEL TO THE PARTS OF THE FRAME THAT ARE STILL SOLID AND TRY TO REINFORCE THE FRAME. AT THIS POINT I AM VERY FRUSTRATED, BECAUSE I WORK AT NIGHT AND NEED A CAR TO GET BACK AND FORTH. I HAVE BEEN PAYING FOR A RENTAL FOR THE PAST 3 DAYS AND IT'S GETTING EXPENSIVE. HYUNDAI NEEDS TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM BEFORE SOMEBODY GETS SERIOUSLY HURT.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FRONT SUBFRAME OF THE VEHICLE IS COMPLETELY RUSTED FROM THE INSIDE. THE DEALER SUGGESTED THAT HE CALL THE HYUNDAI DEALER. HYUNDAI HAS BEEN UNABLE TO CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 112,000 AND THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN.

CAR HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT ,AND HAS HAD 1 OWNER.VECHICLE IS HOUSED IN CENTRAL N.J. ,VECHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED AS TO HYUNDAI'S SERVICE MANUAL RECOMENDATIONS.ALSO VECHICLE HAS RECENTLY BEEN SERVICED JUST BEFORE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY EXPIRED FOR DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION SERVOS (CAR WAS ON LIFT AT TIME OF SERVICE ).ALSO THIS VECHICLE STILL HAS ORGINAL EXHAUST SYSTEM INCLUDING MUFFLER.ON AUGUST30,2007 MY SELF MY CHILD AND MY NEPHEWS WERE DRIVING ON THE PARKWAY AT 65 MPH AT APPROXIMATLY 9 PM WHEN THE TRANSMISSION EXPLODED AND LEFT ME STRANDED IN TRAFFIC LANE WITH VECHICLES APPROACHING AT HIGH RATES OF SPEED AND SWERVING AROUND ME THERE WAS NO WAY TO GET OUT OF HARMS WAY I WAS TRAPPED IN CAR WITH CHILDREN WE CALLED 911 AND THE STATE POLICE HAD TO PUSH VECHICLE TO A SAFE ZONE WHERE WE WAITED FOR A TOW TRUCK.UPONFURTHER INSPECTION OF VECHICLE IT WAS FOUND TO BE CAUSED BY A SEVERLY ROTTED SUBFRAME WHICH CAUSED THE MOTOR AND TRANSMISSION TO DROP CAUSING THE AXLE TO BE TORN THROUGH TRANSMISSION HOUSING AND THE LOWER CONTROL ARM TO BREAK AWAY FROM ROTTED SUBFRAME ALSO(AS STATED EARLIER THE VECHICLE WAS NEVER INVLOVED IN AN ACCIDENT AND HAS NO BODY OR UNDERCARRRIAGE RUST INCLUDING THE EXHAUST SYSTEM. THIS IS A SERIOUS STRUCTUAL PROBLEM AS SUBFRAME CARRIES ENTIRE DRIVETRAIN (MOTOR AND TRANSMISSION AND ALL STERING COMPONENTS).AT THIS TIME NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE BY HYUNDAI TO RECTIFY THIS SITUATION WE WERE TOLD ITS NOT COVERED BY WARRANTY WE WERE NERER MADE AWARE OF ANY PROBLEM AT TIME OF SERVICE AT AUTHORIZED HYUNDAI DEALER. STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM A SUPERVISOR FROM HYUNDAI CONSUMER AFFAIRS.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING FAILURE WITH THE SENSOR PLUG ON HER VEHICLE. SHE HAS HAD TO PAY $200 EACH TIME THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN REPAIRED. SHE STATED THAT SHE IS ALSO EXPERIENCING FAILURE WITH THE POWERTRAIN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, WHICH CAUSED HER VEHICLE TO STALL. SHE HAS HAD TO REPLACE HER ENGINE AND THE BATTERY APPROXIMATELY TWO TO THREE TIMES. THE POWERTRAIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 118,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 67,000. THE CONSUMER STATED REPLACED THE ENGINE 1 TIME AND THE BATTERY TWICE. THE DEALER STATED RADIO JUMPING CHANNELS. UPDATED 09/05/07 *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY STOPPED AND LOST POWER. THE CONTACT EVENTUALLY COASTED OFF THE ROAD AND APPROXIMATELY THREE TO FOUR MINUTES LATER, THE VEHICLE RESTARTED. THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THE CAUSE OF FAILURE AS THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 31,000. UPDATED 02-01-08. *KB