2004 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE AIR BAG NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DIAGNOSED SEVERAL DIFFERENT TIMES; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE IS STILL OCCURRING. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 42,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHEN THE IGNITION WAS TURNED ON, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED UNTIL THE ENGINE WAS TURNED OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS RELATED TO A MALFUNCTION WITH THE SENSOR DEVICE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FIVE TIMES FOR THE SAME FAILURE, BUT NO REMEDY WAS FOUND. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

BATTERY, THE BATTERY WAS REPLACE IN 12/05/05, THEN AGAIN IN 10/05/06, ON 7/31/08 THE BATTERY THIS TIME DIE WITH NO WARNING, IN THE MIDDLE OF THE VERY BUSY INTERSECTION. BOTH TIME THE BATTERY WAS REPLACE BY RICK CASE HYUNDAI, STATED BAD BATTERY. *TR

HYUNDAI SONATA, 5 SPEED, 2005, 4 CYLINDER, 47,500 MILES, APPROXIMATELY 4 YEARS OLD. THERE WAS A LOT OF PLAY IN THE CLUTCH, BUT IT STILL ENGAGED. ONCE ENGAGED HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE WAS SLOW TO BUILD UP SPEED. TOOK IT TO KEY HYUNDAI, THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED. WAS IMMEDIATELY TOLD THAT THEIR 5 YEAR, 60,000 MILE BUMPER-TO-BUMPER WARRANTY WOULD NOT BE IN EFFECT BECAUSE THIS WAS DUE TO NORMAL WEAR-AND-TEAR. THEY NEVER DROPPED THE TRANSMISSION TO LOOK AT THE INTERNALS. THEY GAVE ME THE CHOICE OF $1,100 FOR REPAIRS, AND $2,500 IF A NEW FLYWHEEL WAS NEEDED. SINCE IT WASN'T COVERED BY A WARRANTY, I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC. HE DROPPED THE TRANSMISSION AND NOTED THAT THE FLYWHEEL CAME LOOSE FROM THE SHAFT IT WAS ATTACHED TO AND CAUSED WEAR TO THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY HOUSING. THE FLYWHEEL AND OTHER PARTS WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE FLYWHEEL ALONE WILL COST $1050, AND THE ENTIRE JOB ABOUT $2300. NO AFTER MARKET FLYWHEELS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THIS VEHICLE. HYUNDAI SHOULD HAVE HONORED THEIR WARRANTY. I SPOKE WITH SEVERAL PEOPLE AT KEY HYUNDAI PLUS HYUNDAI USA CUSTOMER SERVICE. KEY SAID THAT IT WAS NOT GOING TO BE WARRANTED AND CUSTOMER SERVICE WOULD ONLY REFER ME BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. NO ONE COULD GIVE ME INFORMATION ABOUT AN AVERAGE LIFE FOR THE CLUTCH. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE WIRES UNDER THE HOOD WERE MELTING IN THE CLIMATE CONTROL ASSEMBLY. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT THE CLIMATE CONTROL ASSEMBLY HAS BEEN REPLACED. AS A RESULT, THE INSULATION IS MELTING FROM THE WIRES AND CAUSING THEM TO BECOME BARE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 136,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,000.

INCIDENT: 2004 HYUNDAI SONATA LX LEFT REAR SEAT FOLDABLE SEAT BACK RELEASE BUTTON DOES NOT SNAP BACK AFTER BEING PRESSED FOR FOLDING DOWN THE SEAT BACK. THUS, WHEN SEAT BACK IS FOLDED INTO THE UPRIGHT POSITION AGAIN, LOCK DOES NOT SNAP AND ENGAGE, LEAVING THE SEAT BACK LOOSE. IN CASE OF BREAKING OR FRONT CRASH SEAT BACK MOST CERTAINLY WILL FOLD DOWN. *TR

TIRE VALVE STEM FAILED ON 2004 HYUNDAI SONATA. THERE WERE DEFECTIVE WHEEL COVERS. ALL TIRES WERE REPLACED ON THIS VEHICLE ON 11-10-2006. MILEAGE WA S37,063. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR TIRE ROTATION ON 6-21-2007. *AK ON 6-26-2007 WHILE TRAVELLING AT 70+ MPH ON THE INTERSTATE, I EXPERIENCED SUDDEN LOSS OF AIR IN THE LEFT FRONT TIRE. LUCKILY, I WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE TO A SAFE STOP. TOOK THE TIRE TO THE VENDOR. DETERMINED THAT THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS A BROKEN VALVE STEM. VENDOR STATED THAT THEY HAVE HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE HYUNDAI WHEEL COVERS. AFFECTED TIRE WAS UNUSABLE DUE TO THE TIME IT TOOK TO GET STOPPED FROM 70+MPH AND WAS REPLACED. AFTER THAT EVENT, I BEGAN WATCHING THE WHEEL COVERS AND OBSERVED THAT THE WHEEL COVERS ROTATE ON THE WHEEL WHILE DRIVING, AND BEND THE VALVE STEM WITH SIGNIFICANT FORCE. I FREQUENTLY REMOVED AND RE-INSTALLED THE WHEEL COVERS TO RELIEVE THE FORCE ON THE VALVE STEM, ONLY TO FIND OUT THAT THE PROBLEM WOULD RE-OCCUR WITH LESS THAN 100 MILES OF DRIVING. I BECAME CONCERNED AND WORRIED TO DRIVE MY CAR AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS DUE TO THE POSSABILITY OF A POTENTIAL CRASH DUE TO THE RAPID LOSS OF AIR SHOULD ANOTHER VALVE STEM BREAK. CONSULTED THE INTERNET (GOOGLE) AND SEACHED FOR "HYUNADI SONATA VALVE STEM PROBLEMS." OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME PROBLEM. ALSO, FOUND THIS PROBLEM BEING INVESTIGATED ON 2002 - 2003 HYUNDAI SONATAS. SEE NHTSA "PE05-059 2002 - 2003 HYUNDAI SONATA TIRE VALVE STEM FAILURES 07-NOV-2005 " NOTE: TODAY, I REPLACED THE ORIGINAL HYUNDAI WHEEL COVERS WITH FTERMARKET WHEEL COVERS PURCHASED FROM AUTO ZONE. THESE WHEEL COVERS HAVE A CLOSE APPARENCE TO THE ORIGINALS AND APPEAR THAT THEY CANNOT BIND THE VALVE STEMS. A $29.95 FIX. MY OPINION IS THAT THE FACTORY HYUNDAI WHEEL COVERS ARE IMPROPERLY DESIGNED AND REPRESENT A SAFETY HAZARD. HAD I NOT BEEN AN EXPERIENCED DRIVER AND PAYING ATTENTION TO MY VEHICLE, I COULD HAVE EASILY WRECKED AT 70 MPH.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AT 40,000 MILES, THE VEHICLE'S CLUTCH FAILED TO ENGAGE WHEN SWITCHING BETWEEN FIRST AND THIRD GEAR. THE FAILURE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO ONLY USE FOURTH GEAR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER WHO STATED THAT A NEW CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WAS NEEDED. THE DEALER ALSO STATED THAT THE FLY WHEEL HAD OVERHEATED AND SHOULD BE REPLACED. AT 60,000 MILES, THE FAILURE WAS DUPLICATED. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED BECAUSE THE FLY WHEEL WAS NOT REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY ANOTHER DEALER WHO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S TYPE OF FLY WHEEL WAS DESIGNED FOR A TRUCK, NOT A SEDAN. MORE SPECIFICALLY, THE DISC IN THE FLY WHEEL WAS MOVING UP AND DOWN INSTEAD OF SPINNING. THE FLY WHEEL WAS DAMAGING THE ENGINE HOUSING WHICH CAUSED THE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY TO FAIL. THE ENGINE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE IS 66,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 40,000. THE CONSUMER PROVIDED COPIES OF THE REPAIR INVOICES FOR THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 07/06/07 *TR

THE LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE MIRRORS ARE LOSING CLARITY IMPAIRING VISION. I WILL BE TAKING IT TO DEALER FOR REPAIR. *NM

I WAS DRIVING TO ARIZONA FROM TEXAS ON INTERSTATE 10 IN A RAIN STORM WHEN MY CAR STARTED TO FISHTAIL. I THOUGHT IT WAS HYDROPLANING, BUT IT WAS SOON TOTALLY OUT OF CONTROL AND I STARTED TO APPLY THE BRAKES. MY CAR STARTED SPINNING AND SPUN ACROSS THE 15 FOOT GRASSY MEDIAN WHICH SLOPED DOWN ABOUT TWO FEET, PROCEEDED ACROSS THE TWO LANES OF ONCOMING TRAFFIC, CONTINUED DOWN A THREE FOOT SLOPED GRASSY MEDIAN ABOUT THREE FEET WIDE AND FINALLY CAME TO A STOP ON THE FRONTAGE ROAD. MY BACK TIRE HAD GONE FLAT!! WHEN I GOT TO ARIZONA I BROUGHT MY CAR IN TO DISCOUNT TIRE (WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE FIRST TWO TIRES) TO HAVE THE RIMS AND TIRES CHECKED. THEY CHANGED THE TIRE BUT COULD FIND NO NAIL OR ANY REASON FOR THE TIRE GOING FLAT. THE OTHER REAR TIRE ALSO HAD TO BE CHANGED BECAUSE THERE WERE CRACKS IN THE TIRE (THE 2 REAR TIRES HAD 20,000 MILES ON THEM). I WAS TOLD THE RIMS WERE DAMAGED, BUT NOT TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE TWO FRONT TIRES HAD TO BE REPLACED AT 17,000 MILES BECAUSE THEY BOTH HAD BUBBLES. I BELIEVE I RECEIVED FOUR DEFECTIVE TIRES WHEN I PURCHASED MY CAR BECAUSE THESE MICHELIN TIRES SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD FOR AROUND 50,000 MILES. I WENT ON THE INTERNET AND FOUND A SITE OF UNHAPPY MICHELIN CUSTOMERS WITH THEIR HORROR STORIES. I PRINTED TEN PAGES OF COMPLAINTS, TWO VERY SIMILAR TO MINE WHERE THE TIRE WENT FLAT FOR NO APPARENT REASON, OTHERS THAT HAD BLOWOUTS ON ALMOST NEW TIRES. ONE CUSTOMER STATED THAT HE WAS TOLD TO RETURN THE TIRE (AS I WAS) AND ABOUT A WEEK LATER WHEN HE CALLED HE WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE TIRE. HE RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM THE POSTAL SERVICE THAT THE TIRE HAD BEEN DELIVERED AND IT WAS DATED AFTER THE CONVERSATION HE HAD WITH MICHELIN! JB