2003 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

I HAVE A 2003 SONATA BOUGHT NEW IN JULY 2003, NOW HAS 11000 MILES. 3 WEEKS AGO TEXACO DISCOVERED A LEAK AROUND THE RT. CV JOINT. I TOOK IT TO KEY HYUNDAI WHO SAID THEY FIXED IT. IT WAS STILL LEAKING AS OF YESTERDAY. YESTERDAY I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK WHEN I HEARD A RATTLE FROM THE REAR. MY ENGINE STARTED TICKING. SUDDENLY THE CAR SHOT FORWARD AND SOUNDED LIKE SOMETHING FELL OUT FROM THE BACK. I WAS ABOUT 100 FT FROM MY DRIVEWAY (THANK GOODNESS THIS DID NOT HAPPEN ON THE INTERSTATE) SO I PULLED IN WITH A TRAIL OF RED FLUID FOLLOWING ME. MY DRIVEWAY IS NOW COVERED WITH THIS FLUID. THE KEY HYUNDAI OF JACKSONVILLE HAD SOMEONE BRING ME A LOANER CAR AND SAID THEY'D CLEAN UP THE SPILL. I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THEM. NO WORD YET. I TRAVEL THE INTERSTATE BEFORE DAWN DAILY AND HOME AGAIN SOMETIMES VERY LATE. I CAN'T IMAGINE WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF THIS OCCURED DURING THOSE TIMES. I WILL NEVER TRUST THIS CAR AGAIN AND REFUSE TO DRIVE IT AGAIN. IT SCARES ME. I WANT MY MONEY BACK.

THE ENGINE DOES RELIABLY ACCELERATE WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS PRESSED. SOMETIMES THERE IS UP TO A 3 SECOND DELAY BEFORE THE ENGINE RESPONDS TO COMMANDS FROM THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. AT TIMES THE ENGINE ALSO ACCELERATES VERY SLUGGISHLY COMPARED TO OTHER 2003 4-CYLINDER. HYUNDAI SONATAS THAT HAVE BEEN TESTED. HYUNDAI HASN'T CORRECTED THIS PROBLEM DESPITE MANY ATTEMPTS. *LA

THE TRANSMITION SLIPS AND THEN SOMETIMES IT JUST REVS UP WHILE DOING THIS. ONLY HAD ABOUT 2600 MILES ON IT. DEALER CAN NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. I TOLD HIM HE HAS TO DRIVE IT LIKE I DO. I HAVE HAD 35 YEARS IN BEIN A MECHANIC AND I KNOW IT'S THE TRANSMISSION. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD GET RESOLVED VERY SOON AS I NEED MY CAR TO BE DEPENDABLE.

HUBCAPS ARE SLICING MY VALVE STEMS (HAD TO BUY THREE TIRES) AND PAINT ON BUMPER (WHICH TOOK THEM THREE TIMES TO MATCH) IS PEELING.*AK

WHEN COMING TO A STOP, THE CONSUMER HEARD A RUMBLING NOISE. THE VEHICLE VIBRATED SOON AFTER THAT. DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK THE STEERING WHEEL WOULD SHAKE ALONG WITH THE VEHICLE WHEN SITTING AT IDLE AND MORE WHEN THE A/C WAS ON. THE VEHICLE ALSO PULLED TO THE RIGHT. *SC *JB

TRANSMISSION CONTINUALLY SLIPS BETWEEN 2ND AND 3RD GEARS. HAD VEHICLE INTO DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES. TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED AT 11,000 MILES AND WITHIN 8,000 MILES SECOND (REBUILT -BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HYUNDAI REPLACES NEW TRANSMISSIONS WITH) TRANSMISSION ALSO BEGAN SLIPPING. SLIPPAGE IS MORE PRONOUNCED IN THE COLDER TEMPS. ON ONE OCCASION, REGIONAL SERVICE MANAGER DROVE VEHICLE AND ACKNOWLEDGED SLIP. HE THEN SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT TO FURTHER DIAGNOSE VEHICLE INCLUDING ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, BUT THIS WAS CANCELLED THE DAY BEFORE APPOINTMENT WHEN THEY REALIZED THAT I HAD FILED A LEMON LAW COMPLAINT. FROM THAT DAY ON, HYUNDAI HAS REFUSED TO SERVICE THE TRANSMISSION AND I AM NOW AWAITING LEMON LAW HEARING. MOST RECENTLY, IN THE COLD WEATHER, TRANSMISSION NOT ONLY SLIPS BUT MAKES LOUD METALLIC POPPING NOISE WHEN IT SHIFTS INTO 3RD GEAR.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH STEERING WHEEL WAS LOOSE, CAUSING THE DRIVER TO HIT A CONCRETE BARRIER. DRIVER DROVE THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR ANALYSIS, AND MECHANIC COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

WE PURCHASED A 2003 HYUNDAI SONATA (BASE MODEL) AND THE VEHICLE PULLED TO THE RIGHT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND A ALIGNMENT WAS PERFORMED. WE GOT THE VEHICLE BACK AND AGAIN NOTED THAT IT STILL PULLED TO THE RIGHT. RETURNED TO THE DEALER AND THIS TIME THEY STATED THEY COULD NOT CONFIRM OUR COMPLAINT. WE WERE TOLD THAT VEHICLE NORMALLY PULLED TO THE RIGHT UPON ACCELERATION AND THAT THE DESIGN OF THE ROADS CAUSED IT TO PULL TO THE RIGHT AS WELL. *NLM

2003 HYUNDAI SONATA, PASSENGER SEAT BELT LOCKS UP AND CONTINUES TO TIGHTEN AT EACH BRAKING, NEVER RELEASING CAUSING PAIN TO PASSENGER AND AN UNSAFE CONDITION OF HAVING TO UNBUCKLE SAFETY BELT WHILE IN MOTION TO RELIEVE INCREASING PRESSURE ON PASSENGER. DRIVER SIDE SEAT BELT DOES NOT LOCK AT HARD BRAKING AT ALL. HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP WAS SOLD 2 WEEKS AFTER PURCHASE ADDING TO PROBLEMS GETTING DEFECTS CORRECTED. NEW DEALER, POWAY MITSUBISHI-HYUNDAI SERVICED VEHICLE ON 11/19/2003. TO CORRECT PROBLEM AND OTHER ISSUES (INVOICE #22524) BUT DID NOT CORRECT THEM. BOTH DEALERS HAVE BEEN UNCOOPERATIVE WHEN ADDRESSING PROBLEMS WITH THIS VEHICLE. *LA

WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES VEHICLE BOUNCES AND SHAKES. DEALER STATES ROTORS ARE WARPED. *AK