2001 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

VEHICLE ACCELERATED SUDDENLY ,RESULTING IN A COLLISION, AND CAUSING MINOR INJURIES TO DRIVER. *AK CONSUMER STATES THIS ACCIDENT HAPPENED THE DAY THAT THE VEHICLE WAS GOING TO BE TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THIS SUDDEN ACCELERATION PROBLEM. *SLC

WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 35 MPH WAS STRUCK ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT WAS INVOLVED IN ANOTHER ACCIDENT HEAD-ON FIRST. UPON IMPACT, NONE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. PLEASE PROVIDE MORE INFORMATION.*AK

WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED DURING NORMAL OPERATION VEHICLE FAILS TO START, PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT. DEALER HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE NUMEROUS TIMES, AND FAILED TO REMEDY PROBLEM. *AK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THEN VEHICLE BEGAN HAVINB PROBLEMS WITH NO POWER, STALLING, AND MAKING NOISES, DEALER REPLACED THE PURGE CONTROL VALVE, HOWEVER PROBLEM TILL CONTINUES. BRAKES FEEL LOW TO THE FLOOR. CENTER AC VENTS AND RIGHT PASSENGER VENT BROKE, DEALER REPLACED. DEALER ADJUSTED DRIVE BELTS DUE TO BEING NOISY. *SLC

WHEN DRIVING AND WITH NO PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE WILL START TO JERK, AND THEN IT WILL ACCELERATE. *AK

WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE WOULD HAVE A COKING SOUND LIKE IT WANTED TO CUT OFF. WITH NO PRIOR WARNING VEHICLE CUTS OFF IN TRAFFIC WHEN SLOWING DOWN. ALSO, AFTER CUTTING OFF, VEHICLE WILL START BACK UP. *AK

WHILE DRIVING RPMS GO UP HIGH, IDLE WILL NOT DROP. BEEN TO DEALER 5 TIMES FOR SAME PROBLEM. *AK

ON APRIL 28, 2001 I AND THREE OTHER PASSENGERS WERE RIDING IN THE VEHICLE. I WAS TRAVELING DOWN A LONG GRADE AT 35 TO 40 MILES PER HOUR. TOWARD THE BOTTOM OF THE GRADE THE ROAD CURVES TO THE RIGHT AND AT THE BOTTOM THERE IS A TRAFFIC SIGNAL. WHEN I CAME AROUND THE CURVE I SAW THAT THE LIGHT WAS GREEN AND PROCEEDED TO ACCELERATE IN ORDER TO GET UP THE APPROACHING UPGRADE. WHEN I ATTEMPTED TO ACCELERATE THE ENGINE REVVED VERY HIGH BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO SLOW DOWN. TANSMISSION HAD SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL ALTHOUGH THE SHIFTER STILL INDICATED THAT I WAS IN DRIVE. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT AUTOMATICALLY SHIFT OUT OF NEUTRAL. I HAD TO MANUALLY SHIFT INTO LOW GEAR. TWO DAYS LATER I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND, AFTER THREE DAYS, I WAS TOLD THAT THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG AND THAT THEY WOULD MAKE NO REPAIRS. ON FRIDAY MAY 4, 2001 I WAS CONTACTED BY THE HYUNDAI REGIONAL SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE WHO TRIED TO CONVINCE ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING THE MATTER WITH MY VEHICLE. HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS THE VEHICLES "ADAPTIVE LEARNING" FEATURE THAT CAUSED THE SHIFT AND THAT WHAT I EXPERIENCED WAS PERFECTLY NORMAL. I FIND IT VERY HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE NEW CAR I OWN WAS DESIGNED TO SHIFT AND STAY IN NEUTRAL WHEN IT IS IN A SITUATION WHERE ACCELERATION IS NECESSARY. BOTH THE DEALER AND THE MANUFACTUER CONTINUE TO INSIST THAT THERE IS NOTHING THE MATTER WITH THE VEHICLE AND REFUSE TO MAKE ANY REPAIRS. ALSO, ONE WEEK BEFORE THE INCIDENT , MY WIFE AND I WERE ON THE SAME ROAD AND THE VEHICLE DID NEARLY THE SAME THING. THE ONLY DIFFERENCE WAS THAT AFTER ABOUT A SECOND OR TWO OF STEPPING ON THE GAS PEDAL TRANSMISSION SHIFTED ITSELF BACK FROM NEUTRAL INTO DRIVE. PLEASE HELP.*AK

FLOOR SHIFT LEVER WOULD JUMP OUT OF GEAR WITHOUT BEING TOUCHED. IT WOULD FAIL TO REMAIN IN CORRECT GEAR. SOMETIMES CAN SLIGHTLY PUSH, AND WOULD JUMP OUT OF GEAR. BEEN TO DEALERSHIP, AND WAS INFORMED BY MECHANIC THAT FLOOR SHIFT LEVER WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. VEHICLE HAD ONLY 900 MILES. *AK

ENGINE FAILED AT 1633 MILES GOING 65 MPH ON MAJOR HIGHWAY. ACCORDING TO HYNDAI SERVICE THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH ENGINE SLEEVES IN EARLY PRODUCTION ENGINES. SLEEVES COME LOOSE CAUSING PISTONS TO SMASH SPARK PLUGS. NEW ENGINE INSTALLED, BUT DID NOT RUN PROPERLY. HYUNDAI SERVICE ORDERING SECOND NEW ENGINE. PROBLEM DIAGNOSED QUICKLY DUE TO ANOTHER 2001 SANTA FE WITH 3900 MILES IN SHOP WITH SAME PROBLEM. PEOPLES HYUNDAI IN FOLSOM, CA WERE VERY HELPFUL.*AK