2007 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

AT THE TIRE REPLACEMENT SERVICE AT ABOUT 61K MILES (VERY GENTLE, FIRST OWNER, STILL HAD MORE THAN 2/32 TREAD LEFT ON THE FACTORY TIRES AT 61K MILES) I WAS TOLD BY THE TECHNICIAN THAT THE REAR BREAK PADS HAVE TO BE REPLACED. WITH IN 2 DAYS I TOOK THE CAR TO AAMCO SINCE THERE WAS A $35 BRAKE PAD SERVICE DEAL. I WAS TOLD AFTER INSPECTION THAT A CALIPER PISTON IS SEIZED AND SO THE CALIPERS, THE DAMAGED ROTORS AND OF COURSE THE BRAKE PADS HAVE TO BE REPLACED - PREFERABLY FOR BOOTH RARE WHEELS, IN ORDER TO HAVE SIMILAR BRAKING CHARACTERISTICS. WHILE IT IS COMMON SENSE THAT THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WOULD WEAR FASTER, THE AAMCO FOLKS WERE SURPRISED TO FIND THE REAR BRAKE SYSTEM IN SUCH A BAD CONDITION WHILE THE ORIGINAL FRONT BRAKES WERE STILL GOOD. PER THEIR OPINION IT IS MOSTLY DUE TO A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. I CALLED HYUNDAI WARRANTY IMMEDIATELY, THEY PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER, BUT I WAS TOLD I WAS OUT OF LUCK SINCE I AM JUST PAST 60K MILES AND ALSO THERE IS NO RECALL SPECIFIC TO REAR BRAKES THAT WILL ADDRESS MY CONCERN. WITH THIS I THOUGHT I LOST ALL MY BRAGGING RIGHTS ABOUT HYUNDAI - ON THEIR RELIABILITY AND VALUE FOR THE MONEY. MOREOVER, THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE SINCE ON A 1997 NISSAN ALTIMA WHICH I OWN, I STILL HAVE 25% LEFT ON THE REAR BRAKES AT 125K MILES. SHORTLY LATER I FOUND SCORES OF SONATA OWNERS WHO COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS ISSUE IN THE INTERNET FORUMS AS WELL AS NHTSA SITE. I ALSO FOUND COMPLAINTS ABOUT SUN VISORS NOT STAYING IN PLACE, HANGING LOOSELY, A HAZARD WHILE DRIVING. I HAVE THIS PROBLEM TOO BUT NEVER PAYED MUCH ATTENTION TO IT. CURRENTLY I AM NOT IN A POSITION TO SHELL OUT OVER $600 DOLLARS TO GET THE REAR BRAKE ISSUE FIXED TO BE ABLE TO TAKE MYSELF AND MY FAMILY SAFELY IN THE CAR. I HOPE MY COMPLAINT BREACHES THE THRESHOLD AND NHTSA TAKES ACTION TO HAVE HYUNDAI FIX THE ISSUE AT HYUNDAI'S COST ASAP. THANKS FOR PROVIDING ME THIS OPPORTUNITY TO LOG THE COMPLAINT.

THE ISSUE RELATES TO DEFECTIVE SUN VISORS IN MY 2007 HYUNDAI SONATA. NOTE: HYUNDAI ISSUED A RECALL - SERVICE CAMPAIGN # T74, TO REPLACE BOTH DRIVER & PASSENGER VISORS, BUT EXCLUDED MY STATE OF NEW YORK! BOTH MY VISORS ARE BROKE AND THEY KNEW THEY WERE DEFECTIVE SUN VISORS BUT THEY WONT PAY THE COST TO REPLACE THEM. HOW CAN THIS BE ALLOWED? HOPING YOU CAN INFLUENCE THEM TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND REPLACE MY DEFECTIVE SUN VISORS AT NO COST TO ME. THESE DEFECTIVE VISORS ARE A DRIVING HAZARD AS THE VISORS ARE UNABLE TO STAY IN THE UP POSITION REMAINING IN THE DOWN POSITION REDUCING MY VISIBILITY WHILE DRIVING.

THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) LIGHT OFF WILL APPEAR AND DISAPPEAR FROM THE DASHBOARD.

THE PASSENGER VISOR BROKE CREATING A VISUAL HAZARD BECAUSE IT WILL NOT FOLD UP TO THE CEILING. IT REMAINS IN THE DOWN POSITION. IT JUST SNAPPEF WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ADJUST IT. THERE ARE RECALLS ON OTHER VISORS THAT HAVE DONE THE SAME THING. THIS HAPPENED TO THE DRIVERS SIDE VISOR 5 YEARS AGO AND WAS COVERED INDER WARRANTY. I FEEL LIKE THIS IS A DEFECT IN DESIGN WHICH CAUSES THE VISOR TO SNAP.

MY PASSENGER AIRBAG IS NO LONGER ACTIVE. A DASHBOARD LIGHT HAS COME ON / STAYS ON, SAYING AIRBAG NOT WORKING AND THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT CAUSES THE DASHBOARD LIGHT TO CONSTANTLY BLINK, BECAUSE THE OCCUPANT MATT SENSOR IS NOT FUNCTIONING /CODE B1448 SENSOR HAS DEACTIVATED FOR THE AIRBAG. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AND HYUNDAI HAS NOT RECALLED THIS . I CALLED HYUNDAI TO CHECK AND THE REPAIR IS EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. HYUNDAI HAS HAD NUMEROUS SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH OTHER MODELS. I WANT CONSUMER SATISFACTION. I HAVE HAD THEM REPAIR ANOTHER RECALL. I TAKE SAFETY SERIOUSLY. PLEASE RSVP MY EMAIL IS [XXX]@GMAIL.COM CONTACT # [XXX] THANK YOU [XXX] [XXX] BRADENTON, FL 34203 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *JB

MY 07 SONATA HAD A RECALL FOR AIRBAG ISSUE WHICH I TOOK TO LOCAL DEALER TO HAVE CORRECTED. THE DEALER HAD TO SHIP THE SEAT CUSHION OUT TO ADD PADDING TO FIX AIRBAG LIGHT STAYING ON. AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME BACK ON AND I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT MUST BE AN ISSUE WITH THE SEAT. I'VE BEEN WAITING 2 WEEKS FOR HYUNDAI TO CONTACT THE DEALER TO SEE IF THE WILL COVER THE COST TO REPLACE THE SEAT DUE TO THE AIRBAG ISSUE. MY SPOUSE DRIVES THIS CAR WITH MY KIDS AND IT'S UNSAFE TO HAVE TO BE DRIVING AROUND LIKE THIS WHILE THEY TAKE THEIR SWEET TIME. *TR

FIRST EXPERIENCED TWO OCCURRENCES OF PASSENGER AIRBAG WARNING THAT HAD TO BE REPAIRED BY REPLACING BOTTOM OF SEAT AND REPROGRAMMING. THEN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AND HAS STAYED ON FOR A YEAR. THE DEALERSHIP TOLD ME THAT IT MAY BE THE PRETENSIONER OR IT MAY BE SOMETHING ELSE AND TO EXPECT TO PAY ABOUT $600. *TR

ESC LIGHT COMES ON INDICATING THE ESC SYSTEM IS INOPERABLE. THIS IS USUALLY PRECEDED BY THE FEELING THAT THE BRAKES ARE BEING APPLIED WITHOUT MY PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE FEELS SLUGGISH FOLLOWING THE ILLUMINATION OF THE ESC LIGHT. THIS IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. *TR

MY BRAKE LIGHTS NO LONGER FUNCTION. MY "ESC OFF" LIGHT AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEARED. I HAD A MECHANIC SCAN MY CAR REGARDING THE AFOREMENTIONED ISSUES AND THE CODE THAT DISPLAYED WAS "P0504". AFTER RESEARCHING THIS CODE I HAVE DISCOVERED: THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) HAS DETECTED A FAULT IN CORRELATION BETWEEN THE TWO BRAKE SWITCH CIRCUITS. THIS VERY PROBLEM HAS RESULTED A MASSIVE RECALL FOR HYUNDAI & KIA VEHICLES. UNFORTUNATELY, MY VEHICLE IS NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE RECALL ACCORDING TO THE VIN LOOK UP FOR THIS RECALL CAMPAIGN (110). I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THIS MANUFACTURER DEFECT!!! *TR

2007 HYUNDAI SONATA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO POWER STEERING PRESSURE HOSE LEAKS. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED DUE TO THE POWER STEERING HOSE LEAKING, IT LEAKED ONTO THE SERPENTINE BELT AND IDLER PULLEY AND DAMAGE BOTH OF THEM. *JB