2008 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

REAR BRAKES ON MY SONATA STARTED GRINDING AT 25000 MILES. CONTACTED HYUNDAI HEADQUARTERS BY EMAIL AND THEY STATED THE BRAKES WERE OUT OF WARRANTY AND NO RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. I WAS INFORMED BY THEM TO TAKE IT TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER. SINCE THIS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN AT THIS MILEAGE I HAD TAKEN IT TO MY MECHANIC WHO IS STATE CERTIFIED. HYUNDAI NEEDS TO DO A RECALL ON THIS SAFETY PROBLEM. I HAVE KEPT THE EMAIL RESPONSE THAT HYUNDAI HEADQUARTERS SENT TO ME. *TR

SUN VISOR WILL NOT STAY UP OR IN ANY POSITION RELIABLY. THE SUN VISOR DROPS DOWN CONSTANTLY WITH ANY VIBRATION DURING NORMAL DRIVING. SUN VISOR DROOPS OR DROPS DOWN AT ANY TIME OBSTRUCTING THE DRIVERS VIEW OF THE ROAD. *TR

WHILE STOPPED AT A BUSY INTERSECTION, WITH ENGINE RUNNING AND CLUTCH TO THE FLOOR (DISENGAGED), THE CAR BEGAN TO LURCH AGAINST THE BRAKE. THE CLUTCH BEGAN ENGAGING BY ITSELF BECAUSE THE CONCENTRIC SLAVE CYLINDER HAD FAILED AT 61,500 MILES. THE DEALER ADVISED THE CAR WAS 1,500 MILES OUT OF WARRANTY, TOTAL COST TO REPAIR WAS $1950.00 AND 3 DAYS OF SERVICE. BECAUSE THE LEAKING HYDRAULIC FLUID "SOAKED" THE CLUTCH, THE $794.00 CLUTCH/PRESSURE PLATE NEEDED REPLACEMENT AS WELL. HYUNDAI WILL NOT HONOR ANY "GOODWILL" ADJUSTMENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, A LOUD TICKING NOISE EMITTED FROM THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE THEN BEGAN TO DECELERATE. THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE ON THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD AND SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO RESTART THE VEHICLE, BUT IT WOULD NOT RESTART. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE ENGINE FRACTURED AND WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. UPDATED 02/14/12*LJ UPDATED 02/24/12

PURCHASED DEMONSTRATOR CAR WITH APPROXIMATELY 2,500 MILES FOR NORMAL USE. REAR DISK BRAKE NOISE AT 15,976 MILES REQUIRED BOTH REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS TO BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED AGAIN AT 33,356 MILES, AGAIN REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF PADS AND TURNING OF ROTORS (THIS TIME IT WAS NOT COVERED - CONSIDERED NORMAL WEAR ITEMS). ONCE AGAIN, AT APPROXIMATELY 52,000 MILES, LOUD GRINDING FROM THE LEFT REAR BRAKE REVEALED THAT BOTH INNER AND OUTER PADS HAD BEEN TOTALLY SCRUBBED OFF WITH LIGHT METAL TO METAL CONTACT, WHILE THE RIGHT REAR PADS STILL HAD GREATER THAN 50% OF ORIGINAL PAD THICKNESS. THE CALIPER SLIDES OPERATED SMOOTHLY AND WERE WELL LUBRICATED AND SEALED, AND THE PAD SLIDES WERE DIRTY WITH BRAKE DUST, BUT NOT CORRODED OR BLOCKED WITH DIRT. THE PADS APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO HIGH HEAT. I REPLACED THE PADS TO FINISH MY TRIP AND UPON RETURN IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE NEW PADS HAD BEEN DRAGGING AS EVIDENCED BY A STRONG SMELL AND GLAZED APPEARANCE. IT DOES NOT SEEM NORMAL FOR THIS CONDITION TO HAPPEN - THERE WAS NO GRINDING OR ABNORMAL NOISE OBSERVED DURING THE MOST RECENT EVENT, UNTIL PULLING INTO OUR DESTINATION, WHEN IT WAS VERY LOUD. APPEARS THAT THE CALIPER OR CALIPER PISTON IS STICKING TO KEEP THE PADS IN CONTACT WITH THE DISK, THUS OVERHEATING AND CHALLENGING THE BRAKE PAD LIFE. THIS SEEMS TO BE ONLY ON THE LEFT (DRIVER'S SIDE) CALIPER. HYUNDAI DISCUSSION FORUMS HAVE INDICATED THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT HYUNDAI IS NOT FORMALLY ADDRESSING. I WILL TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALER THIS WEEK, BUT WANTED TO REGISTER WITH NHTSA SINCE IT IS A BRAKE ISSUE WITH SAFETY IMPLICATIONS. *TR

AIRBAG LIGHT INDICATOR ON PASSENGER SEAT WHEN OCCUPIED NOT REGISTERING PERSON IN SEAT IF PASSENGER NOT IN SEAT. SEAT BELT LIGHT INDICATES FASTEN YOUR SEAT BELT WITH NO PASSENGER IN SEAT, NOT SAFETY @ ALL SOMEONE COULD GET INJURED, I DON'T THINK I NEED TO PAY FOR IT TO BE FIXED, MANUFACTURER ISSUE, SAME PROBLEM ON WSB NEWS WITH ANOTHER PERSON, NEEDS ATTENTION SOON. AIR BAG FRONTAL SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE. I CONTACTED ALL THAT SHOULD BE CONCERN BUT DO NOT CARE WANTS MY MONEY AND CAR PAYMENT COMPANY NOT TAKING IT SERIOUSLY. *KB

BOTH THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS AND THE REAR DASH LIGHTS STOPPED ILLUMINATING (11-12-2011). I ALSO HAVE THE ESC INDICATOR LIGHT GOING ON AND OFF (PAST 6 MONTHS) THERE WAS A WARRANTY REPLACEMENT ON THE STOP LAMP SWITCH DONE ON 10-23-2009. SERVICE DEPARTMENT INVOICE STATES ESC OFF LIGHT ON CAUSED BY: RECOVERED C1513 DUE TO FAULTY BRAKE LAMP SWITCH. WORK PERFORMED: INSTALLED 93810-3K000-QQH STOP LAMP ASSEMBLY SWITCH. PROBLEM STILL OCCURRING!!!! *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SUN VISOR FAILED AND SEPARATED FROM THE HOLDER. THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ALSO FAILED AND THE WARNING LIGHT REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE SUN VISOR AND ADVISED THAT THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG SENSOR FAILED, BUT THE PASSENGER SEAT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED BECAUSE THE SENSOR COULD NOT BE REMOVED. THE AIR BAG FAILURE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 92, 5000.

AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON. DEALER STATES THE PASSENGER SEAT, ONLY THE PART YOU SIT ON NEEDS REPLACED. $1000.00. *TR

REAR BRAKES WORE OUT. FRONT BRAKES 'LIKE NEW'. SHOULDN'T FRONT BRAKES WEAR OUT FIRST AS THAT IS WHERE THE ENGINE WEIGHT IS? *TR