2008 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

2008 HYUNDAI SONATA. THERE IS A RECALL BUT WE ARE TOLD OURS IS NOT PART OF THE RECALL. HOWEVER AT LEAST 75% IF THE TIME WHEN I OR MY HUSBAND ARE IN THE PASSENGER SEAT THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT IS ILLUMINATED. WE HAVE TAKEN IT IN TO HYUNDAI OVER AND OVER, THEY HAVE REPROGRAMMED IT SEVERAL TIMES EVEN REPLACED THE ENTIRE SEAT BUT WE STILL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. THE SEAT DOES NOT RECOGNIZE ME OR ANYONE AS AN ADULT, COMPUTER REGISTERS ME AS NOT BEING HEAVY ENOUGH AND I WEIGH ALMOST 200LBS. I AM TOLD BY HYUNDAI THEY WILL NOT GIVE US A LOANER TILL THE PROBLEM IS RESOLVED AND THEY ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE IS WE ARE IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE AIRBAG DOES NOT DEPLOY AND IT CAUSES MORE SERIOUS INJURY. IT HAS BEEN OVER A WEEK SINCE THE SEAT WAS REPLACED AND THEY HAVE MADE NO DETERMINATION OTHER THAN OUR SEAT IS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. WE HAVE BEEN TAKING IT IN FOR THIS PROBLEM SINCE LAST SUMMER, NOT LONG AFTER IT WAS PURCHASED IT!! WHAT CAN WE DO? *TR

REAR BRAKES STICKING ON. FIRST OCCURRED AT 35,000 MILES AND DEALER NOTIFIED ME THAT THE BRAKE PADS NEEDED REPLACED, BUT UPON INSPECTION I SAW THAT ONLY ONE PAD WAS WORN TO THE METAL, AND THE OTHERS WERE AT > 50% LIFE. I REPLACED THE PAD BUT THE CALIPER AND SLIDER DESIGN IS DEFECTIVE AND THE FAILURE HAPPENED AGAIN AT 40,000 MILES. THIS TIME THE CAR BEGAN JERKING AND SUFFERED LOSS OF BRAKE PERFORMANCE AS THE INDICATOR, ALONG WITH NOISE, SMOKE, AND ODOR. THE HYUNDAI DEALER (MIKE MILLER IN PEORIA, IL) WOULD NOT FIX THE PROBLEM UNDER WARRANTY, INSTEAD SAYING IT WAS A NORMAL WEAR ITEM. *TR

AFTER SLOWING DOWN AROUND A CORNER AND SLOWING DOWN TO PARK, MY ENGINE SURGED AND THE CAR JUMPED A 6" CURB AND WAS STOPPED BY A LARGE BUSH. I ALSO HAD MY BRAKE DOWN. THIS OCCURRED ON THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME CAMPUS AND WAS REPORTED TO NOTRE DAME SECURITY. *TR

BEGAN HEARING A DRAGGING NOISE IN THE REAR OF THE CAR AND THOUGHT SOMETHING WAS DRAGGING UNDERNEATH LOOKED AND SAW NOTHING. GOT HOME AND NOTICED THAT THERE WAS SIGNIFICANTLY MORE BRAKE DUST ON THE PASSENGER REAR HUBCAP THAN ALL THE OTHERS. AFTER FURTHER INSPECTION IT APPEARS THAT THE PAD IS COMPLETELY WORN BECAUSE THE BRAKE IS LOCKING AND THEN NOT RELEASING WHEN IT SHOULD. I HAVE DONE QUITE A BIT OF RESEARCH AND NOTICED THAT MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD VERY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS MODEL YEAR AND MALFUNCTION. THE COMMON TREND IS LOW MILEAGE SO THIS IS NOT A DRIVER ISSUE. THIS WILL ULTIMATELY RESULT IN THE REPLACING OF THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS AT THE VERY LEAST. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY WITH THE DEALERSHIP SO THEY CAN TELL US EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHILE TRAVELING AT SPEEDS OF 35 MPH, THE DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR SUDDENLY FELL INTO THE CONTACTS LINE OF VISION. THE DEALER ADVISED THE SUN VISOR WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 72000.

I HAVE A 2008 HYUNDAI SONATA AND THE ESC IS ON AND IT WILL NOT GO OFF. I NOTICED THE YEAR 2006 AND 2007 SONATA'S WERE RECALLED FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THE 2008 SONATA'S SHOULD BE RECALLED AS WELL. ACCORDING TO THE RECALL THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE STOP LAMP SWITCH WHICH CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. *TR

2008 HYUNDAI SONATA, W/SUNROOF, 46K MILES. THE DRIVERS SIDE SUN VISOR POSITION-CONTROL MECHANISM FAILED. THE VISOR CAN'T BE PARKED IN ANY POSITION. IT HANGS STRAIGHT DOWN BLOCKING THE DRIVERS VIEW. THE FRICTION MECHANISM BROKE WITH A "CRACKING" SOUND. *TR

DRIVER SIDE SUNVISOR FAILURE ON MY 2008 HYUNDAI SONATA 22908 MILES. IT BEGAN WITH A WEEK OF 'CRACKING' WHEN I USED IT UNTIL IT FINALLY BROKE TODAY. IT WON'T STAY UP OR DOWN COMPLETELY AND IT IS AFFECTING MY FIELD OF VISION. IT IS JUST FLOPPING IN THE MIDDLE. I HAVE MOVED IT TO THE SIDE BUT IT IS STILL AFFECTING MY FIELD OF VISION. *TR

THE SUN VISOR ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE ON ONE OF THE FIRST 80 DEGREE DAYS OF THE YEAR GAVE A FEW CRACKING SOUNDS AND THEN WENT LIMP. NOW THE SUN VISOR DOESN'T RETRACT BACK TO THE TUCKED AWAY POSITION. IT ALSO DOESN'T STAY UP AGAINST THE WINDOW. IT STAYS RATHER LOW AND SLIGHTLY OBSTRUCTS MY VISION WHEN I AM DRIVING. THIS PROBABLY SHOULD BE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT I FOUND MANY INSTANCES OF THIS PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET ON THIS SITE: HTTP://WWW.HOWTOMENDIT.COM/ANSWERS.PHP?ID=157121 IT SEEMS LIKE IT IS A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW. THE NHTSA SHOULD PRESSURE HYUNDAI TO MAKE A RECALL FOR THIS PARTICULAR MINOR YET POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS DESIGN FLAW. *TR

I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW 2008 HYUNDAI SONATA IN NOVEMBER OF 2007. I RECEIVED A LETTER IN THE MAIL BACK IN EARLY 2008 ABOUT THE RECALL ON THE AIRBAG SENSOR. I TOOK THE CAR IN A NUMBER OF TIMES AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID THERE WAS NO ISSUE. I TOOK THE CAR IN ANOTHER TIME AND THE DEALERSHIP SAW THE DEFECT. WHAT HAPPENS IS THE PASSENGER AIRBAG WILL COME ON SAYING THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS OFF, EVEN IF THERE IS AN ADULT OVER 150LBS SITTING IN THE SEAT IN THE UP-RIGHT POSITION. THE DEALERSHIP SENT THE SEAT TO SOME PLACE IN CALIFORNIA TO BE FIXED AND THEN WAS RETURNED AFTER THREE DAYS. I GOT THE CAR BACK AND I WAS STILL HAVING THE SAME ISSUES. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN A NUMBER OF TIMES TO GET THE ISSUE FIXED. I SHOWED THEM PICTURES AND VIDEOS BUT THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS NO ISSUE WITH THE AIRBAG. MY SALES-WOMAN SUGGESTED THAT I FILE THE LEMON LAW ON THE CAR. SHE SAID THAT AS LONG AS I WAS STILL UNDER THE WARRANTY THAT I WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THE LEMON LAW. I CALLED THE HOTLINE NUMBER SHE GAVE ME AND THEY SAID I JUST MISSED THE DEADLINE BY ONE MONTH. THE REP FOR THE LEMON LAW SAID I HAD TWO YEARS PLUS 60 DAYS TO FILE. MY DEADLINE WOULD OF BEEN JANUARY OF 2009. I CALLED THE HOTLINE IN FEBRUARY OF 2009. THEY REFERRED ME TO THE BBB AUTO LINE. THE ONLY THING BBB DID FOR ME WAS CONTACT HYUNDAI TO SET UP AN APPOINTMENT WITH ME FOR THE DISTRICT PARTS MANAGER TO LOOK AT THE CAR. THE FIRST APPOINTMENT WAS GIVEN TO ME WITH TWO DAYS NOTICE. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP TO LET THEM KNOW THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO MAKE THE APPOINTMENT ON SUCH SHORT NOTICE. I AM A MANAGER OF A STORE AND I WORK 9AM-6PM EVERYDAY EXCEPT SUNDAYS. I WAS TOLD THAT HYUNDAI WOULD SCHEDULE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT WITH ME BUT I HAVE YET TO HEAR FROM THEM. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT THE DISTRICT PARTS MANAGER WOULD NOT ARRIVE BEFORE 9:30AM AND THE DEALERSHIP CLOSES BEFORE I WOULD HAVE A CHANCE TO GET THERE IN THE EVENINGS AND THEY ARE CLOSED ON SUNDAYS. I ALSO RECENTLY FOUND TWO MORE RECALLS ISSUED FOR MY CAR FOR THE HEADLIGHTS. *TR