2006 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

WHILE DRIVING THE DRIVERS SIDE SUNVISOR CAME LOOSE AND NOW HANGS DOWN OBSTRUCTING THE DRIVER'S VIEW. THE SUN VISOR NO LONGER WILL STAY UP, IT ALWAYS HANGS DOWN. *TR

DASH AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYS ON. THIS IS A VERY COMMON COMPLAINT CONCERNING THE 2006 SONATA (SEE SAFERCAR.GOV DATABASE). IN MY CASE, THE DEALER SAYS THE PASSENGER SEAT NEEDS REPLACING AT A COST OF OVER $2000. I NOTE IN THE ABOVE DATA BASE THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE A WIDE VARIETY OF CAUSES FOR AIR BAG FAILURE. THESE PROBLEMS OCCUR SO OFTEN IN THE 2006 SONATA, AND CREATE SUCH A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT NHTSA SHOULD REQUIRE HYUNDAI TO DO A RECALL AND FIX THESE AIR BAG PROBLEMS FOR GOOD. I JUST WONDER HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN INJURED OR KILLED BECAUSE OF THESE DEFECTIVE AIR BAGS. *TR

THE DOOR HANDLES ON BOTH REAR SEAT PASSENGER DOORS HAVE BROKEN OFF INSIDE THE DOOR. THEY BROKE APPROXIMATELY WHERE THE LINKAGE ATTACHES TO THE HANDLE. THE FRONT PASSENGER HANDLE IS ACTING DIFFERENT THAN IT USE TO NOW ALSO. AS OF THIS WEEKEND THE FRONT DRIVERS HANDLE ARE ACTING DIFFERENT ALSO! THIS APPEARS TO BE A MANUFACTURING /DESIGN ISSUE AND NOT AN ABUSE OR VANDALISM ISSUE. *TR

WHILE DRIVING MY 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA AT AROUND 45 MILES PER HOUR, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SUN VISOR FELL DIRECTLY INTO MY LINE OF VISION. THE MECHANISM THAT HOLDS THE VISOR UP AGAINST THE ROOF OF THE CAR IS DAMAGED, AND THE VISOR NOW FLOPS UP AND DOWN FREELY. NOW THE PASSENGER SIDE VISOR NO LONGER WORKS (114,000 MILES) AND BOTH ARE A LITTLE OVER $100 TO REPLACE, AND BOTH OF WHICH PRESENT SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARDS. IMAGINE DRIVING DOWN THE FREEWAY AND HAVING A SUN VISOR FALL DOWN AND KEEP YOU FROM BEING ABLE TO SEE STOPPING CARS. THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED. *TR

ABOUT 2-3 YEARS AGO, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ON THE CONSOLE BEGAN TO ILLUMINATE AND TURN OFF INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT APPARENT CAUSE OR PATTERN, UNTIL IT REACHED A POINT OF STAYING ON ALL THE TIME. TO ME, THIS INDICATES AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. I HAVE NOT HAD THIS PROBLEM DIAGNOSED SPECIFICALLY, ALTHOUGH AT ONE POINT, MY MECHANIC MENTIONED OFF HAND THAT I HAD A BROKEN SEAT BELT, BUT, AFTER I LOOKED THEM OVER MYSELF, ALL SEAT BELTS FUNCTIONED PERFECTLY FINE, SO I DID NOT REPLACE ANY OF THEM. THIS MAY BE THE CAUSE OF THE WARNING LIGHT, HOWEVER, RESEARCH HAS SHOWN THAT THIS WARNING LIGHT MAY BE ON FOR ANY NUMBER OF REASONS, AND MOST CASES INVOLVE EXPENSIVE AND UNRELIABLE REPAIRS, AND THE PROBLEM RE-OCCURS WITHOUT REASON. BECAUSE OF THIS, I HAVE ELECTED NOT TO PAY TO HAVE IT "FIXED." IT HAS NOT BEEN A PROBLEM UNTIL THIS YEAR, WHEN MY CAR ONLY BARELY PASSED INSPECTION (PRIOR INSPECTORS HAVE APPARENTLY NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH IT). READING FURTHER, I AM EVEN LESS INCLINED TO FIX IT - SPENDING $1500 ON A REPAIR THAT HAS REPORTS OF RE-OCCURRENCE ON A 7-YEAR-OLD VEHICLE SEEMS SILLY. HOWEVER, I'M LODGING THE COMPLAINT HERE ANYWAY. I HAVE NOT ATTEMPTED TO GET A DEALERSHIP OR MANUFACTURER TO DIAGNOSE OR FIX THE PROBLEM. *TR

SUN VISOR ON DRIVERS SIDE WOULDN'T STAY UP. WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY, BUT A YEAR OR SO LATER AGAIN WOULDN'T STAY UP. AND THE PASSENGER SIDE VISOR ALSO WON'T STAY UP. *TR

I LOST THE ABILITY TO TURN THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE RIGHT, THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIME WITH OTHER PEOPLE DRIVING. AFTER EXITING THE HIGHWAY THE STEERING WILL "LOCK" AND NOT TURN TO THE RIGHT ALMOST AS IF THE POWER STEERING HAS FAILED, BUT I HAVE HAD THIS CHECKED AND SINCE IT'S INTERMITTENT, DIAGNOSES IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE, THE POWER STEERING PUMP AND SYSTEM WAS CHECKED AND EVERYTHING CAME BACK FINE. AFTER A FEW SECONDS OF FIGHTING THE WHEEL THE CAR WILL SUDDENLY SNAP BACK AND ALL SEEMS FINE. I HAVE READ OTHER PEOPLE HAVING THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM. ONE TECHNICIAN SAID IT SOUNDED LIKE A VALVE IN THE RACK AND PINION GOING OUT. I MUST STATE THAT THIS ONLY HAPPENS WHEN TURNING TO THE RIGHT AND ONLY AFTER DRIVING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS FOR MORE THAN 20 MINUTES. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED TO SEE IF IT'S A FLAW IN THE RACK AND PINION SYSTEM ITSELF. THE ESTIMATED REPAIR FOR THIS IS REPLACEMENT OF THE RACK AND PINION AT A COST OF OVER $1000. *TR

THE TIRES THAT I AM FILING A COMPLAINT ARE,GENERAL TIRES EXCLAIMS,225/50/ZR17. THESE TIRES WERE PURCHASED FOR MY WIFE'S CAR ON 01/13/2011. HER CAR HAD 29,340 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME THEY WERE INSTALLED BY PARAMUS HYUNDAI ROUTE4 EAST PARAMUS,NJ. HER CAR AT THE PRESENT TIME HAS 47,990 MILES ON IT,WHICH MEANS THAT SHE HAD ONLY DRIVEN HER CAR WITH THESE TIRES FOR 18,650 MILES. I NOTICED THAT THEIR WAS A WEAK SPOT "BUBBLE" ON THE SIDEWALL OF THE RIGHT REAR TIRE. I HAD MY WIFE TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER WHERE WE PURCHASED THE TIRES. THE SERVICE MANAGER INFORMED HER THAT THREE OUT OF THE FOUR TIRES HAD WEAK SPOTS AND BUBBLES ON THE SIDE WALLS OF THE TIRES AND THAT GENERAL TIRES HAD DISCONTINUED THE EXCLAIMS BRAND AND THAT SHE MUST REPLACE ALL FOUR TIRES. I THEN NOTIFIED GENERAL TIRES BY EMAIL ON 05/18/2013,AND TOLD THEM OF THE PROBLEM,AND THAT I HAD REGISTERED THE TIRES ON THEIR WEBSITE AND THAT THEY SHOULD HAVE NOTIFIED US OF THE PROBLEM. MY WIFE COULD HAVE BEEN INJURED OR EVEN KILLED DRIVING HER CAR WITH THREE OUT OF THE FOUR TIRES WITH "DEFECTS". THEY INSISTED THAT THE WEAK SPOTS AND BUBBLES ON THE SIDEWALLS WERE CAUSED BY "ROAD HAZARDS" WITHOUT LOOKING AT THEM OR CHECKING THEM. I WOULD AGREE IF THE DEFECTS WERE ONLY TWO TIRES AND BOTH ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE CAR BUT I DO NOT AGREE WHEN IT ENTAILS THREE TIRES. RIGHT FRONT,LEFT FRONT,RIGHT REAR. THE PERSON AT GENERAL TIRE TOLD ME TO TAKE THE CAR TO A CONTINENTAL DEALER AND HAVE THEM INSPECT THE TIRES WHICH I DID. THE PERSON THAT LOOKED AT THE TIRES DID NOT PUT THE CAR ON A LIFT HE WALKED OUTSIDE AND LOOKED AT THE TIRES IN A PARKING SPACE. HE SAID THAT HE DID NOT THINK IT WAS A DEFECT BUT A "DESIGN ERROR" THAT CAUSED THE WEAK SPOTS AND BUBBLES AND THATS WHY THE TIRES WERE DISCONTINUED. IF THAT'S THE REASON THEN GENERAL TIRES SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THE TIRES AND NOTIFIED US OF THE PROBLEM. THE D.O.T. NO.S PS403R7,S403RY3S10,S403RY3710, PS403RY, WOULD NOT FIT IN SPACE PROVIDED ON FORM. THANK YOU *TR

ON TWO OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING IN THE RAIN, THE BATTERY LIGHT TURNS ON, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKS AND THE CAR STALLS. ONCE I STOP AND TURN THE CAR OFF AND BACK ON, IT RUNS AS NORMAL. ON THREE OTHER OCCASIONS, THE BATTERY LIGHT WILL COME ON FOR A COUPLE OF MINUTES, STEERING WHEEL LOCKS, BUT CAR STILL DRIVES, THEN THE SEATBELT LIGHT FLASHES ON FOR MAY 20 SECONDS, THEN ALL LIGHTS GO OFF AND THE CAR DRIVES BACK TO NORMAL. I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TO THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP ON TWO OCCASIONS AND THEY ARE UNABLE TO "DUPLICATE" THE PROBLEM, SO NO FIX CAN BE PERFORMED. *TR

THERE IS AN AIRBAG LIGHT ON IN MY 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA. MY MOTHER AND STEPFATHER ARE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR 2007 HYUNDAI SONATA. THEY RECEIVED A PAMPHLET REGARDING A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST HYUNDAI THAT THEIR 2007 HYUNDAI SONATA QUALIFIED FOR A "FREE" RECALIBRATION TO "RESET" THE AIRBAG LIGHT. THEY CALLED THEIR LOCAL DEALER, AND GOT THE CAR IN. THEY SAID THAT THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ON DUE TO A FAULTY SEATBELT, AND THEY WOULD HAVE TO REMOVE THE ENTIRE SEAT, SEND IT TO CALIFORNIA AND IT WOULD COST ME $300. I THINK THIS IS ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. I ALSO SEE WHERE THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS ONLINE OF THE VERY SAME ISSUE MY CAR IS HAVING. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE ABOUT THIS, AND NOT A THE CUSTOMER'S EXPENSE EITHER. OBVIOUSLY IT IS AN ISSUE HYUNDAI SHOULD BE TAKING CARE OF. *TR