2003 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

I WAS HAVING GREAT DIFFICULTY GETTING FUEL INTO THE VEHICLE. I TOOK IT TO THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP IN ANNAPOLIS, MD. THEY REPLACED THE VALVE-CANISTER CL, CANISTER ASSY., AND VALVE-PURGE CONTR. WHEN I PICKED UP THE VEHICLE, THE ISSUE HAD NOT BEEN RESOLVED. I TOOK IT BACK AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT OTHER PARTS THEY MAY HAVE REPLACED BECAUSE I NEVER AGAIN RECEIVED ANY PAPER WORK. WHEN I PICKED IT UP AGAIN, I WAS ABLE TO PUT GAS IN IT, BUT IT WAS LEAKING FUEL ALL OVER THE ROAD AFTERWARDS. THEY HAD PUNCTURED A HOLE IN MY GAS TANK WHILE WORKING ON IT. IT TOOK APPROXIMATELY A MONTH & FOUR TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET THIS ALL RESOLVED. AND THEN ON AUG. 4, 2014 I FILLED MY GAS TANK UP & FUEL STARTED LEAKING IN THE DRIVEWAY AGAIN. WHATEVER THEY PATCHED THE HOLE IN THE GAS TANK WITH INSTEAD OF REPLACING IT, HAD BLOWN. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP ON AUG. 5, 2014. WHEN THE NEW SERV. MNGR. FINALLY AGREED TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE ON AUG. 12, 2014, HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS IN FACT THEIR FAULT & THAT HE WOULD ORDER A NEW GAS TANK & IT WOULD ARRIVE IN 3-5 BUSINESS. HE ALSO TOLD ME THAT THEY NEEDED TO REPLACE ALL OF THE PARTS THAT I HAD ALREADY PAID FOR BACK IN FEB. I TOLD HIM THEY ALREADY REPLACED THEM & HE SIMPLY SAID OK & SCRATCHED THEM OFF THE ESTIMATE OF WHICH HE WILL NOT PROVIDE ME A COPY OF. I HAVE CONTACTED THEM NUMEROUS TIMES, BUT THEY STILL HAVE NOT REPLACED THE GAS TANK. I EMAILED THE SERV. MNGR. & COPIED THE CEO YESTERDAY HOPING THIS MIGHT INCITE A RESPONSE. THE ASSIST. SERV. MNGR. EMAILED ME THIS MORNING & ASKED ME IF I COULD DROP IT OFF NEXT WED. I TOLD HIM I HAD 2 APPT.'S THAT DAY & COULD ONLY DO SO IF THEY COULD PROVIDE ME WITH A VEHICLE. I HAVE NOT HEARD BACK. I BELIEVE THE ISSUE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO GET FUEL INTO THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE A RECALL AS WELL FROM ALL OF THE PEOPLE THAT I HAVE SEEN ON THE INTERNET SEARCHING FOR RESOLUTIONS TO THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR HYUNDAI'S. *TR

MY NEIGHBORS INFORMED ME THAT MY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE STUCK ON. ONE OF THEM RESEARCHED AND READ THAT IT MAY BE THE M48 STOP LAMP SWITCH. WE FOUND THE PLASTIC BACKING PORTION FROM THE CONTACT PLATE THAT PUSHES THE SWITCH IN. IT WAS BROKEN IN PIECES AND LAYING ON THE FLOOR MAT BELOW THE BRAKE PEDAL. HE REPLACED IT WITH SOMETHING THAT IS TEMPORARILY DOING THE JOB. I WILL BE TAKING MY CAR INTO THE HYUNDAI DEALER NEXT WEEK TO HAVE THIS FIXED. THEY WILL ALSO BE REPLACING MY GAS TANK THAT GOT PUNCTURED WHILE THEY WERE REPLACING THE VALVE-CANISTER CL, CANISTER ASSY., AND VALVE-PURGE CONTR. BACK IN FEB. 2014 WHEN I COULD NOT EASILY GET FUEL INTO THE VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THE FUEL ISSUE SHOULD BE A RECALL AS WELL FROM ALL OF THE PEOPLE I HAVE SEEN ON THE INTERNET SEARCHING FOR RESOLUTIONS TO THE SAME PROBLEM WITH THEIR HYUNDAI'S. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE INSPECTING THE VEHICLE, THE FRONT WHEELS APPEARED TO BE ANGLED INWARD. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO DISCOVERED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE OF THE ENGINE CRADLE WAS RUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 131,000.

VERY HEAVY RUST ON RIGHT SIDE ,THE SUB FRAME GAVE WAY AND RIPPED THE CV AXLE OUT OF ITS HOUSING. *TR

CAR QUITS RUNNING WHEN I PUT FUEL IN IT, I HAVE TRIED CHANGING FUEL PUMP ,FILTER NOTHING WORKS WAS GOIN DOWN THE FREEWAY CAR DIES FOR NO APPARENT REASON CAME SO CLOSE TO HAVING AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE I WAS IN FAST MOVING LANE. SO I PULLED OVER AND TOOK AROUND 10 MIN, FINALLY STARTED. STOP ATGAS STATION TO FILL UP WITH GAS HAD TO SET FOR 30 MIN BEFORE MY CAR WOULD START , I NEED TO NO WHAT IS WRONG WITH THIS CAR BEFORE SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY HURT . *TR

CHROME ON INTERIOR DOOR HANDLES PEELS AND CREATES LACERATION HAZARD. THE MANUFACTURER ISSUED A RECALL TO REPLACE AFFECTED HANDLES BECAUSE OF A STATED LACERATION HAZARD. THE DEALER REPLACED HANDLES UNDER THE RECALL. HOWEVER, THE REPLACEMENT HANDLES ARE NOT AN IMPROVED PRODUCT AND THE CHROME PEELS LIKE THE ORIGINALS. THE DEALER ONLY ALLOWS ONE REPLACEMENT UNDER THE RECALL, WHICH CREATES A CONTINUING HAZARD TO THE OWNER AND PASSENGERS. *TR

AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT HAS ILLUMINATED EIGHT (8) TIMES SINCE JANUARY 2005 WHEN VEHICLE HAD ONLY 24,718 MILES. DEALER HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAULT AND HAS SIMPLY CHECKED THE SYSTEM AND CONNECTIONS AND RESET THE WARNING LIGHT OTHER THAN A ONE-TIME UNDER SEAT HARNESS REPLACEMENT (>$1000 UNDER WARRANTY) WITHOUT RESOLVING THE PROBLEM. MOST OCCURRENCES HAPPENED DURING THE WARRANTY PERIOD BUT THE FAULT STILL OCCURS 1-2 TIMES A YEAR. THIS IS A COMMON MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT ACCORDING TO INTERNET POSTS AND IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE WHICH NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED BY THE MANUFACTURER. THIS MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT NOT ONLY CAUSES A SAFETY OF USE ISSUE WHEN THE LIGHT ILLUMINATES, IT COSTS THE VEHICLE OWNER AN EXPENSIVE SERVICE CHARGE TO HAVE THE SYSTEM CHECKED (TO NO AVAIL FOR THIS COMPLAINANT) AND THE LIGHT RESET. *TR

RETURN POWER STEERING LINE STARTED LEAKING. VEHICLE WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO STEER. ALL FLUID DRAINED OUT.*TT

BOUGHT CAR USED FROM LOT...CHROME PLATING ON HANDLES PEELING AND CUT YOU IF YOUR NOT CAREFUL. JUST FOUND OUT THERE WAS A RECALL FOR THIS BEFORE I PURCHASED THE CAR. IS THERE ANYTHING I CAN DO? *TR

OVER THE PAST YEAR, WHILE TRAVELING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, IN VARIOUS WEATHER CONDITIONS MY BRAKE PEDAL VERY SPORADICALLY WILL NOT DEPRESS. THE PEDAL IS SOLID AND WILL NOT MOVE/RESPOND FOR BETWEEN 1 AND RECENTLY UP TO ABOUT 6 SECONDS, WHICH IS A LIFETIME WHEN YOU ARE TRYING TO STOP A CAR AT 55 MPH. TWO AUTO SHOPS HAVE DRIVEN THE CAR AND CAN NOT RECREATE OR DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE. BASED ON MY OWN RESEARCH, I FINALLY RESIGNED TO HAVE THE MASTER CYLINDER REPLACED. HOWEVER, WHILE THE MECHANIC WAS REPLACING THE MC HE NOTICED THAT THE VACUUM HOSE HAD A METAL CLAMP NEAR THE MC END AND THE CLAMP HAD SHIFTED DOWN THE HOSE. INSIDE THE HOSE, WHERE THE CLAMP HAD BEEN, THERE APPEARED TO BE A SPRING LOADED VALVE, POSSIBLY AN INTERNAL CHECK VALVE, WHICH WAS NOW "LOOSE" IN THE HOSE. IT SEEMS THAT IF THE CLAMP IS IN FACT KEEPING THE VALVE IN PLACE AND IT SLOWLY DRIFTS OVERTIME THIS PROBLEM IS SOMETHING THAT WOULD ONLY APPEAR WITH OLDER CARS. ALSO, I'VE SEEN REPORTS ON INTERNET FORUMS WHERE OTHERS HAVE DESCRIBED THE SAME BRAKE PROBLEM, HOWEVER THERE IS NO RECALL LISTED FOR THIS ISSUE. I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY INCIDENTS NEED TO BE REPORTED BEFORE ACTION IS TAKEN, BUT AS THIS IS A LIFE-THREATENING PROBLEM I WOULD HOPE YOU TREAT IT WITH URGENCY AND INVESTIGATE IT FULLY. *TR