2006 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

THE DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR BROKE WHILE DRIVING ON RT3 TO BOSTON BLOCKING VISION IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. *TR

THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS LIT AT ALL TIMES. THE DEALER STATES THAT THIS INACTIVATES THE AIR BAG. THIS IS NOT COVERED BY THE WARRANTY. FURTHER RESEARCH SHOWS THAT THIS IS A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL AND YEAR. SHOULDN'T HIS PROMPT A RECALL SINCE IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE?

THE DRIVER SIDE "AIRBAG" WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON AND HAS BEEN ON FOR ABOUT 3 MONTHS AND THE PASSENGER "AIRBAG" LIGHT IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY EITHER. I AM WORRIED THAT THE AIRBAGS WILL NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT INVOLVING MYSELF OR A PASSENGER. A LOT OF PEOPLE WITH THIS CAR YEAR AND MODEL HAVE BEEN REPORTING TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

2006 SONATA HAS AN INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. THESE PROBLEMS MANIFEST THEMSELVES USUALLY WHEN THE GAS IS NOT BEING APPLIED. THE HEADLIGHTS WILL DIM OR GO OFF AND THEN COME BACK ON; THE RADIO SOMETIMES WILL GO OFF AND THEN COME BACK ON; THE A/C FAN PERIODICALLY SOUNDS AS IF IT HAS TURNED OFF AND THEN COMES BACK ON; SEVERAL TIMES I NOTICED THE PARKING BRAKE/LOW BRAKE FLUID, (RARELY HIGH BEAM), ESC LIGHT AND ABS LIGHT COME ON WHEN THE RADIO AND LIGHTS AND AC TURNED OFF AND THEN CAME BACK ON. AT TIMES THESE OUTAGES WILL OCCUR WHEN THE TURN SIGNAL IS USED. ALL THESE HAPPENINGS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO THE HYUNDAI SERVICE DEPARTMENT BUT THEY SAY THEY CANT GET IT TO REPEAT THE SYMPTOMS OR FIND A PROBLEM AND THE COMPUTER DOES NOT SHOW A CODE INDICATING ANY PROBLEM.

2006 HYUNDAI SONATA, I'VE HAD THE DRIVER AIR BAG LIGHT REPAIRED TWICE (UNDER WARRANTY) AND NOW IT'S ON AGAIN IN THE TWO YEARS THAT I'VE HAD THE CAR (PURCHASED IN LATE 2008). I WAS SIMPLY DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE AND THE DRIVERS SIDE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. I DON'T SEE HOW HYUNDAI IS ABLE TO SELL A CAR WITH SUCH A FLIMSY AIR BAG SYSTEM. UNFORTUNATELY THE CAR JUST WENT OVER WARRANTY SO IT MAY BE AN EXPENSIVE FIX IF IT'S NOT RELATED TO ONE OF THE PREVIOUS ISSUES THAT CAUSED THE AIR BAG LIGHT TO GO OFF, WHICH THE DEALER WILL FIX FREE OF CHARGE. I'VE HAD A 1993 NISSAN SENTRA WHICH NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE AIR BAGS (SOLD IN 2008) AND A 1997 TOYOTA CAMRY WHICH IS STILL IN OPERATION WHICH HAS NEVER HAD PROBLEMS. *TR

2006 HYUNDAI SONATA THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SUN VISOR FALLS STRAIGHT DOWN BLOCKING YOUR VIEW OF THE ROAD. GOING 65 MPH YOU TEND TO PANICK WHEN THIS HAPPENS. IF THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE I DON'T KNOW WHAT IS. I KNOW OF TWO OTHER OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I REMOVED MY VISOR WHICH CAUSES ANOTHER SAFETY PROBLEM (THE SUN). *TR

DASH BOARD AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND REMAINED ON. TOOK TO A MECHANIC WHO STATED IT WAS AN ERROR CODE THAT WAS NOT LONGER ACTIVE. A SENSOR MUST HAVE SET IT OFF, BUT THERE WAS NO LONGER A PROBLEM. A FEW WEEKS LATER AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. TOOK VEHICLE TO HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP WHO STATED OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) OR SENSOR THAT WAS PART OF SYSTEM REGISTERED AN ERROR AT SOME POINT IN THE PAST FEW DAYS AND THAT IS WHY THE LIGHT WENT ON. THEY STATED THERE WAS NO LONGER AN ERROR, BUT THAT THE SENSOR MUST BE GOING BAD AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED BEFORE IT FAILED. REASON BEING, ONCE THE SENSOR FAILED, THE AIR BAGS (AT LEAST PASSENGER AIR BAG, POTENTIALLY WHOLE SYSTEM SHUT OFF SO DRIVER AS WELL?) WOULDN'T DEPLOY IN THE CASE OF AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE SYSTEM WOULD SHUT OFF AS A RESULT OF A SENSOR FAILURE. DEALERSHIP STATED THAT SENSOR COULD NOT BE REPLACED INDIVIDUALLY, BUT THAT THE WHOLE PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. THE SENSOR IS PART OF THE OCS SYSTEM. THE QUOTED COST FOR THE PART (SEAT CUSHION WITH ELECTRONIC SENSING SYSTEM) WOULD BE AROUND $1500 TOTAL ($1350 FOR THE PART, $150 FOR THE LABOR). AS OF NOW AIR BAG LIGHT NOT ON, SENSOR HASN'T FAILED YET. ONCE IT DOES, NEED TO REPLACE IF WANT AIR BAG SYSTEM TO DEPLOY. THIS SEEMS LIKE A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BY A RECALL. I HAVE READ HUNDREDS OF CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ONLINE THAT HAVE THE 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA WITH THIS PROBLEM AND HAVEN'T HAD IT FIXED. AS A RESULT THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE DRIVING AROUND IN A VEHICLE THAT SOME IF NOT ALL OF THE AIR BAGS WON'T DEPLOY IN (AND MOST IF NOT ALL OF THEM DON'T REALIZE IT DISABLES THE AIR BAG). THIS DESIGN FLAW COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH. ALL INFORMATION I RECEIVED IN REGARDS TO AIRBAG LIGHT ISSUE WAS FROM THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT A HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP. THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AND A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED.

THE PASSENGER SIDE SUNVISOR CRACKED DURING NORMAL USAGE, THIS IS A FEW YEARS AFTER THE SAME THING HAPPENED WITH THE DRIVER SIDE SUNVISOR. BOTH VISORS HAD VERY LITTLE USAGE AND WERE NEVER USED OTHER THEN TO BLOCK THE SUN WHEN IT WAS IN THE PASSENGERS OR DRIVERS EYES WHICH WAS AT MOST 2 OR 3 TIMES A MONTH. THE BROKEN SUNVISOR NO LONGER WILL FOLD UP FLUSH WITH THE ROOF AND STAYS DROOPING AND WHEN GOING OVER ANY BUMPING MOTION WILL LOWER ITSELF. THIS IS A DISTRACTION TO THE DRIVER AT UNEXPECTED TIMES AND CAUSES THE DRIVER TO REACH OVER AND PLACE IT UP AS FAR AS POSSIBLE SO THAT VISIBILITY ISN'T REDUCED. THE SUNVISOR HAD TO BE REPLACED AS IT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED NOR WAS IT SAFE TO DRIVE KNOWING THAT IT MIGHT DROP DOWN. *LN

THE DRIVERSIDE SUNVISOR CRACKED DURING NORMAL USAGE. THIS IS AFTER VERY LOW USAGE. THE BROKEN SUNVISOR WOULD NO LONGER FOLD UP FLUSH WITH THE ROOF AND WILL LOWER ITSELF WHEN GOING OVER BUMPS AND POTHOLES. THIS IS A DISTRACTION TO THE DRIVER AT UNEXPECTED TIMES AND COULD DROP TO THE POINT OF BLOCKING THE VISION OF THE DRIVER FOR A SHORT PERIOD UNTIL THE DRIVER LOWERS THEIR EYES TO SEE BELOW THE VISOR . THE SUNVISOR WAS IMMEDIATELY REPLACED AS IT INTERFERED WITH SAFE DRIVING AND IT COULD NOT BE REPAIRED. *LN

2006 SONATA NOW HAS AN INTERMITTENT ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. THESE PROBLEMS MANIFEST THEMSELVES USUALLY WHEN THE GAS IS NOT BEING APPLIED, BUT NOT NECESSARILY WHEN THE BRAKES ARE BEING APPLIED. THE HEADLIGHTS WILL GO OFF AND THEN COME BACK ON; THE RADIO SOMETIMES WILL GO OFF AND THEN COME BACK ON; THE A/C FAN SOMETIMES SOUNDS AS IF IT HAS TURNED OFF AND THEN COMES BACK ON; SEVERAL TIMES I NOTICED THE ESC LIGHT AND ABS LIGHT COME ON WHEN THE RADIO AND LIGHTS AND AC TURNED OFF AND THEN CAME BACK ON. AT TIMES THESE OUTAGES WILL OCCUR WHEN THE TURN SIGNAL IS USED. ALL THESE HAPPENINGS HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO THE HYUNDAI SERVICE DEPARTMENT BUT THEY SAY THEY CAN'T GET IT TO REPEAT THE SYMPTOMS OR FIND A PROBLEM. *TR