2006 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

AIR BAG LIGHT ON IN 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA GLS V6 WITH UNDER 17K MILES. AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY WITH LIGHT ON. SAFETY HAZARD. TOLD BY HYUNDAI THAT IT WILL COST $400-$1800 TO FIX. MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

2006 HYUNDAI SONATA LX. BROKEN DRIVER SIDE SUN VISOR. PLASTIC CRACKED WHERE THE METAL ROD ON THE VISOR MOUNTS INTO THE SWIVEL ARM. CRACKED WHEN RAISING THE VISOR. NOW VISOR SLOWLY FALLS AND OBSTRUCTS VIEW WHENEVER DRIVING. FAULTY PLASTIC COMPONENT ON THE VISOR. *TR

1. RECENTLY MY VISORS STOPPED STAYING IN THE UP POSITION. 2. THE FAILURE TO STAY UP IS CONSTANT. MY VISION IS SEVERELY OBSCURED WHILE DRIVING. MY SAFETY HAS BEEN SEVERELY COMPROMISED. 3. NO REPAIRS MADE. HYUNDAI WANTS ME TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THIS VERY OBVIOUS FACTORY DEFECT. *TR

SUN VISOR ON 2006 HYUNDAI / SONATA DOES NOT STAY UP. IT IS KEEP ON FALLING. I HAD IT REPLACED WHILE IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND IT'S BROKE AGAIN AND IT'S NOT UNDER WARRANTY ANY LONGER. I SEE MANY OTHER SIMILAR ISSUE WITH SAME MODEL. THIS WOULD BE SAFETY ISSUE WHEN THE VISOR FALLS WHILE DRIVING. HYUNDAI SHOULD DO A RECALL ON THIS RIGHT AWAY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH SHE ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A TURN BUT THE STEERING WHEEL WAS VERY STIFF. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN ONTO THE EMERGENCY LANE AND TOWED HOME. SHE WAS ADVISED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC THAT A PART WITHIN THE STEERING MECHANISM FELL OFF OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER WHERE IT WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 106,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

2006 HYUNDAI SONATA AND BOTH SUN VISORS HAVE BROKEN AND WILL NOT STAY INT THE UPRIGHT POSITION. ACCORDING TO WHAT I HAVE READ ONLINE, THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH ALL HYUNDAI MODELS. *TR

THE AIR BAG LIGHT IN MY '06 SONATA GLS CAME ON THE DAY AFTER IT WAS INSPECTED IN SEPTEMBER. AFTER DOING SOME INTERNET RESEARCH, IT APPEARS THIS IS A VERY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS YEAR/MAKE/MODEL. THAT BEING SAID, IT IS CLEARLY A MANUFACTURER ISSUE AND SHOULD BE CORRECTED VIA RECALL. *TR

I OWN A 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA THAT IS PLAGUED WITH THE "PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF" LIGHT (EVEN WITH MY 120 LB WIFE IN THE SEAT) ALONG WITH THE DASHBOARD "AIR BAG LIGHT THAT JUST TURNED ON YESTERDAY. AS I SEE ON THE INTERNET, THIS YEAR ALONG WITH NEWER MODELS SEEM TO BE PLAGUED WITH THIS PROBLEM. RESPONSE FROM CORPORATE IS, AS USUAL TO THE CONSUMER, IT'S YOUR TOUGH LUCK, BUDDY. RESPONSE FROM DEALERS ARE "OPEN UP YOUR WALLET AND WE'LL PRETEND TO FIX IT". THIS IS A HIDEOUS AND EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT DESERVES A RECALL OF THE UTMOST IMPORTANCE. THE USUAL QUESTION, OF COURSE, IS HOW MANY DEATHS OR INJURIES WILL IT TAKE TO MAKE THIS COMPANY STEP UP AND FIX THIS EXTREMELY COMMON PROBLEM WITH THEIR PRODUCT?

BOTTOM LINE IT IS MY FIRM BELIEF THAT IF MY FAMILY WAS TRAVELING ON A CURVING ROAD OR HAD MY SIXTEEN YEAR OLD STUDENT DRIVER BEHIND THE WHEEL WE WOULD NOT BE WRITING THIS COMPLAINT TODAY. THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL ON OUR 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA (VIN EXCLUDED) BECAME STUCK FULLY OPEN. YESTERDAY EVENING IN SHELBYVILLE KY AFTER ACCELERATING TO GET THROUGH A YELLOW LIGHT, THE CAR CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. MY WIFE WHO WAS DRIVING CALLED THIS TO MY ATTENTION AS SHE JAMMED THE BRAKE TO THE FLOOR BOARD. I (FROM THE PASSENGER SEAT) TRIED TO GET THE CAR OUT OF DRIVE AND INTO FIRST GEAR TO SLOW THE CAR. THE CAR DID NOT SEEM TO DOWN SHIFT AFTER ASKING MY WIFE IF THIS WAS BETTER SAID SHE SAID NO! SO SHE HIT THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AND THE CAR STILL DID NOT STOP. BUT IT SLOWED SOME AND I THOUGHT MY WIFE HAD THE CAR UNDER CONTROL SO I POINTED TO A LOWES PARKING LOT AND THREW THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL AS SHE MADE THE TURN AND THE ENGINE SOUNDED LIKE IT WAS GOING TO EXPLODE SO I TRIED TO GET IT BACK INTO LOW AND IT WOULD NOT GO. WE ROUNDED THE TURN INTO THE LOWES PARKING LOT AT A HIGHER THEN EXPECTED SPEED WHEN MY WIFE LET OFF A LITTLE ON THE BRAKES DUE TO THE FORCES ON HER. I HAD HER POINT THE CAR TO WHERE THERE WERE NO CARS AND THEN I REACHED OVER AND TURNED THE KEY TO OFF AND CAR SHUT OFF. THE SMELL OF BRAKES AND OVER HEATED ENGINE WAS SICKENINGLY STRONG. THE HEAT FROM THE BRAKES AND ENGINE COULD BE FELT SEVERAL FEET FROM THE CAR WHEN WE WENT TO THE FRONT OF THE CAR. WE ROLLED THE CAR INTO A PARKING PLACE FOR SAFETY. WE THEN TRIED TO GET OUR KEYS OUT OF THE CAR AND THE CAR INTO PARK AND WE COULD NOT NO MATTER WHAT WE DID. WE EVEN TRIED TO STARTED THE CAR AND IT WOULD ACTUALLY START IN NEUTRAL (WITH THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON BUT NOT THE FOOT BRAKE) AND YES WE HAVE WITNESSES TO THIS (OTHERS TRIED). WE CALLED THE 1-800-HYUNDAI EMERGENCY ROADSIDE SERVICE. THEY RECORDED OUR CALL TO THEM WITH A SU. *TR

1. HYUNDAI SONATA 2006 SUN VISOR DID NOT STAY IN FULLY FOLDED OR EXTENDED POSITION. 2. TRIED TO MOVE SUN VISOR TO FULLY FOLDED POSITION AND HEARD CRACKING SOUNDS AND SUN VISOR JUST HANGS LOOSE (STRAIGHT DOWN) BLOCKING ROAD FIELD OF VISION 3. I USED SHOE STRING TO TIE SUN VISOR TO SAFETY HANDLE ABOVE DOOR TO KEEP IT FROM OBSTRUCTING VIEW OF ROAD. UNFORTUNATELY IF VISOR IS TIED IT IS NOT FREE TO MOVE INTO FULLY EXTENDED POSITION TO SHIELD SUN WHILE DRIVING WHICH IS ALSO A VISIBILITY HAZARD. I REMOVED THE VISOR AND TOOK APART BROKEN HINGE TO FIND CRACK PLASTIC BUSHING AROUND ROD WHICH ALLOWS ROTATION OF SUN VISOR. SINCE THE THIN PLASTIC BUSHING WAS CRACKED/BROKE INTO PIECES THE VISOR DOES NOT HOLD SPECIFIED POSITIONS. AN ONLINE FORUM SHOWS NUMEROUS CONSUMERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AND THEY REPLACE THE SUN VISOR FOR IT TO JUST BREAK AGAIN. THIS PART IS NO LONGER COVERED UNDER MY WARRANTY, BUT I DO NOT WANT TO BUY A NEW PART(~$100) THAT IS MANUFACTURED THE SAME AS THE ONES THAT BREAK EASILY, JUST SO I'LL HAVE TO BUY ANOTHER REPLACEMENT SUN VISOR AGAIN. A THIN PLASTIC BUSHING AROUND A METAL ROD THAT IS LOADED FREQUENTLY IS PRONE TO STRESS FRACTURES AND FAILURE. NUMEROUS INCIDENCES OF THIS DEFECT SHOULD PROMPT A NEW DESIGN AND FREE REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR CONSUMERS SINCE THIS IS A DRIVING VISIBILITY HAZARD. *TR