2012 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID Complaints

WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP, THE VEHICLE TAKES EXCESSIVELY LONG TIME TO GO FROM 0-25 MPH, SO MUCH SO , THAT WHEN MERGING INTO TRAFFIC IT HAS UNPREDICTABLE ACCELERATION. AT VARIOUS TIMES I WOULD STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL AND SOMETIMES IT WOULD HAVE A 3-5 SECOND DELAY BEFORE GOING FORWARD. WHEN IT FINALLY ACCELERATES SOMETIMES IT HAS A POPPING SOUND AND OFTEN THE CAR LURCHES. I HAVE BROUGHT IT IN 3 TIMES FOR HYUNDAI TO FIND THE PROBLEM BUT EACH AND EVERY TIME THEY HAVE SAID THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. *TR

I HAD BEEN EXPERIENCING A HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING, A LURCH WHEN HITTING THE BRAKE AS WELL AS SOMETIMES WHEN ACCELERATING AS THOUGH THE GEARS COULD NOT SHIFT PROPERLY. THIS DID NOT OCCUR AS OFTEN IF THE CAR WAS OUT OF BLUE DRIVE. THIS HAD BEEN GOING ON FOR ABOUT 4 MONTHS. I HAD TAKEN IT TO A DEALER AND CALLED A SERVICE DEPARTMENT BUT NONE OF THEM COULD EXPLAIN WHY IT MIGHT BE HAPPENING AND I COULD NOT MAKE THE ISSUE REPEAT ONCE I GOT IT TO THE DEALER. ON SATURDAY I WENT TO DRIVE MY CAR, PULLED OUT AND WAS GOING ABOUT 40 MPH ABOUT 2 MIN AFTER I HAD STARTED THE CAR AND ALL OF A SUDDEN MY FOOT WAS TO THE FLOOR, THE RPM WAS ALL THE WAY UP TO RED AND MY CAR WAS SLOWING DOWN! I PULLED OVER TURNED THE CAR OFF AND STARTED IT AGAIN, I PULLED OUT AGAIN AND IT BEGAN TO DO THE SAME THING BUT WHEN I HIT THE BRAKES THE CAR LURCHED FORWARD WORSE THAN EVER BEFORE. I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION CUT THE CAR OFF AND GOT OUT TO LET MY BOYFRIEND TRY IT (HE HAD BEEN FOLLOWING ME IN HIS CAR AND DID NOT KNOW WHAT WAS WRONG). WHEN HE GOT IN TO TRY IT HE TRIED TO PUT IT IN REVERSE AND IT WOULD NOT SHIFT AT ALL. IT WAS LIKE IT WAS STILL IN PARK, BUT WHEN HE TRIED TO PUT IT BACK IN PARK THE CAR RESPONDED AS THOUGH HE HAD SHIFTED IT. OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING WAS VERY WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION. WE CALLED THE 24 HOUR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND GOT TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP. THEY MECHANICS SPENT ALL DAY TAKING IT A[ART AND COULD NOT FIND THE SOURCE OF THE PROBLEM. THE SENIOR MECHANICS CAME IN ON MONDAY AND SAID I WOULD NEED A NEW TRANSMISSION, THAT THE EXISTING TRANSMISSION WAS "ALL BURNED UP" THEY CLAIM THIS IS A RARE INTERNAL PROBLEM AND THAT A NEW TRANSMISSION WILL FIX THE ISSUE. ALL OF THIS WAS COVERED UNDER MY WARRANTY BUT IT COULD HAVE CAUSED MAJOR PROBLEMS HAD I BEEN ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED! *TR

WHEN THE CAR WAS STARTED A BEEPING ALARM SOUNDED WITH A WARNING STATING THAT THERE WAS A BRAKE FAILURE. YELLOW TRIANGLE WITH BLACK EXCLAMATION POINT ALSO WARNING ME NOT TO DRIVE. BRAKES HAD SEVERE GRINDING WHEN TRYING TO MOVE. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO THE CAR. FIRST TIME WAS APPROXIMATELY A YEAR AGO. I WAS ORIGINALLY TOLD THEN THAT THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A HYDRAULIC PROBLEM BUT THEN TOLD THAT IT WAS A BAD CONNECTION SOMEWHERE. WAITED APPROXIMATELY 15 MINUTES AND CAR STARTS WITH OUT A PROBLEM. MY FEAR IS THAT THE BRAKES WILL LOCK OR FAIL WHILE I'M DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AT ABOUT 55 MPH ON THE EXPRESSWAY WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED. SUDDENLY THERE WAS A LOUD DINNING AND THE PANEL ON THE DASH FLASHED "HYBRID SAFETY WARNING", "BRAKE FAILURE". THE CARE WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER. THE CAR WOULD NOT GO OVER 5 MPH. I PULLED OFF OF THE EXPRESSWAY AS BEST I COULD. I THEN SHUT THE ENGINE DOWN. I RESTARTED THE ENGINE AND THE WARNING WAS GONE. I TOOK SIDE ROADS HOME, BUT THE WARNING DID NOT RETURN. THE TOTAL FAILURE OF ENGINE POWER WAS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. I TOOK THE CAR IN TO THE DEALER ON 4/21/14. THEY HAVE NOT RETURNED IT TO ME. AS OF TODAY 4/24/14. *TR

SIMILAR TO NHTSA ID NUMBERS: 10546231 & 10582880 - "CHECK BRAKES" ...2012 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID WILL NOT START OR MOVE (APR 2014). FROM PARKED POSITION, TURNED ON VEHICLE (STEPPED ON BRAKE AND DEPRESSED ELECTRONIC IGNITION). LOUD CHIMES OCCURRED WITH MESSAGE "CHECK BRAKES". NO BRAKES WERE ON, CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD/REVERSE. CAR TOWED TO DEALER..DEALER SAID IT MAY TAKE A FEW DAYS TO A WEEK UNTIL "HYBRID" EXPERT CAN DIAGNOS DUE TO OTHER HYBRID'S AWAITING SERVICE! SAME "CHECK BRAKE" ISSUE OCCURRED 8-MONTHS AGO (AUG 2013) AND WAS "REPAIRED" WITH SERVICE SOFTWARE UPDATE. *TT

SIMILAR TO NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10546231 - "CHECK BRAKES" ...2012 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID WILL NOT START OR MOVE (AUG 2013). FROM PARKED POSITION, TURNED ON VEHICLE (STEPPED ON BRAKE AND DEPRESSED ELECTRONIC IGNITION). LOUD CHIMES OCCURRED WITH MESSAGE "CHECK BRAKES". NO BRAKES WERE ON, CAR WOULD NOT MOVE FORWARD/REVERSE. CONNECTED TO BLUELINK WHO COULD DETECT "ALERT". CAR TOWED TO DEALER. DEALER SAW CODE C1604 IN COMPUTER LOG BUT BY THEN CAR WAS ABLE TO START, COULD NOT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. DEALER CONTACTED HYUNDAI TECH LINE, ENTERED CASE AND "REPAIRED" BY PERFORMING MULTI-ECV UPDATES VERSION #2 PER TSB#13FL004; RECALIBRATED RWOLVER AND EC PRESSURE. IT'S NOW 8-MONTHS LATER (APR 2014) AND THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM IS OCCURRING AGAIN. *TT

THE WARNING SIGNAL "HYBRID SAFETY WARNING DO NOT DRIVE" APPEARED AND I COULD NOT MOVE MY CAR. THE DAY BEFORE I DROVE MY CAR WITH NO PROBLEM AND THEN WHEN I WAS ABOUT TO DRIVE THIS MORNING I RECEIVED THIS WARNING. MY CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP SO THEY CAN RUN DIAGNOSTICS. FROM READING OTHER COMPLAINTS, IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS HAPPENING TO OTHER SONATA HYBRIDS. I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE LITHIUM BATTERY AND NOT SURE WHAT IS CAUSING THIS. I HAVE ONLY HAD THE CAR FOR A YEAR AND IT MIGHT BE TIME TO LOOK FOR A NEW ONE. *JS

I WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON INTERSTATE 79 IN PENNSYLVANIA NEAR THE WEXFORD EXIT. IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 8:15AM. NO ONE ELSE WAS AROUND ME AND THE SUNROOF ON MY VEHICLE EXPLODED. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY I CAN DESCRIBE IT. NOTHING HIT IT, NO ROCK, NOTHING FROM AN OVERPASS NOTHING. I WAS IN THE OPEN AND NO VEHICLE WAS IN FRONT OF ME OR BEHIND ME. IT WAS EXTREMELY FRIGHTENING. THE NOISE IT MADE WAS THE LOUDEST NOISE I HAD EVER HEARD. I DID RESEARCH ON THIS HAPPENING BEFORE AND IT SEEMS TO HAVE HAPPENED TO OTHER DRIVERS WITH THE SAME CAR. I HAVEN'T FOUND ANY RECALLS. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE IN THE CARE ANY LONGER. *TR

SLOWLY ACCELERATING UP A SMALL HILL AT APPROXIMATELY 3 TO 5 MPH. BEGAN TO BREAK AT TOP OF HILL WHICH IS AT THE EXIT OF A VERY BUSY ROAD. SUDDENLY CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS OR ON CRUISE. I HAD FOOT ON THE BRAKE WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I HAD TO BREAK HARDER TO AVOID BEING HIT BY 4 LANE TRAFFIC. CAR MOVED ABOUT A FOOT AFTER BRAKE WAS APPLIED HARDER. *TR

SEE SUBMISSION NUMBER 10559603 SENT PRIOR TO THIS ON 1/14/2014: THIS IS A CONTINUATION OF THE EXPLANATION OF THE CRUISE CONTROL/TRANSMISSION/POWER TRAIN ISSUE EXPERIENCED WITH THE VEHICLE SINCE NEW. THE TEXT FROM THAT SUBMISSION CONTINUES TO ITS END. "IT WOULD APPEAR THAT THE CRUISE CONTROL/POWER TRAIN COMPUTER PROGRAM HAS SOME ERRORS IN IT OR NEEDS UPDATING TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM OF EXCESSIVE ACCELERATION WHEN RE-ATTAINING A SET SPEED FROM A COAST DOWN THAT CAUSES THE CAR TO GO BELOW THE SET SPEED BEFORE THE SENSORS DETECT AND ACTIVATE THE ACCELERATION REQUIRED TO BRING THE CAR BACK UP TO THE SET SPEED. THEN IS 'SHOOTS' THE CAR FORWARD AT FULL POWER-LIKE UNINTENDED ACCELERATION MIGHT- AND SEND IT UP TO AS MUCH AS 10 MPH ABOVE THE 'THEN SET' SPEED I HAVE DESIRED. IF THERE IS A CORNER AT THE END OF THE RISE, THE CAR CAN FEEL OUT OF CONTROL DURING THIS ACCELERATION AS IT IS AT FULL POWER DURING THE ACCELERATION PHASE. THE TRANSMISSION ALSO DOWN SHIFTS 2 OR 3 GEARS DURING THIS PROCESS WHICH AGGRAVATES THE FIERCE ACCELERATION FEELING. THESE INCIDENTS HAVE BEEN REPORTED BOTH TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER AND TO HYUNDAI. HYUNDAI SAYS, TAKE IT TO OUR DEALER; THE DEALER SAYS THEY CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG AS NO DASH WARNING LIGHTS ARE EVER SHOWING AND THEIR ELECTRONIC SCANNING BRINGS UP NOTHING OF ANY KIND OF PROBLEM. THIS MAY OR MAY NOT BE EXCLUSIVE TO THE SONATA HYBRID WITH CRUISE CONTROL AND SINCE MANY PEOPLE DO NOT USE CRUISE CONTROL ON WINDING RURAL ROADS, THEY MAY NOT/NEVER EXPERIENCE THE SAME SENSATION THAT CAN HAPPEN OFTEN TO ME. I CAN DEAL WITH IT. NHTSA SHOULD KEEP THIS REPORT ON FILE IN CASE OTHER CRUISE CONTROL OR ACCELERATION ISSUES WITH HYUNDAI VEHICLES SURFACE AS MY REPORT IS PRECISELY DEFINED AS TO WHAT TYPE OF ROAD CONDITION IT OCCURS ON AND WHAT HAPPENS. THANK YOU. *TR