2013 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID Complaints

WHILE DRIVING HOME, I HEARD A MUFFLED KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM ENGINE WHEN ACCELERATING. AT THE NEXT TRAFFIC LIGHT, I WAITED FOR THE LIGHT TO CHANGE, AND WHEN I STARTED MOVING I REALIZED THE ENGINE DID NOT START FROM THE HYBRID. AS I DANGEROUSLY MANEUVERED THE CAR ACROSS THE RIGHT LANE, I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO A SAFE SPOT AND THE WARNING CHIME CAME ON SAYING I HAD LOW VOLTAGE IN HYBRID BATTERY. HAD CAR TOWED HOME AND THEN TO HYUDAI DEALER. THEY NOTIFIED ME THAT THE ENGINE WAS SEIZED DUE TO POOR MAINTENANCE, WHICH WAS RIDICULOUS. OIL HAS ALWAYS BEEN CHANGED BY ME OR A REGULAR GARAGE. AFTER VIEWING OTHER COMMENTS BY PEOPLE WHO HAD THE SAME EXACT PROBLEM I REALIZED THAT THIS WAS APPARENTLY AN ONGOING PROBLEM WITH THE SONATA HYBRID ENGINE. STILL TRYING TO GET DEALER TO REPLACE ENGINE.

RIGHT AFTER I STARTED MY VEHICLE THE ENGINE STARTING MAKING AN UNUSUAL SOUND THE OTHER DAY. THE NOISE GETS WORSE WHEN DRIVING. I WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC THAT THE ENGINE HAS KNOCKING NOISE COMING FROM IT. I WAS TOLD IT PROBABLY NEEDS AND ENGINE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS ADVISED THAT BECAUSE IT WAS A HYBRID GAS/ELECTRIC ENGINE IT WAS NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL. I HAVE SEEN SEVERAL HUNDRED PEOPLE MAKING THIS SAME COMPLAINT ABOUT THEIR HYBRIDS NOT JUST THE REGULAR 2.0 AND 2.4 GAS ENGINES.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO ALL STAR HYUNDAI (3950 CENTURY CT, PITTSBURG, CA 94565, (925) 778-7878) BY AAA WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

MAJOR FAILURE OCCURRED. I WAS DRIVING MY CAR WHEN I HEARD SHARP BELLS RINGING FROM THE CAR DASH. CHECK HYBRID SYSTEMS LIGHTS ILLUMINATED ON DASH. THE CAR WAS IN MOTION WHEN IT JUST STOPPED. I HAD NO TIME TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I TURNED IT OFF AND ON AGAIN. I WAS IN THE CENTER OF THE ROAD AND IT WOULD NOT MOVE. GOOD SAMARITAN PUSHED MY CAR TO SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE CHECK BRAKES LIGHT CAME ON. THEN THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN ON AT ALL. THE CAR WOULD NOT RECOGNIZE THE KEY PAD LIGHT CAME ON. LOCKS WOULD NOT OPERATE. THE WINDOW WAS STUCK IN THE OPEN POSITION. THE INTERNAL CAR LIGHTS WERE ON AND WOULD NOT GO OFF. THE KEY PAD COULD NOT LOCK/UNLOCK THE CAR. LUCKILY THIS HAPPENED ON A SIDE ROAD. 1 MILE EARLIER I WAS ON A FREEWAY THAT HAD NO SHOULDER. IF IT HAD HAPPENED THERE, IT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. NUMEROUS SYSTEMS FAILED. I TOOK IT TO THEY DEALER. THEY HAD TO WAIT FOR THE HYBRID SPECIALIST. HE SAID THE TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS VERY DIRTY AND ORDERED A NEW TRANSMISSION. MY QUESTION, WHY WOULD CHECK HYBRID SYSTEMS COME ON AND SO MUCH ELECTRICAL FAILURE IF IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION. I HAVE READ IN FORUMS THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO SEVERAL OTHER HYBRID SONATA OWNERS. EVEN AFTER THE TRANSMISSION REPAIRED, I STILL FEEL VERY UNSAFE IN THE CAR NOW. IF IT HAD HAPPENED JUST 1 MILE EARLIER, MY CAR STOPPING IMMEDIATELY ON THE FREEWAY WITH NO SHOULDER COULD HAVE CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT AND BEEN LIFE-THREATENING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WENT INTO IDLE MODE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ENGINE MADE A KNOCKING SOUND, THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, AND THE VEHICLE VIBRATED UNCONTROLLABLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DANBURY HYUNDAI (102 FEDERAL RD, DANBURY, CT 06810, (203) 730-4700) WHERE THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 100,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE DECELERATED, STALLED, AND SHUT OFF. IN ADDITION, THE CHECK ENGINE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND "CHARGING SYSTEM IS NOT CHARGING" WAS DISPLAYED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE LOCAL DEALER (BURNS HYUNDAI, 550 W ROUTE 70, MARLTON, NJ 08053, (856) 983-3700) WHERE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. ADDITIONALLY, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE AND THE FAILURE COULD LEAD TO A CRASH OR FATALITY. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 118,000.

IN JULY OF 2017 MY CAR BEGAN TO LOSE POWER AND BEGAN TO MAKE A CLUNKING SOUND WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT 45MPH. I LIMPED THE CAR INTO THE DEALER. I WAS TOLD I WOULD HEAR FROM THEM THE NEXT DAY. THE FOLLOWING DAY I WENT TO GET SOME ITEMS OUT OF MY CAR. ROD JOHNSON OF FOLSOM LAKE HYUNDAI SERVICE DEPT. TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD CONDUCTED A CHECK ON THE CAR AND THAT IT NEEDED A NEW ENGINE. HE STATED THE CAR WAS SLIGHTLY OVER 100,000 MILES, AND WOULD NOT BE COVERED BY THE WARRANTY, AND THE REPAIR COST IS 10,000.00. I TOLD HIM I WOULD HAVE TO GET BACK TO HIM ABOUT THE REPAIR. WHEN I GOT HOME I WENT ONLINE TO SEE IF THERE HAD BEEN A REPORT OF THIS PROBLEM. SURE ENOUGH, THERE WAS PLENTY. AND, ON TOP OF THAT ALL THE ARTICLES I CAME ACROSS STATED THE ENGINE FAILURE WAS DUE TO A MANUFACTURE DEFECT WITHIN THE ENGINE. THE ARTICLE STATES THAT IN 2016 HYUNDAI LOST A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT IN WHICH THEY HAD TO RECALL 470,000. SINCE THEN THEY HAVE HAD TO RECALL MANY MORE. WELL OVER 1 MILLION. HYUNDAI'S REFUSAL TO REPLACE THE ENGINE HAS BEEN VERY STRESSFUL. THE DEALERS REFUSAL TO REPLACE THE ENGINE W/NO COST TO ME IS: 1) MY CAR HAS A SHORT-BLOCK, AND THOSE ENGINES HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED. ALL PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN WITH THE LONG-BLOCKS ONLY. 2) IF I CAN PRODUCE THE ONLY OIL CHANGE INVOICE THAT IS MISSING, THEN THEY WILL REPLACE. (TOLD TO THE REPRESENTATIVE W/BUREAU OF AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR. 3) MILAGE IS 120,000 MILES. I CAN'T SELL IT, I'M STILL PAYING ON IT. I CAN'T SCRAP IT, I'M STILL PAYING ON IT. I CAN'T DONATE IT, I'M STILL PAYING ON IT. PER THE DEALERS SVC. DEPT. THE ENGINE FAILURE IS DUE TO THE DEFECTIVE ENGINE, AS OUTLINED IN THE CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT. HYUNDAI HAD TO RAISE THE WARRANTY 120,000 BECAUSE, THE PROBLEM FAILS TO SHOW IT'S SELF SOMETIMES UNTIL 80,000 TO 100,000 MILES. WHAT'S A GIRL TO DO?????

ON 05/10/2018, I NOTICED SEVERE VIBRATION AND CLUNKING IN STEERING WHEEL. BROUGHT VEHICLE TO HYUNDAI DEALER AND THEY REPLACED THE FLEXIBLE COUPLING IN THE STEERING COLUMN DUE TO WEAR. ON 08/08/2018, I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER FOR ROUTINE SERVICE AND ASKED THEM TO CHECK THE BRAKES AS I EXPERIENCED AN INTERMITTENT LOUD SQUEAKING FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL. THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. ON 09/25/2018, I ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE FROM A STATIONARY POSITION AND WHEN I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE, THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR AND A WARNING CAME ON THE DASH ADVISING ME THAT THE BRAKES HAD FAILED AND I NEEDED TO STOP IMMEDIATELY. I SHUT THE VEHICLE OFF AND THEN ATTEMPTED TO RESTART. UPON RESTART THE WARNING CONDITION DID NOT REOCCUR. VEHICLE TOWED TO HYUNDAI DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE ISSUE SEEMS TO HAVE CORRECTED ITSELF AND THE BRAKE SYSTEM SIMPLY NEEDED TO BE RECALIBRATED.

FOR THE SECOND TIME IN JUST OVER 3 MONTHS, THE HYBRID SYSTEM FAILED (AND DISPLAYED HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE / DO NOT DRIVE VEHICLE) ON THE 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID. THERE WAS NO MOTORING TO THE WHEELS AFTER COMPLETE STOP. THE FIRST OCCURRENCE IS REPORTED IN NHTSA REPORT # 11100475 (MAY 29, 2018). THE SECOND OCCURRENCE WAS ON WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 5, 2018. THIS OCCURRED WHILE BACKING UP. AFTER TOWING, THE HYUNDAI MECHANIC COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH HE TRIED TO MIMIC THE FAILURE SITUATION. FURTHER, ERROR CODE WAS NOT OBTAINED DUE TO AUTOMATIC RESET WHEN VEHICLE RESTARTED (POOR FIRMWARE DESIGN?). THIS PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT AND THEREFORE HARD TO DIAGNOSE, ESPECIALLY WITHOUT RECOVERABLE ERROR CODES. WHEN PROBLEM OCCURS THE DRIVER MUST STRIVE TO GET OFF THE ROAD SAFELY AND VERY PROMPTLY, SINCE VEHICLE MOTORING IS LOST. HYUNDAI CONSUMER AFFAIRS OFFICE IS INDIFFERENT TO THE PROBLEM, BECAUSE THE VEHICLE IS NOW FUNCTIONING, THOUGH NOT TRULY REPAIRED (VEHICLE "FIXED" ITSELF ON RESET). HYUNDAI CONSUMER AFFAIRS HAS CLOSED THE PROBLEM REPORT (SECOND TIME IN JUST OVER 3 MONTHS). THIS IS A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM, SINCE THE DRIVER HAS TO IMMEDIATELY STOP THE CAR AT A SAFE SPOT, EVEN IF IN HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE DECELERATED AND EVENTUALLY CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED BY AAA TO PLAZA HYUNDAI (2740 NOSTRAND AVENUE #2, BROOKLYN, NEW YORK 11210, (347) 983-5977). THE DEALER DIAGNOSED THAT THE ENGINE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 11575666. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 87,000.