2012 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID Complaints

ENGINE FAILED ME WHILE DRIVING AT THE RATE OF SPEED 65 MILES PER HOUR ON HIGHWAY 20 RETURNING FROM MY MYRTLE BEACH VACATION WITH ME CHILDREN AND GIRLFRIEND WITH. WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED THE CAR JUST STARTED DECELERATING AS I WAS TRYING TO PASS ANOTHER CAR. I HAD TO THINK QUICK AS THERE WHERE SEMI TRACTORS BEHIND ME I THREW ON MY HAZARDS AND WAS ABLE TO GIVE SIGNAL THAT I WAS IN DISTRESS ALLOWING OTHER TRAVELERS TO TAKE HEED. I THEN STARTED MOVING INTO THE LEFT LANE SO THAT I COULD EXIT THE HIGHWAY THE CAR AT THIS POINT WAS JUST COASTING AND COASTED INTO A GAS STATION WHERE I AWAITED ROAD SIDE TOWING. I HAVE READ SEVERAL COMPLAINTS HERE ON NHTSA OF SIMILAR INCIDENTS WHEN WILL THE CONSUMERS BE PROTECTED AGAINST HUGE MANUFACTURERS WE DO ALL THAT WERE SUPPOSED TO AS FAR AS MAINTAINING OUR INVESTMENT AND THEN THEY TRY TO STICK THE CONSUMER WITH THE BILL IN WHICH THEY ARE WILL AWARE OF HAD BEEN MANUFACTURED WITH DEFECTS. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER HYUNDAI PRODUCT AGAIN IN LIFE AND I WILL DO EVERYTHING IN MY POWER TO MAKE SURE NO ONE I KNOW DOES EITHER. FOR THEM NOT DO WHATS RIGHT BY YOUR CUSTOMERS WILL IN THE END COST THEM WAY MORE. MY VEHICLE CAME WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND THEY ARE ALSO TRYING TO GET OUT OF REPLACING THE FAULTY ENGINE EITHER WAY CONSUMERS THINK THERE DOING EVERYTHING RIGHT MAINTENANCE AND WARRANTY AND STILL SOME HOW THE BIG GUYS GET OFF THE HOOK OF HONORING THERE END OF THE DEAL. ITS VERY DISHEARTENING TO SAY THE LEAST. I HAVE PROVIDE A VERY IN DEPTH LETTER TO WHAT WORK HAS BEEN DONE ON MY VEHICLE AND IF YOU NEED TO I AM SURE THAT ALL MY MAINTENANCE RECORDS CAN BE RETRIEVED FROM CARFAX. PLEASE PLEASE ADVISE ON WHAT OTHER MEASURES I CAN TAKE

SUDDENLY GAVE WARNING WHILE DRIVING NOT DRIVE HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE. PLEASE CALL ME AT [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

ENGINE FIRE, NON COLLISION. JUST DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON UNTIL ENGINE QUIT RUNNING. LOST POWER AND ENGINE BECAME EXTREMELY HOT. HAD TO TOW TO MECHANIC WHO SAID ENGINE MIGHT HAVE CAUGHT FIRE AND I WOULD NEED NEW ENGINE.

2 MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH THIS CAR. ONE IS A BRAKE ISSUE AND ONE IS TRANSMISSION ISSUE I DO HAVE APPROXIMATELY 160K ON THE CAR NOW. THE TRANSMISSION ISSUE GOES BACK TO WHEN THE CAR HAD APPROXIMATELY 40 TO 50 K ON IT AND WAS TAKEN TO DEALER BECAUSE OF SEVERE BANGING FROM ONE GEAR TO ANOTHER.. PERIODICALLY IT HAS DONE THIS SINCE THEN..DEALER COULD NOT GET IT TO DO IT.. AND SAID IT COULD BE NORMAL.. CAR IS WELL TAKEN CARE OF AND NOW NEEDS TRANSMISSION..BRAKES HAVE DONE WIERD THINGS. ONCE NEEDED TOWING BECAUSE OF ZERO BRAKES, FULL HARD PEDAL, NO BRAKE LIGHT ON OR ANY KIND OF WARNING..LUCKILY I WAS IN A SLOW DRIVE THRU.. TOWED AND PARKED CAR..2 DAYS LATER ..EVERYTHING IS GOOD..BIZARR AT THE LEAST IF NOT ABSOLUTELY DANGEROUS.

ENGINE BLEW A ROD SPONTANEOUSLY WHILE ON THE FREEWAY. GOING 75 MILES AN HOUR AND HEARD A LOUD CLICKING SOUND THAT RESULTED IN ENGINE FAILURE. NO WARNING LIGHTS OR INDICATORS UNTIL AFTER THE ENGINE SEIZED. LEFT US STRANDED AND IN DANGER. ENGINE REGULARLY MAINTAINED AND NO WARNING INDICATORS OR REASON TO HAVE THE CAR LOOKED AT PRIOR TO THE EVENT. TOWED BACK TO MECHANIC WHERE HE EXPLAINED THE ENGINE ROD HAD BLOWN AND DAMAGED THE ENGINE AND WOULD REQUIRE A COMPLETELY NEW ENGINE AS A RESULT. IT'S A HYBRID AND DOES NOT FALL UNDER THE RECALL AS OF NOW BUT IT'S THE EXACT SAME SITUATION AS THE NON HYBRID VERSIONS.I ONLY FOUND OUT FROM THE MECHANIC THAT THERE HAS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA ENGINES.

YESTERDAY THE CAR DROVE FINE UNTILL ABOUT AN HOUR BEFORE I WENT HOME. THEN IT STARTED WITH THE BUMPING/JERKING WHEN SWITCHING FROM ELECTRIC TO GAS. WORSE THAN IT HAS EVER BEEN. THEN THE REVVING STARTED, MORE THAN USUAL, AND WOULDN'T ACCELERATE. THEN IT WAS LIKE THE THROTTLE STUCK. GOT THE REVVING NOICE, BUT THE ECO WASN'T BURRIED AT RED, FOR ABOUT 1/4 MILE BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER INTO A PARKING LOT. SHUT OFF THE CAR. RESTARTED AND DROVE 1 MILE TO HOME. REVVED A FEW TIMES IN THAT PERIOD.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ENGAGED INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT HAD TO TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND WAIT A MOMENT FOR THE VEHICLE TO REGAIN NORMAL FUNCTION. THE HYBRID EMERGENCY BRAKE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED WHILE THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO COCONUT CREEK AUTOMALL (4950-4980 FL-7, COCONUT CREEK, FL 33073, (866) 847-2753) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BRAKE HYDRAULIC MODULE WAS REPLACED. OTHER PARTS WERE REPLACED, BUT THE CONTACT DID NOT KNOW THE EXACT NAMES OF THE PARTS. THE REPAIR DID NOT CORRECT THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 119,451.

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR WILL RANDOMLY REV VERY HIGH IT STARTED ABOUT 3 WEEKA AGO WHILE DRIVING AT AROUND AN AVERAGE OF 45MPH IN CITY. IT WAS INITIALLY JUST REVVING 3-4 TIMES UNTIL I HIT THE BREAK AND IT WAS ISOLATED TO ONE INCIDENT PER DRIVE. BUT LAST NIGHT AFTER DRIVING ON I-25 AT HIGHWAY SPEED I TURNED TO A SLOWER BUSY STREET MORE STOP AND GO TRAFFIC AND THE CAR STARTED REVVING AGAIN ONLY THIS TIME IT DID NOT STOP AFTER ONE INCIDENT. AS SOON AS I HIT THE ACCELERATOR IT WENT INTO A REVVING FIT. AND DIDNT STOP I COULDN'T EVEN DRIVE IT BECAUSE I COULD NOT GET IT TO ACCELERATE. I TRIED TURNING OFF BLUE DRIVE AND TRIED SHIFTING DOWN TO 1ST GEAR SO I COULD AT LEAST MAKE IT AT 10-15MPH BUT IT REVVED UP EVEN IN MANUAL GEAR. I HAD TO PARK IT FOR THE NIGHT IN A PRETTY SKETCHY NEIGHBORHOOD AND CALL AN UBER. THE SYSTEM DIDN'T POPULATE ANY CODES AND NO SERVICE LIGHTS CAME ON. THEN, THIS MORNING WHEN I WENT BACK TO GET THE CAR TO A MECHANIC AND IT WAS ACCELERATING FINE THOUGH IT WAS SLUGGISH. I MANAGED TO MAKE IT 2.5 MILES TO A MECHANIC WITHOUT INCIDENT BUT STILL NO SERVICE ENGINE LIGHT.

THE CAR BEGAN LURCHING FORWARD INTERMITTENTLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (65+ MPH) WHEN TRAVELLING IN A STRAIGHT LINE ON A FLAT HIGHWAY ON DAY 1, AFTER 30 MINUTES OF DRIVING. ON DAY 2, THE CAR FAILED TO SHIFT GEARS AT LOW SPEEDS (<40 MPH) WHILE DECELERATING DOWNHILL ON A CITY STREET, AFTER RUNNING NORMALLY FOR 30 MINUTES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. IT COASTED SLIGHTLY UPHILL IN FIRST GEAR TO THE DESTINATION ON A CITY STREET, UNABLE TO ACCELERATE FROM 5MPH. IT WAS TOWED ($88) TO A MECHANIC WHERE IT FAILED A ROAD TEST, AND THE TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WERE PRONOUNCED DEAD. A NEW TRANSMISSION AND CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WERE INSTALLED AND THE ENGINE (ODO 131,000+) FAILED TO TURN OVER. $650 IN LABOR TO DIAGNOSE AND ATTEMPT REPAIR/REPLACEMENT. REPAIRS WERE ESTIMATED AT $8,100 AND THE KBB VALUE WAS LESS THAN $3,200. THE CAR IS OTHERWISE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION AND IS BEING SOLD TO A JUNK YARD WITH NEW TIRES UNDER IT.

WHILE TRYING TO ACCELERATE AT FREEWAY SPEEDS (50-60MPH), THE "ECO GUAGE" REVS UP BUT THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE - SLOWS DOWN IN THE MIDDLE OF TRAFFIC. THE OIL PRESSURE WARNING LAMP FLICKERS ON AND OFF AS WELL. AFTER THE CAR IS STOPPED AND TURNED OFF, THE CAR FUNCTIONS NORMALLY. MECHANICS ARE UNABLE TO RETRIEVE ANY CODES FROM THE SYSTEM. THE CAR HAS INTERMITTANTLY DROPPED INTO THIS MODE AT LEAST 10 TIMES SINCE WE FIRST EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM IN JULY 2018. THE PROBLEM OCCURS AT FREEWAY SPEEDS CAUSING THE CAR TO RAPIDLY DECELERATE IN FAST MOVING TRAFFIC WITH NO ADVANCE WARNINGS. THIS SITUATION REQUIRES IMMEDIATE EVASIVE ACTION TO REMOVE THE CAR FROM HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC LANES SO IT CAN BE SHUT DOWN AND TOWED TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER. MY WIFE AND I CONSIDER THIS A LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION AS IT HAS OCCURRED IN PLACES SUCH AS THE BAY BRIDGE (WITH NO SHOULDER) AND A LENGTHY UNDERWATER TUNNEL (AGAIN WITH NO SHOULDER). WE HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER SERVICE SHOP FOUR TIMES. THEY HAVE REPLICATED THE PROBLEM AND HAVE TRIED VARIOUS REPAIRS - REPLACE TRANSMISSION OIL PUMP, REPLACE INHIBITOR SWITCH, INSTALL NEW AUXILLIARY BATTERY, AND - FINALLY - REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION. EVEN AFTER THE TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT, THE CAR SHUT DOWN WHILE THE MECHANIC WAS TEST DRIVING IT AND PROVIDED A CODE TO REPLACE THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. THE MECHANICS STILL ARE NOT CERTAIN THEY HAVE FIXED THE PROBLEM. IT APPEARS AS IF HYUNDAI IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AS THEIR TECHNICAL SUPPORT STAFF HAVE A PROTOCOL FOR REPAIRING THE CAR. GIVEN THE INTERMITTANT NATURE OF THE PROBLEM, THE FACT THAT IT OCCURS AT HIGH SPEEDS, AND THE POTENTIAL DANGER OF HAVING YOUR CAR RAPIDLY DECELERATE ON BUSY FREEWAYS, I THINK THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED BY HYUNDAI. ATTACHED IS THE ORIGINAL SERVICE RECORD THAT DESCRIBES THE PROBLEM (DATE 8/6/18). THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE WAS 11/27/18.