This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
My car started having problems in may that when I look them up, are listed as issues that have been recalled by Hyundai yet when I contacted Hyundai these were not open recalls on my vehicle. My ABS/ESC light comes on and off. If I turn my car off and re-start it then the light will be gone, only to come on again at some point when I'm driving. I just got new brakes in January and my brakes seem to be working fine. The only time I was concerned was during a road trip when the light was off, but came on when I slammed on my brakes on the highway. My air bag light came on around the same time the brake light started consistently coming on. This light does not go away. I have also been told that I have a back break light that is out yet when I took it to get a new bulb it was working just fine. Then the next day when backing up, I could see my car's reflection in a window and that light was out, indicating some sort of electrical short. To top it all off, my check engine light came on today and I will be taking my car in this afternoon to see what that is. My car is up to date on all maintenance. In the last 7 months I have had new brakes, new spark plugs, and a new battery. I'm not sure why these lights are on but it is very frustrating to see recalls for some of these issues, and they just aren't on my car specifically.
During operation of the vehicle, when vehicle engine speed drops to approximately 1000 - 1100 RPM, headlights will dim or briefly shut off, radio will shut off, and interior fan speed will drop. This happens for approximately 1 second and is intermittent. From searches of the internet, this appears to be a common problem requiring replacement of the positive battery cable assembly. I do not understand why this has not been handled via a recall, especially since headlights dimming off or shutting off during night driving is extremely dangerous. This has happened on multiple occasions to this car. In addition, probably due to this voltage drop problem, several headlights, brake lights etc., have had to be replaced. This has already cost me several hundred dollars in troubleshooting and repair, prior to learning about the cable assembly.
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.
I bought a 2006 Hyundai Sonata at the beginning of the model year in August 2005. Since that time, I have replaced the low beam headlamps at least 4 times. On two of those four occasions, the headlamps burned out after only a few months of use. This seems to be a systemic problem and Hyundai refuses to acknowledge it.
- Perrysburg, OH, USA
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See E-mail exchange: Dear [xxx] : thank you for contacting Hyundai motor America. We apologize you were not satisfied with our previous email. We appreciate the opportunity to address your comments regarding the rear brake light in your 2006 Hyundai Sonata. We understand how this can be frustrating to you. However, we are unable to provide instructions on how to replace the rear brake light. In addition, this information is withheld from your owner's manual, as it is only recommended that the replacement be completed by an authorized Hyundai dealership to ensure it is done to Hyundai specifications. If you choose to complete this replacement without the assistance of your dealership, to ensure it is done correctly, it is recommended that you purchase a service manual. However, it is not required. The warranty coverage for bulb replacement is 12 months from the date of first use (dfu), or 12,000 miles, whichever occurs first, for factory defect in part or workmanship only. Hyundai's written warranties are legally binding agreements that can't be altered or extended for any reason. In addition, Hyundai dealerships are independently owned and operated, and set their own pricing on vehicles they sell and services they provide. We are unable to regulate any service costs, or force your dealership to complete the service free of charge. We apologize about any disappointment this may cause. We have documented your request under case # [xxx]. thank you for contacting Hyundai Consumer Affairs. Email response from Hyundai consumer affairshyundai Consumer Affairs, I find your reply to be total [xxx]. you have designed a safety hazard into your automobiles. Your reply that I must either pay for an expensive dealer charge or pay for a maint. Manual while my car which is 500 miles over the warranty is unacceptable. I am filing a complaint with the fed. Agency in charge of safety hazards. I own 2 Hyundai's now. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The light bulb for the third brake light on my 2006 Hyundai Sonata is burned out. I was advised by both the dealership and Hyundai that it will cost $ $85 to replace the bulb because there is no user access to the bulb. The dealer must remove the entire back seat and rear deck to perform this replacement. As I cannot afford $ $85 at this time, my third brake light remains inoperable. The car is still under Hyundai's bumper to bumper warranty.
Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) I own a 2006 Hyundai Sonata, [xxx], the vehicle constantly burns out the headlamps. Since purchase in 2006, the car has gone through 4 sets of headlamps. The last time this happened my wife was driving on a rural road at night when both headlamps burned at once. This incident created a hazardous condition where she was momentarily totally unable to see the road. This failure mode seems to be a systemic problem that Hyundai refuses to acknowledge, and their response is just to recommend replacement of bulbs as they burn out.
2006 Hyundai Sonata 3rd brake light housing has a design problem which does not allow for the bulb to be replaced by the owner. Of course short life bulbs are used so the light burns out quickly. Hyundai's solution is to bring the car into a dealership and pay around $75 for them to take out the tray between the seat and window to get to the bulb to replace. Consequently, with the strains of the economy most people have to choose to not replace the bulb. A proper design would have allowed the car owner to replace the bulb. This problem started back in 2008.
At first it was the radio, turning on and off by itself when I would try to lower the volume it would be louder. My headlights would go out and turn on again, my emergency brake light will turn on as my car would stop in the middle of the street. Air bag deployment sign is on and the bag it is not deployed. The ABS, ESC and other glow lights will turn on; sometimes I cant roll down the windows or lock the car with the button. Now my car will not start, no power and it resets my clock. I have gone to the dealership twice and they are greedy money hungry '!@#$% who do not care for their customers, I replaced the battery and the alternator and its been through diagnostics and the alternator was the only thing found wrong. I have issues with the car at least twice a day and three times its died completely. This is an 2006 Hyundai Sonata it should not give me these problems.
I received a recall letter on my 2006 Hyundai Sonata regarding the stop lamp switch. I knew I had this problem, but when I took it in on June 24, 2009, I was told it would cost me approximately $275 to repair. I cannot afford such repair. Then the manager of the service dept. Came and offered to repair it for less, but that he would call me later with a quote. I never received such a call. Today, I took my car back to service dept. At 7:00 in the morning and was told it would take until about 7:00 in the evening to repair, when I told them I could not be without a car that long, I was told that they had to see if even my car qualified for this recall. The person came back to say that my car did not. I would like a response to this request. The woman taking down my information did not even listen to the other things I was complaining about, such as a rubber (do not know correct name) fell off from the sunroof and other items. She did not even hear about those item.
That's the problem there is no serious event leading up to the problem. It is happening because theses cars are not built for safety. I have had my car for 5 months and there are some serious problems, Hyundai and you all may not think so but it is. If it was your car that had all of these problems you would be complaining also. Problems that I have with my Hyundai Sonata: Passenger airbag light on every time you crank up, airbag light in the dash board on, check engine light (sensors going bad in the car). If its not equipped for the car don't try something that's going to have people spending out of the pockets and then paying for a car also. Recalls on 06 Hyundai Sonata what's the purpose if it cant be fixed everything on the recall list is happening to my car. If I had a second chance I would not have bout that '!@#$% from Hyundai.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Norcross, GA, USA