10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
16 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
21 / 1
Average Mileage:
68,661 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2006 Hyundai Sonata seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2006 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 11 of 19)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #174

Aug 272013

Sonata 6-cyl

  • 102,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Re: ocssettlement.Hyundai.com dear representative: My car make and model is involved in the Hyundai airbag class action suit. I took my car so that the dealer could do the recalibrating to the seat on 8/27/2013. They told me before they sent it to California for the recalibrating to be done to the seat. The service advisor told me that due to an accident the impact jars the seat connection and causes codes and that the light will still illuminate when it came back and it is. He said I have to pay some $600 to get something repaired and the attorney advised against me paying that is not my fault. The attorney for the class action already told me Hyundai is coming up with all kinds of reasons; even the inspector they sent seemed biased for the company. The attorney also stated that the car is under recall and if the light is on whatever they say doesn't matter that they have to offer me something under the settlement and they are not. The case involves the air bag lights being illuminated indicating that there is something is wrong with the system. Since the light remains illuminated and the system is not functioning properly, I and whoever rides with me are in danger because the air bag will not deploy. Hyundai will not repair without me paying. I should not pay. I have not had an impact. I got a letter from Hyundai today stating I should keep this letter in my vehicle and they listed that this contact should be written if I am unsatisfied. I am not satisfied and feel I am not getting the offer options in which I am entitled. Please inform me how I should proceed if better business bureau does not comply. I call the attorney over the class action and they inform I should be persistent and I have. But with Hyundai over the inspections, etc., I feel this will not come out fair. Please inform what I need to do. Thank you.

- Montgomery, AL, USA

problem #173

Oct 102013

Sonata

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact received NHTSA campaign recall number 08V161000 (air bag). The dealer and the manufacturer informed the contact the recall closed on September 20th. The air bag light was illuminated and could malfunction during a crash. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Dardene Praire, MO, USA

problem #172

Oct 222011

Sonata

  • 60,040 miles
A part on the driver's side seatbelt buckle has failed once per year for the last three years. The failure of this part causes the airbag light to go on, rendering the airbag ineffective in the event of a crash. We have taken the car in as soon as this happens, but are concerned about the frequency of the failures. We also don't understand why this repair was covered twice, but not the third time since this is clearly a problem with this same part and the time period in between part failures was almost identical.

- Santa Clarita, CA, USA

problem #171

May 292007

Sonata 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the passenger's side front air bag indicator light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer numerous times for the failure. The driver's side seat belt buckle and the front passenger's side air bag sensor was replaced. In addition, front passenger's seat sensor was reprogrammed under NHTSA campaign number 08V161000 (air bags); however the failure was not corrected. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not fully repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 1,000 and the current mileage was 100,000. Updated 10/24/13

- Westerville , OH, USA

problem #170

Aug 252013

Sonata 6-cyl

  • 77,000 miles
I turned the car on and the dashboard lights indicated all affected parts listed above went on. Drove the car for 3 miles and shut it off for 2 hours. Turned the car back on and had the same problem. I've read many owners with the same issue, but haven't seen a resolution this problem. This is a very serious issues god forbid the air bags don't eject in a accident. What do I do??

- Patchogue, NY, USA

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problem #169

Jul 012013

Sonata 4-cyl

  • miles
2006 Hyundai Sonata. Consumer writes in regards to a class action suit of the passenger seat " OCS" issue. The consumer stated he has been attempting to get the passenger seat fixed for years. The consumer stated the occupant classification system (OCS) failed to identify when someone was sitting in the front passenger seat. As a result, the air bag system was disabled.

- Northbridge, MA, USA

problem #168

Jun 172013

Sonata

  • 60,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The air bag light on our 2006 Sonata started intermittently going on and off several years after we purchased the vehicle. We brought this to the attention of the dealer at our regular service. They claimed they could not get the light to come on. At a later date the light came on permanently while driving. I brought this to the attention of the dealer in 2010, who charged me $100 inspection fee. He concluded that the light was on as a result of a seat malfunction but told us not to worry about the light. In June 2013, we were on a trip to the East coast and needed axle work (which was covered by warranty at 85,000 miles) and I again asked that dealer to check the seat belt light. He indicated that the problem was with some bolts in the seat belt restraints and that my air bags were not functional as long as the light was on. Even though I purchased the extended dealer warrant for this vehicle, I was again charged for the inspection and neither the manufacturer or warranty company will step up to cover this repair. This leads me to believe that this is a much more widespread safety problem than it appears and that both the manufacturer and trade knows this life threatening flaw exists. I am appalled by the frequency of airbag complaints that have been lodged and that the dealer would allow us to drive for years without the benefit of these safety features.

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #167

Jul 062013

Sonata 6-cyl

  • 38,000 miles
The air bag light came on for no reason, the car has never been in an accident. I only have 38000 miles on the car.

- N Ft Myers, FL, USA

problem #166

May 292013

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 160,000 miles
Dash air bag light came on and stays on. This is a very common complaint concerning the 2006 Sonata (see safercar.gov database). In my case, the dealer says the passenger seat needs replacing at a cost of over $2000. I note in the above data base that there seems to be a wide variety of causes for air bag failure. These problems occur so often in the 2006 Sonata, and create such a dangerous situation that NHTSA should require Hyundai to do a recall and fix these air bag problems for good. I just wonder how many people have been injured or killed because of these defective air bags.

- Clarksville, AR, USA

problem #165

Dec 012010

Sonata

  • 70,000 miles
About 2-3 years ago, the air bag warning light on the console began to illuminate and turn off intermittently without apparent cause or pattern, until it reached a point of staying on all the time. To me, this indicates an electrical problem. I have not had this problem diagnosed specifically, although at one point, my mechanic mentioned off hand that I had a broken seat belt, but, after I looked them over myself, all seat belts functioned perfectly fine, so I did not replace any of them. This may be the cause of the warning light, however, research has shown that this warning light may be on for any number of reasons, and most cases involve expensive and unreliable repairs, and the problem re-occurs without reason. Because of this, I have elected not to pay to have it "fixed." It has not been a problem until this year, when my car only barely passed inspection (prior inspectors have apparently never had a problem with it). Reading further, I am even less inclined to fix it - spending $1500 on a repair that has reports of re-occurrence on a 7-year-old vehicle seems silly. However, I'm lodging the complaint here anyway. I have not attempted to get a dealership or manufacturer to diagnose or fix the problem.

- Norton, MA, USA

problem #164

May 012013

Sonata 6-cyl

  • 146,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

There is an airbag light on in my 2006 Hyundai Sonata. My mother and stepfather are having the same issue with their 2007 Hyundai Sonata. They received a pamphlet regarding a class action lawsuit against Hyundai that their 2007 Hyundai Sonata qualified for a "free" recalibration to "reset" the airbag light. They called their local dealer, and got the car in. They said that the airbag light was on due to a faulty seatbelt, and they would have to remove the entire seat, send it to California and it would cost me $300. I think this is absolutely ridiculous. I also see where there are several complaints online of the very same issue my car is having. Something needs to be done about this, and not a the customer's expense either. Obviously it is an issue Hyundai should be taking care of.

- Saint Marys, OH, USA

problem #163

Nov 102012

Sonata

  • 101,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnosis and the contact was informed that the front driver's side seat belt buckle would need to be replaced. The buckle was replaced four years prior to the recent failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified but offered no assistance. The failure and current mileage was 101,000.

- Wittmann, AZ, USA

problem #162

Nov 292011

Sonata 6-cyl

  • 93,411 miles
On November of 2011, the "airbag" light in my Sonata came on and stayed on. Upon investigation by the Hyundai dealership, I was told that it was a problem with my seat belt. I had it repaired at a cost of $325.79. At that time I made a formal complaint to you. NHTSA id number: 10436650 now I have the same problem again! my airbag light came on the week of 4/7/13 (odometer 112,660) and again I have been told it is the seat belt. Again it will cost upwards of $300. And this is just 19,250 miles since I had it repaired it seems to me that this is an indication of either a defective part or a defective design. I have been told that the airbag will not work when the airbag light is on so I see this as a critical defect that needs to be investigated by the NHTSA. If a vehicle's airbags shut down every 20,000 miles or so, in my opinion the vehicle is a danger to consumers. Judging from a cursory search on the internet, I see that there are many other Hyundai Sonatas with the same issue. Please investigate.

- Rockford, MI, USA

problem #161

Jan 102013

Sonata 6-cyl

  • 4,300 miles
91 year old was driving and hit by another car. The car drove him into a tree. The air bag went off and produced sufficient internal injuries that he died. The air bag went off too hard. If there were no air bag, he would have lived.

- Berkeley, CA, USA

problem #160

May 082012

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 76,756 miles
2/25/2013:air bag light went on driver's side. Took car into dealership they had to replace pretensioner caused by B1706 pass resistance too high buckler pretensioner. They charged us $316.19 I am concerned about the safety of this car as we had an issue on the passenger side on 5/8/2012 air bag light was on. Found codes B1448 passenger weight sensor defect/fault traced and found seat bottom faulty. There was no charge for this they said as it was under warranty. Since there is a class action suit regarding the 5/2012 issue I feel this car is not safe.

- New Port Richey, FL, USA

problem #159

Apr 102012

Sonata 6-cyl

  • 125,000 miles
While turning corners the engine shuts down and unable to turn steering wheel. Restart car and it works again. Has happened numerous times. Airbag light has been on continuously. Brake lights replaced freq. Cruise control no longer works. ESC light comes on intermittently. Had to use shift lock release numerous times for 2 days at a time. I am unable to put the car into reverse or park and I have to use the shift lock release to move the gears. Heat and air conditioner stop working a few seconds at a time. Engine light comes on for a few days at a time. If I hit the brakes hard the ESC light will come on and do not go off for days. Cigarette lighters replaced and one still will not work. Head lights dim intermittently. I have brought back to dealership many times and have spent hundreds of dollars and time off work and problems return quickly.

- Bloomington, IL, USA

problem #158

Dec 102012

Sonata 6-cyl

  • 69,000 miles
The airbag light remains on: Code B1706. The passenger seat belt buckle tensioner failed and now the airbags will not work. Dealer cost is $400 to diagnose and fix with no guarantee.

- Lynden, WA, USA

problem #157

Aug 032011

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 61,604 miles
Passenger right side airbag warning light is intermittently on. Diagnosis was "passenger side pre tensioner" since this time the problem has not been solved. The seat itself was replaced, but the problem still remains in December 2012. Service says that the occupant weight less than 110 may cause the warning, but the December 2012 diagnosis used 3 different people (100,120, and 170 pounds) and found no problem. When the light is on, there is no assurance that the airbag will function in a crash.after the December 28 check the warning light has not come on but only one short drive from dealer.

- College Station , TX, USA

problem #156

Apr 022012

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 72,000 miles
My airbag light has been on for approximately 8 months. I had it to the dealer and they said it was a loose connection. They "re-connected" and the light went off. Now it has been back on for about 2 months. Also I have a hard time connecting my driver seat belt, one time I had to drive without it at all since I could not get it to snap in at all. Also the passenger seat belt display light flashes even when there is no one sitting in the seat. I called and apparently I am not a part of the recall for the airbag. My sister has the same car, same year and has the same issues. I find this hard to believe that this is an isolated problem.

- Hinckley , OH, USA

problem #155

Jun 232008

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 32,765 miles
Upon starting the vehicle, the dashboard "check airbag" light was constantly illuminated. Took vehicle to the dealer (23jul08) where they diagnosed code B1701 and replaced the front drivers seat belt buckle assembly. At 43,340 miles (03feb09) I needed the passenger seat belt buckle assembly (B1706 code) replaced. At 57,106 miles (06nov09) I needed the drivers seat belt buckle replaced (code not documented by dealer). Now (19dec12) the "check airbag" light is lit again (103,121) and the codes B1701 ad B1706 both show up. Most likely replace both driver and passenger seat belt buckle assembly. An unbelievable number of seat belt buckle replacements in the life of this vehicle. Since seat belt issues like this illuminate the "check airbag" indicator light, I have to believe this is a safety factor related problem.

- Kenosha, WI, USA

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