CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2011 Sonata has a seriously defective engine that seizes without warning. It was awarded the dubious honor of being the first CarTalk / CarComplaints Turd of the Week in late September 2015.
A class action lawsuit was filed in May 2015 against Hyundai that claims the 2.4L Sonata engine is defective. More info here.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
20 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
5 / 1
Average Mileage:
50,849 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.
A little over a year ago I went to the dealership for an oil change and my steering wheel started to act weird. It seemed loose like someone removed a component. I stated to the dealership what occured and they wanted to charge me $500+ to get it repaired. They stated it wasn't covered under my warranty.. I told them the issue didnt occur until I brought the vehicle in. I am a mother of two infants who could not afford a repair like that. I bought the Hyundai because of its safety features and gas mileage so far everything has been a lie about this vehicle. I hate driving it. There have been nothing but problems since I got this vehicle and I fear the safety of me and my children. The steering wheel is so bad that my entire car rattles and shakes whenever I get on the highway. Now there's another recall on this vehicle for the same issue I told the dealership. I want out of this vehicle and into something safer for my children. They still haven't mailed me the campaign to get my engine checked. This recall was in November 2015. Hyundai just needs to reimburse everyone and take these vehicles off the road. They are lemons.
The steering column clicks when making micro adjustments at any speeds low or high. Sudden stops or decelerating it shakes and clicks. Also if car is off it clicks if U move wheel side to side. Shaking makes the car more difficult to control when slowing down at lights.
The contact own a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 40 mph, the steering wheel shook violently without warning. The failure also recurred while driving over 60 mph. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving at any speed, the steering became difficult to manage. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the column shaft failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The VIN was excluded from NHTSA campaign number: 10V426000 (steering). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V190000 (steering); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
The steering wheel makes a clicking and knocking noise when making turns and reversing, I was told by the Hyundai dealer that the steering column coupler has to be replaced and that its dangerous to drive because the steering column can get separated and cause a crash. I noticed that there are many complaints regarding this. The cost to replace this is $550 for a part that probably costs $20. So at this point since I have kids I cant drive this car and it has to be parked until I can afford to pay for this. There have been so many recalls on the particular make and model. Please consider a recall on this also.
When I received the recalls to took car in. As recalls come more problems came up. There was a problems with the shift gear which cost me $501 on July 12th. The last thing, last weekend 23rd, was the steering which cost me $365. At this point in time I do not want the car any more.
Steering knocking noise - appears to be related to the steering coupler that has not yet received a recall. Hyundai dealership told me that they see the issue a lot, but would still charge to diagnose and repair. The noise has been on-going for quite some time and has increasingly gotten worse
Felt some play in my steering wheel, took it to the dealer. Hyundai part # 56315-2K000-fff, flexible coupling was the issue. This small piece of rubber was a mangled mess - see attached pictures. Saw some forums where is common place. Part cost - $17 labor - $372.22! plaza auto mall invoice # [xxx] from 7/26/16 I'm not an engineer but in my opinion a part this critical which is made of rubber failed in a vehicle only 5 years old with 80,000 miles which was mostly highway during the first 4 years of ownership I've attached photos of the part which was given back to me by the dealer who also concurred that it was poorly made but there is no recall at this time. Reading some Hyundai forums on the web I also see that this part is in demand as well so I can only conclude that this issue is widespread? I ask that you consider reaching out to Hyundai to address this problem and just maybe I'll recover the $432.05 expense incurred to correct this problem thank you and I look forward to your reply [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Even I had the problem with my 2011 Sonata turbo 2.0. steering wheel became very stiff and there was a loud clunking noise when driving on uneven roads, bumps and high speed. The garage I went to charged me $300 for electronic steering coupler kit and rebuild and $450 for the labor. Looks like there are quite a few complaints with this problem in 2011 Sonata. This wasn't part of the eps control module recall. Hyundai should make a note of it and have this fixed as part of recall asap.
I have had this car a little over a year now. It has made the same noise since I've had it. I've been to the huynda dealer many times. They don't understand what's wrong. When your car is between 2000 RPM and 3000 rpms or steadily at 2000 it makes a continuous raddle noise coming from the engine and continues until you take your foot off the accelerator. You want to know my opinion about the [xxx] car? anyone who owns one should be given a new one. Because the car is a piece of crap. Now I also saw a complaint about someone having to replace the coupler. I have documentation that shows I paid the Hyundai to replace my steering coupler. It was over 300 dollars. When your driving down the road the steering is hard to control and the wheel makes a clicking noise. So I took it in and they coupler needed to be replaced. I want reimbursement and you guys should implement another recall about replacing everyone's coupler. You guys should make Hyundai give everyone a new car who has gone through al the mess we have. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel made an abnormal sound. The dealer diagnosed that the steering coupler needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the issue. The approximate failure mileage was 83,475.
Was told by Hyundai service tech that I needed a steering coupler and it is not covered under warranty nor was it covered as part of the existing steering recall.this comes at an out of pocket expense of approx. $500. The steering wheel clicks and feels like it is sticking when turning it. Car was in motion when it happened and I have not tried it when sitting stationary. Was also told could lose all steering. I think we need a recall.
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving 45 mph, the steering wheel made a loud "cranking" noise in the shaft of the steering wheel. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving 60 mph, the steering became uncontrollable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the steering gear box failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 54,000.
After crossing railroad at low speed, there was a loud, metallic clank, then would click/clank in turns. Steering became increasingly difficult to control, and car would drift at high speeds. Dealer stated the steering coupler was bad, although this was not covered under the multitude of steering recalls for 2011 Sonatas. The serviceman said everything in those model's steering was junk and they replaced the couplers all the time. Dealer confirmed that there would have been eventual loss of control of the vehicle and I should not wait to get it repaired.
Our family car has a recall with the steering that if read is due to loose steering and bolts that has caused other cars to loose control. Hyundai says they won't replace the steering column because of a chip that passed inspection.the article I read said nothing about a computer chip. The steering on the car is so loose we don't even feel comfortable driving it any longer. Hyundai keeps telling us that it will be 3 to 5 days everytime we talk to them to decide what they are going to do for us. We have a new born baby and cannot afford to drive this vehicle. We really are just stuck right now. This vehicle has had recall after recall. The tech that inspected the car said it should be fixed under the recall in his opinion and they he would fix it but corporate is dragging there feet.
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving, the electronic power steering sensor warning light illuminated and the steering wheel became very loose when making a turn. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the eps was reprogrammed. The steering wheel became very tight and difficult to maneuver. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 87,000. Updated 09/22/16
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Mcdonough, GA, USA