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.
The vehicle tracks to the left. Despite numerous attempts at fixing the issue the dealers (more than one) can't seem to fix this. Hyundai have issued a recall on it (Sonata-TR01) yet this 'fix' doesn't rectify the problem.
I bought a 2011 Sonata in May 2010. This car has pulled to the left from the first day I bought it. Nothing seems to work. It has been aligned on several occasions with no success.
I purchased a brand new Hyundai Sonata (2011) in March of 2011 and the day I test drove it I felt the car pulling to the right and hand to apply pressure on the steering wheel to keep it going straight. I was told that this was not a big issue and would be repaired. Nine months later and three times being serviced for the pull and the steering wheel issue it is still functioning with the same problem. Each time I was told the problem was fixed drove out of the service area to find it was still with the same problems. Was told to open up a case with the regional office which I did, and was told that the service manager at puente hills Hyundai [xxx] said that the problem was fixed and there was nothing wrong with the car. There is something wrong with this car. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
On 7/7/11, I purchased a 2011 Sonata gls. The next day I notice the car pulled to the right at various speeds. I set up an appointment for 7/18/11. I picked up my vehicle and immediately noticed that the vehicle was still pulling to the right. I had to continue to correct the vehicle so I would not go into the next lane or off the road. I brought the car in on 7/25/11 and went on a test drive with the technician. Technician stated he could see the vehicle pulling right. The vehicle was released to me and immediately I noticed the vehicle was now pulling to the left especially at higher speeds. The service department rotated the tires and performed a four wheel alignment. Now I noticed that the vehicle had returned to pulling to the right at all speeds. Brought the vehicle in 8/2/11 and the service manager test drove the vehicle with me and verified a pull to the right. I returned on 8/4/11 to pick up my vehicle. Service manager stated that the tires were road forced balanced and an alignment was performed. Again, immediately as I left the dealership I noticed that the vehicle was still pulling to the right. I returned to the dealership and stated that it had not been corrected. The service manager test drove the vehicle with me again and reconfirmed that the vehicle was pulling to the right. After the car was looked at again it was test driven by district parts and service manager who released the vehicle. I was frustrated as the vehicle was still pulling to the right and I had to continue to correct the steering. However, I was moving out of state in 3 days and would need to deal with issue after the move. Car broke down in pa during move and was there for 2 weeks for a ground wire. Received a urgent recall notice in the mail and brought car back to original dealer. Car was released to me and is still pulling severely to the right after being in the shop 6 times.
- Hamden, CT, USA
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I received a notice from Hyundai that my vehicle was covered by a recall or campaign to address the pulling issue noticed by so many other fellow 2011 & 2012 Sonata owners. Brought the vehicle to the dealer and the vehicle was worse than when I brought it in. Vehicle now pulls to right. Returned to dealer. Service manager felt that vehicle was driving fine and that there were no problems. Upon return visit I had a technician ride with me and he confirmed that the pull to the right is excessive. Have been dealing with Hyundai customer service to no avail. Will be returning to dealer for 3rd and final time to address issue. If not fixed after 3rd visit, will be seeking legal counsel.
Vehicle pulls to the right. Returned it to the dealer and they did an alignment and they said the alignment was correct, however the car continues to pull right.
I bought the Sonata 2011 turbo in 7/15/2011 the first day I test drove the car I asked the sales man if they aligned the car and he said it was done already. Several months later I called them and said the car is out of control the steering keeps to the right and I am tired of pulling it to the left. Also the speed is uncontrollable I have to take my foot of the accelerator in order for the car to slow down other wise I would be going 80mph on the fwy. It is very hard to keep consistency of the speed. I took the car back on October 21 the first time and they told me its normal. I was upset and told them that my 17 year old almost got into an accident due to not being able to control the car at a turn. They ignored me and still insist that the car was normal. I went back yesterday for the second time and test drove the car with their mechanic and he said that the car was fine and its all normal. I was never told that there was a recall on the car. I only found out about this today when I went back to speak to the manager for the third time is when they told me that all the Sonata 2011 have a pulling problems and it has no return memory after its done pulling so I have to get used to this cause that's what they all do. I am now very upset that I found this out on my own and that they didn't tell me about the recall and that me and my daughter are at risk of an accident at any given time. I had over 25 cars in the past and I know that this car is very unsafe to drive and if nothing is done about this someone will get hurt. I opened up a claim with Sonata customer service and I hope this will be taken care off right a way.
After the manufacturer's recall on tracking issues with this model neither this attempt at fixing the problem nor the other previous two attempts has fixed the tracking problem with this vehicle. In the left lane at highway speed if the steering wheel is released the vehicle immediately turns abruptly left and must be corrected immediately to prevent it leaving the lane and then the highway. The dealer states that the car is within specs but that is only when they take it to a certain section of a local highway where there is no crown. When this car is in the left lane where there is any type of crown it will abruptly move left the instant the steering wheel is released in 98 percent of the times I've tried it. This car could be very dangerous if you aren't alert at all times because of the rate of drift. The NHTSA should force a recall that fixes this problem, Hyundai seems to be whitewashing this with claims that under perfect conditions the car is in spec. The dealer must drive the car to a stretch of highway about 5 miles from the dealership to find this perfect strip of highway to test the cars in order to claim they are in spec. Amazing!
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that when driving at any speed, the steering wheel would feel loose and the front end of the vehicle would exhibit an abnormal clicking noise. In addition, there was an abnormal metal scraping sound coming from the rear of the vehicle in which the tires were wearing prematurely. The vehicle was taken to the dealer numerous times for the failures. The dealer replaced the steering clock spring and advised that the noise in the front and rear of the vehicle was normal because of the wheel design. The vehicle was not further repaired. The front and rear end continued to make noise while driving and the steering wheel still felt extremely loose. The failure mileage was 659 and the current mileage was 21,811.
Vehicle steering pulls to left. Checked air pressure (cold) of tires and all were within specified pressures (30 P.S.I.). just received mfr notice advising me my Hyundai Sonata limited may have a "current open recall campaign". note: The notice was allegedly from mfr., but directed me to contact a Hyundai dealer other than the dealer which sold me the vehicle. The dealer from which I purchased the vehicle is still in operation, but I have received no such recall advisement them. The notice states, "this campaign may be a safety related repair and will be performed at no charge to you". strange...very strange.
Follow up on my earlier steering problem with the 2011 limited turbo. ODI id number : 10427654 dealership installed new struts, aligned car and did a selective tire rotation. Car still pulled left in left lane and wandered left and right every 4-7 seconds in right lane of highway. Took car back into dealership 10/6/2011 and they again aligned and did another selective rotation. Car still pulls and wanders. Contacted Hyundai customer service and their reply was as follows: "thank you for contacting Hyundai motor America. We apologize for your dissatisfaction with our previous response regarding the specifications for the tracking in your 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T. We contacted buerkle Hyundai to gather further information regarding the specifications for your vehicle. We were informed the vehicle is required to track straight for 9 seconds or less at 40 miles per hour. They informed us that for every 10 miles per hour that your vehicle accelerates over 40 miles per hour, the requirement drops by 2 seconds. If your vehicle is going 70 miles per hour, the required seconds the vehicle would need to track straight is 3 seconds. If your vehicle does not track straight for 3 seconds at 70 miles per hour, we recommend that you schedule an appointment with the service department of buerkle Hyundai for further inspection. We are confident that the dealership will address all of your concerns and provide you with expert advice. You can reach buerkle Hyundai by calling *** *** ****. " they tell me that this was a dealer's decision and that if the Hyundai can travel 300-500 feet without a steering correction than the car is within spec's. this is a steering correction every 4 sec. At 70mph. Why isn't NHTSA doing something about this?
While driving 65 mph on a state highway during rush hour with the cruise control on, the steering wheel/car suddenly starting shaking extremely violently and it was all I could do to maintain control long enough to pull over and stop/inspect the vehicle. It was remarkable an accident did not occur and if my child, a new driver, had been behind the wheel, I am certain an accident would have occurred. The electric power steering (eps) and electronic stability control (ESC) warning lights came on and power steering no longer worked. The sensation I experienced was very much like that described in NHTSA campaign id no. 10V426000. I took the car to the dealership and they ultimately concluded that the problem was a brake switch which caused power steering to stop working. The dealership replaced the brake switch, concluding that my 2011 Hyundai Sonata, manufactured on 3/11/11, was not subject to the recall involving steering column intermediate shaft universal joint connections. I am currently driving the car, although I do so reluctantly, particularly with family members in the vehicle. While I do not know if these situations are related, on 9/11/11 my car had to be towed to the dealership because the starter would not recognize the brake was depressed. At that time a brake light switch was replaced. I have been in contact with Hyundai Consumer Affairs and the dealership's service manager, but remain concerned about my vehicle and this situation happening to other drivers who may not be as lucky as I was. I remain hopeful Hyundai will be aggressive and proactive in this process, but it scared and concerned me enough I felt it was necessary to pursue this situation with a regulatory body.
My 2011 Hyundai Sonata SE 2.0T has been tracking and pulling to the left and has a side to side motion that has caused my daughter to become nauseous since I bought the car new on August 1, 2011. I went to two different dealerships on three separate occasions. Both dealerships acknowledge that it pulls to the left and the side to side motion. Both have not been able to fix the problem even after three attempts. Hyundai has done a voluntary tsb campaign (#927) to fix the problem but so far the all the dealerships have done is balance the tires and align them and that has not fixed the problem. At highway speeds the car feels unsafe but Hyundai doesn't seem to care. I tried calling their Hyundai usa toll free number but have not had any help from Hyundai usa. I think that there needs to be a full recall to have Hyundai correctly address and fix the problem. I've spent almost two months and three trips to dealerships to have them mickey mouse around and tell me that the problem was a "simple balance problem" or a "simple alignment problem" when clearly the car still pulls to the left and moves side to side. It seems to be that Hyundai did not do proper engineering because the problem is only with the 18" wheel and tire package.
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the headliner in the vehicle was leaking water. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they advised him that they were unable to diagnose the failure. In addition, while driving at various speeds the steering wheel would pull to the left very hard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they advised him that they were unable to diagnose the failuer after test driving the vehicle. The manufacturer was contacted and they offered no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000. The VIN was unavailable. The roof seam is leaking which has stained the headliner. Also having problems with the steering, gearshift, and subwoofers. Updated 11/09/2011
Took car to dealership for front end noise and "popping" during turns. Dealer states the steering rack is faulty and needs replaced. Steering rack is on order as of 09/30/2011 and won't be in until 10/05/2011. Keith hawthorne Hyundai service dept. Claims vehicle is still safe to drive until part comes in.
Vehicle has pulled to the left since new. At approx. 7000 miles the left hand pull changed to pulling to the right and left and would require a steering correction every 4 sec when traveling at 70mph on a straight highway. That's 900 corrections per hour for a longer trip. Talk about work! talked to the service tech at the dealership where I purchased car several times and he said that Hyundai really didn't have a fix for the Sonata at this time--8 months later. Now have 10,000 miles on car and rotated tires and now it's back to the left pull. Talk about an unsafe car.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Schertz, TX, USA