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:
50,937 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.

2011 Hyundai Sonata steering problems

steering problem

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2011 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 57 of 58)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #37

Dec 032010

Sonata

  • 60 miles

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

Constant to pull the left, car was aligned, tires rotated and computer for electric steering reprogram/checked.

- Toms River, NJ, USA

problem #36

Nov 082010

Sonata

  • 11 miles
2011 Hyundai Sonata turbo 2.0T vehicle pulls to the left at varying speeds from 30mph up to and including highways speeds. From a two lane road, or a four land highway from the right lane the vehicle will abruptly cross into another lane in five seconds or under which is a major safety concern. Noted this defect upon initial test drive, dealer claimed over pressurized tire was the cause, after properly pressurized tires, however, vehicle continued to pull left. Brought vehicle back, dealer inspected claimed this time there was an alignment issue, readjusted alignment, however, vehicle continues to pull left. Brought vehicle back to same dealer for a third time, dealer confirmed vehicle was in alignment per their previous work and claimed there was nothing else they could do. 4 days later take to a second Hyundai dealer who claims one of the rear tires was out of alignment, readjust alignment, however, vehicle continues to pull off center. It's a near constant struggle to keep the car centered in the lane you are traveling in. Have conducted my own tests on residential streets, county roads and highways in opposite directions over the same stretch of road and the car continues not to track straight. This is a dangerous situation and needs to be addressed immediately.

- Flemington, NJ, USA

problem #35

Nov 292010

Sonata

  • 400 miles
2011 Hyundai Sonata limited 2.0T with build date 10/22/10. At speeds over 45 mph there is a significant pull to the left. Alignment has been checked and is within spec. Tires are properly inflated. At lower speeds there is no pull. This occurs no matter if under power or not so it is not torque steer. This is repeatable 100% of the time on any flat road going over 45 mph.

- Worcester, MA, USA

problem #34

Nov 282010

Sonata

  • 27 miles

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

My 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T limited pulls to the left at almost any speed in 99% of scenarios. It's as if the steering, when automatically centering itself, centers itself off to the left. The car only has 200 miles and was in for an alignment from the dealership, but the car feels exactly the same. If you are driving on the highway, within a second or two of letting go of the steering wheel the car veers into the next lane. It's quite abrupt and could be dangerous. It could also be hurting fuel mileage and causing premature tire wear.

- Dilworth, MN, USA

problem #33

Nov 102010

Sonata

  • 25 miles
I bought a new 2011 Hyundai Sonata gls. From the first day had it I noticed a hard pulling to the left while driving at speeds over 35 mph. The faster I go, the more dramatic the drift. It's extremely hard for me to comfortably drive this car on the expressway due to the constant struggling to keep the car straight. One scary incident occurred when I was getting onto an exit ramp as the steering wheel was jerking the car to the left toward a 10 foot ditch. Also, while stationary, if I pull the steering wheel to 90 degrees to the left and let go, it snaps back to approximately 60-70 degrees left of center. If I pull the wheel 90 degrees rto the right, it again snaps back 60-70 degrees left of center. There is a serious problem here and when brought the car back to the dealership, they said that checking air pressure and test driving it showed no problems. This needs to be fixed as it's a definite safety issue.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #32

Oct 262010

Sonata 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 8,348 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 40 mph, the steering column began to make a rattling noise. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was informed that the column had been installed incorrectly; the vehicle was repaired. The failure continued. The vehicle was taken to another dealer but the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was taken to a third dealer where the contact steering column was replaced. The failure continued. The vehicle was taken back to the third dealer where the rack and pinion was replaced. The failure continued. The vehicle had not been repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The current and failure mileages were unknown. Updated 02/08/11 updated 11/29/2011

- Eldridge, AL, USA

problem #31

Nov 022010

Sonata

  • 14 miles

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

Vehicle pulls hard left when accelerator is applied. Seems to go straight when no gas pedal applied. When applying more accelerator pedal, the more the car pulls to the left. Very hard to keep car straight. Dealer says it is normal for my car due to the fact that it is a turbo limited with a lot of torque. I test drove another limited Sonata turbo at another dealer the week prior to buying my car at this dealer and it did not have the same problem. It went straight as an arrow no matter how much accelerator pedal was applied. This has been going on since I took the car off the lot. I didn't think anything of it as the dealer said it was normal for a turbo vehicle. Again, the vehicle I test drove at another vehicle was the same turbo model and it drove straight as an arrow.

- Aliso Viejo, CA, USA

problem #30

Oct 192010

Sonata

  • 11,000 miles
This incident occurred with a 2011 Hyundai Sonata limited: 6 months of perfect operation and approx. 11000 miles. Violent shaking of steering wheel and steering column after acceleration onto an on ramp. Immediate and entire failure of steering with violent and extremely loud shaking and vibrating of steering wheel. Shaking continued even after ignition shut off. Occurred for 20+ minutes. Disabled only by disconnecting battery. Blisters on hand from hanging on to steering wheel. Nothing could be done to steer, operate, or control vehicle. This incident occurred without warning and within seconds. Towed to dealership. Kept for 3 days. Could not replicate. Steering column recall performed with steering software update, ESC reflashed, reprogrammed eps. Hyundai was excellent in their response - both dealership and Hyundai usa. Hyundai usa engineers and tech's were involved with resolving the problem. This was a frightening and dangerous incident and possibly life threatening. Whether repair attempt will resolve only time will tell.

- Andover, MN, USA

problem #29

Oct 102007

Sonata

  • 1,000 miles
2011 Hyundai Sonata.

- Waldorf, MD, USA

problem #28

Oct 132010

Sonata

  • 4,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the steering wheel suddenly locked up which caused her to collide into two wooden posts and signs in a grassy area. The brakes would not engage when the contact attempted to stop the vehicle; a hole in the ground stopped the vehicle. The contact also noticed that the seat belt did not tighten to secure her during the incident. There were no injuries. A police report was filed. The contact stated that she previously had the vehicle into the dealer for recall 10V426000 (steering:gear box:shaft sector) on October 8, 2010. The vehicle was at the dealer at the time of the complaint. The manufacturer had not been notified. The current and failure mileages were approximately 4,000.

- Warwick, NY, USA

problem #27

Oct 102010

Sonata

  • 6,340 miles

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

I have a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I was driving along when all of a sudden the steering wheel began shaking and shuddering violently. My hands could not stop or steady the steering wheel. I was somehow able to pull over to the side of the road, switch the engine off, and remove the key. The steering wheel continued to violently shake and shudder for five minutes following. This whole experience was frightening and has really shaken up my confidence with the Sonata. Thanks goodness I was not traveling on a highway at the time. I strongly urge other 2011 Sonata owners to get their vehicles to the dealer as soon as possible as Hyundai has now issued a recall on the steering.

- Wayne, NJ, USA

problem #26

Apr 182010

Sonata

  • 1,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact was traveling 55-70 mph during a windy weather when the vehicle began to abnormally sway back and forth. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the failure could not be duplicated. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 1,000 and the current mileage was 7,400.

- Marlin, TX, USA

problem #25

Sep 302010

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 7,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact was driving approximately 35-40 mph when the steering wheel began to shake violently, exhibiting an abnormally loud noise. The steering wheel would not turn in any direction. The vehicle was towed to a dealer for diagnosis in which they were unable to replicate the problem. There was a recall under NHTSA campaign id number: 10V426000 (steering:gear box:shaft sector) yet the technician advised that the defect was not related to the recall. The contact stated that the power steering software was updated, which was the remedy stated in the recall notification. In addition, the contact stated that the automatic headlights would not function properly. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000. Updtated 2/17/11 updated 05/06/11

- Manchester, CT, USA

problem #24

Oct 012010

Sonata

  • 14,000 miles
I was stopped at a stop light and my 2011 Hyundai Sonata steering wheel began shaking and jerking out of control. I could barely control the car to get it on the side of the road. Even after I turned the vehicle off it, the steering wheel was still moving. After a few minutes it stopped and then the steering wheel locked up and wouldn't move.

- League City, TX, USA

problem #23

Jun 092010

Sonata

  • 450 miles
We rented a new 2011 Hyundai Sonata in June through budget in milwaukee Wisconsin. We drove it approximately 150 miles, pulled into our hotel to register, and when we went to move into the parking lot something popped and the steering column completely disengaged from the control arm (I think), the steering wheel simply spun under our hands. Budget replaced the car for us but the Hyundai claim that all cars made it back to the dealer before problems got serious is simply not true.

- Decatur, GA, USA

problem #22

Sep 232010

Sonata

  • 3,500 miles
The steering wheel started shaking furiously & I was unable to make it stop even when I turned off the car. I had to force the steering wheel to turn so I could get out of way of traffic. It was revving up the engine to about 90 rpms at different times.

- Denham Springs, LA, USA

problem #21

Sep 132010

Sonata

  • 5,087 miles
My wife was driving approximately 20-30mph, the electric power steering catastrophically failed, and did not fail over to manual steering. The steering wheel and column started violently shaking left to right and my wife was just barely able to get the car to the median, getting a blister on her hand in the process of trying to control the wheel, where she had it towed home and eventually to the dealership. The dealership pulled dtcs C1259, C1616, C1603, steering angle sensor - electrical malfunction, can bus off and derating (eps thermal protection). The mdps (electric power steering module) was replaced, but I am still very leery that this could happen again, and at interstate speeds, where the vehicle might not be controllable, as it was barely brought to the median at lower speeds.

- Kannapolis, NC, USA

problem #20

Sep 132010

Sonata

  • 5,087 miles
My wife was driving approximately 20-30mph, the electric power steering catastrophically failed, and did not fail over to manual steering. The steering wheel and column gyrated to an extreme level and my wife was just barely able to get the car to the median, getting a blister on her hand in the process of trying to control the wheel where she had it towed home and eventually to the dealership. The dealership pulled dtcs C1259, C1616, C1603, steering angle sensor - electrical malfunction, can bus off and derating (eps thermal protection). The mdps (electric power steering module) was replaced, but I am still very leery that this could happen again, and at interstate speeds, where the vehicle might not be controllable, as it was barely brought to the median at lower speeds.

- Kannapolis, NC, USA

problem #19

Sep 142010

Sonata

  • 3,000 miles
I was driving my 2011 Hyundai Sonata limited at about 30 mph (accelerating after stopping at a light). The car was just turning over 3000 miles on the odometer. All at once, the steering wheel began vibrating violently and I could not keep the car in my lane. I tried to steer but it was very difficult. The vibration stopped after about 2 minutes. I was in a bad part of town and was afraid to stop so I drove in the right hand lane with flashers on trying to figure out what to do. The eps light and an another indicator were illuminated. I realized that I could steer but with great difficulty so I drove the car to a Hyundai dealer that was about 3 miles away via back roads. They were closed but I left my car overnight to be checked. I turned the car off to go inside. When I came out to get my odometer reading, I had to turn the car back on. When I did, everything had reset to normal. The dealer checked the car the next day and could find nothing wrong. He told me to bring the car back if it happened again. The incident was extremely frightening and I am concerned what will happen if it occurs driving on a highway at higher speeds.

- Coral Springs, FL, USA

problem #18

Jul 212010

Sonata

  • 150 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that when driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle would abnormally drift from side to side. The contact would turn the steering wheel to adjust the vehicle from drifting but to no avail. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was advised that the failure was caused by the wind or the highway he was driving on. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that he had experienced the failure since purchase. The failure mileage was 150 and the current mileage was 2,500.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

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