6.4

fairly significant
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
11,223 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

problem #20

Aug 092011

Sonata 6-cyl

  • 65,000 miles

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

In 2008 I received a letter from Hyundai stating my car was being recalled due to the airbag sensor. The letter stated only those cars which has the airbag light illuminated are affected. At the time the airbag light never came on. In 2010 the airbag light came on, and I had the car serviced at a Hyundai dealer, and the dealership claimed the light was on because of a "bad battery". now a month ago the light came on again. I again took it to the dealership, and they are claiming it is the OCS sensor in the front passenger seat that is bad. I informed them of the recall, but they have no record of my vehicle being part of that recall. I had contacted Hyundai corporate, and they advised me that particular campaign was no longer in their system, so they have no way of knowing if my car was part of the recall or not. Hyundai refuses to fix the problem as my car is now 5K miles out of warranty, and the dealership has quoted me over $1K to fix the problem.

- Vincennes, IN, USA

problem #19

Oct 102009

Sonata

  • 79,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata gls. The air bag warning light was illuminated on the instrument control panel, indicating the air bags were inoperative. He took the vehicle to two different dealerships, whom stated that the pressure plate sensor in the passenger seat failed. The seat was replaced and the sensor was re-coded, but the failure resurfaced four days later. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified, but because the warranty expired no assistance was provided. The current mileage was 79,366. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

- Sebring, FL, USA

problem #18

Jul 152006

Sonata 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 50 miles
Hyundai sonat gls/ passenger airbag deactivates when seat occupied. We purchased a 2006 Hyundai Sonata gls in July of 2006, it has been an excellent car except for one extremely dangerous safety defect. Shortly after we purchased the car, the passenger seat airbag deactivation sign would come on when my wife was in the seat. The manual states that the airbag deactivates when the seat is unoccupied or a passenger less thatn 50 lbs. My wife weighs 150 lbs plus. I took it to the dealer, humble hundai: 1st visit: I was told by the service manager that he checked it and nothing was wrong, so he could not fix it ----problem continued 2nd visit: Told him we were on trip of 50 miles each way and light came on and stayed on. He said he got three different people of various sizes to ride in it and the light would not come on 3rd... called the national Hyundai headquarters.... young man acted like he didn't have any idea what I was talking about 4- started on trip, light came on, so..decided to take it and show it to service dept. Took it by dealer, mgr. Not in.. insisted that service person document the fact that he saw the light on. 5: called Hyundai national headquarters again, asked for a supervisor, she assured me that the problem would be alleviated 6. service manager called me and asked me to bring the car in. We took the car in. His solution was to take a seat out of a car on the new car lot and swap it out with my seat. 7. the problem is better but the light still comes on occasionally, we have tried all the tricks they suggested to get the light off when it comes on. Conclusion: I told each person above that if we were on the freeway at F.w. speeds, had an accident and the air bag failed, I was holding them responsible. I have put this in writing. Hyundai considers the problem solved. It is not. I even asked them to disconnect the safety feature which causes the air bag to deactivate. They refused.

- Humble, TX, USA

problem #17

Sep 012006

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 20,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. While driving at various rates of speed ranging from approximately 25 to 55mph, the air bag light illuminates intermittently. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure on four occasions. The failure mileage was 20,000 and the current mileage was 29,500.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #16

Jul 012006

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 10 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The side air bag would disable when there was a passenger in the front seat. The size of the person was not a factor. The air bag worked intermittently. The dealer stated that was a known problem, however Hyundai had not provided a remedy. The failure mileage was 10 and the current mileage was 8,713.

- Camano Island , WA, USA

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problem #15

Sep 202006

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 300 miles
Since new, passenger air bag light worked intermittently, however, only when 120 pound wife in seat. Taken to dealer 4 times, no problem found. Contacted Consumer Affairs of Hyundai. Have been told the system was working properly. Dealer technician advised me if airbag light off warning light illuminated with wife in seat, system determined not necessary to deploy bag. Under exact same circumstances air bag light may or may not illuminate. No pattern in the on/off circumstances. Owner manual stated if light illuminated with passenger in seat, have passenger sit in back seat, and yet dealer claimed okay to sit in seat with warning illuminating.

- Palm City, FM, USA

problem #14

May 112007

Sonata 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 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 side air bag warning light constantly illuminates, even when an adult is sitting in the passenger seat. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The failure occurs intermittently. The engine size was unknown. The current mileage is 11,000 and the failure mileage was unknown. Updated 06/08/07.

- Braddinton, FL, USA

problem #13

Jan 172006

Sonata 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 6,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The air bag indicator light illuminated intermittently when a passenger was seated. The dealer replaced the seat and the sensor/module. However, the failure still existed. The contact has repair invoices. The current mileage is 21,000 and failure mileage was 6,000.

- Madison, WI, USA

problem #12

Feb 012006

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 27,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The passenger's side air bag off indicator remained illuminated. The contact stated that the indicator only illuminated when a passenger entered the vehicle. The dealer could not detect any failure, and stated that the air bag indicator illuminated due to the passenger sitting incorrectly. The current and failure mileage were 27,000.

- Suffern, NY, USA

problem #11

Apr 032007

Sonata

  • miles
I am concerned that the passenger airbag is not functioning properly on my 2006 Hyundai Sonata LX. There are countless times that a passenger is sitting next to while I am driving and the "passenger airbag off" indicator is lit specifying that the airbag will not deploy if an accident happens. I asked Hyundai about this issue and they keep telling me that the "ECU has determined that your passenger is sitting in a position that will be better not to have the airbag deploy. Try adjusting the seat and have the passenger move around etc". or they tell me that my passenger does not weight enough (115 lbs is plenty). Thank you for your help in rectifying this situation.

- Suffern, NY, USA

problem #10

Nov 052006

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 4,000 miles

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

- the contact stated that air bag light didn't always turn on when someone sat on the passenger's side of the vehicle. The most common passenger weighed 120 lbs, and the failure occurred about 50% of the time. If this light was on at the beginning of a trip it usually stayed on for the duration of the trip. The contact said that he noticed this problem on 11/1/2006, and he took vehicle to the dealership on December 1, 2006. The service department informed him that they had to order a seat sensor for vehicle. The dealership gave him a loaner vehicle, 2006 or 2007 Hyundai Santa Fe, and he noticed that the sensor light had the same failure as his Sonata. The contact did take the Santa Fe back to the dealership, who gave him another vehicle. The second loaner vehicle was a 2007 Sonata, and he noticed the same failure. The contact stated that the dealershiphad other complaints about this same failure. The dealership called him on 12/26/06 to inform him that ordered part was in, and the vehicle could be brought in for repair.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

problem #9

Dec 192006

Sonata 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 3,371 miles
- the contact is having problems with the passenger side air bag light, it would not turn off. The car was taken back to dealership twice (medild Hyundai), and the contact was told that seat cover was the reason why the light still on. The contact said that she took the seat cover off and the light still did not go off. Contact said that the dealer told her that a person would have to be at least 110 pounds for the air bag to work. The contact dose not have record of service, because car is under warranty.

- Elm City, NC, USA

problem #8

Jun 012006

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 5,000 miles
Passenger airbag off indicator works normally except under the following conditions concerning the front passenger seat: 1. passenger seat is occupied - indicator is off. 2. passenger temporarily leaves seat - indicator is on. 3. passenger returns to seat - indicator remains on. 4. indicator remains on until the ignition switch is turned off and then on. Obviously, the passenger is in mortal danger if the passenger airbag off condition escapes notice under these conditions. I asked service personnel about this and the answer was, " oh, that's normal." It may be "normal" but it is dangerous design or an error.

- St. Paul, MN, USA

problem #7

Dec 152005

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • miles
I have had my 2006 Hyundai Sonata gls since October 2005. From the beginning I have had a problem with the passenger side air bag light. The sensor will not detect a passenger in the seat (varying weights) many times thus not allowing the airbag to be tripped if an accident occurs. A Hyundai forum for owners notes this problem is being experienced by many many other Sonata owners. We have all complained to our dealers and are being told that it has to do with the occupant's position in the seat. Moving around doesn't help at all. Hyundai is well aware of this safety problem and refuses to issue a recall or to even acknowledge the existence of the problem. A recall has been previously enacted for another model by Hyundai with the same problem. It is bad sensors and is going to get someone killed!!!

- Holly Springs, NC, USA

problem #6

Oct 122006

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 4,500 miles
: the contact stated while driving various speeds, the front passenger side airbag light intermittently illuminated indicating it was inoperative although a passenger was seated with the seat belt engaged. The vehicle was inspected by a dealer who was unable to duplicate the problem. The problem persisted and the vehicle was returned to the dealer for further inspection who determined the airbag sensor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was alerted. The dealer replaced the seat bottom. Updated 01/10/07.

- Shippenville, PA, USA

problem #5

Oct 052006

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 63 miles
: the contact stated the air bag activation warning light illuminated on an intermittent basis from the time of purchase, when the passenger seat was occupied. The dealer performed a diagnostic and held a conference call with a technician from the manufacturer. The contact was informed the sensor was working within normal operating standards. The sensor continued to operate on an intermittent basis.

- Hillsborough, NC, USA

problem #4

Oct 092005

Sonata 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 20 miles
Sonata front passenger air bag sensor problem the air bag sensor light on the dashboard does not function correctly for a 120 pound person as a front seat passenger. If you turn the engine on and then a passenger sits down in the front passenger seat, the sensor light assumes no one is sitting in the front passenger seat and the air bag won't release if there is an accident. If a front seat passenger sits in the seat and the car engine is turned on the sensor light works. But if the passenger gets out of the seat when the car is stopped while the engine is still on and then returns to the seat, the sensor light does not work again.

- Monroe Township, NJ, USA

problem #3

Nov 202005

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 0 miles
I have had my 2006 Hyundai Sonata gls since November of 2005. From the beginning I have had a problem with the passenger side air bag light. The sensor will not detect my wife over half of the time. I am on a Hyundai forum and this problem is being experienced by many many other Sonata owners. We have all complained to our dealers and are being told that it has to do with the occupant's position in the seat. Moving around doesn't help at all. Hyundai is well aware of this safety problem and refuses to issue a recall or to even acknowledge the existence of the problem.

- Chandler, AZ, USA

problem #2

May 052006

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 6,152 miles
: the contact stated the front passenger seat air bag sensor is malfunctioning. The air bag off light illuminates every time the seat is occupied. No matter what the weight is of the passenger or how the seat is being sat in. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, upon inspection the contact was asked to video tape the passenger to ensure the correct seating position was being maintained. The video tape was offered to the dealer and manufacturer.

- Temecula, CA, USA

problem #1

Mar 302006

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 4,000 miles
: the contact stated while driving at no specific speed with a passenger, the air bag lamp illuminated communicating to the contact that the air bag was disabled. The passenger is the wife of the contact which weighed enough to keep the air bag activated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for inspection. The dealer determined the air bag sensor was operating normal; however, the dealer determined the passenger should change posture and sitting positions while sitting in the passenger seat. Updated 4/17/2006 - the air bag functions properly intermittently.

- Manchester, NH, USA

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