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:
51,010 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 contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 60 mph, the steering wheel became very loose. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be tightened. The vehicle was not repaired. A local dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that there were no open recalls. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000. The VIN was not available.
The steering wheel had play in it after the dealer worked on my car for another recall. It has since gotten worse and makes a clunk noise. I looked it up and there was an extending warranty that they never told me about till after I mentioned it and had reach 100,000 miles and my warranty had run out. Wouldn't it be nice to be informed about this by mail or the dealership where I regularly take my car for oil changes! this vehicle has more recalls that I can't keep up!
I was driving down a city road and lost all control of my vehicle while turning left into traffic. There was a loud mechanical sound as I turned, the steering wheel locked up, warning lights came on in the dash, and neither my brakes nor my steering would engage. The brakes kicked back on, but I had to force the wheel through loud popping and cracking and a loss of power steering. The car was towed to a regular mechanic where they found the power steering assist had failed. The power steering assist had just been replaced 7 months prior due to a recall, because of this same problem (campaign 143). When the mechanic called and asked the Hyundai dealer if there was coverage to replace this part, they said no. I had to pay $900 to the other mechanic for a replacement and the tow and went without a car for almost 2 weeks. The recall placed a defective part in my car, then made me pay to replace it.
I purchased my lemon vehicle from webb Hyundai in highland, in and purchased it used in March of 2013. I'm always hearing about this 100000 miles warranty, my vehicle hadn't quite made it to that, when I first questioned the clicking in the steering wheel and shaking of my vehicle; because my car was used for me to daily travel throughout the entire state of Indiana, my vehicle in July 2017 had exceeded the 100000 mile and the used warranty stated coverage only up to 60,000. However, I wrote Hyundai, took it back on several occassion and they did actually fix my engine, thanks to the recall, in which they first denied me for 45 days, when I receive my vehicle back I told them about the clicking noise and I always was given some lame excuse and it's amazing how in July of 2017 they were constantly calling my phone and I even got an email on July 12, 2017 on how they've been attempting to phone me, not mentioning all the continual calls I had given them prior to this. However, during this time our family was dealing with a crisis in which me getting back with them was not as urgent and when I did try returning the call on several attempts between August and September of 2017, I never received a call back and I still have ownership of the awesome lemon that was sold to me.
The steering wheel began clunking when it was turned even slightly. When I took it to get repaired, they could not tell me if it was the steering shaft or the rack and pinion. Also, shortly after we got the car, the engine went out in it (before the engine recall was issued). The dealership put in a junkyard engine and now I am having the same issue with it knocking. The left front axle boot is torn as well, and there is no indication how this occurred. The rear brake and tail lights are impossible to keep working. We change one and another goes out. We went as far as to change all of the brake and tail lights at the same time and less than a week later one was out again. The cruise control will come on but is unable to be set to control the speed of the car.
My steering wheel makes a clicking sound when I turn it and when ever I go over bumps. I received a safety notice in the mail about this problem so I took it to glendora Hyundai where I bought the car and they told me they couldn't fix it because my warranty had expired. What is the purpose of the safety notice if you're not going to fix the problem!
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving various speeds, the steering wheel made a rattling and clicking noise, and the vehicle vibrated violently. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to world Hyundai at matteson (5337 miller cir dr, matteson, il 60443), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the power steering coupling needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty and could not be repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 30 mph, the steering seized and caused the contact to crash into a parked vehicle. There were no warning indicators illuminated before or after the failure. The contact stated that the air bags did not deploy and she suffered a head injury, which required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent dealer. Lithia Hyundai of odessa (5000 john ben shepperd pkwy, odessa, tx) was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified. The contact stated that NHTSA campaign number: 10V426000 (steering) was relevant to the failure. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 38,000.
My car model, Hyundai Sonata 2011, has been recalled for engine issues. I checked the VIN number of my car and my car has been affected. When I took my car to dealership they told me because my car is not making a clicking noise they will not fix it. I told them that my car has been recalled and I want them to take care of it. They refused it because according to them they did not hear anything. Recently my car started making clicking noises when I turn my wheel. It seems that the steering wheel is loose. I can especially feel it when I go through bumps. Even when I am stopped and turn the wheel from side to side I can hear the noise. I am hoping that when I take my car to dealership they will fix the problem as I saw a recall for this issue as well. Looks like the dealership only wants to fix the smaller type of recalls and not the major pricy ones.
Airbag warning on dashboard, steering wheel components such as volume, cruise control, reset mileage and the rest of the tabs do not function on the steering wheel, rear left side brake light bulb has to be replaced every four months, front right side/driver's side head light bulb wont' come on after replacing the light bulb, inside the cab the above night/passenger and rear guest lights won't come on, after an overall tune up such as oil, filters, liquids and plugs the engine warning light comes on for two days/48 hours. The vehicle engine starts and runs normal every day. The problem is more electrical by the above information. The local Hyundai dealership would like for us to take the vehicle in to check for the problem. About a year ago or less we had a vehicle recall on two specific items. After taking our vehicle to the dealership to see about the two recalls. One of the recalls was looked into and fixed. The second recall was never fixed and the car engine was running in the worst manner, the engine would run and stall, at a stop light while the engine was running, the engine would misfire. We were at the dealership and they wanted us to leave our vehicle so that it could be checked by their technicians while in the process we were told that we were responsible for the problem or vehicle misfiring/stalling of the engine. We called the 888-327-4236 for assistance and our problem was solved. By having your group contacting the dealership and having our second vehicle recall fixed and solved. That's the main reason for not going back to the dealership, apparently they are the only ones in town. Any suggestions or advice would be greatly appreciated. If we have to go back to the dealership, we'd go back but only with your assistance. Thank you. Email [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
2011 Hyundai Sonata limited 2.4L. Inner and outer tie rods have been replaced three times now.. not sure why. The dealership had no answer either. First time replaced at 81,000 miles, then at 112,000 miles and again at 139,000 miles. This last time they said it was ready to break off. One would think these parts would last longer than this.
2011 Hyundai Sonata w/ 89000 miles. Bought less than 2 yrs ago, certified. Car has been making a groaning and clicking noise when turning the wheel, especially in reverse. Had car at dealership this weekend and they tell me the entire steering system is host. Need a new column, brackets, and coupling. This is not normal wear an tear on a car. There is a recall on the coupling but the rest is not covered and they want over $1000 to fix!
To my knowledge the recalls listed are for my car. Some I was informed of and some I was not. Reference #'s: 16V190000, 15V759000, 15V62000,15V568000, 14V33000, 13V113000, 13V113000, 10V457000, 10V070000. Once I was fully aware I brought my car to the dealership near me. They said they fixed everything but I am still having the same issues. To date: I have had times when I do not have full control( or it just will not do what I want) of the steering wheel causing me to crash into things which has damaged the passenger side window and the rims ( thankfully so far nothing more serious)/my seatbelt broke while I was driving, just came off. My brake lights are a disaster they either stay on (which has drained my battery to the point I have had to replace it ) or they do not come on at all which has given me a few scary moments because I brake and the person behind me does not realize I am stopping. If I do not put the parking break on every time I park the car will roll even on a flat surface. I sometimes have issues with getting the car to stay locked as it will sometimes unlock itself multiple times in a row. The dealership charged me for some repairs related to these recalls though as I understand it they are to fix them at no charge. I have called the dealership multiple times and I am always told that the person I need to speak with is not there. They then take a message but to date no one has returned a single call. I have had other mechanics ( not working for Hyundai) look at the car as well as have other people drive my car ( they all confirm that they have issues such as above when driving as well) I would really appreciate any help you can give me with these issues. In regards to date below: Multiple issues with multiple dates I listed around when I brought the car to the dealer. If you need to contact me : [xxx]. sincerely, [xxx] 'information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'
When I turn the steering wheel to maneuver car in and out of the garage in either direction, it makes distinct click similar to the snap of a finger. It feels like something is preventing steering wheel to turn. My concern is that it becomes worse and at some point may lead to the failure of the steering wheel to steer causing serious accident. I notified Hyundai America about this problem as well.
Steering wheel coupling. I have had a clicking/clunking sound coming from the steering column for a while now. Over 55 mph, it is causing the steering wheel to shake profusely. I see others have entered complaints about the exact same problem on the same year make and model of my car. This is such a widespread, well known issue, how in the world is there not a recall for this cheap part" is it going to take someone dying while driving for this to be a recall campaign" the NHTSA really needs to step in and do something about this widespread issue.
The gear or some part in my steering column is not tight. There is a recall for this for my make model and year but not for my VIN. I need this fixed! it's been bad for a long time but I did not know until today when I had a mechanic look at it. He informed me there is a recall but it is only certain vehicles. Up to 139,000 vehicles for my make and model. Why is this an issue with my vehicle but not listed when my VIN is pulled up" more importantly, how do I get this fixed without having to pay for it since it's a known recall??" there is a metal on metal sound every time I start to turn my steering wheel either direction. I was informed today that it is really bad and can disconnect at any time and I would lose control of my steering. I drive 60 miles a day on the highway to get to work. I am not about to risk my life because Hyundai only wants to fix this issue on certain cars. It's always had a slight knocking when turning the wheel. I just wasn't sure what it was and it's gotten really bad in the last few months. I bought this vehicle 2 years ago and was told today that I should not even be driving it at all.
Brake issue, - when I press on brake pad the rear light seems to either get stuck making cars behind me think I am in the stop mode or will be stopping soon, it comes on and off time to time or either stays illuminated. I did youtube something about inserting a penny on the spot under break pedel. Electrical issue - me key gets stuck in the ignition when the car is in park postion, however the only way to dislodge the key is disconnecting my battery to shut down the car then I can turn the key to remove it from ignition, could it be my anti-theft system malfunctioning? steering wheel issue - hear a click in the steering column as if something had loose inside. Door handle/ panel issue- on handle and steering wheel is chipping off
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Weirton, WV, USA