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 29 of 58)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #597

Apr 022016

Sonata

  • 125,000 miles

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

Steering wheel has begun to shake violently when driving and makes a knocking/popping noise when the steering wheel is turned left or right. Even when the vehicle is stationary, you can turn the wheel and hear and feel the popping. I see this has been an ongoing issue with this model but I am guessing my car was not involved in the recall. Maybe the recall needs to extend further than initially thought.

- Tallassee, AL, USA

problem #596

Mar 312016

Sonata

  • 80,000 miles
Steering wheel makes a clicking noise when turned left or right, and shakes and rattles violently when going over a bump (whether it be a small bump on the road or speed bump). Also shakes and rattles when I brake. After one shake and rattle incident, my airbag light came on and stayed on. None of my steering wheel controls (volume, bluetooth, phone, cruise control, etc.) work. My horn no longer works also. Took my car to Hyundai dealer and had to pay $118 just to have it diagnosed! really"!" I had to pay in order to find out what was the problem with my car. Service technician said the shaking/rattling problem was the flex coupler assy, which they quoted me was $475 to fix! then they said it would cost me another $225 to fix my steering wheel control issue! come to find out many other people are having the same issue that I'm having. It is a safety concern and should be a safety recall. Called Hyundai customer care and they told me they can't do anything about it because I went over my warranty mileage limit. This is a huge safety concern issue because when my steering wheel shakes, I feel like it's gonna fall off. I don't feel safe driving a car that violently shakes. Considering so many people are having this same problem, I don't understand why Hyundai isn't taking the time to look into this issue and resolving this problem with so may complaints regarding the same issues! I'm not paying another $700 to fix my car when it is obvious Hyundai used cheap ($2) part that are breaking down on their consumers. I already paid $118 just to find out what the problem was! Hyundai needs to resolve this issue as soon as possible before it gets worse and/or fatal! this issue needs to be recalled!

- El Monte, CA, USA

problem #595

Apr 052016

Sonata

  • 36,144 miles
Steering wheel clicking noise when turned. Was told by dealership it would become dangerous to steer as the part ( a rubber part the size of a 50 cent coin ) deteriorated. The part replaced was 1-56315-2K000-fff- flexible coupling. It cost around $300 to replace a $2.52 part, that is considered as a safety issue. There has been no recall yet, but the dealership says they have had to replace many of these parts.

- Lawrenceville, GA, USA

problem #594

Feb 092016

Sonata

  • 127,000 miles

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

Whenever I hit a bump or rough road or my speed gets over 60 mph my steering wheel rattles, shakes and makes popping noise. I've done some research and noticed there was a recall back in 2010 but I never received it I guess my car was after the made dates of previous cars with the problem but it soundlike the same problem. I've been on some other sites by googling and I'm not the only one apparently.

- Gaffney, SC, USA

problem #593

Mar 012015

Sonata

  • 93,000 miles
I took car for servicing, was told the mdps coupling in the steering system needed to be replaced. Was told this is a common problem for this model. The steering is "loose" and not precise. I worry this could result in a serious accident. The part shown to me from another car was plastic and had been worn down. Hyundai says it is not covered under warranty but this is a pretty serious defect and should be examined.

- Pelham, AL, USA

problem #592

Jan 302016

Sonata

  • 127,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving at an unknown speed, the steering wheel began to make an abnormal noise without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the steering coupler failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #591

Feb 252016

Sonata

  • 77,000 miles

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

The steering was having more play in the steering wheel than normal both when stationary and in motion. There was also a clunking sound when going over any bumps in the road. We brought it to a mechanic and he had to replace the steering coupler. The original part was made of plastic and broke apart (picture attached). The mechanic stated that the new part is made of a different material than the original.

- Marlboro, NJ, USA

problem #590

Mar 072016

Sonata

  • miles
I have excessive free play or separation of the intermediate steering shaft upper and/or lower universal joint cross shaft/yoke; missing, loose or damaged universal joint pinch bolts; improperly assembled intermediate steering shafts with misaligned splines or insufficient spline engagement preventing the universal joint pinch bolt from being secured in the retaining groove when fastened. This was recall 097. A investigation was also conducted investigation #PE10035. My vehicle is currently in the shop and when mechanic called about recall, they stated my vehicle was not affected by this based on VIN number. If this was an issue with the 2011 Sonata's then it should not matter. According to the investigation 119,383 subject vehicles have been serviced under this recall campaign and 58 subject vehicles have received replacement parts as a result. This campaign recall should be reopened and those affected should received the same because I purchased mine as a used vehicle in 2012. Who is to say that previous owner knew of the issue concerning this vehicle and decided to trade it in.

- Sunflower, MS, USA

problem #589

Feb 192016

Sonata

  • 60,000 miles
I took my 2011 Sonata for an oil change last week and was told that the steering coupling was lose and needed to be replaced. The repair would cost me around $350. After doing some reserch I found out that there are thousands of 2011 Sonata owners with the identical problem. My car only has 60,000 miles on it and my understanding is that there was a recall on some of the Sonatas to fix this problem. Why not mine? they're obviously aware of this potentially dangerous issue.

- North Fort Myers, FL, USA

problem #588

Jun 012015

Sonata

  • 80,000 miles
Steering is very loose, shakes, and vibrates very bad driving at normal highway and side street speeds. It feels like you could lose control at any moment!! I've been told it's the flex coupler! there needs to be a recall issued! I've seen this issue a lot on the Hyundai forums!!

- Valley Park, MO, USA

problem #587

Nov 122015

Sonata

  • miles

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

Play in the steering and rattle in column when going over bumps. Sitting still the steering wheel column makes a clicking noise when turning the wheel. While driving down the road the column makes rattle noise.

- Quincy, IL, USA

problem #586

Nov 102015

Sonata

  • 67,088 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving at an unknown speed, there was an abnormal noise coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a recall on the vehicle. The vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 10V426000 (steering). The contact was informed that the recall was ongoing and any failure would be repaired for free. The dealer declined to do the repair without charging for the diagnostic test. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 67,088.

- San Bernardino, CA, USA

problem #585

Jan 052016

Sonata

  • 69,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that there was an abnormal noise and excessive vibration coming from the steering wheel. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 15V759000 (steering) and 15V568000 (steering); however, it was included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 15V759000 (service brakes, hydraulic), 15V568000 (engine), and 14V434000 (power train). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

- Plano, TX, USA

problem #584

Mar 152016

Sonata

  • 31,000 miles
This happened numerous times prior to me reporting this and I'm sure I've reported this in the past. The car makes a loud noise when I turnthe wheel. It comes out of nowhere and happens on occasion. It's hard to recreate where the noise is coming from. When I take it to the dealer they are unable to recreate the noise. I've been reading other complaints and it seems to be an ongoing issue with 2011 Sonatas with the VIN starting 5npec4... odd. Please look into this.

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #583

Mar 112016

Sonata

  • 138,756 miles
A clunking in the steering wheel when turning. Replaced oem struts, 4 wheel alignment, front rotors turned & resurfaced, tires rotated and balanced. Still clunking in steering.

- Temecula, CA, USA

problem #582

Jun 072010

Sonata

  • miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle pulled to the left without warning. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage and VIN were unknown.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #581

Feb 212016

Sonata

  • 98,730 miles
Clunking noise from steering column when parked while turning wheel and driving over bumps.

- Oceanside, CA, USA

problem #580

Mar 112016

Sonata

  • 63,973 miles
Steering coupler clunk and clicking when steering is turned. This is an active recall on many cars just prior to the date of mine being built.

- Waynesboro, VA, USA

problem #579

Mar 112016

Sonata

  • 92,853 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while having routine maintenance performed on the vehicle, the dealer informed that the steering coupler had failed and would need to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,853.

- Wileska, GA, USA

problem #578

Mar 012016

Sonata

  • 76,600 miles
Steering wheel shakes when driving and there is a clunk when I turn. Went to the dealership and was told steering wheel coupling needs to be replaced. Charge is $350. I called Hyundai and there was no interest in helping to fix this problem. They said the problem is not affected by any recall.

- Irving, TX, USA

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