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:
4 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
48,534 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 wheels / hubs problems

wheels / hubs problem

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2011 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 2 of 2)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #13

Oct 232013

Sonata

  • 39,000 miles

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

Purchased 2011 Sonata gls new N July 2010. With 40,000 miles on the car, now it makes strange banging, metal on metal, something loose sound from front passenger side of the car when braking. This sound is much louder when making hard left turn, like getting out of a shopping center to busy road to take a left turn. Will take it to the dealership and see what they say. I wasn't expecting this kind of issue only after 3 years and around 40,000 miles.

- Sterling Heights, MI, USA

problem #12

Sep 152013

Sonata

  • 38,900 miles
My car was just serviced for excessive noise occurring when I would make turns as if the car could not grip the road. I brought the car to the deal as was told the alignment must be off, only to find that there was a recall that I was never told of. The dealer replaced the lower control arms on the car and a new alignment part their "TP3 recall" but when driving home the car did not make noises when making the turns on the on/off ramps but rather when driving straight and/or when changing lanes. Dealer due to being a Sunday and service department being closed as me to call them back. This will be the 3rd time I have had to bring the car in for the same issue with each time the steering column being loose and a natural pull to the driver side.

- Wallingford, CT, USA

problem #11

Aug 122013

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 33,000 miles
This vehicle is impossible to drive in a straight line. Vehicle is constantly pulling to the right or left and requires constant attention. It is almost as if steering wheel has not been centered. I thought that this problem is with my vehicle, but after driving my friends brand new Sonata I concluded that this is the Hyundai problem. Dealer is denying that there is anything wrong with the car; however problem still persists.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #10

Jul 152013

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 42,000 miles

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

My car comes with a TPMS system to monitor the air pressure in each tire. Intermittently the warning light indicating there is a problem with one of the tires comes on. A check with a pressure gauge of each tire always indicates a false alarm. Talking with other Sonata owners I have anecdotal evidence that I'm not the only one with this problem. When bringing the car back to the dealer they say they can't fix it because there's no issue when the car is at their garage. This can be a dangerous problem for a number of reasons - 1. the false alarm is distracting, at highway speeds this can cause the operator to think they should pull over in a dangerous environment to avoid having a bigger problem. 2. after it happens a couple of times the operator might ignore a real problem. Yet the manufacturer refuses to address the problem.

- Newtown, PA, USA

problem #9

Feb 252013

Sonata

  • 72,000 miles
I bought a 2011 Hyundai Sonata in March of 2010 brand new. I have had problems with the tires had to be replaced after year two, and when they were being replaced they said that the air valve on the tire was corroded when I went to Hyundai to get the part replaced they said that it wasn't corroded it was broke off because there wan't a cap on it and it got wet. So, they said that I had to buy a new one, and they would send it up under the warranty and I would be refunded that did not happen. After that my push start would not start when I pushed it. I would have to push it about three times and then it would finally start. I took it to Hyundai, and had it replaced not under warranty any more is what they told me. So I paid the $287 for it. After I got it home and went into grab something came back out and it did it again. Took it back to gateway Hyundai in richmond to have it fixed and they said it needed a nother starter. I didn't have to pay for the part but I was going to have to pay for the labor. Nope didn't get it fixed. I would just start it three times instead. Then I had to replace the brakes last year 2012 because it wore only on one side, and now the engine blew a rod. They claimed that it was because of not having enough oil in it, but then told me I had a quart to much of oil. Now really does that make any sense? this is absolutely ridiculous. Then they told me I could trade it in for a new Hyundai but would have to put $5000 down on it which is convienantly the amount they quoted me to have my engine fixed because they said it wasn't under warranty because I hadn't kept all my receipts for oil changes for the past three years.

- Richmond, VA, USA

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problem #8

Jul 282012

Sonata

  • 40,800 miles
1) tire pressure monitoring system light indicates low tire pressure. 2) droning noise coming from rear tires. The tire pressure problem first occurred approximately 2-weeks after I purchased the car used from a local Hyundai dealer. The problem occurred a couple more times and was returned to the dealer multiple times, but the problem has not been resolved. When driven locally, the problem occurs about every 2-to-3 weeks (approximately 200 miles). When I drive on out-of-town trips, the trouble occurrence varies from about every 150 to 700 miles. I checked the tires with a tire gauge and it indicates the driver-side front tire (seems to be the only tire having the problem) has only 25 psi of pressure. I inflated the tire to 35 psi and continued my trip. The tire pressure light came on a couple more times during this particular trip. The vehicle now has four new tires, and the problem still occurs, however it has moved to the driver-side rear tire (this may be the rim that was originally on the driver-side front. The dealer has checked the tire and rim and has not found any problems. I had the issued checked during a recent trip by an independent shop and they did not find a problem with the tire or rim. They also had to put air in the tire and speculate the problem is with the TPMS since the tire is actually loosing air when it heats up. Please note nitrogen is used in the tires. My son noticed the droning noise on a particular out-of-town trip. This was his first time in the vehicle, and he noted the noise right away. The tires had plenty of tread and did not appear to have any other problems. The issue was fixed by replacing the original tires that were on the vehicle (I believe they were the original equipment tires).

- Chattanooga, TN, USA

problem #7

Nov 182011

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 23,000 miles

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

The car was equipped with Firestone tires and in 23,000 miles they had cupped. The dealer told me I had failed to keep the right amount of air in the tires and did not keep it aligned. I purchased a new set of tires and the same thing happened again. I went back to the place I purchased the tires from and they told me maybe the car is out of line and lined it up. Well since then the tires have only gotten worse. This is 2 sets of tires in less than 60,000 miles. The replacement tires cost me $600. I do not like being told it is my fault when I have the tires rotated every 5000 miles. I went on line to see if I was the only one and learned there were others who are having the same problem. Help us.

- Washington, NC, USA

problem #6

Dec 172012

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 13,000 miles
The car is a year old. As the passenger was turning left traveling approx 25-30mph the car started to shake violently and then the wheel came off the front passenger side. The control arm assembly failed allowing the whole wheel/drive assembly to come off slamming the front right side of the car down, yanking the car toward oncoming traffic.

- Tyler, TX, USA

problem #5

Sep 072011

Sonata

  • 16,000 miles
At aprox 16,000 miles the original kuhmo tires became cupped on the inside of the tire and became increasingly loud over the next 12 months. At 30,000 miles the tires had to be replaced due to excessive tire noise. Tires still has another 25,000 mile life on them but could no longer be used. Vehicles alignment was check 4 times, tires rotated and balanced. Alignment shows negative 5.1 degrees caster on left front, with no way to adjust. Hyundai America wa notified and a case was opened but they refused to do anything or to acknowledge the problem.

- Rock Hill, SC, USA

problem #4

Aug 212012

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 11,500 miles
This problem has not happened but can and probably happened to some other owner. There is no spare tire just an inflation kit which is useless if there is damage to the side wall or rim. I am told that I can call for help and be towed to a dealer if that happens. There are numerous places in this country that cell phone service is not available. In the event of this happening I could be stranded on a rural road, in the middle of the night with no way to get help. With a mountable spare I could get to a safe place. This situation is not safe for anyone that travels to unpopulated areas in this country.

- Peachtree City,, GA, USA

problem #3

Feb 222012

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 46,000 miles

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

Three months ago my first tire pressure sensor broke. I was parked in an indoor parking garage and found my car with a flat driver side front tire. I put on the spare and drove to a tire center where they informed me the tire pressure sensor had broken. I had a rubber valve installed and then later that week brought the car to a dealer and had the tps replaced. Last week I was driving and my tire pressure alarm lit on my dashboard. I pulled into a service station and attempted to put air in the rear passenger side tire. As I started to place the air pump onto the valve he tip of the tps broke off in my hand, causing the entire tire to flatten instantly. Again, I had to put the spare on and drive to a repair shop and have a rubber valve put in. Today (one week later), a third tire pressure sensor failed, this time the drivers side rear tire. I was fortunate to have this one happen in my driveway instead of on the highway. This is extremely dangerous as the tires instantly flatten, and can cause a serious accident if it occurs on the highway.

- Kinnelon, NJ, USA

problem #2

May 102011

Sonata

  • 659 miles
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.

- Tayler, TX, USA

problem #1

May 102011

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 1,506 miles
Purchased car on May 10, 2011 at local dealership. Didn't have new car window sticker in car or at dealership. I was told I wasn't looking hard enough for it. Dealership got me one in July. I have pictures of test drive with no window sticker. Found hail damage on car after the paperwork while still at dealership--finally fixed in July. Found out while doing paperwork the car had 1500 miles on it--didn't know that until then--should have stopped then---in my book not new!!!! car pulled to left real hard on way home from dealership--realigned front end--still pulling left. Dealership service dept. Admits to recall and doesn't have equipment/tools to repair. The car had deep scratches on front passenger side bumper at delivery--finally fixed somewhat--you can still feel and see the scratches if looking for them. Drivers seat fraying apart at material at 2900 miles. Trim damaged by hail repair person--still waiting on that repair. Just left dealer complaining to manager about everything and found paint flaking off of rear drivers wheel. Strong smell of burnt charcoal coming from trunk area---manager in service dept. Said that's a normal smell. I have purchased 5 new from same dealership and none of the others have had that smell. I purchased a 2011 tucsan the same day--no problems. Owner of dealership said that they are allowed to sell new cars without "new car window stickers", I looked it up--it's illegal. Also told there was communication problems about the sale of my car---not telling me everything--like the scratches, hail damage, replacement of parts. The manager today said he did not know anything about the Sonata's pulling to the left---I told him to google it. I have never had so many problems on a new car or even a used one. Current mileage is 3100 miles. Just did a carfax and found no repairs from dealer? I guess they are beyond the law of reporting it.

- Fayetteville, AR, USA

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