2009-2010 Hyundai Sonata

sandman46 · February 2009

Is the car unsafe to drive or are y'all just unhappy with the "noises" heard from up front? The car is driveable and not a danger...correct? Maybe your state is different, but I don't think this will fall under the lemon law because it seems to be a very subjective issue here...that noise from the front end. That's why renting a car is a wise investment to make sure the day to day driveability is something that one can live with for years to come.
But it sounds like there is no "safety" issue here.

The Sandman :confuse:

hyundaiguy4 · February 2009

I am awaiting the Hyundai rep and if i dont here from them soon I am calling a Lawyer to proceed with the lemon Law

superm · February 2009

I DO expect...and insist...that *ANY* new car be tighter and better screwed together that either a 17 year old Mercedes with 145k miles and a VW that's 8 years old with 125k miles. So I'm nuts, too.

All 3 '08 and '08 Sonata GLSs I've rented have exhibited a front end clunk. If it were NOT for that I'd be driving a '09 now instead of looking for a "something else" thats 1-2 years old.

I understand that not everyone hears this noise. I understand that I hear things in my own cars that sometimes my excellent mechanic can't. But the number of people who ALSO hear this tells me that there really is something going on here and this isn't something made up by people trolling to make Hyundai look bad.

loradora · February 2009

So, I'm not the only "crazy lady/person" out there that is frustrated and mad beyond belief because my new car is making such horrendous noises?

Please, if whomever meets with a lawyer, please let us know what you found out as I'm ready to take the car back to the dealer and give it back!

pat · February 2009

Folks, let's skip the name-calling and insults, please.

gslav1 · March 2009

I own a 2009 Hyundai Sonata and have the noisy suspension also, took it to the dealer and was told this was normal.

I will never Purchase a Hyundai again!!!

chrrmurp · March 2009

Hi All,

Has anyone else had this ongoing issue? My car pulls to the left - especially on the highway. It's a 2009 Sonata. I hit a few potholes this winter (which I guess is what caused this) and since I have had two rims replaced, all four tires balanced, and four (yes 4) alignments. The car still pulls to the left.

The dealership said they have had several 09 Sonatas with this issue - everything is spot on after the alignment and it still pulls to the left. He said they have seen an issue with the "cradle assembly" which they have replaced under warranty and it has fixed a few cars with this issue. However, he said this would not fix mine for some reason. He said he called the technical office (I think there are two offices Hyundai dealerships call for technical issues) and they said right now they are aware of the issue but there is currently no fix for it.

Is anyone else experiencing this? Any ideas guys on what else it could be? I saw a post from a 2006 Sonata with a bent non-adjustable camber that had to be replaced to fix that issue..

hyundaiguy4 · March 2009

yes I two have this problem i am waiting for the factory rep to come drive with me as the dealer cant seam to find the problem

NEW PROBLEM

Does any one have the problem of gas fumes in the car when the tank is at querter or less? also a problem the dealer cant seem to eccept

chrrmurp · March 2009

How did you get in touch with a factory rep? What is a factory rep?

rewilson · March 2009

I've been to a number of dealers and most seem to have a number of Sonata's that were built in March or October of 2008. Are there any problems with these cars? Are they returns or damaged through by extreme weather? Can sales really be that poor?

wrs4 · March 2009

My2009 Sonata just started to have this loud grinding noise. Put in reverse and heard a clunk and now its not as loud. Car has 11,000 miles on it. Any one else have this happen to them and any idea what it is.
wrs

sharksoup · April 2009

I don't think there is anything wrong with the cars, and in my area I see a lot of them on the road.

Bought my 2009 in June of 2008 and noticed when I got it home that the inspection sticker on the windshield was February, so dealer had it on the lot for 4 months.

I'm more curious why Hyundai would start selling a 2009 model car in February of 2008??

backy · April 2009

Probably goes back to the initial debut of the Gen 4 Sonata in the U.S. in early 2005, as a 2006 model. Hyundai introduced the next model year early in the preceding year since then. But I don't think there were many 2009 Sonatas available for sale in February 2008. That's when the car debuted at the Chicago Auto Show.

joe97 · April 2009

More and more automakers have started this practice in recent years.

newowner10 · April 2009

I guess if the car is ready for prime time why sit on it for 6 months. You would not want two different 2008 models boy that would be confusing

coldgl · April 2009

Our 2009 Sonata bought in July 2008 had an inspection sticker showing May 2008.

coldgl · April 2009

We have noted that after buying our 2009 Sonata, some dealers still had 2008 Sonatas for sale.

ray78 · April 2009

Purchased 2009 Sonata Lmtd on 3/30/2009 with a factory delivery date to dealer on 3/02/2009.

dgs4 · April 2009

Well, I have recently posted in the transmission forum, the prices paid and buying experiences (to which no one replied, their loss), and I wrote up my final review in the Hyundai Sonata review section on Edmunds. I am basically trying to warn any new potential Sonata owners that the 09 is not quite ready for prime time. In one year of ownership I've had the following issues (I have listed these previously, but I'll do it again):

1. Cracking popping dash noises due to temperature changes. The cheap plastic expands and contracts with changes in the temperature. There are 15 year old cars on the road that don't have this type of problem.

2. Navigation system has repeatedly frozen up on me. It freezes on the Hyundai loading screen and occasionally during the course of navigating, and the only way to get it working again is to shut the car off entirely and then restart. This is a huge PITA to do this when I'm using the navigation to get me somewhere. Speaking of navigation, I think the one in my Sonata is very inaccurate. I have lost track of the numbers of times it tells me my destination is on one side of the street when it's actually on the opposite side. It also tells me I've arrived at my destination when the destination is actually a couple of blocks away.

3. I also now have the suspension noises everyone is complaining about. It is very unrefined sounding, especially over largish bumps where it seems as though the car is going to bottom out. What kind of cheap suspension components is Hyundai using for the Sonata?

4. The transmission on this car is terrible! The 1-2 shift is jerky, and it's to the point where the car can make me nauseous it's so bad. A couple of times coming off the freeway at a high rate of speed, while slowing down the car downshifts violently, rocking the entire car and making a very loud noise. It's as though the transmission gets confused about what gear it's supposed to be in and drops from 5th gear to 2nd gear. I can't tell you how disconcerting this is when it happens to me.

5. Left speaker has a horrible rattle if I turn my music up any more than about a 1/4 of the way. Thus I'm limited to listening to music at a very low volume or talk radio.

I have yet to bring it to the dealership for these issues but it pisses me off I'm even having them in only one year of car ownership. I really want to sell the car at this point but there is no way realistically I'll be able to sell for anything close to what I owe, as Hyundai looses it's value like a brick sinking in the ocean. So I'm stuck with it. For everyone having issues with their 09, I feel your pain. Like many of you, this will also be the last Hyundai I own.

For those of you with 09 Sonatas and no problems count your blessings because you are very lucky!

stephen987 · April 2009

I have yet to bring it to the dealership for these issues but it pisses me off I'm even having them in only one year of car ownership.

Given how horrible these issues are, I'm surprised that you don't appear to have forced the dealership to fix them. You must be an extremely patient person.

Please let us know what happens when you get a response from your local dealer.

hyundaiguy4 · April 2009

well I hope i dont end up with all those problems but I finally got fed up with my un returned responces from HMA and threatoned the lemon Law come to find out that there are many many complaints ont the suspention on the 2009 4cly suspention the called me yesturday and set up to have all new improved strutes put on the car. the claim that this should help some of the clunking problem My view is i will have it done and hope for the best and if it dosent work the third time will be a charm they will be buying me a new one or a refund per the ohio lemon Law

fushigi · April 2009

You've got a warranty. Use it. No vehicle is perfect, and while I'm sorry you had the problems I can't be very sympathetic when you haven't made any attempt to get them taken care of. And I find it hard to believe that you appear willing to write off a 20ish thousand dollar purchase, taking the new car depreciation hit, when your problems can potentially be fixed for free via a simple phone call and trip to the dealer service department.

Sandman6472 · April 2009

Your complaints have nothing to do with the "safety" of the car. Just because you don't like the way the car "handles" over certain roads or whatever, don't think the lemon law will help you much. You really should've spent more time driving the car or even rented one to find out if you could live with it. That would've been the smart thing to do. Sitting and posting in a forum with your complaints really doesn't get you anywhere...productively. Let the service department address your "complaints" and fix what needs to be fixed. But your car is driveable and not a safety hazard...period.

Go to the dealership already...why do you need this drama. Once things are fixed, this will all be forgotten. And next time, take more personal responsibility and thoroughly check out any vehicle you buy before hand. You'll sleep better.

The Sandman :shades:

dgs4 · April 2009

Yes, I know. I don't expect or want sympathy, that is not why I posted here. I posted as a benefit to anyone considering a 2009 Sonata and using this forum as a means of research. The review sections in Edmunds are fairly worthless, as 99.9% of the people post up a review as soon as they get the car home and of course it's going to be all wine and roses at that point. A real car review consists of repeated updates like the year long tests Edmunds does. That's the only way to truly evaluate a car.

Well after a year I have what I consider to be an unacceptable number of problems on a car that was purchased with 10 miles on the odometer and has been very well cared for (oil changes every 3,500 miles, tires rotated and properly inflated, car is washed every week etc.). I'm happy I waited this long to get go to the dealership frankly because now I'll have them fix all the problems at once rather than returning over and over. Or at least I hope they can fix all of these issues. Short of replacing the suspension with new components I'm not sure what they can do about that. The transmission may also need replacing. But whatever it takes they have three tries to get it right and then I go to lemon law arbitration.

I could maybe deal with one of these problems in a year, but all of them are simply unacceptable to me, and because of my experience this will be the last Hyundai I ever purchase. I was willing to give them a shot because of all the quality improvements and positive reviews they've received over the past 10 years of so. While they may be improving, it's pretty clear they are not on the level of Honda or Toyota yet, not by a longshot.

mikemartin · April 2009

I'm posting this just as a reference point because some of the people who have claimed that those complaining about suspension thunks and rattles are trolls or troublemakers.

I came across this on the Hyundai Owners' Forums.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/2008/10/01/test-drive-2009-hyundai-sonata-limited-- - four-cylinder.htm

mikemartin · April 2009

I'm posting this just as a reference point because some of the people who have claimed that those complaining about suspension thunks and rattles are trolls or troublemakers.

I came across this on the Hyundai Owners' Forums.

http://www.canadiandriver.com/2008/10/01/test-drive-2009-hyundai-sonata-limited-- - - - four-cylinder.htm

Sorry everyone. If yo don't want to read that Canadian Driver article in its entirety, the relevant portion that speaks to the 2009 suspension is, and I quote, as follows:

If theres a fault, its in the undercarriage; while the ride reaches a nice balance between comfort and agility, the suspension rattles over rough pavement, and theres wheel hop over bumps. If your roads are glass-smooth youll probably never know it, but in my rural area theyre frost-heaved, and the rattles and bumps made themselves known most of the time. Ive noticed this on a few Hyundai models, and it gives them a cheap undertone that could use some improvement.

So, I hope this is an objective response to criticism of those here who have complained about suspension issues, and especially rattling or clunking sounds. The article goes even further than that, claiming that it undermines a feeling of quality, and gives the Sonata and other Hyundais a 'cheap undertone that could use some improvement.'

For the record, I've never driven or driven in the 2009 Sonata.

dandaroy · April 2009

Guys,

I am new to this forum, but have been lurking around at other Hyundai forums with questions. Basically, I am not happy with the performance of the car. I think my issues have been discussed before, but I will highlight the issue that is bugging me the most and making my living with this car VERY hard.

It is the transmission shift quality. The 1 -> 2 shift under slow acceleration is quite jerky and unsmooth at all times. Also 2 -> 3 shift under slow to moderate acceleration is jerky from time to time, but not all the time. It seems like on both these shifts, if I back off the gas at the shift point, it is seamless. Also under hard acceleration (not as bad a WOT), the shifts are MUCH better. Initially when I bought the car, these shifts were horrible. Last Nov, I got the latest TCM update and although the shifts have gotten better, they are still bothersome. The dealership says there is nothing they can do anymore since they can offer only what Hyundai provides them. I have had the service manager drive the car and although he understands what my annoyance is, he does not have a solution. Hyundai says there is no further TCM update available.

The other issues like dash crackle, suspension noise, etc. I can live with, but not this one. Of course due to heavy depreciation I cannot trade or sell the car without a huge loss. I do not know why I did not discover this problem during the test drive. My bad!! Do you guys have any suggestions? If the shifting was smooth I could probably live with this vehicle.

Thanks!

stephen987 · April 2009

Dandaroy, how many miles does your car have on it? I had a similar issue with the transmission in my '04 Ranger and was told the electronic controls were "learning" my driving style. That truck was a slow learner, and I sold it at a small loss after 20k miles.

dandaroy · April 2009

I have about 6700 miles.

kenlight1 · April 2009

Somebody wrote that perhaps the glowing reports on the Sonata were because they had just received the car. This looked like the perfect opening to get in my two cents. I have had my 2009 Sonata Limited w/NAV for seven months and 7,400 miles.

So far the only real problem was that the NAV locked up which was corrected with a radio replacement.

I am impressed with this car. Being 6' 3 it was next to impossible to find a mid size car that I didn't have to go through contortions to get inside or feel claustrophobic once inside. Although the car is an intermediate (based on length and width), the government has it listed as full size because of the interior passenger space. The instrument layout and controls are intuitive and has the best layout I've ever used. The interior has more storage areas then what should be. The cup holders are sturdy and can hold about any size cup. My gas mileage is always between 25 to 32 and am always utilizing the gas mileage computer in an attempt to improve my driving efficiency. The available extras (standard on the limited) are impressive and are not normally available on non luxury intermediate 4 cylinder autos. The government safety rating for the 2009 Sonata are 5s across the board. The factory warranty is one of the longest and should cover all major (real) problems with the car.

Somebody complained about the plastic popping noises that weren't on cars built 15 years ago. My new TVs also do this. I believe this is because of the expansion and contracting of the plastic. Please realize that plastic has replaced metals wherever possible to keep weight down and increase gas mileage. Other perceived complaints were about undercarriage noises going over rough road. I myself have not noticed this but this could be because my previous cars were performance oriented (read Pontiac) and I'm used to the wind noises in those which makes the Sonata seem quiet.

The minor (and I do mean minor) annoyances is that sometimes the sun will reflect on the NAV screen making it impossible to read, NAV routing is not as sophisticated as Garmin, and the map update procedure is not user friendly.

The other autos I found that were acceptable with my height and in the same price range were the Saturn Astra (marginal), Pontiac Vibe, and the Saturn VUE. None of these could come close on additional features.

newowner10 · April 2009

It appears the big two complaints on the 2009 are the "Thump" and the "Nav" system. There are some transmision complaints also. I would expect that Hundai should be able to fix both but that does not appear to be the case.

jack47 · April 2009

I've had my GLS I4 sonata for seven months and have no complaints whatsoever.

Sure...there's a little "thump" when I drive over a bump, but I experienced the same with my Camry. No problem or annoyance for me. And for $16,000 it's a great car.

The sonata is assembled mostly, I believe, by robots....which makes me wonder why there could be any suspension deviations among the cars produced by said robots. Of course, if humans get involved in any part of the assembly...like in Detroit....then I could easily understand why some cars get screwed up.

backy · April 2009

There could be differences if the suspension parts are sourced from different suppliers, or the QC of the supplier isn't great, or if there is a design flaw that causes some cars to have a thump (beyond what is normal for the car) that shows up at some point.

kenlight1 · April 2009

I think it's just a matter of people's taste. I do believe that there is a big difference between a real problem and a minor annoyance. An example would be the complaint with the transmission jerking between 1st and 2nd gear at low speeds. What problems has this caused?. Was any coffee spilled or did this cause any other real or precipitated problems? What set me off was the owner trying in invoke the lemon law over undercarriage squeaks over bumps. In my opinion completely over the edge.

ray78 · April 2009

I think a lot of these complaints are from people who would complain if they were hung with a new rope!

pat · April 2009

Why don't you give us your impressions of your 09 Sonata rather than your impressions of people posting here? We'd be interested in hearing how it's going for you.

Sandman6472 · April 2009

My daughter has this car and loves it. I must admit it does scoot around town very nicely and the interior is a nice place to be in. For the price, it can't be beat and if I didn't have my '06 Civic as my commuter car, I'd seriously buy one for myself. Especially with the economy right now, it's a smart alternative for a nice econmical entry level car.
Sat in the '09 Sonata Limited 4 cylinder the other day and boy was it sweet! Nice dash layout and great alloy rims make this car a looker. The interior had plenty of room for 5 and it looked great in the dark blue color. Hyundai has come along way and once it fixes the few niggling problems, it'll be a great car company.

The Sandman :shades:

ray78 · April 2009

I have a 2009 Sonata Limited V6 and have had NO problems with it. It is very Quiet, the transmission shift is flawless, the fuel mileage is great (32+ on hihgway), No clunk in suspension, drives and handles great. This is the second Sonata I have owned. Both of them have been trouble free which cannot be said for the Ford, Dodge and GMC products (new) I have owned in the past.The Hyundai Quality far surpasses any of my former vehicles! I could not be more satisfied.

mikemartin · April 2009

I've compared four cars my sister needs help assessing. They are the Sonata, Malibu, Accord and Camry.

Out of these, the 2009 Sonata is the only one that had suspension clunking, with 480 miles on the demo.

The Camry was disappointing in many ways (the Sonata interior is much nicer), and I was blown away at how nice both the 4 cylinder and 6 cylinder Malibu were - they had the most solid body structure and seemed to be the 2nd quietest of the four (next to the Camry) but with much better interior fit and quality than the Camry.

If it weren't for the suspension noise, the Sonata and Malibu would be tied in her book. The Accord dealer was way tooo independent for her to ever consider an Accord; they literally named a price and refused to come down more than $500 and were rude in the process, and there were dashboard squeaks and a glovebox rattle in the Accord, though the demo did have over 1,900 miles on it IIRC.

stephen987 · April 2009

Sounds to me like the Malibu wins in this case. Show her a Fusion before she buys, though. I think she'll be impressed.

mikemartin · April 2009

I forgot to mention that she looked at the Fusion a while back and that her friend has one, and for whatever reason, she wasn't interested.

I personally think the Fusion is competitive, but Ford's low trim line version one does have a cheapish interior and the 4 cylinder is too noisy.

dgs4 · May 2009

Well, I have found a buyer for my car. She is a best friend of a girl I work with who is just crazy about Hyundai, and the Sonata in particular. She really likes the Limited V6 with the nav but does not want to spend more than $20,000 on a new car. Well, as cheap as the Hyundai dealerships unload this thing, it's doubtful she could get one at that price. So, that's where I come in. She's going to buy my car when she gets here in three weeks (she's moving here). It works well for both of us, she gets a car that is exactly what she wanted (in the color she wanted to) and I get to unload it. Even paying me $20,000 I'm still going to have to put down $3,000 of my own money to pay off the car note because of how badly these Hyundai's lose their value. That will be the best $3,000 I've spent in a long time.

As a courtesy to her I will bring it in to have it serviced, as I would hate to give her my car with all of these problems. My little Honda Fit sport that I bought two months ago to use as a second week car has been my primary vehicle. The Fit is an amazing little car, and while it doesn't have all of the luxury features of the Hyundai, I will gladly give them up to have a well made, reliable vehicle. I should have bought a Honda in the first place.

Lastly, what I tend to notice on car forums are two camps of people; those who come here to voice their concerns about problems, and those with no problems who accuse the rest as being "whiners" who wouldn't be happy no matter what. Well, everyone is allowed to voice their feelings, opinions, and criticisms about a vehicle they own, it's just a shame the rest get so threatened someone could say anything negative about their wonderful car they choose to throw insults at the rest. I could care less personally, but I sure hope it doesn't stop others from posting their feelings about the car here. The problems with this car are very real, and it's not for anyone to belittle them by claiming the problems are so minor and they're just whining. If I'm making the monthly car payment I will decide what's a big problem and what's not, not you!

Adios people, I hope those of you with problem Sonata's have an ending as happy as mine.

jlindh · May 2009

Now that you've sold your used Hyundai for $20,000, it doesn't make any sense to continue saying that Hyundai's lose their value "badly". I paid 20k plus TT&L for my loaded V6 Sonata brand new. You got top dollar for your Sonata. You may have overpaid when you bought, but your Sonata certainly didn't lose value "badly".

backy · May 2009

And of course you made a full disclosure on all the problems with the car and have insisted that the buyer do a thorough test drive before she pays you, right?

carbunt · May 2009

I do not doubt the problems dgs4 has described concerning the Hyundai Sonata they've owned. It is unfortunate that machines like cars are not "perfect" out of the factory and from time to time exhibit problems that are either incapable of being addressed by the dealer or the manufacturer and therefore leave the consumer with a generally negative impression of their ownership experience.

This can cause a brand to be blacklisted by consumers and therefore create a cloud of suspicion about the quality or reliability of brands like Hyundais. Dgs4 has high praise for the Honda Fit that they acquired recently and advises that they wished their purchase had been a Honda to begin with.

This type of reaction is normal when one has experienced any form of "buyers remorse" but it can also create an overwhelming sense of false survivor euphoria, since when one feels that they have rescued or been rescued out of a bad situation, the new situation should be better(?)

My own experience tells me that not all Hondas are created equal. But I digress. I wish you well with your Fit and hope if provides years of trouble free operation and lives up to your expectation of what you believe, considering these are imperfect transport machines, regardless of brand.

Sandman6472 · May 2009

Our vehicles have thousands of moving parts that must work together as designed. Any slight variance will create an unbalanced situation causing problems, be them small or big. Having now owned my Civic for about three years, I've had warranty work to get those little niggling problems resolved. The few hours spent at the dealership were a pain I must admit after hearing about Honda's stellar reputation. But still am happy with it. Just now I've learned past reputation is not a gauge for future perfection. The guy here who just sold his Sonata has found this out. The problems, though small things to others, ruined his experience and now he's moving on. I do suspect though that not all the '09 Sonata's have his problems...but obviously some do!

My wife's '05 Mazda 3s had a couple of warranty hiccups at 1st, but it has proved to be an extremely reliable and fun vehicle these past four years. Our kids '09 Versa and '08 Accent have been great also, with one warranty issue on the Versa. My point being that all brands have the potential for annoying issues just like the '09 Sonata. One just needs to roll with the punches.

When we get ready to replace the M3 next year, we'll definitely look at all the foreign brands before we buy knowing that all brands have the potential for small issues...or none at all.

The Sandman :shades:

i360 · May 2009

More then half your issues could have been resolved if given the chance by the dealership but why bother right? Just complain here! As far as your new car have you read the reports of people losing their power steering while driving? I would think that's more of a danger then how smoothly you think the transmission should shift. And your a fool to not put down at least 20% on any car... They all lose value.

http://townhall-talk.edmunds.com/WebX/.f1346c0/0!make=Honda&model=Fit&ed_makeind- - ex=.f1346c0

kenlight1 · May 2009

I don't get upset when people voice their feelings, concerns, opinions, or criticisms. What perturbed me was the statement by one owner who was going to get a lawyer and attempt to invoke the lemon law for such a minor issue (my opinion). Let's clog the courts with nonsensical suits.

BTW I hope you enjoy your Honda Fit. Be sure to check the fit group and come back and tell up how perfect it is.

targettuning · May 2009

And my own experience (2006 Civic EX sedan bought new) confirms you are correct about your statement "not all Hondas are created equal". I cannot wait to sell it for....surprise...a redesigned 2010 Sonata hybrid (probably).

backy · May 2009

What makes you believe I own a Fit??

2009-2010 Hyundai Sonata

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