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2011 Hyundai Sonata

18990929495104

Comments

  • nickysnickys Member Posts: 42
    edited January 2011
    No, not just turbos.

    Others have stated that some of the normal aspirated models drifted left as well.

    It may well be the new electric steering.

    The service manager originally was trying to say that it was normal for the turbo, due to his explanation, because of torque steer while accelerating.

    The turbo has been tamed in gears one, two and three by not allowing it to spool up to maximum boost to prevent torque steer and protect the drivetrain.
  • crkyolfrtcrkyolfrt Member Posts: 2,345
    Do NOT trust anything that comes out of his mouth. For one thing, torque steer, if it hasn't been quelled down enough will make the car pull to the right not left.

    And why he would even say such a thing when doing a sustained cruise is just such a total insult to someone's intelligence. They think we are all stupid and will 'buy' anything they're selling. I tell ya, that very thing is one of biggest annoyances at a dlrship. It absolutely infuriates me. I'd have to resist giving him a fat lip if he spewed much of that dribble in my direction...I'll tell ya..

    Sorry to hear u are having this trouble with your new car tho. Takes some of the shine off :( They will likely sort it out of course, (Hyundai) hopefully sooner rather than later, but they need to FIRE dishonest, stupid, arrogant, condescending representatives of their company like what that guy was. I would write to the president and tell them about that guy. Nip stuff like that in the bud I say.
  • l84workl84work Member Posts: 6
    I have a Limited that was purchased in October. The same pull to the left exists with my car. I have had it to the dealer three times. First time they replaced one tire, the second time they aligned and the third time they gave it back to me and said nothing is wrong with it. Hyundai Motors has a real problem with this issue that they cannot seem to resolve. My research show that this problem first came to light in April of 2010! And they repurchased that car to look into the problem. It has been eight months and they still so not know the real cause. I have filed a Lemon Law complaint and will be looking for the Class Action Attorney real soon.
  • jgyrujgyru Member Posts: 2
    I just bought my Sonata 2.0T SE last week. I immediately noticed it drifted left. Took it back to the dealership. They acknowledged the issue but claimed not to have a "special tool" from Hyundai needed to make correction. They assured me they would have it within a few days and I made an appointment for next Tuesday...we shall see
  • nickysnickys Member Posts: 42
    Special tool eh? Make 'em give up the name of this special tool. On mine it was a tire gauge allowing 2 lbs less in the right rear for a rolling anchor.

    The thing w/service manager was that he said he could make the car go either way.

    He's missing the boat.

    I have to make the car go straight.

    I drove over 200 miles today and I fought the steering the entire time.

    It's as if I'm pushing on a wall to the left all the time.

    Not much effort for a while, but after a bit you grow weary.

    Oddly enough it tracked the best on old flat, no crown to speak of, two lane divided roads.

    The rest of the day the steering wheel is steadily cocked to the left.

    You can see the wheel isn't level and feel it pushing.

    I called the Hyundai customer service and complained.

    Perhaps if enough people call them to complain, they may
    do something about the situation.

    The number to call is:

    800-633-5151
  • keyman2keyman2 Member Posts: 78
    Is the SE without Turbo have better steering?is it just the Turbo
  • nickysnickys Member Posts: 42
    edited January 2011
    The issue appears to be that some 2011 Sonatas, first year for electric steering, pull and/or drift excessively to the left at a steady speed.

    I'm not concerned with or addressing torque steer.

    The faster you drive you more noticable it is and it's tiring because you're always applying a slight pressure to the right compensating for the pull/push/drift to the left.

    Maybe this is amplified by the 225X18X45 low profile tires.

    Regardless, most do not, so there has to be a reason for the others that want to seek a left path instead of a straight or neutral track.

    Manipulating tire pressure at differing levels, dependant of the position on the car, is not the answer or an option.

    Road surfaces vary, yet when you are constantly having to counteract the steering, when at speed in a straight path, the car, in essence, is defeating the advantages of power steering.

    If this problem was connected to no power assist steering the masses and media would rally and heads would roll.

    The electric assist allows you to drive w/o fighting tooth and nail requiring arms of Charles Atlas.

    I suppose, since one finger steering is impossible to maintain, that this is part of Hyundai's safety program requiring you to maintain 10 and 2 at all times along with a firm grip on the wheel.
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    Don't do a full rotate, but try swapping front tires only right - left. I had the same issue with my Touring SE and this corrected it.
  • nickysnickys Member Posts: 42
    edited January 2011
    Never have I heard or read where swapping left to right, on radial tires, was a wise or safe practice.

    Used to do that on bias ply in the early 70s.

    You're saying that the tires are the problem or appears to be in your instance.

    http://www.hyundaiforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8267&page=17

    Post #163

    "Hyundai last Monday sent a team of 5 engineers (including 3 from Korea) to make a test case out my car along with several others in the area to try and resolve the issue. They had sent several batches of parts to the dealer one of which was a new strut assembly. I was told that they installed the new strut with an adjustable camber bolt and then re-aligned the car which seem to do the trick. The other two cars at the dealer were also done that day or next and that also seemed to resolve their problem."
  • yankman04yankman04 Member Posts: 14
    It's nice to see that I'm not the only one with the steering issues . . . replacing the two front tires, improved the situation significantly, but didn't totally resolve it - it'll be interesting to see what Hyundai comes up with - if anything on his matter, by the way, I don't have a Turbo - I have a 2011 GLS . . .
  • drew11mdrew11m Guest Posts: 85
    edited January 2011
    Was interested to note this issue cropping up with the Sonatas. I got my 2011 Elantra last monday, have put about 500 miles on it, and this pull to the left is noticeable. I have a service appt for next saturday since this saturday was all booked up, will be nice to mention that is the same problem some of you are seeing.

    Irritating considering I just bought the damn thing. Well if they dont fix it they are going to be seeing a lot of me in the service department filing warranty issues.
  • nickysnickys Member Posts: 42
    I might have been wrong on this being the first year for electric assit power steering on the Sonata.

    That being said it appears the left strut was from a bad batch and at that time the Alabama plant, where all 2.0T are assembled, was doing a run on mostly turbos.

    The holes on those strut aren't lined up correctly, according to some posters on other forums, so while they are the correct space to fit the chassis they are causing an improper alignment.

    As it stands no technical service bulletin, acknowledging the existance of this problem or outlining the solution from Hyundai, has been issued.
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    "Never have I heard or read where swapping left to right, on radial tires, was a wise or safe practice."

    I don't know where you get your information, but it is very common to "X" the fronts when moving them to the back, and take the backs straight to the front. Bi-directional radials are rotated in this fashion every day, and the only effect is to balance the wear as front wheel drive vehicles have a higher incidence of "feathering" the outside of the tire. Right to left swapping to test/correct a pull is a time tested and true method of identifying radial pull.

    Uni-directional radials are another animal entirely. They must always be installed in the correct rotational direction or severe handling and wet traction issues will occur.

    All that being said, if a new vehicle is pulling from mile one, tires would be a quick check, then alignment, and assembly. But don't go looking for zebras when you hear hoof beats. :)
  • nickysnickys Member Posts: 42
    I will admit to being out of the loop for several years not even realizing that bi-directional radial tires were produced.

    The old 92 Buick has 70 series sidewalls w/lots of flex and I always buy a budget tire.

    I stand corrected for recalling information from the mid 70s to some time in the 80's.
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    One thing for sure is that the radials today are ssoooo much better than the first generation radials of the mid-70's and early 80's. Those things were horrible. Sidewall separation, tread separation (saw a steel belt come out of a big radial on a Toronado, catch the bottom of the front fender and tear it half off the car! :surprise:

    Things are much better nowadays.
  • nickysnickys Member Posts: 42
    Still, they were miles ahead of the old bias-ply. I remember my first set and how the tires wouldn't squeal when burning rubber.

    My dad called them radio tires...
  • fly4hobbyfly4hobby Member Posts: 1
    Not sure if it's related or not, but I had this very same problem with my 03 Camry. Toyota denied there was ever a problem until a friend of mine found the service bulletin on it. There was a problem with the left front strut and when there was only one person in the vehicle, it pulled to the left. A mechanic would always go for the ride along in the front seat and of course, the problem didn't occur again. When I left the dealer though, there it was. Could never figure it out. When my mechanic friend found the bulletin, I brought it in and they denied it was an official bulletin and refused to fix the problem. So I got rid of the car.

    Might be a strut/weight distribution problem as well with the Sonata. Just a thought.
  • yankman04yankman04 Member Posts: 14
    Very interesting . . . I found it strange that the mechanic wanted me to drive the car (twice) with him sitting in the passenger seat . . . . he claimed he didn't notice any issues . . .
  • nickysnickys Member Posts: 42
    The service manager road first then drove the car claiming he could make it go in either direction.
    I don't drive w/electronic stabilizer gizmo turned on & I might need to try it out in order to see if that makes a difference.
    Others claimd w/car full of people that it didn't pull. I've only had one person in the passanger seat w/full tank of gas and it pulls.
    It isn't tearing the wheel from my hands, but 98% of the time it's a constant tug to the left.
    I'm afraid for my Mom to drive the car until it's fixed.
    I urge everyone w/problem to contact Hyundai customer service & NHTSA until this issue is acknowledged and resolved by Hyundai.
    I love the Sonata, it's a fine car, excellent bang for the buck, so fix it already...
  • l84workl84work Member Posts: 6
    I mentioned earlier in this post that my (non-turbo) Limited has had the left pull and that the Dealer has tried to fix the car three times. The last time the Dealer gave it back to me and said it drives just fine. I did notice that the car seemed to drive better than before so I checkd the service report and it said that the Dealer had "corrected air pressure in the tires" I just checked my air pressure and the right front and right rear tires had 34 lbs and the left front and the left rear had 38lbs. I reduced pressure in all tires to 34lbs and the car is pulling left just as it did before.
  • nickysnickys Member Posts: 42
    Manipulating air pressure isn't a fix, but it is a bandaid.

    Though some run differing pressures front to back one side of the front or back should be the same as the other side.

    I routinely ran a couple of extra lbs in the front because of the motor weight.
  • tenpin288tenpin288 Member Posts: 804
    Just in case anyone is interested, here are some pics of the just revealed Veloster. I would post these in the Veloster forum but there isn't one! Maybe if someone was so inclined...

    http://www.hyundai-blog.com/index.php/2011/01/10/hyundai-veloster-2012-3-door-sp- ecs-engine-details/
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    Isn't the Veloster the replacement for the Tiburon?
  • tenpin288tenpin288 Member Posts: 804
    I believe it is. I was going to try and create a new thread for it but Edmunds doesn't list it in their list of Hyundai models and they have closed their future vehicles discussion forum. Maybe one of the mods could create a new thread for this interesting vehicle? ;)
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    edited January 2011
    I just tried the "browse by vehicle" and the Tiburon was listed as a model under Hyundai but I don't know what it would be worth to post it there as there seems to be very little activity for that vehicle.
  • l84workl84work Member Posts: 6
    Just received a call from Hyundai Consumer Affairs as I had also filed a complaint with them. Chet Carner (800-907-6170) called to tell me to take it back to the dealer as they may need to do more work to correct the problem. I asked him if a new technical bulletin had been produced. He said no. I asked him if he was aware of all of the other complaints on this issue. He said he was only aware of mine. I told him that I was in process of filing Lemon Law complaint. He said that in that case there was nothing else to talk about. Is Hyundai really sticking their head in the sand on this issue? Is this the way they want to handle it?
  • crkyolfrtcrkyolfrt Member Posts: 2,345
    So far it has been determined that a bunch of strut assemblies were installed at the factory level that had orientation mounting holes out of spec. This would create a caster/camber adjustment out of whack, and hence creating a pull. Since some non turbo cars seem to be affected also, one could assume that some trim levels of non turbo cars are using these same struts.

    If u ask me, Hyundai KNOWS which cars are affected by way of the VIN numbers/build dates. Hyundai SHOULD be taking a more proactive approach to this and CONTACT the owners, not wait for complaints to start flowing in.

    But the MOST damage in the car co/customer relationship is by having representative dealers that LOWER the air pressure in the tires from one side of the car to the next, in order to compensate for the pull!!!!!! That is not only unconscionable and unsafe, but just so frig corrupt on so many levels, that THAT should be Hyundai's first main mission here. Exposing these corrupt and crooked representatives of their company and firing their crooked butts and kicking them to the curb. I have heard of some pretty elusive and sneaky nasty 'fixes' to appease a customer, but in reading this most recent example of deception, it really hit a nerve with me.
  • kenymkenym Member Posts: 405
    Hyundai's first main mission here. Exposing these corrupt and crooked representatives of their company and firing their crooked butts and kicking them to the curb. I

    Ah! What if the Dealers are doing what Hyundai is instructing them to do. Then who's the corrupt and crooked SOB?
  • crkyolfrtcrkyolfrt Member Posts: 2,345
    Well, of course your comment is purely conjecture and very conspiracy oriented.

    If it happens to be true, then of course buyer beware, but I find it hard to believe that a car company would instruct their dealers to try to mask a symptom such as this with that idea. That just opens up an entire host of new problems and word like that would spread like wildfire, so I think it is pretty safe to assume Hyundai is telling their dealers no such thing.
  • kenymkenym Member Posts: 405
    Well, of course your comment is purely conjecture and very conspiracy oriented.

    Not sure what you mean by conspiracy oriented. But almost, if not every poster on this forum stated that the Dealer claims his or hers is the first problem of pulling to the left they encountered and that it's normal. Even that service Rep guy from Hyundai claims he never heard of the problem. However a lot of people with all trim levels are experiencing this problem. :confuse:

    So like the old saying of "If it looks like a duck, Walks like a duck and Sounds like a duck " chances are it's a duck. :shades:
  • crkyolfrtcrkyolfrt Member Posts: 2,345
    OTOH, the MOST common corporate reply is: "they all do that"

    I have to resist driving them one in the mouth when i hear that..maybe I should get a T shirt and wear it on those days to give them a fair heads-up. AAMOF, let's make it a multi-message T shirt. "No I don't want fries with that" on the back, and "If you tell me they all do that, I'm gonna punch you in the mouth" on the front.

    But Hyundai is far from alone with this irritating recurring comment in the auto world. The problem though, is there are still too many mouse-like car owners who still buy that crap..so the mfgrs get away with it.
  • kenymkenym Member Posts: 405
    OTOH, the MOST common corporate reply is: "they all do that"

    I get it now. "they all do that" EXCEPT Hyundai. Thanks for clearing that up for me.. :sick:
  • crkyolfrtcrkyolfrt Member Posts: 2,345
    edited January 2011
    No! What is your problem?

    I am NOT defending Hyundai or any of the others. That is what "they all do that" means! The clue is in the word "ALL". Period ! :sick: is right
  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    1. The fellow who said to take it back to the dealer, and that he didn't know of any others with this specific issue may have been telling the truth. I would bet good money that you were not talking to a technical person, just a customer service clerk telling you what he was told to say. Probably doesn't know a strut from a lug nut.

    2. Playing with tire pressure is the fastest way for a dealer to get into serious trouble with Hyundai, or any vehicle manufacturer. Do you really think that ANY manufacturer would tell a dealer to inflate the tires to anything but the prescribed pressure after the Ford/Firestone Explorer debacle?

    3. Tracking the strut lot number to the range of assembly dates/VIN series is easy. What is not easy is if the strut manufacturer wasn't building/drilling them all wrong, just some of them. Since this is not what would be considered a safety issue, Hyundai would incur a large cost to inspect every vehicle built during that time period to determine if the strut is drilled to the correct specification. Not trying to "play down" the pulling issue, but items such as the strut assembly are ordered 1000's at a time, and not every Sonata is pulling. It would actually be easier for Hyundai if they were! Make it much easier to track down the affected assemblies.

    What I see from the comments above is that there are dealers out there who are not performing due diligence in the troubleshooting of the issue. This could be a skillset issue on the dealership level, or a management incompetance regarding the management of the shop. There are mechanics/technicians out there who will dig to find the root cause and shop foremen who will let them. Then there are shops where everything must keep moving without enough time allowed for the verification of problem resolution. And those sort of shops exist for all brands and products. These are the places where adjustments are made that "most likely" are causing the problem without taking the time to confirm the issue is corrected.

    Your best course of action in these instances is to deal with the manufacturer in a calm but firm manner. I can promise you that the moment you mention lawyer all communication will stop. That's what the manufacturer trains the customer agent to do; when the lawyer card is thrown, shut up and do not say another word. The issue will be escalated up the chain, and not necessarily to a good resolution.
  • Kirstie_HKirstie_H Administrator Posts: 11,146
    I think that was perfectly clear, unless someone deliberately tried to read it otherwise.

    Folks, let's not start aggravation where none exists!

    MODERATOR /ADMINISTRATOR
    Need help navigating? kirstie_h@edmunds.com - or send a private message by clicking on my name.
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  • aqua33v6aqua33v6 Member Posts: 38
    I agree with jlflemmons. Hyundai would never advise a dealer to mess with tire pressures. To compensate for a such pronounced pull to one side, tire pressures would have to be adjusted by ~5 PSI.

    Dropping tire pressure that much would increase the likelihood of a blowout at freeway speeds, creating liability issues for the company. Increasing tire pressure that much would cause a rock-hard ride over road imperfections, and that would create a whole new set of complaints for Hyundai to deal with.
  • LASHAWNLASHAWN Member Posts: 303
    You nailed it square on the head. I firmly believe that 90% of the time, it's not the manufacturer but their dealer network. So like you said, the best course of action if your're not satisfied with what the dealer is telling you is to go through the manufacturer customer relations dept and keep hounding them, but politely as this will help your cause, until a resolution is found.
  • nickysnickys Member Posts: 42
    I concur as I'm reporting what others have and do not wish to associate myself w/any conspiracy among dealers or the company.

    It's natural for management to back their crew/company. If they can manipulate the PSI by a few lbs, in order to satisfy the customer's complaint, they're going to forge ahead.

    I drive w/electronic stability control (ESC) off. I've yet to try switching it on to see if it might make a difference.

    Regardless, the car pulls slightly/drifts to the left w/steering wheel slightly shifted CCW from center. The only way to true the wheel is for me to apply a constant CW pressure.

    I'm concerned w/drifting into the other lane of traffic as this pull doesn't yank the wheel, yet it's steady and deliberate.

    I bought the Sonata after reading all the good reviews.

    I will be happy w/overall package if they fix this steering issue of the car pulling left against the crown.

    If you have a Sonata that constantly wishes to pull/drift to the left then report the issue.

    CONTACT THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION and HYUNDAI CUSTOMER SERVICE.
  • kmckinnonkmckinnon Member Posts: 12
    we must be one of the lucky ones-just checked it out again on our '11 6MT sonata-no problem and we keep the ESC on. Our car, bought 7/10 has almost 11,000 problem free miles. love it.
  • newhartfordnewhartford Member Posts: 49
    Where I used to work they got rid of the incoming inspection department relying instead on the suppliers to deliver quality parts just in time to be used. This works fine and saves money until it doesn't.
  • abgharabghar Member Posts: 20
    I have a limited turbo it is also pulling to the left.
    The car will drift of into the ditch if you let your hand of the steering wheel.

    Other issue I am noticing is the steering wheel is tilted and will not hold steady at center.

    I already called Hyundai Consumer Affairs once and they recommended the dealer to do the following adjustments but still no improvement.
    1) check tire pressure
    2) Align the car
    3) Perform relearn procedure for steering angle
    4) Reset the electronic motor driven power steering

    I will call them again. I have also called NHTSA and reported the issue.
  • crkyolfrtcrkyolfrt Member Posts: 2,345
    I recommend just going back a week and read all the posts here. Your solution (probably being faulty struts) awaits you.
  • abgharabghar Member Posts: 20
    I did install the solid strut tower brace on my car. Purchased it from shark racing. I do feel the car is a little tighter with the strut tower brace.

    As for the actual struts. Will have to wait and see if there is any improvement once I get them replaced.
  • abgharabghar Member Posts: 20
    I have also filed a complaint with Hyundai Consumer Affairs and I am talking with Chantel. She is working with me and the dealer and trying to get this resolved but they are tight lipped about if Hyundai knows about this and what are they doing to resolve this ASAP.

    I have also filed a complaint with NHSTA.
  • nickysnickys Member Posts: 42
    Although I do want to hear about non-factory aftermarket part(s) solutions at this juncture I'm interested in the Hyundais Corporation fix.

    I bought it new, no discount for left drift, expect it to track true and have the steering wheel stay at a level position upon release on a straight section of average highway.

    I tried ESC on & off w/no noticble difference in the left pull/drift.

    I can simulate what the service manager said he could accomplish by making the car track right.

    However, you quickly run out of room, from starting on the right hand side.

    If in a straight stretch you very slowly turn right, and hold the wheel for a moment, then release sometimes it will continue to track right.

    However, most of the time, if there's enough room, it will start towards the right and then come back to the left once again pulling against the crown.
  • jgyrujgyru Member Posts: 2
    I am having the exact same problem. Car is 2 weeks old and have been back to the dealer 3 times and problem not fixed. I too filed a complaint with Hyundai and got polite cooperation, but no acknowledgement that this is an epidemic. "The first we're hearing of this" BS. I truly believe they are aware of the problem, but have NO SOLUTION asof yet. Hence the evasiveness. am going to invoke the Lemon Law if they do not swap out the vehicle. The car is brand new and the problem has gone unremedied for 3 atempts at dealer. I have 2 small children and a car that pulls so drastically is extremely dangerous.
  • asclaireasclaire Member Posts: 3
    Add us to the other "unlucky" on the list. We've owned the 2011 Sonata 2.0T Limited since Jan 1. Have had it back to dealer twice for left-pull. First time - realignment; Ok for a day, and then back to drifting. Back a second time: service hypothesized faulty tire(s), but mfr won't replace until 1,000 miles because "tread may not be worn enough yet." Even dealer service acknowledged skepticism on this, but sheepishly said they had to follow "policy." We're fortunate that dealer service has been very accommodating, receptive to our concern (unlike other posts I've seen here). Just no answers yet... Sadly, takes pleasure out of owning a new car. We have filed complaint with Hyundai Consumer Affairs and thanks to other posters here -- now the National Highway Traffic Safety Admin.
  • rascal06rascal06 Member Posts: 8
    After being told that it is normal for my sunroof to leak by 3 different Hyundai dealer (I know it is NOT NORMAL) I kept telling them something was LOOSE and rattling. The past week the sunroof started jumping ALMOST open (like in the vent postition) when you close the Front Doors......I guess they are going to tell me that is normal also. Plus since I posted last my car had to be TOWED because of an electrical problem that caused a ton of smoke..but no actuall FIRE...Not to mentioned my transmission had to be reprogramed and my AC would not turn on, The fan would run...but the compressor would not come on PLUS on several occasions the car would not start. That was supposedly fixed by replacing a brake sensor componant.

    SO I am sitting here trying to decide if I want to trade it in on a new SE Turbo..good price on the Turbo and $4000 more on the trade in than ANY Other car dealer.
  • petdogdfwpetdogdfw Member Posts: 26
    Is your sunroof leaking water inside the interior of the car? I have a sunroof and my car does not leak so obviously they need to figure this problem out.
    If it is opening when you close the front doors, the sunroof is not securely installed. It's amazing that three dealers would tell you everything is normal.

    Did they figure out what caused the smoking? Sounds like your car has some definate electrical issues, would this not qualify it under your state's lemon law?
  • keyman2keyman2 Member Posts: 78
    Hi
    What car did you buy?the GLS SE or Turbo?
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