2011 Hyundai Sonata

schdy

Dealer had to grind down shifter rod as per TSB 10-01-017

schdy

Upon leaving the Dealer for TCM on Trany and repair of shut down problem I noticed my radio display very dimm. Have to call Dealer today. All of a sudden after ownership for 1 1/2 yrs with no problems several things are popping up.

pegasus17

ref: 5127
Can you elaborate what is popping up? I'm at 16 months with no issues except the radio display has always been dim when hot. Plus, three times now my driver's side window will not always go down smoothly. It will go down an inch at a time but not the normal way. Problem self-fixes after a while; not sure how they would attempt to fix the issue. Perhaps it's the switch...

schdy

The pushbutton turn off problem and the dim display. The Dealer corrected the turn off problem, updated my transmission software and as a result reset my dashboard dimmer switch which gave me a false reading on the radio brightness. After calling him and re adjusting the switch the radio is now ok.
I guess I was over reacting becaus until now the car was perfect! After the trany software update the car is much smoother shifting and has increased pickup.

cmuniz

Earlier I had said that my push button no-start problem was due to getting the process out of sequence. At the time, I tried to start the car before putting the foot on the brake and then it would not start again, even with the foot on the brake, until I got the key out of range and then returned. Then it would start OK. Well, this morning it would not start again although this time the sequence was correct. I tried walking away, coming back - but no luck. Finally started it by pushing the button a second time and holding it for 15 + seconds. I called the dealer and they fixed it in about 20 minutes. It was a bad brake light switch under the brake pedal. I also noted that the traction control light was also on, which matches the problem you had schdy. The lesson is that if the traction light comes on and you can't start the car normally - you have a bad brake light switch.

befink08

I had the same issue with my 2011 Sonata SE, and with the floor mat sliding it had gotten all ripped up... I also had my car in for the recalls, and asked if I could get a new floor mat, even it I had to buy it... The Service Advisor looked at it and said that they would just replace the entire carpeting to fix the issue with the clips being loose, since it was under warranty. I purchased mine last August, so it's been almost a year, and I have 11,000 miles on mine... I dropped it off on Monday, and I just picked it up yesterday... They ordered the entire carpeting, pulled out the seats and replaced everything. Then replaced all 4 floor mats, plus gave me a loaner car for the 3 days all under warranty... This was done at Lehigh Valley Hyundai, Emmaus, Pennsylvania...

tenpin288

For those of you that are hoping for Hyundai to bring the i40 here as the Sonata wagon, here is some info about the i40 equipment levels and a pic for you to drool over! Now if we could just convince Hyundai it would sell well here...

http://www.hyundai-blog.com/index.php/2011/08/17/hyundai-i40-tourer-review-insur- ance-cost/

kwilli024

Has anyone installed a g-force chip in their 2011 Sonata SE 2.4?

snakeweasel

I haven't but for half the price of the g-froce chip plus shipping and handling I will send you a blank slip of white paper that if you put in your glove compartment will do the exact same thing as that chip will do.

But please cash only.

Seriously if Hyundai or any manufacturer could increase HP and mileage while reducing emissions by adding a $70 part don't you think they would?

kwilli024

Mmm... something to think about, thanks

ryster

This is nothing more than a resistor that tricks the car into thinking the air coming in to the engine is cooler than it actually is. The car then adjusts the air/fuel mixture to compensate for the fake reading. In the long run this will do more harm than good to the engine. Don't waste your money.

arv_whitney

We just bought a used 2011 Sonata from LH Miller preowned cars in Sandy. I don't care what the temp is, this display is hard to see. If the sun is just right or the shadow is just right, you can almost read the display. This is unacceptable. For what one pays for one of these auto's it ought to be right. I personally believe that the color of the display should be changed. Blue is a terrible color to have as background lighting for an LCD display. Btw, we love our Sonata.

snakeweasel

We have had our Sonata (wifes car) for about 6 months. I can honestly say that we have no issues seeing the displays. I have driven it in all types of weather and lighting conditions and I have yet to notice a time when the display was hard to read.

schdy

Try moving the dash light slider just left of the steering wheel to max (to the right)

traveler123

Has anyone else had a problem with seat wear on the new Sonata's? Ours is only 7 months old and already the drivers seat is worn on the side where you get in. I have had 3 Nissan Altimas (one had about 100,000 miles before we sold it) and did not have this kind of wear. I have purchased the extra warranty they want you to have and now they are hem hawing that this is just normal wear & tear and not part of the warranty. Just wondered if others are having this problem?

rich27514

Yes, I had this problem. My dealer replaced the seat cover with no questions asked.

tetovari

Same exact problem here . Bought it in February and almost is ripped on the side . Sonata is BMW made in China

schdy

I find it hard to believe Hyundai is not backing their product especially since you bought the extended warranty. Maybe you should have bought an Altima.

schdy

Sonata is made in America! And 1/2 the price of BMW!

avid2000

Same problem here. Car has been in service for 13 months and will be taking it to the dealer for service tomorrow. Will be sure to show it to them and will post my results.

avid2000

This may be a bit picky, but the Sonata is assembled in the US. No doubt, this is still great, but I think they state that 60% of the parts are from other countries. Again, assembled here is better than assembled elsewhere, but there is a difference between made and assembled.

targettuning

It IS picky because if you would look at the window sticker of any car sold in the USA you will find no matter the brand a certain percentage of parts and assemblies i.e. the engine or transmission is made somewhere else and assembled here or Mexico or Canada or....... Essentially there is NO made in the USof A car (or almost anything else) these days. Such is he global economy.

snakeweasel

We have had ours for 6 months and has about 12k miles on it (it was a demo) and I have seen no wear on the seats at all.

miker2k

Yes, ours was replaced under warranty with no questions asked.

m6user

Yes, but there are differences. I think I read that the Camry, which is assembled in the US and US workers are paid for doing so, is also the most highly US sourced for parts.....something like 80%. This is compared to a
Fusion which is assembled in Mexico by Mexican workers and the US sourced part content is a lot lower than 80%.

So there can be a huge swing from one car to another in the amount of US assembly and parts. A more accurate statement would be that there are no 100% made in America cars but that some are much closer to that than others. They are not all the same just because they aren't 100%.

schdy

According to recent auto stats the Hyundai Sonata is the largest selling car made in America!

m6user

Umm, don't know what stats you are referring to but here are some from the Wall Street Journal.

YTD sales through July 2011.
Camry - 174,485
Fusion - 151,004
Accord - 143,936
Malibu - 142.312
Sonata -135.898

Camry almost 30% higher than Sonata YTD and three others have sold more than the Sonata as well. I don't any of these so I really don't care who has the most sales.......because that does not make something better, just more popular.

schdy

I said made in America! The Camry is not made in America. And I believe some of the others are made in Canada,Japan or Mexico like the Ford Fusion/Mexico. The Sonata is built in a new plant in Alabama. This was a quiz question on TV back in May of this year. Therefore your numbers do not apply.

m6user

Guess you got the quiz question wrong. Where have you been for the past twenty years or so? Do you ever check anything before you post?

"Originally known as Toyota Motor Manufacturing USA, TMMK was established in 1986 (the first wholly owned Toyota manufacturing plant in the U.S.) and is Toyota's largest manufacturing facility outside of Japan. It began production in May 1988,[1] building the 1989 model 4-cylinder Camry. In the beginning, the engines were shipped from Japan; however, an on-site engine plant was added in 1990. It presently builds the Avalon sedan, Camry sedan, and Venza crossover."

The numbers apply just fine.

The Camry is and has not only been made in the US for a long time but the percentage of US content is much higher than the Sonata.

Also the Altima:
"Located in Smyrna, Tennessee, NNA's first U.S. manufacturing operation is widely recognized as one of the most productive vehicle assembly plants in the world. The Smyrna plant, which covers 5.2 million square feet, has the capacity to produce 500,000 vehicles annually. The plant produces the Nissan Altima and Maxima sedans, the Xterra and Pathfinder SUVs, and the Frontier truck."

schdy

Maybe you should check your numbers before you are critical of another poster. And I didn't get the quiz wrong. I was a viewer when the question was asked and answered as I said. SONATA!
I suggest you go to this link:
http://ca.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20060926170842AAu60PA

bamacar

Link appears to be a bunch of mostly ignorant people having a conversation 5 years ago. The vast majority of Camrys are made in the USA and have been for 20 years. It is the number one selling car in the US with much greater US content than Sonata.

m6user

Well, my figures were from the WSJ....still waiting for some valid figures from you. I suppose I'm wrong about the Camry and Altima being made in the US too? I'm sure the folks in Kentucky and Tennesee would be shocked to know their huge auto manufacturing plants are just a figment of their imagination.

You should read something other than your Sonata owners manual and watch quiz shows for your information.

schdy

For potential Hyundai purchasers I think you may find more info here than the WSJ:

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2011/05/top-10-best-selling-cars-april-2011.h- tml

tenpin288

or this for a more up to date take...

http://blogs.cars.com/kickingtires/2011/09/top-10-best-selling-cars-august-2011.- html

m6user

I don't know why would link those numbers which show the Sonata as #10 and the Camry as #2 in sales and secondly why would you go back to an April number when August is readily available. I referenced YTD numbers as one month blips can be attributed to promotions or availability. In fact, if you remember there was a little earthquake and sunami in Japan earlier this year which cut production of even US made cars because certain parts weren't available. This affected Camry, Accord and to some degree Altima sales as they had to lower production and didn't have enough inventory. Still, the Sonata didn't surpass them in sales.

I have said not one word in detriment to the Sonata...it's a great car. I simply corrected you when you stated that the Sonata was the "largest" selling car in the US and that the Camry was not made in the US. I know you don't like to be corrected and consider any question of your outlandish statements as affronts to the Sonata itself but I assure you I have not said one bad word about the Sonata and I would love to see you prove differently.

schdy

you stated that the Sonata was the "largest" selling car in the US and
Again you misquoted me! I'll say it again:
2011 Sonata is the largest selling car made in America!

I know there are other cars such as the Camry outselling the Sonata here but most Camry's are not made in America. If 200,000 Camrys are sold in America and 1/2 are made in America then 100,000 American made Camry's have been sold here in America.
If 170,000 Sonatas are sold in America and 3/4 of them are built in America then 127,000 Sonatas sold in America were made here. Can I be any clearer.
And please don't hold me to the above numbers as I used them as an example for you to better understand my statement. 2011 Sonata's made in America is outselling all other cars made in America as of 5/31/2011. Let's not get into semantics.

m6user

I believe that all Accords sold in the US are made in Marysville, Ohio. They also are ahead in sales YTD vs. the Sonata. So, how does that jive with your statment.

schdy

You believe or you know?

rick2456

You are comparing apples and oranges. What really matters is the warranty. Toyota's warranty sucks compared to Hyundai. Additionally, the camry has had far more problems in the recent past than the sonata..namely runaway acceleration. Camry's are fine, but if a manufacturer isn't willing to stand behind their product, I am not going to buy from them. Hyundai and Kia have set the standard, and no other car companies are even close.

schdy

I'm on your side! I was just making a point that Hyundai has been surging in the past several years and soon to become one of the top 3.

poodog13

Let's not get into semantics

Yes, why would we want facts to get in the way of a good arguement.

schdy

Because facts are figures and I'm sure you heard that accountant story" figures lie and liars figure"

Sandman6472

It was proved awhile ago that it was driver error that caused the acceleration problem with Toyotas, not the car itself. Someone please let me know if this is true, as I'm sure I read this in one of my car magazines. Just want to make sure that the right information is being discussed here.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

fushigi

Proved? I would say it was "reported" or "we were told" that driver error was the problem. Which I would easily believe if it were an isolated event or if there were, say, fewer than ten instances of it happening. But there were dozens and dozens and dozens of complaints.

To me it is simply a little hard to believe that with millions of cars on the road from dozens of automakers, only Toyota has drivers incompetent enough to have driver-induced UA issues within a relatively short time. Doesn't that sound at least a little suspicious to you? Especially considering that every other automaker who has ever had UA problems - Audi, Ford, etc. - has had it traced to faults in the vehicles.

Also, why NASA scientists to analyze it? They aren't automotive engineers. Smart people? Sure. But this isn't their field. That's like asking your doctor for tax advice. He may be a brilliant physician but isn't qualified to interpret tax law any more than the average consumer.

I'm not normally a conspiracy theorist (seriously, I'm not), but the whole thing just stank of coverup.

kco007

runaway acceleration? that is hear say. they were cleared by the nasa.

Kirstie_H

A reporter is looking to interview recent first-time Hyundai buyers who would consider buying another Hyundai down the road, based on their experience with the brand so far. Please email your make, model and daytime contact info to pr@edmunds.com by September 13, 2011.

rdillier

Anybody know when the 2013 Sonata or Elantra is scheduled to appear? I'm looking to pick up a 2012 in the year-end sales. Thanks, everybody. Bob D.

LASHAWN

Next year, no earlier than August. If you want a 2012 at year end sales(model year end that is) than your're gonna be waiting awhile.

rdillier

LaShawn: Thanks for the info. May try to bump this up to end of the 2011 calendar year. Bob D.

chihuahua3

tHEY GAVE ME A NEW ONE CAUSE I HAD WAITED 1 MONTH AND CAR WASNT FIXED COULDNT GET PARTS SO THEY JUST GAVE ME A NEW ONE.i ONLY HAD DRIVEN THE FIRST ONE FOR 6 DAYS AND IT WAS IN GETTING FIXED 2 TIMES OUT OF THE 6 DAYS AND THEN IT WAS 1 MONTH AND NOT FIXED I SAID I WANTED A NEW ONE.iAM PAYING FOR IT AND NO CAR,tHIS ONE DOES THE SAME THING AND THEY SAY IT IS NORMAL.mY CAR STAYS OUTSIDE ALL THE TIME AND IA M SO LOOKING FORWARD TO RAIN CAUSE I KNOW THAT THE TRACK WILL NOT HOLD ALL THE WATER THAT COMES IN AND THE CAR WILL BE WET.iN A LITTLE RAIN STORM THERE IS LOTS OF WATER BUT OUTSIDE IN BC ALL WINTER I CAN SEE A PROBLEM COMING LIKE THE LAST ONE ..