2011 Hyundai Sonata

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  • hjc1hjc1 Member Posts: 183
    I also have a Limited and completed a 4300 mile trip from Wisconsin to California. I also got great mileage (33.6 mpg using mileage and gas purchsed) I found the seats GREAT no problems at all. I think it's almost impossible to build a seat that fits all people.......... Good luck with that charger
  • denp3denp3 Member Posts: 99
    I agree. I also have a Limited and find the seats fine. Maybe mprs4me needs to adjust the drivers seat a little different.
  • LASHAWNLASHAWN Member Posts: 303
    Dude I work at a Ford Dealer, but I own a Hyundai Sonata. Thank you very much.
  • benjaminhbenjaminh Member Posts: 6,633
    edited November 2011
    Remember about 3 years ago when the good but bland Sonata could only be sold with rebates of around $2000. Now Hyundai is selling every Sonata they can make without any rebate at all. That equals big profits. How big? Looks like they beat Toyota....

    My guess is that Hyundai will start soon on their second US factory. They could pay for the whole thing out of the profits of this quarter alone...

    Bloomberg
    Hyundai Motor Profit Increases 21%, Helped by Sonata Sales
    October 27, 2011, 4:05 AM EDT

    By Rose Kim

    (Updates with investor’s comment in fourth paragraph.)

    Oct. 27 (Bloomberg) -- Hyundai Motor Co., South Korea’s largest maker of automobiles, reported third-quarter profit rose 21 percent, helped by sales of Sonata sedans and Tucson sport- utility vehicles.

    Net income climbed to 1.92 trillion won ($1.7 billion) in the three months ended Sept. 30, compared with 1.59 trillion won a year earlier, the Seoul-based company said in a statement today. The company was projected to report profit of 1.89 trillion won, based on the average estimate of seven analysts surveyed by Bloomberg.

    Chief Financial Officer Lee Won Hee said Hyundai Motor will probably sell more than 4 million vehicles this year as they crank up production from factories in markets such as China. The gains will probably lead Hyundai Motor to post record earnings this year and exceed profits generated by Japan’s Toyota Motor Corp., according to analyst estimates.

    “The earnings reaffirmed Hyundai’s outstanding competitiveness in overseas markets,” said Lee Jin Woo, senior fund manager at Seoul-based KTB Asset Management Co., which oversees $4.6 billion assets including Hyundai shares. “Industry demand may slow next year amid the global economic downturn but I still expect Hyundai to fare better than global rivals.”

    China Demand

    Hyundai Motor, whose shares have outperformed those of Toyota and Nissan Motor Co. this year, closed unchanged at 223,500 won today. The Kospi Index rose 1.5 percent.

    For the first nine months of the year, Hyundai sold 3 million vehicles and the company is likely to deliver more than 4 million units this year, Lee said. Hyundai had initially target sales of 3.9 million this year.

    In China, demand for mid-sized sedans surged, resulting in monthly Sonata sedan sales climbing above 10,000 for the first time in September. The company also boosted production in Russia, where Hyundai began manufacturing cars last year, after it started to build affiliate Kia Motors Corp.’s redesigned Rio, according to company data.

    Nine-month sales in China, the world’s biggest car market, rose 12 percent to 553,000 vehicles, the company said. The company delivered about 510,000 vehicles in Korea, up 7.3 percent, it said.

    U.S. sales rose by 20 percent for the first 9 months of 2011, while in Europe, Hyundai’s sales increased 9.4 percent during the first three quarters, it said.
    2018 Acura TLX 2.4 Tech 4WS (mine), 2024 Subaru Outback (wife's), 2018 Honda CR-V EX (offspring)
  • rkouchirkouchi Member Posts: 2
    My 2011 Sonata some how has lost 4-5 quarts of oil. They are blaming me because I missed an oil change. 16,000 miles and a blown engine. Now they have cancelled my warranty and will not pay for a rental car. I asked them why there is not oil level indicator light? With that simple devise I would have gotten a warning and then I could have topped off my car with a quart of oil. They say that the bottom line is that I forgot to change the oil. Therefore I am responsible for all of the car's problems. A brand new car burning 5-6 quarts of oil over 5,000 miles.
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    The Sonata has a low oil pressure light (the dripping oil can light.) It will illuminate if the oil level is low. Page 4-57 of the owner's manual.

    Hyundai is notorious for not honoring the powertrain warranty if they see any sign that the oil was not changed in accordance with the service intervals in the manual.

    My 2011 Sonata's oil level hardly changes over the course of 4,000 miles between changes. I make sure to check it every 2-3 weeks (something I have done in every car I have ever owned.) My car has 21,500 miles on it at this point and will be going in for its 6th oil change soon.

    Losing all 4.86qts of oil from the engine makes no sense. How long has it been since your last oil change? Did you notice any leaks under the car, or blue smoke coming out of the exhaust? Did you smell the oil burning? Was the engine running hot?

    The car is designed to go 7,500 miles between oil changes under "normal" driving conditions. If you greatly exceeded the 7,500 mile window and this happened, I could see Hyundai's feathers being ruffled. However if it was less than 7,500 miles then I would demand for a Hyundai engineer to come out and evaluate the engine before denying warranty coverage. Have you called Hyundai and opened a case with them?

    Something does not make sense here at all.
  • atlanticoneatlanticone Member Posts: 19
    Actually the largest Hyundai dealership in the United States for the last 12 years is Atlantic Hyundai in West Islip, NY (Long Island). They are followed by Newport Richey, FL then Brad Benson comes in at #3. Brad Benson became #1 for one month in 2009 during clunkers when they did not participate in the program and everyone was out of cars.
  • crankeeecrankeee Member Posts: 298
    ryster: I agree with checking the oil periodically with the dipstick. Same issue comes up on other brands and owners complain they were not warned by the car. The oil life indicators cause lots of confusion.
    Hopefully Hyundai will not get a reputation for wiggling out of their great warranty because the market will punish them. However, certain owners and bashers on these sites seem determined to undermine the brand for other reasons. We saw that big time on the Buick forum.
    Our 2012 Sonata will go in for oil change at 3000 first time and 3-5000 after that depending on service. tires need rotation every 5000 so that may be the plan. We feel that a car is a BIG expenditure that needs owner involvement and commitment in maintaining the operation and the warranty coverage.
  • moontrainmoontrain Member Posts: 83
    I check my oil in all my cars once a week. I have a 2005 Elantra, 2005 Sonata GLS and a 2011 Limited. I have had NO problems with any of my cars. Hyundai makes a great car.
  • zolte77zolte77 Member Posts: 12
    I purchased a 2011 Hyundai Sonata last May 2011, and it has been a complete nightmare dealing with Hyundai since then. The car first had problems at 4000 miles. The suspension had strange sounds, and it took them 2 months to fix it. Originally, they claimed I was imaging the sounds. I had to file 4 complaints to their corporate office to get the dealership to fix it. I got the car back in mid October, hoping that all the problems were gone. Unfortunately, early this month, another problem happened. The car had loud sounds when turning. Hyundai once again denied I had problems. I had to take it in twice, before one of their mechanics agreed with me that the car was making sounds. Now, they claim the control arm and crossmember assembly is damaged, and that it is not included under warranty. They quoted me $1400 to fix it! I told them that these parts are under warranty. They claim that this damage happened by driving on rough freeways, and therefore Hyundai is not responsible. I filed another complaint with Hyundai Corporate Office last week. They got back to me. They don't want to cover it. I told them, your parts are defective. I drive this car to work daily, and if the car is so delicate it can be driven on freeways, then Hyundai is lying to the public about its product. I filed a complaint with the New Vehicle Motor Board last week, and submitted a claim to the BBB Auto Line. The New Vehical Motor Board was not surprised at my complaint. They told me that get many complaints on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I read somewhere that the BBB Auto Line is a complete joke and waste of time. Right now, I just want to get rid of this car. It is a complete lemon, and Hyundai Service is awful. It is unfortunate I lost so much money since they car is already paid for. I can't believe the car is less than 7 months old and so many problems.
  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    SIGH....what did you leave out in your narrative about a damaged crossmember (one of the most structurally robust car parts as it retains the engine/transaxle assembly. Same for the control arms) In all my years of driving and dealing with automobiles those parts are almost never damaged except when the car is involved in: A.) an accident, and a bad one at that. and B.) when someone runs over that odd truck tire/wheel, muffler or other bits of auto/truck cast-off in the travel lane of any highway. So, what did you run over?? Oh, there is the odd "rusted out" crossmember on various brands that got that way due to a design flaw compounded by poor winter car clean-up to remove salt and other corrosives. As for the "many complaints " I suspect most of those (I will have to check on exactly how many is MANY!! ) refer to the left pull issue that certain 2011 Sonatas exibited. So, in short to have a crossmember/control arm become damaged in "normal" use is pretty rare....read non-existent for the most part.
  • LASHAWNLASHAWN Member Posts: 303
    That's exactly what I was thinking. For the crossmember to be damaged he had to have hit something in the road and doesn't want to own up to it. I've worked with Hyundai, GM, Volkswagen, Suzuki and Toyota and have never seen one of those vehicles come in with a damaged crossmember that the warrant paid for. He's just gonna have to own up to it and either pay to fix it or get rid of the car.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    FWIW, I had a bad control arm on my Hyundai a few years back... an Elantra. Also it had a shredded alloy wheel--but miraculously the tire was still inflated. This happened when my DW ran head-on at about 30 mph into a curb, which she didn't see because of a blizzard that covered it up.

    There was other damage too. But (and this may be helpful to the OP)... the damage was covered (after deductible) by my auto insurance, as it was an "accident". So if this damaged cross-member and control arm was really damaged on the road, auto insurance may cover it. I think my insurance company treated it as a "non-chargeable" accident, but it was so long ago I don't recall.
  • podinmasspodinmass Member Posts: 1
    edited March 2012
    I have had my 2011 Sonata for 14 months and started complaining about it after a month and a half. I too have had the car in for service 6 times, had it seen by Service Directors, complained to the president of the dealership, complained to regional managers, etc. I finally wrote to the BBB and the dealer finally called me and said the Regional Manager was going to test drive my car. Today was the day of that test drive and the guy says there is nothing wrong with the car. It drove as it was designed to. I was hoping to either switch cars or get my money back, but it was clear that was not going to happen. What advice might you have for me as to what I should do next. This guy alluded to the fact that he had been through 7 arbitrations and had won six of them. I was left feeling like this would be a waste of time because Hyundai will probably win and I'll be left with an undriveable car that I don't know what to do with. I'm not sure what state you're from, but I bought my car in NH and would like to know what state you won you're arbitration in. I'm so frustrated at the fact that they refuse to acknowledge this problem. Help!
  • autokritikerautokritiker Member Posts: 65
    Me too! I've been to the dealer like 10 times, I spoke to 2 master technicians, 3 service writers, the service manager, the sales manager, the finance manager, and even the dealership owner. After thoroughly wasting everyone's time with my non-existent problem, I called the Hyundai district rep to complain about this horrible experience, and I assured him that my next car will be a Toyota. I'm visit numerous automotive forums to make sure everyone knows I'm willing to lose $7,000 by trading my 10 month old Sonata for a new Camry because the superior Toyota experience is definitely worth it.
  • hi_underhi_under Member Posts: 1
    I also have a problem with control arms on my 2011 Sonata.I have 30,000 miles on it (bought it in Oct/2010) and started hearing a load knocking coming from the back. Went to dealer for oil change and asked them to check it out, but they found nothing. Took a look myself and found the control arm on passenger side had shifted over on bushing and was hitting car frame.I managed to pry it back ,voila no noise. Went back to dealer and pointed out the problem and what I did,and they kept the car and I now have a rental courtesy of Hyundai for two weeks ,due to lack of parts. The control arm is cracked and the other one is to be replaced also due to "doesn't look right " was the term they used.Should get the car back April 1st or 2nd.So control arms do go...
  • jpix71jpix71 Member Posts: 3
    Please help!
    Several times now in the last few months the push button start seems faulty. In the past I used the "override" by putting the smart key in the console and it starts. But this morning it didn't work. I've read that some people are stating they take the car in and it's diagnosed with a faulty break switch, others say they replaced the battery in the smart key. I'm just wondering how common this issue is?
  • gary12gary12 Member Posts: 6
    Has the same problem last month. Would not start, used the key to get the transmission out of park into neutral. Hyundai sent out a tow truck to take it back to the dealer. They replaced the brake switch and I was on the road in about 45 minutes.
  • sparkyzfansparkyzfan Member Posts: 9
    I purchased a 2011 Sonata Limited brand new with only 26 miles on it and have absolutely loved it! Now, though, I have encountered a situation that I wonder if others have had. About 4 months ago my drivers side tail light assembly slid out of it's place.

    Further investigation revealed that all of the mounts on the light were either smashed or severed. There was no external damage apparent at all. All damage was to the inside portion of the light housing. There is a clear, sticky glue type stuff smeared all over the plastic that the metal mounting screws are (were) seated in. The whole tail light assembly is encased at the back with a foamy type material that has adhesive to adhere it to the actual plastic portion of the back of the light which makes the whole assembly self contained as long as the adhesive on the foamy stuff holds.

    I took the car to my local Hyundai dealer and the service tech said the damage was probably done by the people that fixed hail damage to my car (both tail lights had been removed at that time).

    The owner of the shop that did my hail damage repair said that A) if they had accidentally damaged it he would have just submitted it to insurance and gotten a new tail light. B) they do not even have the type of sticky icky glue that was on the mounts. C) He found evidence of "over spray" in the trunk area which he said could indicate that car had been damaged and then fixed before I bought it. The hail damage place did not repaint that area but did paint-less dent removal. The way the assembly is designed the hail damage folks could have removed the tail lights and not noticed a problem so long as the foamy stuff was still in place. So, if the damage had happened before I took it to the hail damage repair shop they may not have noticed any damage.

    Now I am the situation of having to eat the cost of fixing the tail lights. Yes, we did later find that two or three of the mounts on the passenger side tail light were also smashed just like the driver side light.

    This is what I am sure of:
    A. I did not do it.
    B. I don't want someone to have to pay for something that they did not cause.
    C. The CarFax for my car does not show any foul play.

    Unless someone out there has any knowledge to offer I am in the situation of Hyundai and the hail damage repair folks playing one against the other. I could try contacting some "higher-ups" at Hyundai, but, wanted more facts before I do that. Thanx in advance for your help.
  • fushigifushigi Member Posts: 1,459
    I've no advice to offer; only a thought on how the damage occurred.

    I'll suggest that your car might have been damaged as part of the shipping/delivery process from the factory to the dealer. The receiving dealer or possibly the delivery carrier had it repaired but the shop they used did a sub-standard job.

    The foaming adhesive sounds a little like Gorilla Glue.

    I've seen it before where fronts & rears of new cars had, for instance, their hoods pinched because of the way the vehicles were loaded on car carriers. In one case I was looking at fresh off-the-truck cars in the rear of a dealership lot. The salesman said they'd just replace the hood before putting the car on sale. So it happens. Uneven load heights, overly close packing, and jostling while in transit could easily cause something to impact the car & break the light housings. Perhaps your car simply wasn't sufficiently ratcheted down once loaded on the truck.

    But, I'm not a dealer nor do I work in either the auto or insurance biz. Just another consumer. Best of luck to you & let us know how it turns out.
    2017 Infiniti QX60 (me), 2012 Hyundai Elantra (wife)
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    If the shop that did the repairs took out the whole rear lighting units and didn't notify you that there was problem I would be suspicious that they screwed up. If someone is in the business of that kind of repair and takes out rear lights routinely it should have been obvious to them. A responsible shop, not wanting to get blamed for damaging something they didn't, would have called you IMO. If you have had no work by anyone else since that shop had the lights out how could they explain not calling you and saying "hey we took you're lights out and they were all smashed inside with a bunch of gunk holding them in, do you want us to just stick them back in?"
  • datagendatagen Member Posts: 107
    Being a transportation traffic manager, damage like this happens all the time while things are in transit. The one thing that bothers me about all of this is the dealerships. In truth I do not like them so you know when it comes to trust, it isn’t there with me. By law we are forced to deal with them because we cannot buy directly from the manufacturer. Knowing they have cornered the market in that area, the only competition is amongst themselves, which in truth is more like a partnership.

    It would seem to me there would be a budget to cover things of your nature. Do we have to go to the media every time we are treated in such a way? Is that the only language dealers understand? I bought a 2011 Sonata Turbo last year and so far so good. It has been in for some minor work but over all I love the car. I guess I am a man of extremes. I also just purchased a 2012 Cadillac CTS Coupe. I just did a test drive paper on the CTS. I am working on a paper on my first year with the Sonata. I will send you the link once I am finish to pass along my take on the vehicle. :shades:
  • denp3denp3 Member Posts: 99
    edited June 2012
    Recently I started to have the same problem. Today I pushed the brake pedal by hand and moved the button on the brake switch and it would start. So, Monday I will request the dealer change the switch. I only have 15000 mile on it.
  • zolte77zolte77 Member Posts: 12
    I had not posted on this site for awhile since when I did back in March some of the replies I got were not exactly positive stating they couldn't understand how my ctrl arm assembly went bad without me hitting something. The fact of the matter is that I didn't hit anything. I did get them replaced but Hyundai didn't replace them (stated that it was not covered under warranty) and I had to pay out my own pocket. It has been a complete nightmare since I got the car last year in May 2011. I have had 6 problems in 1 year ranging from a creaking sound in Sept/Oct 2011 to the bad ctrl arm assembly to now a buzzing sound and vinly peeling off from the interior door panel. Back in Feb/March of this year, I filed a complaint with BBB Auto Line. They are a complete joke. They don't do anything other than forward documents that I had already forwarded to Hyundai. Then the Hyundai Service Rep for the region called me stating that they would not offer me anything in arbitration because the car had been fixed and that they were not responsible for a ctrl arm assembly, etc. I did not go through with arbitration, I cancelled it. Now the buzzing sound, the Hyundai dealer can't figure out what is the source of the sound... They are dragging on the process and need to call an engineer to look at it... I will give them to the end of this week to resolve this problem. I know many of you had problems with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I suggest to file complaints via the New Vehicle Motor Board for your state. Hyundai Customer Service complaints go no where... As I found out the hard way last fall 2011 and this Feb/March 2011. I fully paid for the car last May 2011, and right now I just want to return it. Hyundai should be responsible for their defective cars... :(
  • zolte77zolte77 Member Posts: 12
    I had not posted on this site for awhile since when I did back in March some of the replies I got were not exactly positive stating they couldn't understand how my ctrl arm assembly went bad without me hitting something. The fact of the matter is that I didn't hit anything. I did get them replaced but Hyundai didn't replace them (stated that it was not covered under warranty) and I had to pay out my own pocket. It has been a complete nightmare since I got the car last year in May 2011. I have had 6 problems in 1 year ranging from a creaking sound in Sept/Oct 2011 to the bad ctrl arm assembly to now a buzzing sound and vinly peeling off from the interior door panel. Back in Feb/March of this year, I filed a complaint with BBB Auto Line. They are a complete joke. They don't do anything other than forward documents that I had already forwarded to Hyundai. Then the Hyundai Service Rep for the region called me stating that they would not offer me anything in arbitration because the car had been fixed and that they were not responsible for a ctrl arm assembly, etc. I did not go through with arbitration, I cancelled it. Now the buzzing sound, the Hyundai dealer can't figure out what is the source of the sound... They are dragging on the process and need to call an engineer to look at it... I will give them to the end of this week to resolve this problem. I know many of you had problems with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I suggest to file complaints via the New Vehicle Motor Board for your state. Hyundai Customer Service complaints go no where... As I found out the hard way last fall 2011 and this Feb/March 2011. I fully paid for the car last May 2011, and right now I just want to return it. Hyundai should be responsible for their defective cars... :(
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    Sorry to hear of your ordeal. You are not alone. I purchased my 2011 Sonata back in May of 2010. 2yrs and 30,000 miles later I am ready to dump the car. Way too many build quality issues that are starting to drive me mad. Of course, now the car needs all new tires and I am not wild about putting $500 into a car I don't like.

    Hang in there. Make Hyundai replace the peeling door panel and fix the buzzing noise. The only way to hold them responsible is to make them honor their "industry leading" warranty.
  • datagendatagen Member Posts: 107
    Agreed, I too have a Sonata. Even though mine I would praise right now. Based upon my previous experience with other vehicles, I am amazed when one truly works and runs well over time. So it does not surprise me of what has been happening and many times I am just paranoid waiting for the other shoe to fall off. Out of the many cars I have owned, the ones I really praise would not fill up my hand right. My Sonata, Focus & CTS are on the trial table at this time. I have had the Sonata a year and so far so good. With that so-called twin turbo direct inject(Korean version of EcoBoost or is that EcoBust, I always get those mixed up) and light body, it can be a ticket getter.

    I guess what frustrates me more about all of this is that if I was lack in maintenance or just dogged my cars out, I would not have a leg to stand on. But if they even sneeze, I checks them out and get what needs to be done done.

    Even though I know there have been great improvement and a raise of the standards of quality from past years, so has the price. We work way to hard to put up with anything substandard. I guess that is why I like the leasing plan. I can get rid of the thing quickly when I want to and move on to something else (no trying to sell it etc). After my stretch on the lease if I am satisfied with the car (very few times) I will purchase it even though it may cost me more in the long run. This seems to have worked for me. I refuse to have any vehicle on my property that is not running properly and road worthy. If it wont start, I’m calling somebody, even if it is just AAA. :shades:
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    Own a '11 6MT Sonata, bought new 7/26/10. We traded our 05 elantra GT with 100k+ miles. So far the sonata has been problem free with 30k+ miles.
  • pegasus17pegasus17 Member Posts: 536
    I have a 2011 Sonata GLS w/PEP leased new in April 2010 (build date was march 2010); only 15000 miles to date. Mx items: steering recall software update, AT recall software update, power window switch replaced on driver's side door panel. That's it. Things I don't like include road noise (sometimes), radio display LCD goes very dim when warm, too many rattles from the plastic-on-plastic areas. Driveability is excellent, MPG decent. Love to use the manual feature of the AT when not in a grandpa mode. Tough choice to make when the lease is up.
  • sparkyzfansparkyzfan Member Posts: 9
    Thanx for the reply m6user. The way the lights are constructed if the body shop was careful when they removed the lights they would not have even noticed a problem. All damage was internal and not visible until you peel back the inner covering. It was only when the inner covering failed that I knew there was damage months after the body shop had finished.
  • sparkyzfansparkyzfan Member Posts: 9
    Thanx for the reply datagen. I agree there needs to be something in place to better manage customer service. Other than this one issue I have been very happy with my Sonata.
  • sparkyzfansparkyzfan Member Posts: 9
    Thanx for the reply fushigi. I still don't know the source of the damage but did get a new pair of tail light assemblies from the local junk yard. A little cheaper than ordering from Hyundai and I feel a bit better knowing that Hundai did not directly profit from a problem either they or the dealer may have caused.

    2 interesting things...the broken tail lights had markings on them similar to the chalk pencil used in junkyards. One actually was marked with an x with a circle around it as if it had been marked to NOT be used. The other thing was the "New" lights did not have that goopy glue on them at all, so, someone somewhere was trying to cover up a boo boo. I took lots of pics of lights and still have the lights themselves... on the bright side I have plenty of spares if I burn out a tail light. ;)
  • zolte77zolte77 Member Posts: 12
    Thanks for your reply. For a minute there, I thought I was the only one experiencing problems with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. That's what one feels when you approach Hyundai about problems with their 2011 Sonata. They make you feel like you are imaging things. For those of you that haven't had any problems with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata consider yourself lucky.
    Currently, I am waiting for the Service Manager for the dealership I am working with to schedule an appt with the Hyundai District Manager for my area. They seem to be dragging on the process. They still don't want to replace the fuel pump which is causing the buzzing noise and nor repair the door panel vinyl. In the last few weeks, I have done some research and I found a website which has consumer reports from the NHTSA (Natl Highway Transportation Safety Admin) that lists 465 complaints against the 2011 Hyundai Sonata to date. Some of them have not been resolved. The link is http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2011/hyundai/sonata/
    When you point out such information to Hyundai, they tell that their car has no problems. They are in denial.
    One year later, I am completely dissappointed in Hyundai. They have not treated me well, and have made owning this car a nightmare. It is my hope they fix these two problems this coming week. I will wait and see what happens this week.
  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    I am one of those who originally doubted suspension damage without hitting something. I see that you have updated and that you have had the broken part replaced by an independent garage rather than Hyundai because they wouldn't warranty it. So, since now that you have the damaged part in hand I guess you took it your dealer and plopped it down on the service counter pointing out the exact manner of damage to the service manager? I believe any competent service person should be able to examine the damage and easily determine why it happened. If it could be determined upon closer examination Hyundai was at fault by some manufacturing or assembly process then you have another shot at recovering your out-of-pocket costs. Further, I wonder why you didn't choose Hyundai to replace the part even though it was not covered under warranty.? At least then you would have had the chance of their service techs taking things apart and maybe finding answers to your problem within other areas or components = warranty claim. You seem to have more than your share of repairs to the car and I wonder......?
  • zolte77zolte77 Member Posts: 12
    Thanks for your reply. I went with a separate garage because I was treated very badly by that dealership. I did not want to deal with them anymore. I filed a complaint through Hyundai corporate and they didn't help me. They told me that regardless of whatever Hyundai dealer I went to, Hyundai corporate would not approve replacement or getting costs back. I even had my insurance company (AAA) inspect the car and determined I did not hit anything.
    You seem to doubt my problems with my 2011 Hyundai Sonata, but they are indeed real. I wonder why you wonder since problems in cars do exist. My point is Hyundai needs to realize this car has had problems since Fall 2011, and these problems are not normal for a new car. I had my Nissan Sentra before this car. I didn't have any mjr problems until I got 100000 miles. I traded the car in at 175,000 miles. This Sonata started having problems at 4000 miles.
    I have filed a complaint with the New Vehicle Motor Board in my state just days ago. It is my hope that this new dealership I am working with will resolve the two most recent problems quickly.
  • datagendatagen Member Posts: 107
    I had a problem in a similar manner with another dealership. Here is what I did.

    • Had the problem fixed by a highly reputable auto repair services.
    • On the invoice I made sure they put down exactly what was wrong and how they came about to that conclusion
    • Made additional copies of the invoice
    • Wrote a letter stating I am filing a formal complaint with the reasons stated as well.
    • Along with copies of the invoice, took pictures of the broken part and incorporated them in the letter as well.
    • Purchased a domain and put the letter on the Web
    • Insured the letter was CC to the BBB, the Complaints Division of the manufacture, Auto Complaints Office of the state and the State Attorney General

    Within 15-20 days I received a call from the dealership to visit themAlong with a letter of apology, I received the following:
    o The cost for the repair at the other auto repair service
    o The cost of transportation to and from the other auto repair service and their dealership
    o An extra $150 bucks for my time involving the whole manner

    This was everything I had requested in the letter. I was surprise on the speed. I was not expecting anything for at least a year. I recommend a similar fashion approach. Remember, being the good consumer does not do anything for you but gets you screwed. You have to be the squeaky wheel drawing the attention of others in order to get something done.
  • pegasus17pegasus17 Member Posts: 536
    edited June 2012
    REF: 5270
    My hat is off to you, sir. That is a great story. I copied your post so i can use it if the need arises. My sister recently got ripped off on a pair of orthotics and i am trying to help her get a partial refund. Your web site idea has me thinking; how much did the domain route cost you?
  • zolte77zolte77 Member Posts: 12
    Thanks for the reply and info. I just heard from the dealership after I wrote a long email to the one of the higher ups in the dealership. It seems that now the Hyundai District Manager is available tomorrow afternoon to meet me. She still does not believe that the fuel pump needs replacement. According to Hyundai all fuel pumps make noise. We will see what happens tomorrow. I have made myself clear to them, all I want is them to fix the current problems quickly. Your strategy to get a response though is great. I will keep that in mind.
  • datagendatagen Member Posts: 107
    10 bucks and since I am a computer Nerd, it was easy setting it all up.
  • zolte77zolte77 Member Posts: 12
    Met with Hyundai District Manager at dealership. We test drove my 2011 Hyundai Sonata and then another 2011 Hyundai Sonata (same model & powetrain). My car has 15000 miles on it and the car they picked from the dealership lot had 20000 miles on it. The Service Manager for the dealership also came along. The slight humming noise was noticed for a few seconds 2 of the 6 stops she did with my car on the road. Both of them remained quiet while I explained why this is not normal for a car. They claimed that the other 2011 Hyundai Sonata from the dealership we would drive next would also sound the same way. It didn't! It actually was many times quieter than my car and didn't have a humming sound or noise. I told them that was odd. A car with 20000 miles, more miles than my car is quieter and no noise! They didn't know how to respond to my statement. I told them I had several recordings on my iphone from my car with the humming noise. She agreed to have me email them the sound files and she would forward it to the engineering the dept at Hyundai. It might take several weeks from them to contact me with a decision. As far the tear on the vinyl, they agreed to repair it free of charge. I still think Hyundai is dragging this process on way too long for the humming noise/fuel pump. They are in denial about all the problems their Hyundai Sonata's currently have. They make consumers like myself think we are imaging things.
    As a consumer, I deserve respect from Hyundai. I paid for the car completely in May 2011 with the confidence that I was getting a quality car with a stellar warranty. A warranty they claim is the best in the industry. One year later, I am completely dissappointed in Hyundai and their product. There are hundred if not thousands of complaints out there on their 2011 and 2012 Hyundai Sonata's. I have documentation on all this. Hyundai can fix this only if they listen to their customers. They need to do this fast before the competition Nissan and Toyota take advantage of all these flaws in the 2011/2012 Hyundai Sonatas and come out with a model much better than the Sonata. I believe Nissan has one model coming out later this month. I sincerely hope Hyundai can correct all the problems with my car promptly. The paper trail I have accumulated over the past 12 months is extremely detailed. They know that. I will see what happens as they fix the vinyl problem and then make a decision on the humming noise/fuel pump.
  • zolte77zolte77 Member Posts: 12
    Met with Hyundai District Manager at dealership. We test drove my 2011 Hyundai Sonata and then another 2011 Hyundai Sonata (same model & powetrain). My car has 15000 miles on it and the car they picked from the dealership lot had 20000 miles on it. The Service Manager for the dealership also came along. The slight humming noise was noticed for a few seconds 2 of the 6 stops she did with my car on the road. Both of them remained quiet while I explained why this is not normal for a car. They claimed that the other 2011 Hyundai Sonata from the dealership we would drive next would also sound the same way. It didn't! It actually was many times quieter than my car and didn't have a humming sound or noise. I told them that was odd. A car with 20000 miles, more miles than my car is quieter and no noise! They didn't know how to respond to my statement. I told them I had several recordings on my iphone from my car with the humming noise. She agreed to have me email them the sound files and she would forward it to the engineering the dept at Hyundai. It might take several weeks from them to contact me with a decision. As far the tear on the vinyl, they agreed to repair it free of charge. I still think Hyundai is dragging this process on way too long for the humming noise/fuel pump. They are in denial about all the problems their Hyundai Sonata's currently have. They make consumers like myself think we are imaging things.
    As a consumer, I deserve respect from Hyundai. I paid for the car completely in May 2011 with the confidence that I was getting a quality car with a stellar warranty. A warranty they claim is the best in the industry. One year later, I am completely dissappointed in Hyundai and their product. There are hundred if not thousands of complaints out there on their 2011 and 2012 Hyundai Sonata's. I have documentation on all this. Hyundai can fix this only if they listen to their customers. They need to do this fast before the competition Nissan and Toyota take advantage of all these flaws in the 2011/2012 Hyundai Sonatas and come out with a model much better than the Sonata. I believe Nissan has one model coming out later this month. I sincerely hope Hyundai can correct all the problems with my car promptly. The paper trail I have accumulated over the past 12 months is extremely detailed. They know that. I will see what happens as they fix the vinyl problem and then make a decision on the humming noise/fuel pump.
  • datagendatagen Member Posts: 107
    I am sorry to say we live in a double standards society. They were very respectful in selling you the car and taking your money. Will they be just as respectful with you returning the car and getting your money back? I have heard that humming noise from other owners and mine probable does it as well (but the radio and my warp driving takes care of that). I wonder if they swapped tires how it would act.
  • zolte77zolte77 Member Posts: 12
    They won't give me my money back. I tried that last Fall 2011 and went to the BBB Auto Line (which is a joke in my state). One of the district managers at Hyundai called me shortly thereafter to tell me that as long as they fix the car and its drivable, the car is not a lemon. That they would not offer me anything in arbitration. After that phone call, I cancelled BBB Auto Line complaint. I feel awful about the money I have lost already. The time I have to take from my schedule to go to the dealership.
    In my state the lemon law states it has to be exact same problem over a period of 6 months. This car has had 4 different problems so far... kinda doesn't fit that lemon law according to them...
    The New Vehicle Motor Board complaint I filed last week, Hyundai corporate has not responded to yet. :(
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    Sounds like their plan to "prove" your issue was normal backfired on them. That alone is a vindication of sorts. Good for you! :D Make sure you follow up at regular intervals for a status update on the resolution. Now that they have identified a problem, they shouldn't expect you to wait several weeks for a repair. Granted, your car is currently functional but that doesn't excuse them from fixing a known non-conformance in a timely fashion.

    I frequently wish I could get a Hyundai engineer to ride with me for a day or two to experience the build quality issues I live with.

    I have heard from people in the car industry that customers who pay cash outright for new cars are treated differently than those who lease/finance cars. When a customer pays cash the only future revenue from that buyer is from paid service and maintenance work. The dealer loses out upfront on revenue from financing (as does the manufacturer when the purchase isn't financed/leased through their financing company.) Cash customers are actually lower revenue customers and get treated accordingly. Cash buyers can trade at any time and/or are less likely to buy another new car for several years. Cash customers also tend to use independent service shops rather than the dealer. People financing/leasing cars are more apt to be return customers several times over in the future, are higher profit customers, and are treated as such. Whether or not that is actually true, I have no idea. As far as I am concerned all customers should get the same level of service, but I have to wonder if some of this isn't happening here.
  • nordennorden Member Posts: 1
    I wonder if I can order a driver's side seat, made for a Sonata bound for England or Australia, and install it in my US Sonata passenger side??
    The manual height adjustment lever would be on the correct side.
  • eddiet2eddiet2 Member Posts: 1
    I just started having the same problem with my 2011 Sonata. What was the problem/cause?
  • 5193251932 Member Posts: 2
    I took my 2011 Sonata Ltd with just under 35k miles into the dealer today for an oil change and an inspection. I was concerned about the brakes as they have started to have an odd front end vibration when I brake at over 45mph. They told me I need front rotors and pads. It is going to cost $500 for pads and Hyundai rotors. It seems odd to me that both the rotors and pads would need replacing at 35k miles. Have you been able to find anything out from other sources about your issue?
  • pegasus17pegasus17 Member Posts: 536
    REF: 5281
    Seems early but not too early depending on your driving habits. Not sure if the OEM rotors can be turned to reduce/eliminate the vibration (classic worn rotor problem). Dealer price is very high at $500 but that is to be expected. If you have a private mechanic/shop i think you can get all that done for $300 or so with similar quality parts. Check out rockauto dot com for some competitive prices on rotors/pads (ceramic only). Parts estimate was $150 when i looked at it recently. Best of luck.
  • skampsskamps Member Posts: 1
    I just had my drivers side tail light replaced by the dealer. Same situation, it slid out of place. There was no sign of external damage to the car. It was covered under my warranty. It appears the plastic mounting screw area was broken. Thus the tail light was loose and hanging out a bit. Not sure what caused this. Bad plastic around the mount? Perhaps precipitated by the car wash or road vibration? Thankfully it was covered under warranty. I have around 30,000 miles on the car. I have noticed this problem showing up for others so I thought I would add my story as well.
  • lex350lex350 Member Posts: 2
    my light fell out on its on also, light doesnt has a scratch on it so i know it wasnt impact. i inspected interior of light and 4 plastic screw holes where metal screws go into are all cracked. I read other reviews online this is becoming common to other hyundai sonata owners at about after 30K miles. Go on Amazon order some cheap oem quality lights for your tails, I am sure the Chinese versions will be better than what came with the car. I Changing both because I am worried about the second tail light popping out on due time as others have mentioned. I want them both new ones to look the same just incase.
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