2011 Hyundai Sonata

saratoga3

I wanted to know if all trim levels pull left or only turbos? what about the LTD are they also having problems?

crkyolfrt

this was answered only a few posts back

petdogdfw

I have a Limited with approx 11K miles on it and it does not pull whatsoever. I can let go of the steering wheel and it tracks straight so it doesn't affect all Sonatas.

iseeit

UM; YEAH; I have a Brand new 2011 Sonata and I also bought one for my Daughter. We both are very happy with our cars and yeah, it doesn't take a genius to know that you shouldn't drive down the road with no hands one steering wheel and yeah; common sense can tell you that a lemon law would constitute you driving the vehicle how the law indicates, WITH 2 HANDS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. It's people like this that give a beautiful car like mine a bad name

iseeit

UM; YEAH; I have a Brand new 2011 Sonata and I also bought one for my Daughter. We both are very happy with our cars and yeah, it doesn't take a genius to know that you shouldn't drive down the road with no hands one steering wheel and yeah; common sense can tell you that a lemon law would constitute you driving the vehicle how the law indicates, WITH 2 HANDS ON THE STEERING WHEEL. It's people like this that give a beautiful car like mine a bad name

bamacar

Um; No; A car is supposed to track generally straight. The two hands are in place to be ready for a problem with another car, something to avoid, etc. The 2 hands are not placed there to be used to provide arm workouts and to be continually fighting the steering mechanism in one direction. If there is a problem, then Hyundai needs to make a fix, and nobody should be attempting to cover up a problem to try to secretly give their vehicle a good name.

Kirstie_H

Good points - with every vehicle produced, there will be a certain percentage that have issues. I have yet to see a vehicle produced that is 100% defect-free across all individual units.

What would give a good car a bad name is if the manufacturer refuses to acknowledge or fix a problem that SHOULD be fixed under warranty. More people get angry about that than they do about the actual problem.

alookman

Yes, its true that you will have a certain failure rate of components even in the most expensive vehicles, but persistent steering problem seems to be a design flaw that shouldnt exist in otherwise a very nice car.

My test drive of both GLS and SE pulled to the right and the saleman told me it was "engineered" to do so as part of safety feature. My brand new 2003 Accord also did the same but was fixed with a wheel alignment.

In coming April 2011 issue of the Consumer Report should yield a more accurate picture of the Sonata's reliability and areas of concern.

crkyolfrt

That statement, is predicated upon two assumptions.
First, that a very informative and credible sounding post just last week, is true. That poster stated that a few techs right from Korea were flown over to put hands-on the car(s) in question. (I assume they had more than one car that pulled ready for their scrutiny).
Second, that they have ruled out all of the components of the electrically assisted power steering.

Those Korean techs found that some struts were incorrectly drilled for the correct orientation within the shock tower mounting area. THIS scenario is so totally and absolutely believable, because as I have already mentioned, because the strut is placed in the car at an angle, it has a very distinct range of adjustment that affect both camber and caster. Camber and caster are terms that you will find car alignment shops using. These angles affect the angle at which the tire and wheel assembly is perpendicular to the road.

But as someone mentioned earlier which I do not agree with, are two things. First, is the difficulty in determining which cars have these incorrectly drilled struts. There is no reason that would be hard to do, simply by using the VIN.
What Hyundai SHOULD do, is tell all their dealers of customers who complain of a pull to the left in both turbo and non-turbo cars, is to use a jig that Hyundai could provide to their dealers. It could be as simple as a measurement taken from a common orientation place, or even a paper jig that could be sent by email and printed out. Line it up, if the holes don't jive, replace that faulty strut on the spot with one of the pre-shipped struts so that the dealer doesn't even have to keep the customer waiting.

And the second thing I don't agree with is why, with VIN numbers and build dates, they couldn't issue a recall for those specific cars built with that faulty line of struts.

The only reasons this could turn out to be more complicated, is if:

a) the post about incorrectly drilled struts was bogus, even if the scenario is totally believable and would explain the pull

or

b) Hyundai is trying to dodge responsibility here (unlikely)

Because some cars do not pull at all, it would suggest that either:

c) the majority have faulty struts (unlikely because it would get caught pretty fast before feedback came in...probably within only a few thousand cars)

or

d) the cars that pull are in a minority (this is the probable scenario) and Hyundai would be foolish to not want to get on top of these cars to fix, because they are right smack dab in the spotlight now for manufacturing (perceived) benchmark cars lately, so why would they knowingly jeopardize that but allowing bad press to go on any longer than necessary?

If you suspect you have one of these cars that pulls and you know you did not hit a pothole or anything on the road that caused your car to start pulling, when it did not before, then simply tell your dealer about the findings in this very thread. Tell them that even if Hyundai has not informed them, you are, and that you have heard that some cars have incorrectedly drilled struts that are not orientated correctly in the shock tower mounts. Then the dealer can call up Hyundai and Hyundai can either confirm there is an issue, or say no that is BS.

schdy

I have had no problems with the steering issue. I'm sorry to hear you are one of the few having the problem. I have faith in Hyundai and I'm confident they will resolve your issue.
I just visited a website where the 2011 Sonata has more than 90% satisfied owners. Yes there are some with reports like yours and some reporting other defects, but very very few.

nickys

Look forward to reading more about the Sonata. The pull is annoying, though you can easily corrected it if you don't mind the constant left tug at higher speeds.

The point being is that most Sonatas do not have this problem and it appears they have traced this issue to a certain run out of the Alabama plant.

I've already had the alignment and rotation. so, it seems that I could use a new left strut and not be subject to continually taking the car in trying to eliminate everything else while manipulating PSI.

If my LTD was 100% the last thing I would want is someone fiddling w/set-up. It takes time out of my schedule. I bought the 2.0T coz I thought I would reward Hyundai for a job well done.

I like the inline four w/direct injection and twin scroll turbo over a six cylinder.

I like the advances that Hyundai has made.

I just want the Sonata to stop pulling/drifting to the left the vast majority of the time.

I researched and negotiated, for an old girlfriend, several years ago on the Elantra. Thought it was a great little car for the money.

Fairly peppy w/five speed manual, front wheel drive and the car didn't pull to the left.

Came w/sunroof for about 14K.

Fix my car or give me back 12K and I'll call it square...

ETA: Everone that asks me about the Hyundai Sonata 2.0T Limited hears about the steering issue.

I'm not going to sweep it under the rug or exagerate the problem that does exist w/my Sonata.

jlflemmons

If it is true that the strut is drilled incorrectly the source can be readily identified as well as the lot number, and when that lot number was used, and the VIN range. Where I mentioned that it gets tricky is if only a few of the thousands of struts in that lot were affected. Then you have the issue of figuring out what cars may or may not have a bad strut. The best way to do that is exactly the way Hyundai is going, wait for a complaint, verify the issue/cause, and if the strut is not drilled correctly, replace.

But no manufacturer can go in and replace every strut on every car "just in case". Not to mention that for every defective strut, you will probably find 10 cars that suffered a curb-smack alignment! :surprise:

While the pull is irritating, the issue as stated above would not qualify as a safety issue, and should not be treated as such with a full recall.

crkyolfrt

- just for the record ok...I never suggested them replace every strut just in case.
I agree with the curb smack potential tho. But usually in those cases there will be tell-tale signs on the rim and tire.

I think we are getting potentially conflicting reports of how the dealers are handling this complaint. Some are doing the right thing, but it seems that if these posts are true, that most are not doing the right thing. You would think Hyundai would not allow this level of miscommunication with their dealers, at this stage in their growth expectations.

I think that any issue that quickly causes the car to veer into headon traffic if your hands are relaxed on the wheel, is a safety related issue.

Of course, we know that 'you should not relax your hands on the wheel' but people, smoke, use cell phone, adjust rearview mirror adjust HVAC and radio etc etc etc some things illegal, but others perfectly expected in the normal safe operation of the car, and if there is a constant relentless force that would have you going into another opposing lane if you are distracted for but a second or two, that certainly is safety related, IMO.

schdy

If the condition only becomes very noticeable at high speeds I would assume these speeds are achieved on divided highways making a head on collision less likely. Local in town traffic speeds are lower and the left pull ,although not acceptable, should be less apparent. Thus I don't view this as a serious safety problem. Again having 2 hands on the wheel coupled with the above is not necessary to recall all vehicles for the less than 1% with the bad strut. As I said earlier I have condidence in Hyundai and I believe when the evidence is presented to the Dealer you will be as good as new. There are many autos on the road today with faulty wheel alignments doing similar and I can assure you those operators are not rushing to have them repaired. My point is the problem is an unacceptable nuance but not a safety issue.
Good Luck and report back when resolved.

crkyolfrt

We have numerous high speed two-lane roads where I live. Lots of 'em.
I was not aware this only happens at high speeds. I guess we have read from different sources.

I did not mean to suggest they recall ALL the cars, only those which could be identified via the VIN. Actually, that is exactly what I already said.

Apparently evidence has been presented to the dealer and according to some posters here, the dealers are not addressing the issue correctly, if in fact the run of faulty strut towers are the cause.

Just curious if you have watched any of the videos on You Tube of this yet? A few show that the driver is not going at a high speed and it takes but a moment to drift right out the lane, indicating that it takes a few pounds of force to make the car hold its line. I stand by my opinion that any car that refuses to go down the road straight without a serious amount of driver correction, is a safety issue.
I am not the person to go crying and be quick to pull the 'safety' card, but in this case I would.

aqua33v6

I stopped by my local Hyundai dealer earlier this week to get a service estimate. They've been doing really well, and even had to expand their lot due to their high sales volume lately. The service dept. has 10 bays, always busy. While talking with one of the service advisers, I mentioned that I'd heard about a pulling problem with the 2011 Sonatas. He looked puzzled, and asked me where I had gotten that information from.

Why is it that some contributors on here are suggesting that there is a widespread problem affecting a large number of cars?

crkyolfrt

OTOH, would you expect him to say "Gosh yes, see those ten bays? Usually they are filled with Sonatas that are pulling."

Wouldn't be great for sales would it? Dealers RARELY ever admit to problems even when problems may be extremely well known. Just read any forum here under the title ' Problems With' and you will see that's the case.

I doubt this is widespread with the Sonata. Probably only a few thousand cars affected, given the number of posters here in the relatively short time frame of distribution.

lfr3

I have have a 2011 Hyundai Sonata Ltd. Since I bought it in August of 2010, the HD radio has not worked properly. I thought it was originally frequency pblms but the bluetooth also had an issue of fading out.
The dealer changed the radio after the second visit. Since then, the bluetooth seems to be working, but the HD radio does not hold a signal and fades in and out.
I noticed that when the music fades in and out that the HD light on the radio goes on and off. I have brought it back to the dealer to have them check it out. The technician said he could not duplicate it, so I took him for a test drive. 200 feet away from the building the problem started.
He called Hyundai and was told to check other cars they had on the lot. Since all the cars on Hyundai's lot don't hold a signal, they will not do anything for me. I am listening to stations taht should have great signal strength. 101.1, 102.7, & 95.5 are some of the stations that fade. Now that I can't use the HD radio, the scrolling feature of the name and artist do not work.
I called Hyundai Corporate, and got nowhere with them either. Does anyone have a suggestion? I didn't spend the extra money for the bells and whistles for them not to work properly.

keyman2

Isn't this under a warranty?it's not fair to you.this should be addressed to someone asap.Good Luck

aqua33v6

I've been doing business with this dealer for years, and yes, they have admitted to seeing a repeated issue with a new car model even before the official TSB was issued. Their honesty with their customers is probably one of the reasons they do so well. The few minor warranty issues I've had were taken care of quickly, without any hassle. With my experience, I'd tend to believe them over the baseless claims I so often see posted by anonymous screen names on the Internet.

crkyolfrt

I'm happy for you to have found such an honest dealer. They do exist, but seem to be in the minority. Notice the post below mine? Too bad they hadn't bought from your dealer.
Yes, I too do not believe everything on the internet. I look for a pattern, then decide if there is a legit trend or not.

schdy

HD radio is very sensitive to goegraphy. Depending on where you live and drive this may be a normal condition. Not the fault of Hyundai.
Try driving in a populated Metro area and see if the condition dissapears.

hjc1

HD signal uses AM to broadcast on. Your car has an in glass wire system for the antenna. .... and that's the problem... it sucks on all cars
The only solution is the old standard rod antenna on the fender

aqua33v6

I'm trying to find logic in some of these posts. For example, one owner claims they had an alignment done, which fixed the problem for only a day. I have never had a vehicle suspension mysteriously go back out of alignment the next day (or week, or month...) after having alignment service performed. For this to happen, the car would have to hit a severe pot hole, bounce off a curb pretty hard, etc.

Faulty suspension parts, or improperly installed suspension parts, are easily identified by trained dealer technicians. If certain suspension parts were causing the issue, they would be replaced under warranty. The turbo Limited/SE suspensions are the same as the non-turbo Limited/SE suspensions. There is no reason only turbo cars would be affected, or the other way around.

This mysterious "pulling issue" that supposedly exists on such a large scale has just popped up in the last couple months. For a few thousand 2011 Sonatas to be affected, that means about 1 out of every 5-or-so cars sold since November would have this problem. I don't buy it. And how does a few anonymous posters on the Internet translate to "a few thousand" cases? If this is really a widespread issue, we will see a TSB or recall within the next few months and then I will eat my words. Until then, I suspect there are only a few dozen real cases of "pulling" that exist (unless all these Internet claims are bogus, of course).

crkyolfrt

First, I agree that your last sentence has to be considered. Also tho, you touch on another point I was making when I said look for a 'trend'. I will not name names here, but as you have also noticed, some posts do not make sense. I have neither the time nor the energy to try to get to the bottom of those to help. I try to pick posts which I can work with or feel I might be able to help.

I'm sure u must have seen that one of the dealers actually lowered the psi on ONE SIDE of the car in order to appease their unfortunate victim/customer.
If I ever caught my dealer being THAT deceptive with me, I tell ya, heads would fly. And I would make sure I had proof, then I would give the owner of the dealer an ultimatum. Either fire the employee that altered my tire pressure to 'fix' - ugh - the pull, OR I would promise to PLASTER that dealers name as far and wide in the nation as I could. I have discovered that the contract with a manufacturer is surprisingly biased to protect the dealer and their sometimes criminal-like antics. This is an area I see that needs to be vastly improved. IMO

I don't agree, however, with what you said here:
"Faulty suspension parts, or improperly installed suspension parts, are easily identified by trained dealer technicians."

In order to appreciate why I say that you will have to go back and read one of my indepth posts where I talk about the claims that the mounting holes in the strut were supposedly not drilled in the correct location. I am not going to go into a geometry class here in order to prove to someone that may not understand even if I did try, but simply trust me, that if you 'twist' a strut in its tower, even a tiny bit, changes a LOT of the degrees of adjustment in which it is designed to be mounted to the car. And without appropriate jigs, or simple orientation measurements (if they could be made fool-proof) supplied to all the dealers, then there is no way a tech, no matter how good his naked eyes were, could tell by just looking. It depends on how far out they are tho. If it was a lot, and if he could look at a good one, then walk two steps and look at a suspect car, depending on where, he might be able to spot it. But there are too many variables in that scene, and is why i suggested a jig be made available.

As for thousands of cars, i thought it was pretty obvious that i picked that number out of my head (even tho i did make reference to the number of reported cases here). Besides here, apparently there are forums elsewhere all over that have this same issue of pulling in some cars. So there is probably an issue with some cars. You have to understand two things here. First, the Sonata has been produced in tens of thousands of cars. And second, just because there are reports now, and there weren't any before, means absolutely nothing. Part "LOTS" are sent to an assembly line. Tons of things can go wrong during the supply of parts to a mfrgr. As only ONE example, a part supplier like Dana might have an assembly line failure of their own when they are stamping out the body cage of a strut. If when they make the repairs and they do not get jigged up properly again for the specs that Hyundai has supplied them, then of course x # of faulty struts find their way into x # of cars before the problem gets discovered. Again, that is why I keep referring to the VIN number and why it will be helpful to PRE-determine affected cars. And is why I say that notices could be sent out to affected customers 'ahead' of them even going to the dealer. It would simply be the courteous, prudent and responsible thing to do to customers that Hyundai claims they want to not only hold onto, but increase their customer base.

aqua33v6

I don't agree, however, with what you said here:
"Faulty suspension parts, or improperly installed suspension parts, are easily identified by trained dealer technicians."

It's simple. If the components are damaged, or improperly installed, the suspension will not align. Period. The solution presents itself, the dealer replaces/reinstalls the component(s), and the problem is fixed under warranty.

And is why I say that notices could be sent out to affected customers 'ahead' of them even going to the dealer. It would simply be the courteous, prudent and responsible thing to do to customers that Hyundai claims they want to not only hold onto, but increase their customer base.

This statement suggests that Hyundai is already aware of a bad batch of parts that were installed on a certain batch of vehicles, and that they are witholding this information (or dragging their feet) at the risk of upsetting and losing customers. Where is the evidence to support this assumption? If there was a bad batch, Hyundai would let dealers know of the pending fix while the parts supplier is working to correct the issue on their end. This information would be relayed to the customer, rather than keeping the customer in limbo wondering if/when their car will get fixed.

As I stated in my last post, we will see how much of an issue (or non-issue) this turns out to be when (or if) Hyundai issues a TSB or recall within the next few months.

lfr3

I live on Long Island and have also travelled to Southern New Jersey with the car. There is no reason I can see for the HD radio not working properly. If it were due to geography, wouldn't people with other HD radios not be getting signals?

crkyolfrt

When you are somewhere where you know that another brand is receiving good reception, just tune them both to the same channel. This could be done even at a competitors car lot if you didn't want to bother a fellow motorist at the gas stn or wherever.
This will identify that either your specific car, OR car model is the culprit.

Good luck.

crkyolfrt

"It's simple. If the components are damaged, or improperly installed, the suspension will not align. Period. The solution presents itself, the dealer replaces/reinstalls the component(s), and the problem is fixed under warranty. "

Right! But it would make more sense to use a paper orientation jig than to invest in tying up an alignment machine to reveal a faulty part. If you don't understand this logic, then ok YMOV's.

aqua33v6

What you are suggesting is that the dealer go outside standard procedure, and use a tool that probably does not even exist. When a customer pulling/drifting complaint is verified, the first thing a dealer will do is check the tire pressure. If tire pressure is OK, they will check the wheel alignment next.

This is the only tried-and-true process of elimination for troubleshooting such an issue. "Logic" is starting to get very blurry now, so I will retire from this forum topic.

jspam

I believe this is a major issue. I was recently on a test drive as I am a prospective buyer.. and the drifting at highway speeds was very bad. Later that week I test drove a friends sonata who claimed to not have any drift. I was able to get it to repeadetly drift to his horror. I just dont think he knew any different. My 2000 elantra is on its last legs (but still drives straight and true!) and im anxiously waiting for hyundai to address this issue. I want to buy a sonata asap but cannot afford to invest in a 20k car that has a known defect.

sonatadriver1

My 2011 Sonato seems to have a problem with either the brakes and/or the traction control.

Just a couple days after purchase, it went in the shop for 10 days due to a cracked calipher. When applying the brakes with any more pressure than just very mild, my wheels lock up and I loose the ability to steer. The Service guys at my local dealer have checked it out and say they are not finding a problem.

Also, when crossing a patch of gravel at about 20-25 mph on a dry road, my back tires spin out. If the roads are damp, wet or snowy, forget it. This is one of the worst vehicles I've ever owned for driving in bad conditions.

Has anyone else experienced any of these types of problems?

nickys

Being from the late 50's I've better things to do than round up a snipe hunt online.
You won't hardly notice the pull in town, at low speeds, changing lanes, etc.
You will notice it on long straight stretches and more so as the speed increases.
If there's no problem why are some of the service techs lowering PSI on the right side of the car for a rolling anchor?
I notice the pull stops on old road w/little, if any, crown.
It's as if the steering senses the tilt of the car, on a heavy crowned road, and adjusts the steering to compensates except it over-corrects and pulls you from the low end, right side of the road against and over the crown.
It certainly isn't gravity moving the car uphill over the crown.
It appears that a run of Sonatas, mostly turbo, from the Alabama plant had struts installed that weren't up to specification.
I like variable valve timing, direct injection, twin scroll turbo and six speed A/T.
The price, performance, gas mileage and room in this four door sedan makes for a package that's hard to compete against.
Love the car I only want Hyundai to fix the pull...

hjc1

Just thought of this idea....... Could a slightly dragging left brake pad that is not releasing cause a left drift?????????????

jlflemmons

No. Any drag heavy enough to pull the car would overheat the brake rotor in short order. You would smell that brake from 20' away as soon as you stopped the car.

ken2011

Bought my 2011 sonata Limited T 2.0, 11/27/10, assembly in Alabama, unknown date. On drive home from dealers (40 miles) I noticed the car tacking to the left. It has continued to do so. It is not terrible, but I do need to keep a small amount of right pressure on the wheel at all times. so let me assure you that this " problem" is in fact valid. I now have 1200 miles on car and enjoy it a great deal. However, this pulling or tacking to the left needs to be investigated, acknowledged, and corrected. I take my car in the dealer in 2 weeks and will be interested in what they have to say. Thanks to this and other forums, I realize this is not " normal" for the car, as I originally thought.

lfr3

I have about 6500 miles on my 2011 sonata ltd and have had no pulling issues. Does your HD radio work properly? Mine has problems holding a station. I

brunhynd

This is an issue that I will be reporting to my dealership repair. I am using the supplied usb hyundai ipod cable since purchasing my 2011 sonata 4 mos ago, and since then it does exactly as you describe, if the ipod was being used at time car turned off, when you re-start car the radio come on full loud static enough to blow out your ear and speakers. the only way to stop it is to turn the radio off, turning down the volume does nothing and even when turning radio off it automatically starts playing the ipod. disconnecting the ipod cable does solve the problem, but it is inconvienient to do every time and don't forget to do it, as you will be shaken when you are blasted out of the car. seems like a bug in electronics that hyundai should address.

shabadoo25

I just had my Sonata in for the same thing. I think it is more of a major issue issue for others, as I could correct the pull with pressure from 2 fingers on my left hand. Also, after making a couple of slight rightward corrections, the car would then track straight.

The dealer said my front end was misaligned and fixed it today. From the drive home, I'd say it was at least 95% fixed if not more. I will observe it some more and report back.

ken2011

Received a $100.00 Promotional master card in mail today from Hyindai. I read all the " fine print" and it appears legit. Has anyone else received this card?

kingkwab

Mine was $20.00. It's legit

yankman04

I received a $20 one from the Dealer when I brought the car in for the Steering Wheel recall . . .. you did good with the $100 card!

l84work

As mentioned in my previous post, my Limited (non-turbo) has been to the dealer for three attempts to fix the left pull. On the last attempt, I was told they corrected the air pressure in the tires and the service rep plus a 250lb+ mechanic test drove the car with me. I will admit the car seemed to track better. The next day around town I noticed the left pull again. I checked the air pressure and both left tires had 4lbs more pressure than both right tires. I reduced pressure in the left tires to equal the right tires and my car was just as bad as before. Since then, I filed a Lemon Law complaint. Hyundai responded and will make one last attempt to fix my car. They intend to replace the camber bolts and left strut assembly. I asked the rep from Hyundai if this "fix" was now a TSB and he said "no" but " it is the beginning of a TSB". I told him that I have seen some posts on the internet from other owners that this "fix" does not work 100% of the time. As evidence, I took my car on a straight stretch of highway and a straight backroad and recorded my car pulling to the left. I drove the car in the right lane with the crown to my left and both times the car pulled up and over the crown within a couple of seconds. After they "fix" my car I will go back to those exact location and record how my car reacts. Let's see where this goes................

ken2011

I take my Limited in next Monday, and I am " curious" what their response will be when I ask if they have had other complaints of this " pulling problem". If they blow smoke up my a--, I will have to take a hard stance and go up the chain of command. My hope is the dealer will admit there seems to be a problem, but at this time no known fix, but home office is aware and investigating the complaints. I enjoy my sonata and have no axe to grind, I just want Hyundia to admit there is a problem and correct the fault. I assume the service mgr's and tech's read these forums so I hope I don't get a blank stare and a " no I havn't heard of that problem".

jlindh

I don't think that you should assume that the service managers and tech read these forums. You would probably be more correct in assuming the opposite.

pentimentos

We have a 2011 SE...the steering is perfect.

However, we had the problem with the left pull with a brand new Nissan Versa bought in the fall of '07. Long story short, they tried to "fix" it 3 times within the first week...I was in the midst of filing a lemon law complaint, when they had a tech from Nissan corporate come to evaluate. He was extremely obnoxious..trying to convince us it was normal due to the curvature of the road. None of the Versa's on the lot tracked straight. They changed out the tires, did adjustments etc. The tech advice made the problem worse.

In researching the issue, I discovered a technical paper on the Society of Automotive Engineers website, actually written by Nissan engineers from Japan. The issue seems to be about the electric power steering. It is apparently not that easy to design in terms of making all of the math work as it should...in terms of torque, force, keeping it tight enough for highway driving, less tight to maneuver for parking, etc. It was and still is my opinion that the electric PS problems that exist are a result of errors in the mathematical equations/programming that controls the steering...and for some reason not that easy to fix/change. Not sure why that is...

That said, in researching the problem, and posting on message boards, I found hundreds of people in Russia with the Nissan Tida (Versa here) with the same problem..being given the same run around. To this day I still get email messages from that board from the one person who can write in English.

Anyway, armed with all of my research, I argued my case with the dealership owner. They finally agreed to swap it out for a Sentra, without us losing on the trade.

I will try to find the file on the Society of Automotive Engineers paper...it was called something along the line of "steering pull" for those who care to find it on the SAE website. It can be downloaded for a nominal cost.

Interestingly enough, when my husband took my brother for a ride to demonstrate the problem, it barley pulled. My brother..a big guy..apparently acted as a counterweight.

So...have a big person (over 200 LB) ride in the passenger seat.....and see if that helps. If so, chances are very high that it is your electric power steering..and no amount of adjustments to the mechanical parts will make a difference..in fact it often can make it worse.

This has been a problem with just about every make and model that has changed over to electric PS...but it is not with every vehicle. You would think by now they would have figured out the difference between those that don't have the problem and those that do, and therefore know how to fix it once and for all...or better yet, avoid it in the first place.

Hope this helps.

pentimentos

I just found the link. This is the technical paper referrer to in my previous post.

An Investigation of a Steering-Pull Reduction Method Using the Electric Power Steering System
http://papers.sae.org/2007-01-3509

crkyolfrt

I appreciated reading this post. I have said the same in the past only without as much detail. I too find it a real mystery that some pull and some don't. I wouldn't be surprised that if they finally figure it all out, the cause will maybe not be as deep as they all thought or assume. My guess is something like extremely sensitive voltage and current parameters somewhere within the system and somewhere way down the line at the initial battery output voltage could be the culprit. I say that fully aware that there are many voltage and current regulators in force at varying levels all the way down to and including the main electronic brain of the unit, but many things are controlled by varying voltage and current.

Wouldn't it be great if they found it was as simple as using the wrong gauge wires to the rack/potentiometer/servo for the weight, and size of unit appropriate for each car? Or maybe also have as many as reasonably possible connections soldered, and gold plate the rest.

FTR, I have never been a fan of electric steering. When the wheel is cranked shortly after using a lot of current to start the car, at rest it will load the alternator not much differently than a hydraulic system would.

l84work

Wow, thanks for that information. I'm not sure how I would use it to prove my case. My approach is going to be very simply. I have video of how my car drives before the "fix" and I plan to have a video of how my car drives after the "fix". If it isn't "fixed" they are going to buy it.

tenpin288

Kudos to Hyundai!

2011 Sonata ICOY