2011 Hyundai Sonata

gandb7777

I am contemplating purchasing a 2011 Hyundai Sonata limited 2.0 Turbo, however I have heard something about the vehicle pulling to the left and that Hyundai does not have a fix. As I understand this occurs during normal highway driving and is not a torque acceleration situation
.Does anyone know if this problem exists from day one on the vehicle, or is it something that develops after some usage/miles? Also, how many have experienced this problem?
Your responses will be very helpful and are appreciated.
Thank You

shabadoo25

You will notice it right away. Make sure you take a solo test drive as weight in the passenger seat counteracts the pull.

nickys

Bring a tire gauge and if you like the one you test drive make sure they haven't loaded up the left side to roll easier/dropped the right side PSI as a rolling anchor in essence manipulating the pressures left to right in order to counteract a left pull.

More and more people are looking for the left pull, so it's quite possible that the dealership is aware of which models that have been passed over and will try to move them first.

On mine if you keep both hands on the wheel it's hard to feel the fatigue from short 50 mile jaunt.

One handed is a workout in isometrics and the constant CW pressure that you must exert will get your attention fairly quick on relatively straight roads.

tetovari

I bought a lefty 2011 Sonata SE Turbo 3 days ago . Pulls hard to the left . I found this article published in businessweek.com saying that there will be recall for 2011 Sonatas over steering problem . What makes me wonder is that this was on September 2010 and now we still have Sonatas with steering problem . Tomorrow I am going to the dealer to report the problem and if they don't resolve the problem I'm goint to file complain with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-09-27/hyundai-motor-to-recall-sonata-in-u-- s-over-steering.html

nickys

September was the recall because some steering units weren't properly torqued. Has nada to due w/pull left.

Your dealer will more than likely tell you that they've never heard of such, will check alignment/rotated tyres and call it good to go.

More than likely it will still pull left even though they over-inflated the left/under-inflated the right side by 2-4 PSI trying to coerce the car back to the right/center.

Then when you go back because it still pulls they'll explain their idea of torque-steer, this is normal, EPS doesn't feel the same, you're crazy and how they can make the Sonata go left or right.

They might tell you that your car is special and needs an adjustable camber bolt &/or the magic oblong mounting hole left strut for more camber than originally specified that may or may not push harder than the pull.

Good luck and keep us posted.

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/index.php?showforum=129

At the top pinned: Pulling problems, 616 posts and 20,453 views.

abghar

There was this interesting article that car and driver had posted around struts and how a regular strut would not work too well in high powered cars such as on the sonata turbo.

Apparently GM and Ford have come out with a "HiPer Strut" that helps with the annoying tug on the steering wheel and keeps the car from drifting off to any one direction.

My thoughts are this could be the solution that Hyundai needs to fix the left pull issue.

http://m.caranddriver.com/feature.rbml?id=382146&full=true

crkyolfrt

C&D were referring to addressing 'torque-steer' which is exasperated by more powerful engines in a FWD car.

But that is not the issue in these 'pull' posts. These cars pull to the left just driving along or even decelerating.

tetovari

Well I was at the dealer yesterday and he was acting like he didn't know anything about the problem , but , thankfully the service guy said that they know about the problem but didn't yet figured out what the problem really is . I made appointment to send the car tomorrow morning . I'll see what they are going to do and let you guys know.

Remember test drive the car in the highway over 60m/h before you take it home. ( even though you tested one before still test the one you are taking home) .

tenpin288

What do you think? Should Hyundai consider bringing something like this soon to be released European i40 Tourer model over here? I think they could have a real winner here with this.

Hyundai i40 Tourer

rdm925

Yes, bring/make the i40 Tourer here as the Sonata Wagon! :shades:

crkyolfrt

Absolutely, providing they make AWD, and that 1.7L CRDI diesel with a stick an option. And let me have that combo together in the same car with a high end audio system, heated/cooled power seats but NO sunroof or auto dimming mirror c&ap. And here is the most important part. All that on 16" alloys with only 65 aspect tires. They need to stop the big wheel/low tire profile madness, but they won't if sheeple keep buying them.

tetovari

I was at the dealer's service yesterday and they drove the car. They said that they will order new strut. Today they called and said it may take longer because there are many orders for that part. ( which means many cars have the same problem)

maggie01

do not think the dealership would try that ole trick now a day, if they did the "tire pressure monitor" light would come on. I did read about the left pull prob, and it is believed when they mounted the 18" wheels and then miss aligned the struts this is the cause. That was the last I heard about it. This pertains to the Limited model.

abghar

I have taken my car in to replace the strut and they have also done multiple alignments (done by 2 different dealers) and other items. So with all that, the car is driving much better and is not tracking to the left as much.

I also have 4 new tires (Yokahama Avid EnVigor) on the car. This was another item that Hyundai has done to try fix the left pull issue.

asclaire

1st visit: realignment
2nd visit: replacement of the steering column assembly as well as a realignment due to the steering wheel being off center, and re-set the electronic steering control.
3rd visit: new strut and alignment.
Any change? None. Still drifts...
Dealer continues to be gracious, accommodating, concerned, but answerless.
Really, really hope they figure this out soon. I think it just has to be in the ESC software....

ken2011

I am in the early stages of attempting to correct my left pull. I am trying to research what others with this problem are doing, what the dealers are trying, what works, what doesn't, because Hyundai/Kia Corp. doesn't seem to have a fix, or even if they admit there is aproblem.
I have read other threads regarding the struts and alignment, but different tires are interesting. Are these new tires still the low profile ones ( if that is the correct term) and did hyundia replace these under warranty??
I have a 2011 Limited Turbo, purchased Nov. 2010. I don't underdstand why some one isn't attempting to narrow down those cars with the problem, and those w/o. I read that others with the same model have no problem with the pull.

ken2011

I have the same problem with my 2011 Limited turbo. Have had only one visit where alignment was checked and reported to be ok. Its kind of frustrating reading your thread and seeing how much work has been done in attempt to correct the drift, and as of yet, it has not been corrected. I hope they come up with a fix, this left pull really takes away from owning a brand new car which in all other aspects is a great car to drive

ken2011

I noticed the car tracking to the left on my drive home from the dealers, about 35 miles. Driving rt. 270 in MD, doing 70 mph, noticed I had to keep right pressure on sterring wheel or car would drift to left. Really didn't think much of it until I started reading the forums and others having the same problem. Do not notice the problem on back roads with lots of twisting and turning, but once on a highway and at speed, very noticable.

nickys

So far their solution, after checking alignment and rotating tyres, has been to install the oblong hole magic left strut w/extra camber and try to push more to the right than the car already pulls to the left.

abghar

As for the tires, it was a Hyundai recommended item so it was covered under warranty and they replace the exact same tire size as the OEM (225-45-18).

There have been posts in this forum talking about effected percentage vs. total manufactured.
I don't think you can tell the exact numbers by who posts here since my belief is the vast majority don’t post their issues here.

The severity depends since some folks have a really bad lefty car and others have less.
There is no real fix except numerous visits to the dealership where they try a whole host of adjustments and swapping out parts.

autokritiker

Hi gandb777 (why the new screen name with the extra "7"?). It's been a while! Just a refresher:

Hyundai Sonata 2006-2007
#7508 of 7852 GLS problem by gandb777
Nov 25, 2007 (4:57 am)

"...... If so than the Hyundai rep wasn't being honest with me. If this problem occurs in all 2007 Hyundai GLS's then Hyundai has a problem they're not addressing. In any case, after buying two 2007 Sonatas based in large part on their warranty claims, I feel like I made a mistake. Based on this experience I will never purchase another Hyundai product."

So after all that grief Hyundai supposedly put you through with that Sonata, and all the dishonesty and lack of service on their part which we were told about, now you're back to consider buying a 2011 Sonata?

esperandrich

have 2,800 miles on the SE turbo. pulls to the left. been to dealer three times. no fix for now. i am telling hyundai that the california lemon law applies. other than the pull no other problems. the dealer service person says no fix but they are working on it. only some cars made during a certain period which was not specified by the service person are having the problem.

esperandrich

i have the same problem. 2800 miles on the car now. i am telling hyundai the california lemon law applies.

buzzy8

I have test driven and am waiting to purchase based on all of your results here. The only other thing I did not like about the car during driving was the road noise of the car (all Sonatas) and the initial start up sound of the engine as a result of it being turbo. Maybe this should be posted else where but for those of you driving your turbos, do you ultimately "get used" to those issues over time? My initial solution was to purchase a remote start so that I do not have to be around the embarrassing start up if I didn't want to be....(I am a female and seemed to have more of an issue with it than my husband). Thank you for all your postings as my purchase is contingent on your findings on the left pull issue. I really like the car and did test drive the accord and camry and would love to see the left pull issue resolved. There was no camparison in the cabin noise though vs the Camry and was hoping it was something drivers "get used to" Thanks

stanco

true to form, Hyundai installed a low decibel horn on first 2011 sonatas. Krafcik our hero with a
swift move= had it upgraded but screwed all 1st customers by not replacing dangerous horns ???? This is far from the first time, let the loyal customer be screwed has been the policy
at hyundai. Thats why the suspension defect has buried the Genesis. resale has dropped like a stone. Now bury the Sonata with unsolved steering problems, bad horns etc. shame on you!

nickys

Try these links for quick information and the second one compares noise levels among the Sonata and competition. 9.7-3.4 decible difference w/2.0T having the loudest cabin.

https://www.myhyundai.com/page/model-specifications-default

http://www.hyundainews.com/Auto_Show_News/New_York_Auto_Show/2011_Sonata_2.0T/Pr- ess_Release.asp

The models w/225/45-18 tyres are louder. Overall my 2.0T LTD is quiet save for some rougher roads then the tyres accentuate the nosie, but nothing like mud grips.

I noticed the SE turbo had a clicking sound that became quieter as it warmed up. I attribut that to gas w/ethenol as I run gas that doesn't contain any corn squeezin's and it doesn't click even when below freezing.

Some had a problem w/temporary noise coming from the wastegate, but mine is quiet w/hood opened started cold.

This forum is for the 2.0T models and other sub-forums address the 2.4 models.

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/f129-sonata-yf-turbo.htm

bow45

My wife bought a 2011 ( Camel Pearl ) Sonata Limited 2.0T w/ Navigation Package in December 2010. Now the car has about 4,000 miles on it. She had her first oil changed at 3,000 miles and put a fuel additive.

She likes her car. No complaints so far..

nickys

I will amend my post because when I raised my hood and started the car this morning I could hear injector pump click. I do not hear it w/hood closed. The hood has insulation and the motor cover does as well.

Hood up or down I don't hear it from inside the LTD, but I did hear it on a SE model at the lot.

Granted, I was born in the late 50's and don't have the hearing of a teenager anymore, so the noise might be more noticable to others.

golfman10

I have a 2011 Sonata Limited with 1500 miles. A few days ago I accelerated hard on a hill to pass a slower moving car. The Sonata accelerated fine, but when it reached a certain point the engine stalled, the tach went to zero and the esc off light came on. The Sonata never upshifted. The Sonata never shut down completely, but as I sat on the side of the road it was idiling rough and the tach remained off and the esc off light on. After a restart everything was was back to normal. Re-created the same situation several times, once the engine warning light came on. Took the car to the dealer, they pulled the code (P0336) which indicated a malfunction of the crankshaft position sensor. They replaced the sensor. Did a hard acceleratin (to test) on the way home with same results. Car does the same thing on hard acceleration from a stop. Appears the transmission does not want to upshift after hard acceleration. Anyone had similar issues, if so how was the issue resolved.

nickys

Can't help there. Mine up shifts smooth and quick at 6,250 RPM and I've been able to downshift to 4,250, but no higher.

All I can suggest is to try various combinations, ECO on/oof, w/ESC off/on, try manual shift anything to ty to hlp isolate what might be the problem.

Almost sounds like a short. Good luck

dave868

Had similar but not identical situation. After hard acceleration the power just died and service and esc lights came on. Was able to idle and move about 5 mph. Restate did not help. Turned off traction control and engine would respond to throttle. However lights stayed on. Dealer replaced throttle body position sensor and all is well.

jlflemmons

Take it back. Obviously the sensor wasn't the issue, but that doesn't mean the problem isn't in the circuit. Could be a connector contact not fully seated in the connector, or even a weak magnet in the the crankshaft (that is how a CPS works, it looks at the pulses generated by a magnet passing a Hall effect sensor).

This is a very common fail mode for a weak, but not dead sensor or magnet. And I will retract my earlier statement, it is entirely possible that the replacement sensor is also weak. It happens. And the description you give of the engine running fine after cycling the ignition is also a clue. Some faults are reset when the engine is turned off and restarted. The code is still stored in the memory, but the engine will run fine until it happens again.

GM had this same exact problem back in the 80's. Those were a bit more dramatic, though. You would be driving down the road and the engine would just quit. If you turned the key completely off, the engine would restart as though nothing had happened. If you tried to restart the car without first turning the ignition completely off, it would not restart.

Don't get down on your dealer yet. He changed the most likely cause of the fault. Now comes the fun part of determining if there is another issue in the circuit, or if the replacement part is also bad.

:sick:

golfman10

Thanks for the info. I took it back to dealer this morning. Have a loaner until they figure it out and fix it.

nickys

Here ya go:

http://www.hyundai-forums.com/t59891-i-came-up-wleft-pull-fix-but-hyundai-isn39t- - -interested.htm

Fifty lbs in the right rear trunk eliminated the left pull.

Believe it or not fact is stranger than fiction.

I advocate moving the battery and bracket from the left side under the hood to the right rear in the trunk.

abghar

This cannot really be called a "Fix". To add unnecessary weight and carry that around all the time does not sound right. Moving the battery around is first not easy and second not the right approach.

Replacing the defunct strut, alignments, resetting steering settings & changing out tires with directional tires helps. At least it did help me.

At this time we are all stuck with the lefty car untill Hyundai comes out with an official recall and a permanent fix.

nickys

I've already addressed your weak claim in the Hyundai forum.

My fix is as valid and quite possibly more so than the Hyundai dealer fix.

Try being more pro-active in researching results, looking for answers instead of spreading negativity that you cannot defend.

Your fast and loose play w/word defunct is more than questionable due in part to the fact that there's nothing wrong w/left struts.

The replacement has an oblong mounting hole trying to squeeze more camber adjustment, but this doesn't disqualify the original strut or qualify it as defective.

Hyundai is attempting to use an altered strut to alter the front suspension geometry in order to compensate for something else.

fdic47

I have both a 2009 and 2011 Sonatas. My 2009 GLS is somewhat noisy. They replaced the exhaust system under warranty right after I leased it in 7/08. The noise just somewhat better. I've since purchased it for my daughter when the lease was up in 10/10 with 19,000 miles on it. I just leased a 2011 Sonata Limited 2.0 Turbo. There is no comparison between cars the 2011 is the finest car I've ever had. I've owned 26 cars. 8 Hyundais, 4 Nissans, 5 Toyotas, 2 Hondas, 1 VW, 2 Chevys, 1 Olds, 1 Pontiac, 2 Mercurys. Also 6 used cars and nothing compares to this 2011 Sonata.

tetovari

After I waited 2 weeks for the new part to come I was at the service for 4 hours yesterday , they replaced the part that they thought it was defective , upgraded software and in the end the problem was still there , even worse than before . The menager said that they don't know what to do and they will contact hunday to find solution.
The mechanic said 3 out of 5 sonatas have the same problem .
I would never buy hyundai again .

nickys

Hang in there sonner or later they'll figure it out surely. I feel your pain.

I'm riding arund w/50 LBS of weight at the right rear in the trunk to stop the pull.

I'm not thrilled about toting the extra weight, but I like the pull gone...

scaster

I have a 2011 sonata limited, 10 mo, 8k miles.
1. Stiff brake pedal after car sits overnight, which is likely a slow vacuum leak. Dealer says this is normal and all Sonata do this.
2. Rattles. Glove box, upper right dash.
3. Needed to fill antifreeze reservoir by 1/4 3 times so far in my 8k so far. No leaks on the garage. No white plumes of steam out of the tail pipe. Dealer sees no problem with this refill rate of antifreeze. This maybe a slow leak internal to the engine. Oil has a blue green tint, same color as hyundai antifreeze.

Will need to push hyundai to perform some sort of test on the oil, to verify presence of antifreeze.

This is our first hyundai. We considered the genesis, but due to lack of refinement (heavy steering, some cheap interior bits, but beautiful exterior), we bought the sonata as it's a better car relative to it's respective competitors. It looks like most folks are doing fine with their sonatas but we got a lemon. Our intention was to get an affordable reliable car for our daughter. We will see how hyundai corporation backs their product.

petdogdfw

Sorry to hear about the problems you are having with your Sonata. I have had my 2011 Limited almost a year now and had some problems too. Luckily I have been able to get all resolved after multiple trips to the dealership.

One ongoing problem that I had with my Sonata was the rattles in the glove box and upper right dash. There was a TSB issued concerning the glovebox. Basically this involved adding some two way tape on the sides of the glovebox. This did not solve my rattle problem. In fact my car's rattle sounded like the car was coming apart.

After 4 visits, I finally insisted that the dealership contact Hyundai to get this resolved. After a few weeks, an engineer was able to check out my car and found out that the hood was not mounted properly at the factory. The hinge on the righ (passenger side) was not alligned and so my car made creaking, rattling, groaning noises like it was not put together well. In order to fix this, they had to remove the hood, and part of the cover, not sure what it is called, located in the engine compartment near the windshield. Once this was done, I have not had any further problems.

I also had issues with weak spots in the leater seating in the right front pax seat and back seat. New leather was ordered and those bad areas were replaced.

So far, everything is fine now with the car. Luckily I have not experienced the left pull problems that so many others have reported. I would definately suggest that Hyundai Corp be involved if the dealership cannot repair the vehicle properly.

Good Luck.

golfman10

Call from dealer today, said they thought it may be the crankshaft. They are ordering a new short block today. Probably will be here in about a week. This is ridiculus. They did give me a loaner. Do I have any recourse?

targettuning

What type of recourse are you looking to receive? Yes, inconvenient to a degree, but you have a loaner so you are not walking nor paying for a rental, yes? And such news is disappointing on a new car, right? but the good news is Hyundai is fixing it free of charge and presumably without hassle to you. You COULD buy a Honda Civic but...ooops they have a potential issue with cracked engine blocks (model years 2006-to at least 2008) and Honda Of America made the owners of those cars affected with this engineering or casting flaw PAY various percentages of the total bill to entirely replace the engine. This bill is routinely over $5000 and the amount you paid was dependent on several factors e.g. whether or not you totally and religiously adhered to the services recommended by H.O.A. and printed in the owners manual AT a Honda dealership......mileage although the flaw typically took time/mileage to finally show up.....how much you bitched and moaned and hounded the dealer and/or Honda Of America corporate...made loud public statements decrying the Honda "quality" banner and more. It should be understood that this flaw is inherent in certain blocks Honda cast over, not one, not two but at least three model years. Hows that for a quick investigation of problems and a quick fix? I know this because Honda finally sent me (an owner of a 2006 Civic EX sedan bought new) an extended (by two years and unlimited mileage) engine warranty extension. I received this notice in December 2010 fully 4+ years after this became known. So, buy a Honda if you think they are better but I can tell you they are not and it seems they are harder to deal with once a widespread problem becomes known.

alookman

Golfman is complaing about a car that is under the warranty, whereas your situation was that Civic was out of warranty. You are still upset despite Honda extending the warranty on your car? As general rule every car manufacturer will fight any claims out of warranty, since the cost implication is not just your car but millions in claims. Asking for service record is standard procedure.

I am also Honda Accord owner whose transmission conked out at 70k and it was out of warranty, but Honda agreed to pay $2,400 and I paid $1,200. At that time I was mad as hell but realized that at least they helped me out, Toyota on other hand would NOT replace a $5 latch when my Camry was a month out of warranty. Honda does make reliable cars and every major brand will have percentage of cars with flaws and as consumer all you can do is buy a well rated car with good warranty.

I like the Hyundai Sonata and its excellent warranty, except the 2011 Sonata is intro model and I will wait for 2012 for flaws to be weeded out.

golfman10

Not only is the car still under warranty at 1500 miles, it is reasonable to assume the problem existed when the care was purchased since it happened the first time I accelerated hard and the car downshifted ok but would not upshift and stalled. There would seem to be a difference between selling a car with a defect and a defect occurring later during the warranty period. I never had to accelerate in that manner prior to the problem becoming apparent. Yeah you are right I'm not walking and I appreciate the loaner even though I would rather be driving the car I bought and not making multiple trips to the dealer. I suppose you could argue that I should have done a hard acceleration test before buying the car but I broke the car in IAW the owners manual. I argue that Hyundai should have tested the engine prior to shipping it to the dealer. I am pissed and really don't really care about anyones past Honda problems right now. Sorry

sayonarasonata

"9.7-3.4 decible"?

Silly person, those comparisons were for interior volume, as in - a measurement of capacity. Not decibel levels. You think the Sonata's cabin noise reaches 120 decibels?!! That's almost as laughable as your ridiculous left pull "fix". Now, resume being your usual ridiculously laughable self...or, you can start making sense.

chalirebrown

I finally got it to work about a month ago. I thad to do wiht my browser and cookies,etc,etc but now it is fine and what a great thing to be able to access things without paying for the book. There is alot of stuff not on it but it is good enough for the purpose/-Thanks

targettuning

There are two misconceptions that need to be corrected, first my car did not exhibit the flawed block/crack (yet!) and second, my car has 33K miles and was at the time of the receipt of the extended warranty still covered by the original drivetrain warranty. NO I am not upset that Honda extended the engine warranty why would I be? Actually, I'm not upset at all only trying to point out how much trouble it was for Civic owners to get any equity for their troubles. That it took owners whose cars did have that problem hours of frustration trying to deal with not only broken undriveable cars that, by all accounts, were relatively new and still being paid off. Faced with a $4000 (+/-) repair bill on said car AND intractable people at Honda Of America and the dealerships (who have to clear everything with H.O.A. as do all dealers). This particular problem was entirely Honda's fault from the start and to make customers jump through hoops, provide proof that all scheduled maintenance was done at the dealerships and if not...sorry bud! Honda subsidized some of the repair costs for some of the owners, all of the repair costs for others, and none of it for still others depending on how loud you could scream, how much fuss you created at the dealer, how much paperwork you could provide showing the scheduled maintenance was done (which by the way had absolutely nothing to do with an engineering or casting flaw). Finally, while Honda eventually did issue this extended warranty it took 4 years, and 3 model years. That said, my point was and continues to be this, Hyundai has at the very least a loaner car provision thereby relieving the owner who may have to wait days/weeks? to get their car back, Honda customers with this problem, for the most part, had to rent cars. And having personally owned two Hyundai products (2002-03 Santa Fe), plus several others in the family I have found them (Hyundai) to be fairly quick and relatively painless to work with when issues like the original posters come up while in my example Honda was a pain in the [non-permissible content removed] the whole way. Yeah, I know there will always be those who would take issue with this contrast of Honda/Hyundai but that is how I see it.

jimbres

Does your daddy know that you're using his computer, little fella?

Given that this is your first post, one would think that you would try harder to make a good impression.

keyman2

I'm hopefully buying my Hyundai Sonata SE 2.OT next month and someone said to go to Huntington Hyundai there really good.I was going to Atlantic but there new owners now and the person I liked left.It's been so long for me to buy a Sonata only because of a very sick girlfriend.I'm reading about all these steering problems but all cars have some problems.I love the Sonata and I will take a chance.