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2011 Hyundai Sonata

194959799100104

Comments

  • jimcomojimcomo Member Posts: 1
    check out BumperBully web site, covers the back bumper when you
    are parked
  • analyzerguyanalyzerguy Member Posts: 1
    After 3 weeks and approximately 2500km on my Harbour Grey Sonata Limited 2.0T I thought I would submit my comments.

    So far, I am very pleased with this car. I traded-in a 2005 Honda Odyssey EX-L minivan for this car, as my wife's 2009 Toyota Venza V6 AWD Touring (that's a mouthful) now serves as our "family" vehicle. After test driving both the 2.4L and 2.0T versions of the Limited trim, I couldn't resist the extra power and firmer sport suspension of the turbo. Thus far I have been averaging 8.2 l/100km (29mpg), which I consider exceptional for this level of performance. I only have 2 criticisms so far:

    1) The door to the glove box squeaks when going over broken pavement. Hope to have this addressed at my 1st dealer service.

    2) I find the gauges too bright at night. If adjust the gauges to an acceptable brightness for dark rural highway driving (pretty much all the way down), I can no longer make out the radio/hvac display. Anybody else notice this?

    Otherwise, lovin' the turbo!
  • flyboy21flyboy21 Member Posts: 7
    My son and I have both bought dash kits for our Limited. We got the ones make by B&I. WE got both kits for the center console and doors the cost was about $340 for both. I got the Natural Birdseye and he got the Avalon Burlewood. He has a white and I have a red one.
    Good luck just read the instructions and get the margins line up and they fit good.
  • moontrainmoontrain Member Posts: 83
    Look on page 148 post #2950 and on page 149 post #2961 for pictures of my camel interior. I also got from B&I.
  • truze0truze0 Member Posts: 1
    edited April 2011
    Can anyone tell me if any health studies have been done on the proximity key? :confuse: I know that there have been many studies indicating that close range electromagnetic waves passing through the body can cause health issues, including cancer. Since this new system sends out electromagnetic waves 24 hours a day and is in your pocket all the time I am thinking that it ought to be tested. I noticed that Toyota has already listed a disclaimer that anyone with a pacemaker should not use their "smart key". It would seem prudent for Hyundai to offer an option that allows drivers to toggle to the more common type of remote entry key that sends out a single pulse of energy to unlock or lock the doors, with exposure limited to a fraction of a second.
  • tukejtukej Member Posts: 2
    I just bought my 2011 Sonata Limited Turbo 2 weeks ago and I have also noticed annoying left drift issue. I took car back to dealer where service mgr drove the car and downplayed the significance of drift saying that unless the car pulls left one (1) car witdth per two (2) car lengths, it is not officially considered a problem worthy of repair??? He suggested I wait until the car has 1,000 miles on it and return for service if the problem does not go away. I live in Illinois where I think lemon law applies so what are my options and how soon must I act if dealer is unable to resolve this problem? Seeing all of these posts serves to reinforce my belief that the car has a problem that Hyundai is reluctant or unwilling to acknowledge.
  • m6userm6user Member Posts: 3,181
    Not sure but I think the IL lemon law only applies to defects that can be proven to be a safety issue that cannot be fixed after multiple dealer efforts. The key word here is proven. Our definition of "safety related" might not necessarily be the same as the auto manufacturer. They could claim a little drift is not a safety issue but a satisfaction issue. Lemon laws, from what I've read, are not nearly as easy to use as it may sound.

    Maybe somebody that has actually used a lemon law could chime in. I read a lot of posts where people say they are going to use but can't remember reading any where they came back and reported they were successful.
  • lfr3lfr3 Member Posts: 12
    Lemon Law in NY applies if the carwas purchased new within two years and has under 18,000 miles.
  • mattq45mattq45 Member Posts: 4
    I have test drove to Hyundai Sonatas at two different locations and both times the car pull to the right? Does anyone else notice this????? They were both GLS models???

    Thanks,
  • rich27514rich27514 Member Posts: 41
    I have no problem with my gls. The tire pressures or alignment might be off as is often the case with new cars on the lot.
  • caseybrucaseybru Member Posts: 47
    I bought my 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS , March of last year. It drives like a dream. My only problem was that the B horn [burglar alarm]wasn't working. Bad ground. Great sound. Bluetooth works perfect with my cell phone, lots of speed, great passing power, even up a steep grade, 37.50 mpg, heater and ac both work great. Moves great even in 1 foot of snow. Ride is comfortable. I have great dealers to take care of my car's needs. Chico Nissan/Hyundai, and Roseville Nissan/Hyundai. I live in the far northeast mountains of California.
  • yeeyee Member Posts: 7
    I have 2011 Sonata with 6-speed manual. This Stall problem happened to me twice in the past few weeks. Both incidents were on the highway doing ~70 MPH. The Check Engine and ESC light came on and no power to accelerate. The dealer did not find any problem with the Check Engine Light and reset the computer. The same thing happened about 1.5 week later. My car is now at the dealership and hope they can diagnose the root cause. I feel this is a major safety issue since when I lost power, the brake light does not turn on and people behind you do not know that you are slowing down. It was really close to an accident when it happened to me TWICE !!!!
  • danp1010danp1010 Member Posts: 3
    Guys,
    I am looking for a car, is 2011 Hyunday Sonata worth the trouble? I love the look, love the way it drives (I was able to drive it few times on short distances at work). I am about to schedule a real test drive. Do you like it, any info would be great, pros/cons?
    thanks
  • yeeyee Member Posts: 7
    I love my 2011 Sonata 6-sp manual. However, my recent acceleration stall problem (with ECS and Check Engine Light) concerns me. The dealer is still trying to figure out the problem. I did some research and found that I am not the only one who has this problem. It stalls at normal highway cruising speed without any warnings. It put me in a dangerous situation (twice) where there were no space nor power for me to pull over. If I have to do it again, I would avoid 1st year model as you would expect some bugs.
  • hjc1hjc1 Member Posts: 183
    Are you serious? Your worried about electromagnetic waves?
    You better not use you cell phone, TV remote control, xray or sun spots
  • samm43samm43 Member Posts: 195
    edited April 2011
    I think it was a valid enquiry, and hopefully someone with a broader sense (than yourself) of electrical energy and its potential ramifications, will still weigh in.

    All you succeeded in doing, was (in a futile attempt to insult) indicate how little you really know about EMF.

    Sam

    and your 'your' should have been you're
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,290
    I can't remember which one but one scandanavian country did a long term (at least ten years) study on people living under or near high power lines. They found no noticable increase of health issues.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • samm43samm43 Member Posts: 195
    I have some personal experience with this, (negative) but have decided I will not elaborate. At least not here.

    But I will (also) leave you with the consideration that there must be some valid reason that patients with pace makers often have special considerations to weigh with electrical devices they interact with and the reasons go far beyond liability.

    EMF. It's a force to be reckoned with, and IMO, shouldn't ever be taken for granted. It can be friend and foe.

    Sam
  • Sandman6472Sandman6472 Member Posts: 6,953
    Why don't we get back to talking about the 2011 Sonata and stop this little pissing match...a bit juvenile really and real tedious! Takes away from the "fun" that Edmunds is supposed to be! :)

    The Sandman :) :sick: :shades:

    2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)

  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,290
    I wouldn't take one persons experience as trumpting a long term study of thousands if not tens of thousands.

    As for pacemakers it is the EMF effecting the pacemaker that is the problem not in its effect of the person.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • morganjpmorganjp Member Posts: 1
    I have 3500 miles on my 2011 Sonota and have found the trunk open 4 times. My dealer's answer to this problem is to lock the trunk manually and always use the key to open it, not the remote or the inside trunk release. Anybody else had a problem with this system?
  • cpaacecpaace Member Posts: 3
    Yes, I have had exactly the same experience. It is very disturbing because you can never feel secure parking the car in a mall and not have the trunk contents become available to all. What is most frustrating is that there really is no way for the mechanic to reproduce the problem and fix it. They examined the lock and could not see any problem. They tried to tell me that I must be hitting the release with my leg getting out of the car, but, this has happened after overnight in the garage where the trunck was definitely closed in the morning, but, then opened later.

    I believe the only way this will ever be fixed is if enough people contact Hyundai and even more sue for lost damages and probably the fix is to replace the lock altogether.
  • petdogdfwpetdogdfw Member Posts: 26
    edited April 2011
    I had the exact problem. During the day at work, my co workers would report my trunk was open. I thought maybe it was because I kept the fob/remote in my pocket so I started putting it on my desk. It would still open by itself. Sometimes this happened overnight at home too. This was happening on a regular basis.

    The dealer determined that they needed to replace the remote module on the car as it seemed to trigger itself. Since they have done this I have not had the problem any longer.

    In my case it was not a problem with the lock but rather an electronic component for the remote unlocking feature of this car.
    I do not agree with the dealership telling someone to secure the trunk and and not use the remote. There is definately a problem. Again, this is the fix that corrected the problem on my car. I hope this helps.
  • backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Not sure if this is relevant, but I had a problem recently latching the trunk on my 2007 Sonata in cold weather. Had to slam it really hard to latch it. Took it to the dealer during an oil change and they said the latch needed replacing, which they did under warranty. No more latching problem.
  • dawnmc1dawnmc1 Member Posts: 1
    I had a steering problem (car pulling to the left) w/my Sonata, as well as so many others. In 6 months, the car was in service on 7 occasions. I got (2) new tires & 4 alignments, none of which fixed the pulling problem. I dealt w/the Hyundai Rep who did nothing but lie. I was directed by Hyundai Corporate to contact the Better Business Bureau. After a long, stressful 3 month process, I went into arbitration & won the case under the lemon law. Hyundai had to repurchase my car under the Lemon Law. No matter where you live, there are Better Business Bureaus & Lemon Laws. If you are having this issue, make sure you pursue it further because Hyundai should NOT be getting away with this.
  • tetovaritetovari Member Posts: 22
    Hi
    I have the same problem and want go for the lemon law.
    Can you plase email superfixus@hotmail.com me some details on the procces . I live in New York , leased in New Jersey .
    Thanks
  • lfr3lfr3 Member Posts: 12
    Attorney General for theLemon Law 212-416-8314. They will tell you what you need to do if you qualify. Good luck! Lots of paperwork!!!
  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    While I do NOT currently own a 2011 Sonata I have been following this "left pull" issue with interest because I do intend to buy one as soon as Hyundai issues a statement/TSB/recall or whatever means they will use to state this issue is corrected..finally and completely. However, that said, I am sure Hyundai is as eager to get to the bottom of this as are the owners. They (Hyundai) have made great strides in the automotive industry and in the buying public's perception of the brand so I am quite sure they don't need or want the negative publicity over this. So, I don't think it is a question of "Hyundai getting away with this" as much as finding an absolute cause and cure. I admit I believed it to be a function of the electronic steering (probably in the form of the parameters programmed into the steering computer) rather than tires, alignment, or the magic strut and since electronics can be reprogrammed relatively easily and quickly I am beginning to wonder why it has not already been "fixed". Other manufacturers that have gone to electronic steering have also had similar problems but seemed to have fixed them and moved on.
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,290
    We have a 2011 Sonata and have not experienced that problem. I even tested it on a straight section of road. That car went in a straight line and stayed in the lane.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • alookmanalookman Member Posts: 141
    I am in the same situation, I want to buy Sonata which would be my first Hyundai car, but with various issues popping up I am waiting for 20112 model to arrive, under the assumption that it wil be "fixed". Generally, intro models have more isssues than later on models.

    Consumer Report rates 2011 Sonata above average reliability based on 2010 sales. Also, Camry and Altima get complete model change in Fall 2011.
  • flyboy21flyboy21 Member Posts: 7
    The pull left issue keep popping up. I Googled it and came up with a possible fix. The fix for one individual was to replace the Hankook tires. Google radial pull tires or radial steer tires or Hankook tires pull. The customer had his old tires checked at the dealers on a Road Force Balance machine and the machine identified 2 tires that were bad and needed to be replaced. Four new tires were check on the RFB machine and matched to the wheel and identified as to what location to have them place on the car.
    This has fixed his pull problem. There are 5 new 2011 Sonata in the family and no one is having a pulling issue. They range in mileage from less than 1000 to almost 20,000. I have had mine since May 2011 with no problems.
    These car have been made since Dec. 2009 so while they are 2011 models they are into the second year of production.
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    Myself and several of my friends have 2011 Sonatas and We have not experienced that problem. Today I had my 1st yr NY inspection and my service mgr said it is not a problem they have experienced to date and they have sold many Sonatas.
  • moontrainmoontrain Member Posts: 83
    I got my 2011 Limited in April of 2010 and I have had no steering problems at all. My car was made in March of 2010.
  • sporky944sporky944 Member Posts: 2
    I just wanted to add my 2 cents to this pulling issue. Often it IS the tires. I have had a similar problem on a pickup that cured itself when the tires finally wore out and I got a different brand. Some vehicles steering geometry are just very sensitive to tires. In my case it also was the OEM tires that were the culprit. Years later I tried a different brand and they too caused dramatic pulling. I swapped to a better 10 ply tire ( I am heavily loaded) and my Ram drives down the interstate with no hands its so good, even at 8 years old.

    Meanwhile I will wait to read of this problem being resolved before considering a Sonata. I think they use kUMHO or Hankook tires, which would cause me to suspect the tires right away.
  • Sandman6472Sandman6472 Member Posts: 6,953
    Have Kumho's on the kids Accent and they have been perfect & track straight down the road & on the highway when I've gotten it up to almost 80...the tread looks like a certain Michelin tire I've seen. With 10k on the clock, we're very satisfied.

    But any brand can have a problem. I have Fuzion HR's on my Civic, made by Bridgestone, and we had to replace a couple of them due to a radial pull...the car pulled to the right within seconds. After a few location swaps, it was decided to start replacing tires & they did get it right. The point I'm trying to make is that any brand of tire can have a problem within which makes the car pull in either direction...it is not brand specific. I've had this same problem with a Toyota Corolla years ago and again, it was due to the tires and they were Bridgestone's.

    The Sandman :) :sick: :shades:

    2023 Hyundai Kona Limited AWD (wife) / 2015 Golf TSI (me) / 2019 Chevrolet Cruze Premier RS (daughter #1) / 2020 Hyundai Accent SE (daughter #2) / 2023 Subaru Impreza Base (son)

  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    edited May 2011
    Actually both Hankook and Kumho make very good tires and I speak from experience on Kumho's having had two sets of four on my Dodge Stratus. The first set was everything I wanted in tires...quiet, good handling wet or dry, reasonable snow traction and good tread life up to the point at which an alignment problem aggravated by worn front end components caused an earlier than expected demise. Even then they lasted about 55K miles. This second set is also good and at 20K miles look new with the mechanical problems resolved + regular rotations and monitoring tire pressure weekly. I have also read (see Tire Rack.com) that the Hankook brand rates very high as well. Both are good especially since they don't cost a mint as do Michelin. Again I will state that I believe the left pull issue isn't tires or other things but an electronic steering issue.
  • crucialminutiacrucialminutia Member Posts: 4
    news.consumerreports.org/cars/2011/03/2011-hyundai-sonata-steering-update-new-st- rut-similar-alignment-issue.html

    According to an April 27 comment by Jeff at the CR link above, Hyundai posted a TSB re: Sonata tracking issues at hmaservice.com as of 4/21/11, but for some reason I cannot register there to access it--

    If someone here can track it down, please repost it here?

    TIA
  • moontrainmoontrain Member Posts: 83
    Last year ( May 2010 ) after I got my Limited I went in for an oil change and they ( Hyundai dealer ) told me they had to do a steering software update.
    I have never had a pull left problem with my 2011 Sonata. My car was made in March 2010.
  • nelson1nelson1 Member Posts: 41
    My new Sonata just turned 1,000 miles. It has Kumho 215x55x17 tires. I love the car, no pulling to the side, great steering, 39MPG on the highway, but it is LOUD on the road. These are the noisiest tires that I have ever had on any car, yet. Does anyone have any idea how to quieten it down? I have tried varying the tire pressure, but I have noticed no improvement. Right now, I have 33psi in the front, and 27 in the rear.
  • LASHAWNLASHAWN Member Posts: 303
    Only way to quieten down is to replace tires. I had set of Kumho Solus KR21 on my Grand Caravan and they are very quiet tires. You may have trouble due to fact that your car is riding on low profile tires, but with some reseach you should be able to find a set that's a little more quiet. Good luck.
  • schdyschdy Member Posts: 233
    I'm surprised the TPS hasn't provided a warning for low tire pressure. 27lbs is much too low.
  • nelson1nelson1 Member Posts: 41
    The TPS NEVER came on, even when I picked up my car at the Dealer. When I got home, I checked the air pressure, and each tire had 23psi. I never saw it come on. I will report that to the dealer on Monday, when I take it in to have them check the tires for noise.
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    I have a 2011 GLS, now with 14,300 miles. Over the past year I have noticed the interior getting noisier and noisier. When new it was very composed. Some light road noise, but nothing major. Now it is a whole different story. Just plain noisy on anything other than pristine, freshly paved asphalt.

    I keep the tires between 34-35psi. I have started to notice the rear has a distinct oscillating "thrum" noise when driving over 40mph. No vibration or anything, just a constant "thrum-thrum-thrum-thrum". Could be a wheel bearing failing or could just be the tires...not really sure at this point. The car is just noisy.

    Another indicator that it is getting noisier is that I used to keep the stereo volume at "9", but over the past few weeks have needed to use "10" or "11" to clearly hear radio programs over the road noise. Also needed to increase the Bluetooth volume to hear phone calls.

    If I end up keeping the car much longer, I may have the dealer look into it. Based on the current list of issues I have with the car, it would take the dealer a week to sort through it all (the dealer has already said the one problem I have will require complete removal of the dash to fix)....might as well add the rear tire/wheel noise to the list. :cry:
  • engbertengbert Member Posts: 9
    edited May 2011
    The 2011 Sonata has a little lever on the lock inside the trunk which makes it impossible to open the trunk without using the mechanical key. The electronic part of the key can thus be used as a valet key, and cannot be used to open the trunk.

    I have looked at several other cars recently, including some much more expensive. I have found none so far which offer any way of securing the trunk from anyone who has access to the cabin. Older cars often have some way of doing this.

    I think this little item does not get enough publicity.

    I think this
  • engbertengbert Member Posts: 9
  • riverman97riverman97 Member Posts: 1
    Bought mine in Dec. I have a leak and was given the same story. I went to the car wash and it leaked even more. Has anyone went through the car wash and had the same problem?
  • snakeweaselsnakeweasel Member Posts: 19,290
    I saw the switch for that on the latch and while I wondered what it was for I really didn't give it much thought. But when the wife came home just now with the grociecries I tested it out. When in the lock position even the fob will not open it, just the key.

    I wish we had that on the rag top.

    2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D

  • jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    Most likely tires. Even Michelin had a big problem with this a few years back. I road in a FWD GM that sounded for all the world like a rear wheel bearing going out. Sound completely disappeared with a tire swap.

    Don't know exactly what causes this. My Khumo are doing the same thing after 18K of very even wear. I do know that unibody (no separate frame) vehicles of all makes are more prone to this.
  • tenpin288tenpin288 Member Posts: 804
    edited May 2011
    Does the "quality" or "tone" of the sound change depending on pavement type? By that I mean does the sound have a different tonal sound on new vs older asphalt or on concrete? If there is a significant difference depending on pavement type, I would lean more toward tires causing your noise.
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    I agree that the tires are probably the culprit. It is a shame that they have become so noisy after only 1yr and 14,300 miles. I would expect noticeably more noise after 30K miles or so, but not this soon.

    The OEM Kumhos are wearing very well, although I would probably be inclined to replace them when needed with Michelin Primacy MXV4. The Michelins are the same price as the OEM Kumho at Tire Rack.
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