2011 Hyundai Sonata Tire Problems

skip1744

I own a 2011 Sonata which I bought new. It now has 21000 miles on it and all four tires have flat spots (cupping). The noise is so bad that I am getting ready to buy new tires to reduce the noise. The car has no noticeable vibration or pulling. Tire have always been properly inflated. Both front and rear tires are effected. From what I can learn on forums and at a tire dealer, cupping is caused by suspension problems (bad shocks, improper balancing or bad wheels). Has anybody had similar problems?

ems1

Sounds like wheel alignment problems. Don't get new tires until that is fixed. They will be ruined in a few thousand miles and make as much noise as the old tires.

If there is still a good amount of thread on the old tires, I would get the wheel alignment done and get the tires rotated and put the worst tires in the rear.

skip1744

Thanks ems1, I am doing exactly as you have recommended. I talked with the service manager at our local Hyundai dealer where I bought the car and he showed me where the cupping is occurring and how alignment can cause my problems. I am getting thru him 4 new Michelin tires and an alignment all at the same time this coming friday. He is cutting me a break in the prices. He also showed me that had I rotated the tires every 7500 miles, the cupping would not be as bad because the wear would be just beginning at 7500 mi and might be worn off when rotated. I think he was being straight with me.

nelson1

Hey, Skip.
Cupping is a sign of out of balance tires. Regular rotation every 5-8k miles is a must to prevent this. Now, as to the noise. My Ltd. 2011 has just turned 5k miles, and it is so damned loud on the road, that I am going to trade it off, soon. I have had mine checked by the dealer, and they can find nothing wrong. My tires are not cupping, that I can tell, yet. It is just these danged Kumho tires that are LOUD!

LASHAWN

Instead of trading car off, why don't you just put on a new set of tires. There is nothing that the dealer or Hyundai can do about the tire noise except replace the tires with another set, preferably Michelins. If the only knock on the car is the tire noise, than there is only 2 ways to handle/solve the problem. That is to either A) deal with it or get a new set of tires. Hate to tell you this, but what else is there.

The Dunlops on the 09-11 Genesis sedan were loud and wore out at 25k miles, so Hyundai made a change for the 2012 Genesis by putting Michelins on them. Boy what an improvement in ride quality/noise.

targettuning

I'm thinking of trading my 2012 in soon because it is need if its 1st oil change!!! SERIOUSLY!!! trading a new car because the tires are noisy (tires are replaceable you know) reeks of something excessive. I can only hope your comment was "tongue-in-cheek"

zacware

Wow! I have the exact same problem. I have a 2011 Sonata GLS with 23,000 Miles on it and I just took it into the dealer today because I started hearing a very loud noise, kind of like when you get snow stuck inside the wheel rim. He said my back tires were at 4/32 and the front were at 6/32 and that there was uneven wear causing the noise. I'm really annoyed at the situation. Tires shouldn't wear out this quickly. Not sure what tire to replace it with either, but I'm definitely not ever going with this stock brand again.

targettuning

Typically the tread depth on a new tire is 11/32" so technically your fronts are at a little more than 1/2 tread left and the rears at a bit less. So 23K miles with about 1/2 the tread left isn't wearing out quickly but instead about "normally" since OEM tires are typically not the top of the line tire but instead lowish to mid level tires. The uneven wear? Probably something else...alignment, lack of tire rotation, driving habits( hit many curbs or potholes?) tire balance etc. Can't really blame that on the brand of tire generally.

ryster

Just checked the tires on my 2011 Sonata using a tread depth gauge.

After 16 months and 19,000 miles with the original Kumho Solus KH25's, all four tires are showing just under 8/32" depth remaining.

I rotated them at 6,500 miles and again at 14,000 miles. They wil be rotated again when the oil gets changed at 21,000 miles. They should easily be able to go another 25,000 miles before getting to the point of needing to be replaced. My driving is about 70% city, 30% highway and a lot of country backroads. Winter brings snow, ice, and brined/salted roads. Road quality around here is not the best, so the tires do not live the best life. For OEM, they are holding up well.

The tires, however, are very noisy. When it comes time for new ones, I will be getting something else. Most likely the Toyo Versado LXII in the stock 205/65/16 size.

chalirebrown

I have the 18 inch rims ont he SE and when it comes time to replace the tires I am going for the Michelins but does anyone have any advice as to 18 Michelins good for this car-thanks-I have alsways replaced OEM's wiht Michelins and never had any problems-they seem to be worth the money but chekcing prices, the Hankook tires on the car now are more expensive than Michelins

nelson1

No, no, no! When one spends $25,000 for a new car, he does not expect to have miserable noise while driving down the road. He expects cost free, enjoyment for a long time. One should not have to shell out $500 or thereabouts, for quiet tires on a brand new car. The Hyundai Mfg. co. should produce and sell a car that does not require the owner to immediately put a set of new tires on it. Dang! I will take the hit to my pocket, but not for new tires, for a new car of a different brand. And, this time, I will test drive it a lot more than I did this one, before I buy it.

skip1744

this is skip1744. I started this thread and to bring everybody up to date, I bought 4 new Michelin tires (the type that are supposed to yield better mileage) from the Hyundai dealer along with a front and rear alignment. I think they are 16" since I have the base model Sonata. I promptly drove the car to Florida, 832 miles, straight down I-95, 80 mph most of the way. the tires are very quiet, soft riding, good handling, great in the rain and despite driving fast and having the ac on all the way I still got 32 mpg. I have used Michelin tires for many years and have always been satisfied with their handling and long life.

chalirebrown

that's good to hear and when it comes time for me to get new tires I am definitely going for the Michelins-the Hankook on the car now are okay, slightly noisy is right but allt he OEM tires suck it seems and never last past 23000 or so.I maintain my car allt he time-roatte tires, oi changes, wheel alignments etc so it's an investment but they should be mroe quiet than they are-oh well, overall they made a great car-I looked at the Genesis in the showroom while I was there this week, $62000!!!!! I could buy two and half cars of what I have now for that much-haha

targettuning

If you would take the time to re-read my post (or maybe just read it in the first place) you will find it is entirely devoted to the supposed premature tire WEAR this person thinks he has. Nothing, was said that addresses tire noise, however OEM tires are, as I originally said, not typically top end tires of any particular tire manufacturers line. Yes, with further research one can almost find a tire replacement that suits their individual needs...desires...expectations better than the "one size fits all" approach auto manufacturers are forced to use for OEM tires. I might not think those particular tires are noisy but might object to their wet weather handling or braking or snow traction or dry cornering or.......you name it. The wonderful thing is one can always find a tire that suits them better but whether he/she cares to endure whatever "fault" the OEM tire exibits is a personal choice. Nothing is perfect and that test drive is there to ferret out things you personally and as an individual do not like. Hyundai does not produce a car that requires the new owner to immediately replace the tires on. Hyundai produces a car with tires that satisfy a myriad of engineering, technical and safety parameters and if you don't like one of those hundreds? (probably) of parameters then either feel free to wait out the tires and replace them later or shell out and replace them now.

rick2456

I had never been satisfied with the noisy Hankook tires on my 2012 SE, thus I upgrade to michelin primacy mxm4's. The tire I put on is slight taller as I went from a 225/45/18 to a 225/50/18. Those tires are also a low rolling resistance tire, so it will be interesting if my mileage gets any better. For sure, I cannot complain about the mileage. Thus far, the tires are far less noisy, seem to be a bit softer on bumps, and seem to grip better. Time will tell.

rick2456

I have the same car/setup, but the 2012 and went with the 225/50/18 michelin primacy mxm4 from discount tire. As I only had 5000 miles on the hankooks, they gave me $200 for my tires. No complaints at all thus far.

lceven

Seems like the Sonatas are coming out of the factory misaligned. Within 7500 miles the tires started getting loud and wearing on the inner edges of the front tires. When rotated to the rear the noise got worse. incidentally, the vehicle pulls hard to the left. Took it to the dealer at 18000 for the pull, he said nothing was wrong. Took it back at 26000 and he sent it for an alinement. After the alinement it still pulled left. I had it checked at 27500 and its out of alinement already.

A couple was in at the same time with a 2012 that pulled too. They scheduled an appointment for a alignment and I let them know my issue mirrored theirs.

After they left a person called with the same problem.

Not cool Hyundai. I've dumped $300 on two tires already. :confuse:

rick2456

For sure, no one spends 22k on a vehicle expecting to have to replace the tires. Hyundai is unfortunately becoming more and more like other car makers, and that is not a good thing. If they keep this up, more will migrate back to the US and Japanese brands.

targettuning

The "left pull problem" is a hugely discussed issue that affected a certain percentage of 2011 Sonatas. As part of the "fix" Hyundai issued a few separate revised front alignment specs. in hopes this would fix things...as far as I can tell it was a mixed bag but mostly didn't. There were some other ideas that Hyundai tried, including a new revised left front strut assembly with a larger range of alignment but this too was a mixed bag. The problem was well publicized with U-Tube videos all over the place and both Consumers Reports and Car& Driver had long term test cars that exibited left pull. Hyundai finally found the true fix and implemented it for 2012's after a certain build date. You mustn't get out much if you missed that whole debacle. Anyhow, the alignment, realignment and realignment again thing using different specs. is over and you really should check to have the fix done to your car. The uproar over the issue had pretty much gone away as far as I can tell so you might be one of the last still wondering why the car pulls left.

targettuning

And a news flash for you.....breaking news!!!! All auto manufacturers use spec. tires from whatever tire company they contract with. These tires are designed to be "all things to all people" and conform to multiple specifications submitted by the auto manufacturer. They tend not to be satisfactory to everybody buying a specific brand/model car in each and every category. If they are noisy to you and a premium Michelin tire at 1/2 again the cost to replace suits you better for reduced noise, by all means buy Michelin. So, in the respect that Hyundai uses hometown (Korean) Kumho or Hankook tires on many of their vehicles is neither a suprise or any different than GM using a traditional US (made in China) brand on some of their cars/trucks. For once and for all, OEM tires on most any brand, excluding possibly BMW, Rolls Royce, Mercedes, and other premium $$$$ cars are a compromise and if you or anyone else objects to one or more of the areas this compromise represents i.e. noise, wet handling, dry handling, snow traction, wear, hydroplaning etc..etc. then do your research when it is time to replace them and buy a tire that has better results in that/those areas. Whatever you do don't blame the manufacturer, any manufacturer, for choosing a middle of the road tire for OEM use.

hjc1

WELL SAID............
These people who complain ever test drive a car before they buy it????
18" tires will most always give you a harder noisier ride

chalirebrown

I ALWAYS take a car for a test ride befoe I spedn over $20K-and the tires were okay until they started to get broken in-alignment done after one year and no change but it isn't THAT bad-just they could have done better wiht a tire selection-the newer ones have Michelin's on them I saw at the dealer

hotrod54

Okay, time for me to chime in. I have a 2011 SE 2.0T, got it in May. I now have 52,200 miles on it with the original Hankook 431's. I have only rotated once. I have 8/32's remaining on the rears and 6/32's remaining on the fronts. Low profile 18's will be slightly harsher riding and noiser...that's the price you pay for PERFORMANCE. I do have nitrogen in the tires, that will help with tire wear and will be more consistent with ambient temp changes. My tires are wearing evenly all the way across with no probs. Tho I now drive for a living, using the car (and my Harley), I have been in the tire and auto service buisness in the past. Most oem tires are step or 2 below premium tires on the market, it's a way for car manufact. to keep costs down. My car has been aligned once, but you should check it twice a year. Driving condittions and driving style have a direct affect on your tires; I feel like I should'nt even have to mention this. when I was in the tire biz, I found most problems were due to operator failure to properly maintain vehicle. That is all.

smrt50

I agree... You shouldn't have tp spend $600.00 on a good set of tires.... Also we had a problem with the paint coming off the steering wheel. I didn't feel the quality was there... We sold our 2011 Sonata for a new Toyota. :mad:

tjlegear

2009 Hyndai Sonata driver who experienced the same bad tires and "pull left" affects that others on this site have reported, and not happy to have paid nearly $900 to buy better tires...though results are measurably beter with Michelin. Hyndai should be in many car owners' cross hairs...they're selling inferior equipment, know it, and deny it...based on my 3 visits to the deal since I bought my car 30 months ago. TJL

chalirebrown

the dealer I have here in N.C> has been really good to me and fixed anything that went wrong-nothing major-horn didn't work-needed a new one, brake light swtich which is common on this car it seems so that pressing the start button had no effect-my daughter, who has a Honda and lives up in N.Y. has had horrible service and lots of problems-go figure-never buy a car made on Monday they say!!!

tjlegear

I'm a 2009 Hyundai Sonata driver who experienced the same bad tires and "pull left" affects that others on this site have reported, not to mention chronic low pressure warnings and utterly ineffective efforts on the part of two Huyndai dealers to identify or help resolved these irritating issues that had been occurring since the day I drove my new car off the lot in August 2009. Not at all happy to have paid nearly $900 last month to buy better (Michelin) tires after only 33,000 very troubling miles on same very bad factory-installed tires from Hyundai's national rubber-making partner. Results are measurably better with Michelin--which only affirms how poor the Korean tires were--but the car still does not hold the road as well as those old Ford SUVs I had been driving the previous 16 years. Hyundai rightfully belongs in the cross hairs of many of their car owners. Hyundai is deliberately selling inferior equipment, they know it, and based on my personal experience during three visits to two nearby Huyndai dealers in my neighborhood, Hyundai is deliberately "steering" their customers away from what they know to be true. Shameful, perhaps to the point of warranting a class action suit. I can't believe it took me this long to seek out this blog to learn the truth! Much obliged Edmunds.com. I'll take it from here. TJL

tjlegear

Understand you're happy with routine Hyundai repairs, but wouldn't you agree that bad "tires" are a serious safety hazard and any company (remember the problems Firestone a few years back) that knowingly permits its customers to drive on defective tires should be held accountable? TJL

Kirstie_H

I can totally understand the frustration with buying a new vehicle that has lousy, cheap-o tires on it, but I'll tell you that it's not just Hyundai. Even some of the models that come with tires from a big brand name turn out to be lousy - it's one of those areas that some manufacturers cheap out on because consumers aren't likely to notice when they're purchasing.

If your tires were truly defective (rather than just cheap & lousy by design), then it's a shame your dealership didn't do more to help you out.

Just be aware that when looking at purchasing vehicles, you should check out the tires & the reputation of that particular model of tires, because we see a LOT of complaints about poor quality tires. My vehicle came with Continentals, which you'd think would be OK, but they were hideously noisy. However, i knew that when I bought the vehicle and planned my budget to accommodate replacement ASAP.

targettuning

This is the second post you have made that excoriates (look it up) Hyundai due to "bad factory installed tires" You feel outraged about having to replace the tires on a 2009 car with "only 33,000 miles"? Not happy to have to spend $900 for what appear to be, given the price, upper end Michelins and are STILL not happy even with these? Still complaining that "the car does not hold the road as well" as the clumsy SUV's you drove for years? Couple that with the same chronic low tire pressure warning problems that all manufacturers have had to put up with since the good ole' US govmint mandated manufacturers install these on all vehicles since.... irony anybody?...the same Ford SUV's you seem to love rolled over frequently and caused extreme injury and death to their occupants. And the capper is that the dealer, no two dealers, couldn't eliminate the tire wear for you. Yeah lets initiate a class action suite. People generally have a valid complaint if major bad things happen, as they tend to do somtimes on things really complex like a car and if a really large number of owners tend to have that same major bad thing happen AND if the dealer can't/won't remedy it. Then possibly consider a class action suite. Save the threats of a class action suite for important things not tires that happen to wear out. Geeez!!

mikedef62

Kumho's were unimpressive. First 15K on my 2011 Sonata GLS was fine, but the treading wore pretty quickly, considering the warranty is for somewhere along the lines of 50k miles. Be lucky to get anything near that. I had to replace after 30k miles because of a nice big crack in the rib on the front left tire. Ended up spending some extra money and sized up and got Firestone Firehawk Wide Oval AS tires. Highly recommend. Low Noise, great traction and great dry and wet braking.

lceven

My Sonata has had all the tires replaced. The noise is gone, however, the pull to the left remains. More pronounced on the left crown of the road but it sill does it on the right crown. The Goodyear's Assurance, I replaced the OE tires with, have been great. No noise, no uneven wear. No nitrogen in this set and I think my MPG have shown it, 32.5 mpg vs 33.25.

lorisola

My 2012 Sonata had a several recalls - now my car has bald tires - Hyundai claims the air pressure had nothing to do with it - Even though I am under 100% warranty thee claim it is not their fault - Air pressure light came on weekly, I put air in my tires weekly - Allen Laguna Niguel states it was just a sensor problem. They reset my sensor system and completed a recall on the alignment. Steve Blaker now refuses to work on my car. They ordered a new guard but decided I have to go elsewhere. I spent 28,000 on July 5, 2011 at Allen Hyundai in Laguna Niguel- what happened to 100% warranty? This is only the start.......

jlindh

The 10/100,000 mile warranty is clearly labeled "Powertrain Protection". I'm not so sure the "what happened" comment should be applied to the Hyundai side of the equation here.

If there's a problem with something else (other than wear items), your warranty is 5/60,000.

Wear items like tires and brake pads are not warrantied. If you did, in fact, air your tires every week, I'd have to agree with the dealer that the air pressure had nothing to do with your tires wearing out. Most car manufacturers install whatever tires they can find at a good price on their new cars. That generally means the original equipment tires won't last a long time. You haven't said how many miles the tires lasted. Your driving style is very important in tire longevity along with the tire compound. Just as a guess, if you're not getting good gas mileage on the car, your driving style is probably affecting both the tire and gas mileage.

I certainly don't agree with the dealership not wanting you as a customer unless, of course, there's been some unpleasantness in the relationship.

nj2pa2nc

dealers do not warranty the tires-the tire manufacturer does.

ryster

In most cases, OEM tires (the tires that come installed from the factory) carry no treadwear warranty. They have a warranty that is different than the warranty for "replacement" tires.

For example, Kumho and Hankook both have a specific warranty for "replacement" tires that you would purchase from a tire dealer. The warranty for their OEM tires is totally different (and is limited to what is in the Kumho or Hankook booklet that comes with the car when you buy it.)

For tire issues, check out the booklet that the tire manufacturer included with the the vehicle and work directly with the tire manufacturer or one of their authorized tire dealers.

As far as a Hyundai dealer refusing to work on your vehicle, that is something you should address with Hyundai Consumer Affairs. Call them and calmly explain your situation. They may be able to make a couple of calls on your behalf and help get the dealer issue resolved.

cmnwealth

Yes - I just replaced mine up here in Canada at around the same mileage to the new Michelin MXV4's, V-Rated tires. No Problems at all. The Factory Michelin rubber is garbage. The suspension I was worried about as well, so I had the front brakes tightened up a year ago and have never had a problem. From what I've read on other forums you can swap out the suspension for a more sport tuned package, but this something that could ultimately cause traction issues. Ultimately this is a 50/50 shot unless you can find a reliable suspension place to deal with.

Had this car on the highway yesterday trimming 190 km/hr with no problems at all. Had to test out the tires ... lol ...

abdob

Same exact problem what did you end up doing?

skip1744

I had all 4 wheels aligned at the dealer and installed 4 new Michelin tires. Dealer actually had a deal with Hyundai and Michelin and he had the best price I could find. that was a year ago and no problems since.

lceven

Dropped $600+ on four Goodyear Assurance, 20K miles on them and no issues to date.

I will not take my vehicle to the dealership for any non-warranty service, ie oil change, alignments and such.

Moreover, as I consider my next vehicle purchase, I will be putting Hyundai, towards the bottom of the list. :shades:

hotrod54

Hey targettunig, can you see now why I got out of the tire and auto service biz? I could not stand trying to educate the growing # of morons flooding the auto market. The more info there is out there for us, it seems, the less educated people seem to be.

lora1432

I have had similar problems. My 2011 Sonnata now has around 32k miles but I noticed the road noise about 6k miles ago..........I have rotated my tires about 3 times they are due for a 4th but I am going to buy new tires and have my car aligned. I went to my dealer and he told me the noise was from the tire cupping most likely the alignment is off. I don't know if it is just the alignment or something else. I guess I will find out after I have an alignment done and put a new set of tires on. I work for a tire company and the guy's here suggested the Yakohama OPTIMO #1010865. Good Luck

crankeee

Lora: 32,000 miles about what we got on many OEM tires on GM and Honda. We have a 2012 Sonata with Kuhmos and noticed slight feathering, at 2400 miles, on the outside ribs that we suspected was caused by Toe-In being out or maybe Camber. We had the same thing on a Pontiac. The tech at our dealer adjusted the Toe-in slightly to stay within specs since he concurred that could be the cause. Only 1100 added miles so no clue if it worked but we are monitoring the old backs that were moved up front at our request so we could see the wear. The old fronts are flattening out on the back which shows the benefit of rotation. The Sonata has a very tight turning radius that may not help if the alignment is off. The dealer did not argue at all about aligning the car or rotating the tires to fix the premature wear problem. so far the car is great- City/highway MPG is EPA or even better at 23-25/ 34-37.6 depending on conditions. Great car so far.

francis6

I just had to replace my front tires after 14 months and 22,500 miles. What really surprised me is that my tire shop looked up the standard tires for my Sonata and found a 15 inch tire. On the car was actually a 16 inch tire. Is this the factory cheating on their own specs, or is it the dealer who just decided to put on something cheaper.

jlindh

You don't say what year your Sonata is, but I don't recall that Hyundai has used a 15" tire for some time. Have you considered the possibility that your tire shop is full of do-do?

capriracer

According to Tire Guides, Sonata's haven't come with 15" since 2005. Your tire shop looked this up wrong - or something.

Also, if only your front tires wore out, then you didn't rotate - and that's why you only got 22K. If you had rotated, you would have gotten over 35K - reasonable for OE tires.

ryster

The OEM Kumho Solus KH25 tires on my 2011 Sonata were all worn out after 31,000 miles. They were rotated every 8,000 miles and were still all down to 4/32's tread depth after 31,000 miles. Sure, I could have pushed them to 2/32's (another 5-10K miles), but they were getting too noisy and the wet weather traction had become downright dangerous.

Just had them replaced with Michelin Primacy MXV4s. Hope to get better service out of them.

I have rarely ever been able to get more than 30,000 miles out of OEM tires on any vehicle I have ever owned despite regular rotations. The only exception was a 2003 Dodge Durango that was still on the OEM Goodyear tires after 3yrs/45,000 miles (although they were starting to dry rot.) Had I not traded the Durango, I would have had new tires installed on it.

413link

Glad to find this thread. Lots of good info. Will be watching this thread.
OEM Kumho's have 28k and change. Will be monitoring them closely.
Have run Michelin's or Cooper's on my Avalon and have been very pleased.
Am looking to go to 17" wheels and tires when the Kumhos are replaced.

dennis_h

:mad: Hyundai Case # 4992124

I have a 2011 Hyundai Sonata that currently has 28,000 miles on it. At about 16,000 miles, I noticed a warbling sound from my tires and it has been getting louder. I purchased a lifetime wheel alignment package with balancing and rotation from Firestone as soon as I purchased the car with 14,00 miles on it. I have had this car’s alignment checked 3 times and have had the tires balanced and rotated each time. The tires are severely cupped or chopped on the inside edge.

The mechanic told me from the first time that I brought it in for alignment that everything is perfect except for the camber, which there is no adjustment for on these vehicles. It appears Hyundai tried to save a few bucks by not installing a camber adjustment bolt.

Now I'm screwed and have to put a set of new tires on that will just do the same thing in another 10,000 miles or so. I have elevated this to Hyundi and opened a case. I will post the results once they "evaluate" my vehicle next week.

ryster

While camber adjustment is not something that is "standard" on the 2011+ Sonata, it certainly is possible to adjust the camber. There is a camber bolt kit that can be installed in the front suspension to allow for camber adjustments to the front. The bolt replaces one of the existing strut mounting bolts, and permits the angle of the suspension to be changed. Change the angle of the strut/suspension, and you are effectively adjusting the camber of the wheel.

From what I have read, the camber of the rear wheels is readily adjustable without any supplemental kits.

dennis_h

I was told that there was an adjustment kit available last week by the technician at Sears (Kuhmo authorized dealer) who inspected my tires. I brought that up to the Hyundia Service Manager and the dealership and he confirmed that that kit existis and they have put them in some of the Hyundia models. He then dicussed my issue with the Hyundia Regional Service Manager to see if they could install it in my vehicle. The RSM said they don't do that anymore and would not install it on my vehicle.

Just don't get why some engineer would decide this was not a necessary adjstment (when it is on all other cars) then they have an issue and want me to have this adjustment kit put on at my expense.

Thanks for the reply!