Hyundai Sonata Maintenance and Repair

codata99

lastwraith, you should NEVER do that...when the transmission computer puts the transmission in fail-safe mode, lock in the 3rd gear in this case, it stores a fault code in its memory.
When you disconnect the battery, you're just wiping out the memory content including the stored code that would guide the technican to perform a repair.
Once you turn the engine off, the transmission is released from the fail-safe mode.

roadpilot3

I had the front wheel bearings done under warrenty. They are part of the drive train.

thartzler

I have a 2002 sonata with 50000 miles, took it in to the dealer for a alignment. The dealer called me and said that I needed to replace the rear brakes. The rear brakes are worn down to 10 % and the front brakes are still good at 50 %Both front and back brakes are original pads from the factory. I asked if there was something wrong with the brake system, because I thought the front did 70% of the braking and the rear did 30 %. Which would make the excessive rear brake wear very unusual! I think this could potentially be a safety concern! The " tech " said that because this car has rear disc brakes on it, this is not uncommon . I've talked to several mechanics and no one has said this to be common. Has anyone had or heard of this uncommon wear on the rear brakes?

thartzler

I have had my sonata in to the shop many times since buying it new. But there's one time I have to tell you about, The idler pulley was squeaking and the car had about 20000 miles on it. The service dept. called me and said that it had a defective idler pulley and they were putting on a new and improved part to fix it. The only thing is this new pulley takes a longer belt which the dealer wanted me to pay for ! I COULDN'T BELIEVE IT. Long story short I had to threaten to call Hyundai before they would do it for free. I've also had chevy trucks all my life and have NEVER been treated like this. I'm not sure if I'll ever buy another Hyundai!

edlo

wgat's up why hasn't anyone responded to message 350.???

lastwraith

I know it wipes out the codes, that was the point. Which is why I told him that it would in the first place. It's up to the owner to decide whether they need the code or not. If he runs into AutoZone and they get the code for him and then he decides that the problem isn't immediate and he would like to drive with all his gears for awhile then clearing the codes is exactly what he is going to want to do. If the problem reoccurs immediately, I DID say to get it to someone pronto.
I don't see how you are helping. As long as you pass on the pluses/negatives of information, it doesn't hurt to tell the person what you know.

lastwraith

Can't you just ask the dealer and/or take it to a competent independent mechanic to determine whether the CEL was disconnected.

Even another dealer might be able to figure that one out. I'm not sure how someone on this board would be able to help you quite honestly.

Good luck!

banditboy

I did not know the drivetrain WARRANTY included in the 10k warranty covered bearings.
The dealer quoted me 800$ for brakes did not even diagonise the problem right.
My local mech did a through job but found the problem for 1/2 the money i paid for diagonisis.

After the trans flush and slip.i have put another few hundred with no problem.I am waiting to see if the transmission will sort out itself.
It happens when i coast in 2-3 and kinda inbetween .Its odd that this happens once in a while and not every day which would indicate a major issue.

Monday i will take it to autozone and pull the code.I have not changed the sparkplug /wires in the last 5 years and does it have any chance of causing this????.I am looking at doing this if this will fix it

nkjp

Yeah this happens to my 04 Sonata Gls but also the engine also stalls after the slippage happens. My resolution was a new transmission- costly, but thankfully was covered by warranty(they first wanted me to pay $1,900 for it). Hopefully you wont have to have the same thing done.

tra2883

Hello,

I just purchased a used 2002 Sonata 4-cylinder last week, and so far I'm very happy with it! The only problem is that the tires are pretty close to shot. The car has 36,000 miles and I'm sure that the tires on the car now are the ones that were put on from the factory. The original Michelin Energys cost more than $100 each on tire rack, so I was wondering if anybody could recommend a different (and perhaps cheaper?) brand of tire for my car. Thank you!

edlo

thanks for responding, I was trying to avaoid going to another dealer becuz its a given they will try to charge me the $85 dl diagnostic test, which this weekend I asked another hyundai dealer to change the oil. He said it would cost me that to find out. He tried to reassure me that it was not neccessary stating if my engline lite goes on during igition and goes off then its working properly. He said that perhaps I drove the car without the gas cap during a cyclic period of time the internal diagnostics weren't checking the system. Could this be right??

thartzler

I also have a 2002 sonata that we bought new with michelin tires. I really waited until there was no tread left and only got 45000 miles out them. I put goodyear assurance 80000 miles tires on it. The goodyears are not any cheaper, but absolutely a better tire. the Ride is much better and they seem to be holding up better. The michelins are just too soft and wear out quickly.

paul20

I have a misfire on cylinder 3 of my 2000 Sonata. Does anyone know which cylinder, cylinder 3 is? Thanks

tra2883

How are those tires in wet weather and snow?

banditboy

http://money.cnn.com/2005/03/04/pf/autos/bc.autos.survey.reut/index.htm

2004 most realiable vehicle with 2 problem for every 100 was a sonata ...

codata99

4-cylinder or V6?

paul20

sorry, v-6!

codata99

This TSB explains the orientation of the V6 engine.
http://www.hmaservice.com/webtech/iindex.asp?id=394875340#_394875340

banditboy

okay bit the bullet and went to the dealer

plugged in the tool infront of me and boom
output sensor fried and hence the gear shift problem.140$ could have done it cheaper but i already was done with the car....

so anyway now the car shifts good and the car runs good....so now the question is is the 1000$
spend over the last 50 days on the car is going to holdup

2 front bearing - 550$
battery / transmisson flush - 220$
today - 180$
diags - 50$
----50 days .i just payed the car off and got the title in mail today so if it holds up till winter so i can get a tuscon lx .

lastwraith

Those are some pretty crazy prices man, you should really be using a trusted independent mechanic to help you out. I would use the dealer as a last resort or only for warranty repairs/recalls. $220 for a battery and a tranny flush. You could have gotten an optima red or yellow-top thrown in there for those prices. Not trying to be mean, it's just sad the way dealers charge.

Also, thanks for posting your solution!

codata99

You're not getting the point I was trying to make...

What I meant by releasing is that, when you turn off the engine, the transmission computer forgets it put the transmission in fail-safe mode.

The TCM will NOT lock the transmission in the third gear next time you start the engine just because it's done so in the previous driving cycle.

Disconnecting power is absolutely futile, meaningless attempt at fixing a condition that does not even exist when the engine is off.

lastwraith

Assuming you are still talking about your msg #360:
"lastwraith, you should NEVER do that...when the transmission computer puts the transmission in fail-safe mode, lock in the 3rd gear in this case, it stores a fault code in its memory.
When you disconnect the battery, you're just wiping out the memory content including the stored code that would guide the technican to perform a repair.
Once you turn the engine off, the transmission is released from the fail-safe mode."

Unlesss the Sonata is different from just about every other car on the road, disconnecting either the neg batt cable or the fuse to the ECU will both clear the codes and release the car from limp-home mode UNTIL the car goes back into limp-home mode again which will ONLY occur once the ECU has encountered a problem again. So yes, disconnecting the power is a way to return the car to a "start over" state. But as I said, if it's a constant and serious problem the car will throw a code and pop right back into limp mode.
I can remember at least one time in recent years where I had a car in limp-mode for an intermittent problem. Resetting the ECU allowed normal driving until the problem reared it's head again. I did tell the person I posted that if it's a serious and constant problem, resetting the ECU would do nothing since the problem would immediately reoccur. Other than that, I don't know what else I can tell you.

"Disconnecting power is absolutely futile, meaningless attempt at fixing a condition that does not even exist when the engine is off."
Umm, ok. The only reason the condition doesn't exist is because the car is not running. The TCM will not reset back to normal instantaneously even if a problem is intermittent on any car I have ever encountered. Disconnecting power will force a reset. That was the point I was trying to make.

banditboy

the bearing i live in the north east and hyundai forgot to add a dust cover for them so heck that was expected.new ones come with dust covers.

i skimped on the 60k service and did only the belts .the battery always fails as we have below freezing temps for months and also have a remote starter on the car that kills batterys.

so i am not justifing but saying that the above was not unexpected but it was sad it happend at
at the same time.i have had the car for 77k/5 years and this is the first time i spend money on it which is not bad.

lastwraith

No thats not bat at all money-wise. I hear you about the weather, I live in western CT but used to have reason to be in middle VT much of the year. Ugh...that's murder on your battery.

Glad everything turned out ok for you.

sonatalover

My 2000 Sonata 4-cylinder came with Hankook tires which were impossible to purchase in Indiana. When the time came to replace them I went with Yokohama Avid H4's. They were the best tires I've ever owned. I put 160,000 miles on that car and put two sets of the Yokohama's on it. They gave that car the best ride...literally felt like I was riding on rails!! Best of all, they were only about 60-65% the cost of Michelins or Goodyears!!!

sonatalover

I noticed a similar noise in my driver's seat when I first got my '03. The dealer replaced the seat under warranty which solved the problem.

roadpilot3

If you are in the states and not in Canada the front wheel bearings are covered under the 10year 100,000 mile warranty.

kmm486

I had the same problem with my 2001 Sonata. The timing belt was missing a tooth. I had to be replaced. thank god it was covered under warranty

kmm486

We were told by our dealer to never open the gas cap and have your car running it will trip your sensors and the check engine light will stay on. Sometimes it will cycle itself and turn off.. but most of the time it wont. Have you ever got gas and left your car running? That could have a lot to do with it

jamato253

Hi Folks,

I just purchased a 2004 Hyundai Sonata (4cyl) and wanted to reach out to other owners to learn more. I did extensive research on these vehicle and absolutely love it! (only 15K miles) I do notice a few adjustments may be required specifically pertaining to a rough idle in drive, but it does not happen all the time. Can anyone share a similar experience with the same car or let me know of other problems to watch for in this car??? Thanks!

jamato253

This is actually a common problem in most newer vehicles. When you fill up with your car running you can cause the ERP valve to fail which causes the check engine light to come on. If it cycles itself out but you continue to do this you will actually fry the ERP valve

chetbob

Just purchased AN 05 SONATA LX on 3/16. The amb button on the climate control was showing the correct outside temperature when i left the dealership. Yesterday it showed 41degrees when the temp was actually in the fifties. I had an 02 and had the same problem which the dealer never did correct. Any thoughts on the problem would be appreciated. Thanks

robjam

I have a serious problem with the heating system in my 2004 Sonata GLS which will affect everyone living in Canada or the northern U.S. I am told by the local dealership that the problem exists in all 2004 and 2005 Sonatas. The problem- the heat coming from the passenger side dash vent is 15 degrees cooler than the other three vents and leaves the passenger freezing in any weather where the temperature drops below -15 celsius. It makes for a very uncomfortable trip in the passenger's seat in those types of weather conditions. Local dealer tells me that Hyundai Canada cannot come up with a solution because of the way the system is installed!!

kxweil38

I have a 2003 Sonata with 6 cylinder. The car has 18,200 miles and I have never had any problems in the 18 months I have had it. A couple of weeks ago I was on the interstate going about 70 mph when there was a single strong jerking sensation in the drivetrain. The car has done the same thing about 2 or 3 times since and it is always on the freeway going at a steady speed. Not while trying to pass or accelerate. Does anyone have any ideas as to what could be causing this?

lastwraith

If driving around without overdrive on the highway will temporarily fix it, maybe it's just the torque converter hunting? Just a thought. This was a major problem on the Pontiac Bonneville board I used to check out and the problem was the torque converter trying to lock/unlock at random.

fchafey

I need some help, and after all I have read there are some very knowledgeable people on this forum so here goes:
I bought my daughter a 2000 Sonata GLS V6 last year. It has 87500 on it and a few things are annoying.
1. After a fill up the car sometimes stalls. Gas cap replaced, new one always tight.
2. when does the transmisson fluid get changed or does it?
3. drivers window goes up crooked, but with help from a finger or 2 it goes up correctly, very annoying.
4. all windows goe up slowly, have graphite lubed tracks but no help.

Great car for a first one for a teenager, the only part replaced was the MAF sensor to the tune of $206 at the Killeen, Texas Hyundai dealer.
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

ray h

Fault codes, engine or transmission, are NOT stored in volatile memory. They go into non-volatile flash ROM and have to be actively reset after reading with the HighScan diagnostic tool.

codata99

No, that's not true, ray_h. Engine and transmission DTCs are stored in RAM. And you don't need a factory scan tool to "reset" them.

codata99

Why was the MAF sensor replaced?

ray h

Hyundai has a TSB on thier site about this. It's actually normal. Hyundai's AT only goes into torque converter lockup in 4th gear and once the fluid has warmed to at least 140 degrees F. In cold weather at speed, though, the fluid heat exchanger is a bit too efficient - often allowing the fluid to cool lower than 140 degrees F. BANG! - the trannie's torque converter drops out of lockup so that the fluid gurgetating in the torque converter will heat back up. Once that happens, BANG!, again, so that the trannie's torque converter resumes lockup operation. In short, either start liking it, or operate your car in 3rd gear during cold snaps. (3rd gear is actually direct drive; 4th gear is overdrive.) As the weather warms now that spring is here, it'll be less and less a problem 'til next winter.

ray h

My source is the 2003 Hyundai Sonata shop manual. What's yours?

codata99

My source is the ECM manufacturer, Siemens.
Where in the shop manual did you find that info?

codata99

We're talking about severe jerking here, ray h, that's not normal under any condition.

bobgwtw

Agree with you about the Yokohama tires. Have 60,000 K on a set of Avid touring & still have 25=30 K left. Quietest, smoothest, best riding tire I've ever had.

Also can Recommend the Tire Rack website as a great place to buy. Knowledgeable staff, great service & low prices.

ray h

Then have your dealer look at it. I have a feeling he'll tell you what I tried to explain. That Hyundai has a TSB out about this issue should tell you that there've been quite a few owner complaints.

fchafey

the car kept stalling. took it to Autozone, put OBD II and the code sent me to the MAF sensor which auto part stores dont carry. I replaced the sensor in 5 minutes and it runs great, except for the occasional stalling after fill up.

kxweil38

Thanks for the reply. I never thought about driving on the freeway in 3rd gear. I'm driving home to the Detroit area tomorrow afternoon from Grand Rapids so I will give it a try.

Thanks again!

robjam

When we bought ours the dealer warned us not to try and top up the gas tank after the nozxzle handle had stopped automatically because it would trip a sensor in the fuel system. Maybe causing one of your problems?

roadpilot3

My 2000 Sonata V6 had a stalling problem also. Turned out to be the crank sensor was replaced and never stalled again. Have 80000 miles.

epollack

has any one had rattle in front passanger door comes and goes