Hyundai Sonata Owner Experiences
Looking at the new '07 Sonatas and doing research on these cars and it seems there are several '06 Sonatas for sale locally (WI)as well as elsewhere so I am curious why.
Caught between the 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines. The 4 will do the job I'm sure, but if you get into the SE model, your only choice is the V6.
Would like to know what people have been really getting for mpg on the '06/07 4's and 6's.
Also, anyone that has some higher mileage on their '06, any problems, have you had any maintenance done in the way of valve-lash checks, if so, within spec and at what mileage was it checked?
Would you buy another Hyundai again?
Caught between the 4-cylinder and 6-cylinder engines. The 4 will do the job I'm sure, but if you get into the SE model, your only choice is the V6.
Would like to know what people have been really getting for mpg on the '06/07 4's and 6's.
Also, anyone that has some higher mileage on their '06, any problems, have you had any maintenance done in the way of valve-lash checks, if so, within spec and at what mileage was it checked?
Would you buy another Hyundai again?
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I am a new Hyundai customer and just purchased an '07 Sonata about two months ago. I can tell you that I researched a lot of cars and decided the Sonata gave a great deal more for-the-money than the competition, which drove me (no pun intended) to the dealership to test-drive one.
So far I am extremely impressed with the quality of this vehicle. If it holds up (and it looks like it will), I will have no hesitation in buying another Hyundai product.
The car is also noisy on the inside at higher speeds, has a bothersome throttle tip in where you push the throttle in with nothing happening until it gets to a certain point with a sudden surge. The other common problem seems to be the rattle from the rear suspension. Again, it seems the manufacturer has little interest in improving defects and satisfying customers. I think they just want to sell, sell, sell, and let the rest be.
I'll never be a victim of Hyundai again. When we get our money back I guess we'll go with either a Honda Accord or a Buick Lucerne or Lacrosse. (Somebody with real warranties)
So the Air Bag didn't "activate"?. Were you in an accident, and was your passenger hurt?. In that case you can sue Hyundai. Or is the sensor just acting up. Why can't the shop that provides Warranty service duplicate the problem.
I've had my Sonata since February too, with none of the problems you speak about.
And the Lemon Law :lemon: does not automatically provide your money back?. If a serious safety defect can't be fixed after a few reasonable attempts to address the situation, then and only then will your complaint be taken seriously. Sorry to read about your problem. I would tell everybody I know to pick up a new Hyundai Sonata!. :shades:
I have had no major issues to date but found a crack in my side skirt when washing the car about a month after I drove it off the lit. Hyundau scheduled their regional rep to look at it and he approved the replacement without hesitation...VERY impressive. As with all cars, someone will get a problem vehicle. Buy the Buick and an Accord and you are taking an equal risk.
The suspensions thumping is very annoying. It feels like the tires are bouncing when you hit bumps. Below 20 mph, highway and a fully loaded car with 5 passangers and luggage drive good.
Just don't drive with less people on our New England roads and you will be ok.
My suggestion is to try one and drive over some bumps and pay attention to noises with the suspension. If it sounds bumpy just walk away or buy it and enjoy the music. Hyundai
knows about it, but do not plan on fixing it.
This is by no means a safety issue, just moderately irritating. I recall my battles with GM on my 2001 Intrigue with the faulty ISS--they never did resolve that. But Hyundai cared enough to resolve a minor shock absorber issue--I'm very impressed with my dealer and with Hyundai.
I bought my last car way back in 1987, my wife bought a stick shift Subaru in 1999 no problem, I testdrove a 2007 Mazda6 with stick, other manufacturers make a stick shift....why not Hyundai on the east coast?
If you bought one I'd be interested to find out what state, what month.
Overall, extremely happy with the car and my dealerships service department. Next oil change, they are swapping out my rear shocks for the "k-thump" issues that people have posted. Mine's not bad at all, but I might as well take advantage of the swap.
Within the last year and a half, I have test driven a 2006 Honda Civic EX I4, 2006 Honda Accord LX I4, 2006 Toyota Camry LE I4, 2007 Toyota Camry XLE V6, 2006 Buick Lucerne CXL V8, 2006.5 Kia Optima LX I4, 2006 Hyundai Azera SE V6, 2006 Ford Fusion SE V6, and recently a 2007 Nissan Altima SE V6. Even if I were still in the market and the price tag on each of the above were the same as my Sonata, I would still pick my Sonata over all but the 2007 Camry XLE, Hyundai Azera, and Buick Lucerne.
Got the Hyundai over the Accord for the better value and warranty. 3 months and 10,000 miles later...still happy with my decision.
You need to drive your car more.
Bought the Sonata solely for the excellent warranty and the huge amount of standard features for the dollar. Travelling sales will do this to you. In 3 years, this Sonata will have 100K miles on it and then I may look at the Azeras...sweet cars! Don't intend to keep this car for more than 3 years.
Anyone else having this kind of issue?
I can't locate precisely where the sounds are coming from since I'm the only one driving. Maybe one day I will have someone else drive it or have him listen to where the sound is coming from. Ironically, the interior is so quiet that even the smallest sounds can be a nuisance!
And yet, dealer says they are within specs; have had headlights replaced, with marginal improvement.
Any suggestions?
Don't worry, someone here can AND will help you.
Your night time visibility problem is not unique to current generation Sonatas. My '03 has the same "feature". The problem isn't one of incorrect aim - your dealer was telling you the truth. (Very rare, I know...) The problem is Hyundai's engineering staff's predilection with a "floodlight" lighting approach to night vision vs. other makes using a compromised "beam" approach for further reach. Yes, you can raise the aim point and see somewhat farther down the road. But, at the cost of irritating oncoming traffic. To be honest I much preferred my previous '96 Accord's ability to light up the road ahead, even though it didn't resort to trick "jeweled projector headlights" (Hyundai-speak, not by any means my own description which couldn't be submitted to a family-oriented website...). Nor did that car incur the wrath of oncoming traffic unless I failed to dim my brights on approach. (And if, perchance, I had my low beams on and an oncoming driver had his high beams on, a quick flip of the lever inevitably convinced the other driver of the folly of ignoring my courteously brief reminder of his undoubtedly unintentional oversight.
When accelerating, the engine is as loud as my old 96 Nissan Altima. Maybe, it is just normal during the break-in period or I am over-sensitive.
Funny, mine was quiet when I test drove it and up until I changed the oil. I bought mine with 13,879 miles on it. If you take iy in let me know what they say.
I took it in, but they say that is the normal sound of the engine-i could not believe it , for a car 2 weeks old.
It is true that after the engine is heated (requires some mileage on the highway) the sound is dicreasing in intensity- but driving it in the city .. it just awfull, for a v6 new car. But it seems i'll have to live with it, and i am angry. They also had to cut the rotors at the front wheels to stop the steering wheel shaking. Now it does not shake but i have the feeling that i can turn the wheel to much , i end up with the wheel up side down but the wheels are straight. Go figure!
a1m2 you know about the TSB on the timing chain tensioner don't you for the V6? Yours might be one that needs it. I haven't driven a V6 yet, I know if I do I'll want to trade up but we don't have a powder white pearl w/sunroof in stock. Like the white and the roof. Was yours quiet when you test drove it? Must have been or you wouldn't have bought it would you? Answered my own question.
About TSB, i read something about that on this forum,nothing more. My problem is how exactly i can identify if i have the problem for sure, because the dealers will definetly say that i do not have it, and who to believe.I mention that i am not very much a car "knowledgeable" person and it is written on my face when i go to the dealers. I understood that is a pretty tedious job , so i would like to be sure that changing that would not have other negative effects.
I'd believe you because YOU ARE THE CUSTOMER. Talk to the service manager, the salesperson who sold you the car and the sales manager. Raise some heck. You spent good hard earned money on this car.
Here is the link provided by a very nice person who owns a Hyundai.
http://jerrystout.us/sonata/index.htm
you are very kind and helpful in the same time.
I was wondering if any of you folks faced this issue and if so what advice you can give. I have a 2007 Sonata that is a little over a week old with around 400 miles on it.
From day 1, we've noticed that the passenger air bag off indicator stays illuminated even when there is a passenger(my wife is around 110 lbs) sitting in the seat. She's tried repositioning herself in the seat, putting her legs forward, etc like the manual recommends but no dice.
However we have also noticed that if I completely switch off the engine AND pull out the keys and restart the engine, the light goes off as expected.
Huffines in Plano initially BS'd me by saying that's the way it's supposed to work. Freeman(where I bought the car from) said its a problem. Hyundai Corporate agreed its a problem and when I called Huffines again they admitted its a problem with no known fix. Huffines Plano claims that the only way it works is that the passenger has to be seated in the car before the engine is switched on. This is obviously quite inconvenient if you're picking somebody up from the kerb.
Thanks in advance for any advice and perspective.
Did you talk to Freeman about a fix? This is a serious problem. How about the NTSB?
FYI, District Manager and others (again) insist the headlights are within specs.
We have copies of VA DMV and MD MVA as to headlisght requirements, and we will adjust them ourselves.
Next step is a strong letter to Hyundai America.
Does anyone else want to join in this complaint?
Any other thoughts?
Thanks to all who responded. My main concern was - is this an intentional feature or a flaw in just my car and it seems that this is a flaw in the car.
In your Sonata, does the passenger air bag indicator function correctly(not lit when there is a passenger in the seat) when a passenger gets into the seat when the engine is running?
Thanks.
N
Have you now learned not to call Huffines anymore?
I came home from work, left the engine running, hopped on the passenger seat and presto, light goes off! My wife is at least 110lbs so now we'll have to figure out exactly what kind of seating position is required to have the darn sensor sense her presence and wt. I like the car overall(so far) but damn, Hyundai needs to build a better sensor if ppl have to change the way that they sit in cars. Also I recall seeing at least two responses(one of them in this thread mentions 05 Tucson) where there was mention of this problem(in Hyundai cars). Both responses mentioned that the entire seat has to be replaced.
Huffines both in Plano and McKinney are clearly full of [non-permissible content removed]. They were full of it at the time I purchased the vehicle from Freeman, so thankful I didn't buy from them. They advertise a price of 14,884 in Dallas Morning News and neither dealership wants to sell at that price. One wants to sell at invoice and one wants to sell 1% over invoice and to top it all, McKinney falsely claims that the advertised model was manual(it was automatic and I could read that without using my glasses). I'm wondering if I should complain to Hyundai USA about the crappy advice that both Huffines service depts gave me?
BTW, I'm curious if anyone knows the reason for Hyundai building a wt sensor that deactivates an airbag? Cost cutting(didn't want to replace the airbag during warranty), genuine concern for airbags hurting children? I'm certainly baffled.
It's not just Hyundai. All new cars have this feature, as mandated by the Feds. It came in around '04--that's the first year I recall seeing it on a Hyundai (Elantra). It's for safety. The theory is, if someone ignores the big yellow label on the sun visor and puts a small child in the front seat, the air bag won't go off and injure or kill them. Also, I guess it saves the owner (and insurance companies) money because the airbag won't go off if there's no one in the front passenger seat.
Wouldn't the airbag caused injury be better than the injury without an airbag(which could quite possibly be fatal - right?)