Hyundai Sonata Front Suspension "Thunk"

fragilemn

I looked up the review on the 2010 Sonata on consumer reports and they mention that the suspension noise intrudes into the cabin. So it is certainly a widespread problem and most certainly Hyundai knows it.

estlander

My 2009 Sonata, which i bought two weeks ago, also has that awful front suspension thunk. Going over almost every little hole feels like the front axle is gonna fall apart.
When driving this thing, i'm constantly looking for any unevenness on the road in order to go around it, cuz i just hate hearing that thunk and feeling it in the steering wheel.

Those that claim it's just us imagining things are crazy. Read all the professional reviews, for God's sake!
This is not my first car, you know. In fact, this is the newest car i've ever owned, and right away i noticed that something wasn't right. I've never heard such thunking/thumping on any of my older high mileage cars before.

What i'm hoping now is that Hyundai will look into it and find out what part is responsible for that noise and issue a recall. It's probably something very simple, like a rubber piece for the strut somewhere that needs to be redesigned.
I believe they just did a recall for the Elantra for front suspension noise; a redesigned bumper stopper was found to be the culprit.

fragilemn

I hope the fact that the brand new redesigned 2011 Sonata that is supposed to start becoming available this month will not mean that they will not work on a suspension fix to the 2009 and 2010 Sonatas. I have a 2009 which i bought brand new in June 2008. I am considering trading it for a 2011 because it looks awesome and because I am sick of the suspension noise of my 2009.

lenstang

Why would you trade in your car and buy a new car from the company that sold you a car with a suspension problem? You will lose a lot on trade in. If you do want to get rid of it you should give your business to a company that backs up their cars not Hyundai.

targettuning

And exactly which auto company would THAT be? As far as I can determine by just scanning through these sites each and every one of them has someone pissed at them about something or another. Guess what, you can't please all the people all the time and if you have found the perfect car congrats.

lenstang

I guess you are a person who doen't own a Sonata.

targettuning

Correct, not currently but we have owned prior Hyundai products and have great experiences both with the product and the company as represented through their dealers...on the other hand ask me about Honda and specifically the newest generation Civic. This all leads me back to my previous post. There isn't a car manufacturer that doesn't have unresolved issues and owners with cars having those issues who don't believe the company is listening to their complaints and resolving them 1) at all, 2) fast enough, 3) completely enough or 4) permanently. You simply cannot please all the people all the time try as you may...period!!!

fragilemn

I would have to agree. Although I am not happy about the suspension issue on my 2009, I do think all cars have their issues. I think Hyundai has the ability to get it right on the new model. Before I would buy one, I would definitely take it out on a bumpy road to make sure I am ok with the suspension. Of course that does not mean there will be some other issue or issues that will bug me about it. I do expect to lose money on depreciation if I sold the 2009 for a 2011 but it might be worth it to me. I would expect their to be no discounts and rebates when the new ones first hit the showrooms, so probably would pay to wait a few months. Also would give a chance to look on forums like this and see if the new owners are complaining alot about particular issues. Maybe if I had had checked some forums back in June 2008, I would have seen the suspension issue and would have test driven on a rough road and maybe not bought the vehicle.

mslevens

Just went through the tire balancing issue with the 2004 Elantra.After replacing 3 bent wheels, due to the previous owner running low on air, replacing the Coopers with Michelins still had the vibration.The hubs where the wheels fit into build up rust. Remove the tire from the hub and put it on another hub without wire brushing the wheel and hub and you will get a tire mounted with a wobble.Also you do have to use the right Hunter balance machine- My local place tried and failed-I found a Firestone place in Oxford Valley Pa by the Mall who guaranteed they would fix it and they did. I traded the car for the 2009 Sonata SE and test drove it,a demo car, before I bought it,listening for the thump.I occasionally hear the tire noise, 17" and the front and rear passenger side thunk. I had the same front noise in a 1997 Cadillac, characteristic of an unloaded ball joint bottoming. The rear sounds like a loose shock on occasion with a light load.The car handles like my Mustang GT, with a bit softer ride- I live in NJ-Have had it on Catskill Mountain roads at high speeds and it did very well with no suspension noise or chassis noise-It is a great car.

gslav1

Hello, Has anybody received any help from Hyundai as to repairs for the front suspension?

lenstang

Last time I talked to Hyundai consumer affairs they told me to take the car to a different dealer to see what they would do then get back to them. I haven't had time to do that yet. I don't think I will get much help from a dealer that didn't sell me the car. However, I may still try. I will post if anything comes of it.

estlander

I think what is wrong with the suspension is the shock absorbers, There is nothing dealers can really do to make it better. If they decide to change anything in the suspension, then they'd be using the exact same OEM Hyundai parts. A set of aftermarket shocks would probably make it a lot better.

Many Kia Optima(essentially the same car as Sonata) owners are reporting the exact same front suspension noise on their cars. What makes me think it cannot be anything else but the shocks is that Optima has a different front suspension (MacPherson struts) as opposed to double fish-bone on the Sonata, and still the noise is there.

gslav1

Hello you are right it is the struts or shocks. I had my front shocks replaced and it solved the problem Hyundai paid for it and they admit that there is a problem, you should push your service dept. to look into this!!

lenstang

Is your car a 2009?
Did they replace the front and rear struts?
Can you give me the replacement part numbers?
Did it make a big difference?
I would like to try to get a dealer to do that for me.
Thanks

franmart

I have a2006 with 20,000 miles and have the same problem with the front end what year is your car and do you know the part no for the shocks

gslav1

Hyundai replaced the front struts,they say there is no fix for the rear noise. The part No. is: 54611-3K680
This fix Helps with the noise And really improves the handling and ride.

franmart

what year is your car my car is a2006

cliff5

I am would be very interested to communicate more with you about this issue, and in particular how you went about achieving what you did. My 2010 now has 6700km and has has the noise/ride/handling problem since about 200km. # time returned, "no problem found" I also have issues with transmission (manual) and I think this is associated to the fact that on a full tank I cannot get a read of less than 11L/100 on the gas (50/50 highway/city) which is considerably more than the stats. posted in the brochure, which are: CITY.HWY.- 9.7/6.2 You don't need to be a genius that which ever way you work it 11 is suspicious.
gslav-if you can e-mail me, I'd love to 'pick your brains' so to speak. incawarrior68@yahoo.com. Thanks, Cliff.

gslav1

My car is a 2009 sonata GLS

fragilemn

I noticed Monroe has shocks and struts for a 2009 Sonata. Has anyone installed these?
Also noticed KYB seems to be adding more 2009 Hyundai models to their offerings so hopefully soon we will see some for the Sonata.

gslav1

Monroe shocks are a bad choice go with KYB, Koni Bilstein

fragilemn

Hi,
yes I wish I could but they do not make any struts for my vehicle, the 2009 Sonata GLS. I have been looking and I see some other Hyundai models of that year that are beginning to appear on the KYB site so hopefully they will get around to mine soon.

estlander

Somebody mentioned a few pages back that his/her Sonata's suspension improved a lot once it reached about 30k, and someone also mentioned that by putting more weight on the car, the suspension was much quieter and softer as well.

Well, miraculously the combination of those two things seems to have happened to my car (2009 GLS 4cyl.) as well. Mine has 23500 miles on it, and all my tires are between 30-32 psi.

About a week ago i had a lot of weight on my back seat, and right away i felt that something was very different, i actually enjoyed the ride....lol.
I then remembered somebody mentioning the very same thing in this thread. My concern then was, would it also stay like that once the weight is off, and sure enough it did.
My suspension now behaves very differently, and i don't feel every little joint and hole on the road, while as before my mind was constantly focused on the suspension and eyes looking for potholes and joints to swerve, but not anymore.....
I don't know what happened, but maybe the shocks on these cars need to settle in, and putting extra weight on them helps to do that.

targettuning

So, you intend to post this "warning" on every obscure post except the one titled "2011 Sonata" where it can be discussed/debated or debunked. There plenty of new 2011 owners posting there who should be warned about this new sinister steering wheel with a mind of its own....

audg

I've got a 1999 Sanata and the rear shock is bad. How do I get to the top of the shock to remove it? It appears to come up under the rear window deck but I don't seem to be able to get to it.

Thanks

estlander

Usually you get to it from the trunk. You have to remove the liner inside the trunk on that side. There's a nut on top of the shock.

audg

we looked at that, there are a lot of plastic plugs that expand when pushed through, we tried compressing them and pushing them up but it didn't seem to work too well.

Are those the correct thing to work on and is there a trick/tool to remove them?

Thanks

mikemartin

Has anyone heard of or experienced first hand any suspension issues with the redesigned, 2011 Sonata?

Thanks for any feedback whatsoever.

Mike

greyfoxx

I have a "Thunk" or a "Rat-a-Tat-Tat" front right Sonata 2009.
Traded an Elantra 2005 44000Km for a Sonata 2009 47000Km.from a dealer about
60 miles from home.The road was smooth when I tested it.The Road was pretty smooth from there to home.A week later I happened to drive over a piece of road
that had potholes 1 to 2" deep,and raised patches about 1 to 2" High.The car sounded
like a war movie with machine gun fire.I was a Mechanic for 26 years,and repaired
many front ends,and driven many cars,but this took the cake.When I traded I thought
that a bigger car,and Price,would mean better.You know what they say when you
Assume something.Called the Dealer,asked if I could take it to a Dealer about 5 Miles
from home,sure!!.left it there for a Day,picked it up,they said could not find anything
wrong.Took it back to where I bought it,left it there for 2 days,same Answer.A new dealer was just opening up about 5 Mins from here.The service Manager drove it,Ah he said
its the front right shock,ordered it,put it on,same Dam Noise.the mechanic said
come with me and try a 2010 Sonata,we did,but he had to drive about 3 times as fast to
Produce something almost the same,but about 90% LESS than mine.
He said all the Sonata's drive that way.Then I found this Site.Thank God for that.
Sorry for the long Post,But if I was 20 years Younger,I would tear off the complete
right hand Assembly,piece by piece,because that noise comes from 2 Pieces
that have TOO Much Clearance,there are only 4 or 6 places that this can happen.
The Opinions above are mine only.thanks for reading this,if you have any information that will help,I would appriciate it

marvin6

I thank him for posting the warning. Perhaps he is the only one that has experienced this, but it shows there is a potential for it. If he doesn't inform people of this potential who will? I don't foresee hyundai corporate or the dealerships offering this information to potential buyers. I probably would not have used the same tone, but am quite thankful for his postings. For him to experience this and keep it to himself, I believe, would be a horrible thing.

targettuning

Actually, in the ensuing time since this was posted (early May) more has been revealed about the alleged problem. The poster was a woman,( nothing inferred by that revelation), but in spite of the insistance this actually occurred the poster had been reluctant (refused actually) to give some critical details about the incident, insinuated 5 other cars on the selling dealers lot had the same fault, refused to have Hyundai inspect and repair the car, and finally just traded it in or sold it back, or maybe gave it back after very few miles only to buy car with very much less presence (read, much less desireable to my eyes). So, there is mixed opinion here if this actually occurred. Others here have done some research and have not found any other 2011 Hyundai Sonata (the first with electric steering) that has been officially found to have these steering quirks. That said there have been reports of various electric steering errors/faults/quirks on other brands notibly GM so in theory this type of fault COULD occur to a Sonata but is not an excessive problem to date. Why don't you see Hyundai distributing this information? If it actually becomes a problem (which as I have said it doesn't appear to be) they will either institute a TSB or the government (NHTSA) will issue a recall. Either way you can bet Hyundai will not obfuscate as Toyota did, they will get the information out if necessary.

Kirstie_H

Hyundai won't inform consumers because it is statistically insignificant. Every model produced by every manufacturer likely has at least one report of a serious, life-threatening accident occurring while driving that particular vehicle. The occurrence of such an incident does not, automatically, indicate a pervasive manufacturing or assembly defect.

On a much different scale, it's like coming home with a gallon jug of milk and finding that the jug leaks. It could be a manufacturing defect that affects a bunch of jugs. It could have been damaged in transport. It could have caught on something in the cart. You could have poked it with something inadvertently. But reporting it would probably result in the store manager having a quick look at the other gallon jugs, and that'd be the end of it barring no more reports, since no cause or origin could possibly be determined.

It is, of course, of great value for people to report problems with their vehicles. If there *is* an issue, it always starts with the first report. However, it's important to keep in mind that:
If the report is accurate (6 cars affected), your current odds of your 2011 Sonata having this defect are 1 in 3,000.
The current odds of dying from it are zero.
Your lifetime odds of dying while in any vehicle are 1 in 272.
The lifetime odds of death from any cause remain strong at 1 in 1.

Here's hoping that it was just a one-off issue.

marvin6

I don't know if this person is telling the truth or is bitter at hyundai for some reason and fabricated the story - but she sure appears passionate about the situation. Passionate enough perhaps to risk legal action from hyundai if it's a lie. As for the issue she has brought to light I am thankful, however. We recently purchased a new vehicle with electronic steering and the thought of it malfunctioning never remotely crossed my mind. I would have had no idea what could happen if the electronic steering went out. At least now I think it is possible for the electronic steering to go bad and would be more ready to respond. I also believe, however, if this woman truly had this happen to her and wishes to have any credibility in any of her posts that she needs to validate the occurence or discontinue posting about it here or anywhere else.

targettuning

I have done some quick research on electric steering myself since I intend to purchase a new Sonata and found that it (electronic steering from any manufacturer) can insert steering wheel shudders, minor twitches to one side of the other, or fail completely which leaves one with manual steering, i.e. harder but still controllable steering. There appears to be a "fail safe" mode if one or more of the important components fail. But all in all I'm not overly worried about electronic steering.

marvin6

In retrospect, I guess if I had thought about the potential for electric steering going bad I would have thought that it would just be difficult to steer like the loss of power steering. But I never even gave that a thought. But when I read about being thrown into another lane that is rather scary. I don't know if that reports is even realistic, but it is certainly something to think about. And I'm sure the company that makes the units for hyundai most likely make them for many manufacturers. And let me add my name to any list that basically says "put up or shut up" on the claim she has made.

dave09se

Why cant this "Warning about the 2011 Sonata" have its own forum? First it was placed in every Sonata forum and now its in this forum and has not one thing to do with Sonata front suspension thunk, which is what this thread is about! :mad:

Kirstie_H

It's not getting its own forum. There are a total of about 10 messages about the issue in this discussion. It's not as if we're going on & on about it. If it becomes a more widespread issue, we'll dedicate a discussion to it.

dave09se

I think there has been at least 20 to 30 replies to the warning sprinkled through all of the Sonata forums, all Im saying is wouldnt it be better suited to have its own thread instead of reply here and and there?

Kirstie_H

Yes, but that didn't happen, and it's not worth the time and effort (likely wasted, as there's no new news or similar events). I can't prevent people posting in multiple locations - I can only fix it later. Once a post has received replies of value, I rarely delete them. This will pass.

Now, we've got 4 additional off-topic posts about off-topic posts. Please email me if you have further comment.

gedafe

All,

I bought a used 09 Sonata GLS with 21K miles on it a couple weeks ago. It is a pretty amazing car for the money--lots of room for people and cargo, decent handling (for the price), decent gas mileage, and a nice interior. However, it has the dreaded "thunk" everyone seems to be mentioning. Let me go on to say, based off reading the multiple posts, no one can really explain in words what the "thunk" sounds like. Mine sounds like what one of those small plastic playskool balls hitting and then rolling inside a deep bowl.

I drove it over every conceivable piece of roadway to see what made it make noise. Apparently, it really only "thunks" over roadway with depressions enough to let one wheel drop lower than the other (usually the passenger side), and then only at low speeds (10-20mph). It took awhile for me to replicate it for the dealer, but once I did, the tech immediately said, "Yep, we need to fix this." He went on to explain that in some Sonatas, there is a strange phenomena that causes some of the struts to make a lot of noise--I didn't argue, but I didn't completely understand. He also mentioned that Hyundai has modified their struts due to some of the complaints, so the new ones aren't like the old ones. What's different? I'm not really sure. I also don't understand how "some" Sonatas can have that problem, or why no one understands the issue?

Fortunately, the Hyundai warranty was still in effect, so I got both front struts replaced for free. It has done a lot to dampen the thunk noise, but honestly the noise is still there. The steering has improved though, because there is less vertical movement in the front wheels.

As with other posts, I agree, that if you have considerable weight in the passenger seat (another person of some size (200lbs) or a lot of stuff) the thunk almost blends with the typical suspension noise you hear in other cars--a muffled bump. I think I'm hypersensitive to the old thunk, so I can still make it out. I'm thinking that it's either caused by lousy suspension design, or maybe it is a series of bad struts.

Whatever the cause, I'm still driving the car--I spent enough money not to get rid of it again without some usage. Perhaps when the warranty is gone, I'll trade it for something else. However, for $15K for the complete package (car w/bluetooth, tags, registration, taxes), I still think I got a good deal. The tech says that even with the thunk noise, it was mostly a cosmetic (sound) issue. The old struts were still within spec for compression and extension distance.

madguy

Update. 17000km. 5 visits to dealer - all regarding the same problem. The accelerator module was changed a while ago, did nothing. The suspension has not changed, still no problem found. Engine tapping still there, less so. Transmission: gradually got worse, after 10 months we were still stalling the car, although only occasionally -and hill starts required a wheel-spin to prevent stalling. The clutch has been replaced under warranty. We are supposed to pick the car up today after 28 days in the shop.. yes, 28 days! I still cannot believe it myself (that they replaced the clutch AND the 28 days to do it). This was expedited due to keeping all records, not getting mad (at them, anyway) and finally letting them know that the next step would be contacting Hyundai.

dgc500

I have a 2006 Sonata and yes, the noise is coming from the right front shock tower. I'm getting a very load squeeking when I push down on the right front and a clunking sound when driving forward or back. I've noticed that mine makes more nosie when it's cold or colder outside. I have not had mine fixed yet but am looking to get it done. I live in Mesa, AZ and would be interested in a class action against Hyundai if necessary to get this resolved as it definately appears to be a factory defect.

jal012773

The "thunk" on my 2006 was fixed with replacement of the left strut. I actually had a guy at the Firestone store look at it for me while I had it in for a brake inspection. Pushing down on the left fender while holding a finger on the top of the strut mount, we could feel a vibration in the mount itself. The thunk was more prominent on the left than on the right. I took the car to my dealer and explained how we found the problem so they checked it out and agreed it was a "weak" strut. They ordered a new one and, after three weeks to get the strut in, they replaced it and the thunk is gone.

wayne021360

I have an 05 Sonata! Different body style than yours, but same problem. I get it back from the dealership tomorrow after being there for 24 days. I took it in for the very same symptoms you described. Noticeable squeaking sound in right front area most noticeable during the final inches of stopping and first stages of going. Diagnosis! Bad motor mount bearing! Cost! $159.00. The biggest problem is that this noticeable sound was only caused by the undetected sound of the defective strut, spring assembly and various bushings and bearings! Total cost of repair over $600! I'll be go round and round with the dealer tomorrow. I bought this car new and complained of some suspension noise before the car had 20,000 miles. But of course the technicians could never hear the noise when I would take the car in for regular routine maintenance as is mandated by the Hyundai company. I know you are far away from where I am, but you're welcome to contact Friendship Hyundai in Bristol TN and ask for some new knowledge of this problem! According to their sources, it's expected that struts only last about 50,000 miles! Funny! I've never replaced one on the Honda's, Nissan's, Fords and Chevy's that I've owned in years past. No doubt this problem has soured my overall satisfaction and brings renewed concerns to the overall engineering of it.

wayne021360

Was the repair covered under warranty?

LASHAWN

It's true that any and all suspension components are deemed wear items after 50k miles, but with the Hyundai Warranty, they should have been covered up to 60k miles. You may have never replaced them on your previous cars and that may be becaused they never wore down. I have an 06 Sonata with over 74k miles and I have no problems with my suspension. I've run across many Ford's and Chevy's that need front suspension repairs before and after 50k miles. Pretty much depends on which car you got out of the bundle that was made with a suspension component that would fail before it's wear time. The worst concern a tech can diagnose is a noise concern. Some people have better hearing than others, just the way of the world.

targettuning

Actually the shocks and struts wear so gradually the driver usually never notices the change in damping ability. It is usually a leak that finally indicates a shock or strut is kaput and of course by the time it leaks (usually but not always) it has not been doing its job for years and/or thousands of miles. So, the fact you never changed them out on your previous cars means little, you may have never felt they were bad. I have a 95 Dodge that had the original struts and shocks until well past 150,000 miles (I know, I ignored them even though intellectually I knew they were shot) The car didn't feel THAT bad but after replacement...wow!!! My point is this...those items are usually on their way out by 50K miles but almost nobody changes them at that mileage, why bother the car feels fine, right?

yul711

I have a 2006 Hyundai Sonata with the "thunk" symptoms. My mechanic said that bushings in both lower control arms are worn out and recommended both lower control arms replacement. I would like to ask a few questions:

Can the bushings be replaced without lower control arms replacement?
Are the after market lower control arms available or only OEM parts?
What is a ballpark cost for both lower control arms replacement with OEM parts and time required?

LASHAWN

You can replace the bushings without the lower control arms and can use OEM or aftermarket parts. Replacing the bushings only should be around $250.00 or so parts and labor. If you decide to replace the control arms, you'd be looking at about $900.00.

joel607

Just joined and am a used car owner of a 2009 sonata limited. Heard the thunking noise going over "down/up" bumps not so much up/down bumps and commented to the salesman that it needed to be fixed. He said they would look at it but ran out of time but "not to worry" was covered under warranty. Well...I bought it. Probably the cleanest used car with 27K on it I have ever seen. Well, first time i bought it in for the noise as you all have said "nothing is wrong" all is tight. It only does it on the right front side. Unfortunately for the dealership i am an automotive diagnostic specialist, so here goes on some things to check. The sonatas around the 09 area, which by the way suspension is redesigned in the 2011 models, is very cumbersome with control arms, control arm links, strut fork and strut fork bushings to lower control arm and the list goes on...not a great design. First thing to check is the strut fork where the bottom of the strut tube slips in and is pinched in place, the strut fork bolt was not fully tight and the strut tube showed signs of moving up and down (clean area about 1/4 inch), then look at the lower ball joint boot and make sure it is not deformed, should be even all the way around, finally, open the hood and near the front press on the frame so the suspension moves up and down and look at the strut mounts as seen through the mounting area. If the strut mounts are worn the round part will move up and down a tremendous amount...they should only move a little up and down. Mine moved a ton...so I told the dealership what to do and they replaced the entire strut assembly, mount and all, not the coil spring and then of course seated and tightened the new strut...on a scale 1 to 10 10 being zero thunking at all it went from a 1 to an 8.5...not bad...i feel the rest of it is probably in the ball joint and the design...hope this helps