Contrary to what you have insinuated, I am not a novice in purchasing a new car. I searched the lots of all Hyundai dealerships within 100 miles, by using the on line listings. The dealership manager had also searched across a 3 state area while I watched, and over several days during the 2 to 3 weeks that I negotiated, looking for the colors and options I desired. Also, the rebate being offered was for vehicles on the lot, as I understand, which took $2k off the purchase price . Before you talk about others, you might want to consider that they might have gone to great lengths to think and consider their purchase. I am happy to post that I was awarded a replacement vehicle, same color and options, as a result of a BBB lemon law hearing. I was surprised, my wife even more so, that this was accomplished after articles I read in Smart Money and Senior Magazine about the lemon law process, auto company tactics and the BBB (which is funded by major industrial corporations. I had the paperwork for the next step through the State attorney Gen. office all prepared and was ready for a much longer trek through the legal procedures. The dealership is attempting to locate the replacement vehicle or I was told one would be shipped from their (Hyundai's) port in NJ, this was also told to me by the Hyundai representative who is handling the transfer paperwork.
I have an 08 with 11,000 miles on it that has been mis-shifting for 15 months now. I have gone to the dealer 9 time to get this fixed. It is still mis-shifting. BBB Auto line!
Have you dealer replace the A/T fluid, and reset the adaptive learning module. Then have them take you out when they do the adaptive learning procedure. Make sure they follow all the TSB, something about the ATF temperature must be above a certain temp (Trans Temp Sensor) before the "computer starts learning"
if no DTCs are set, have them hook up the GDS and do a flight record. TELL THEM YOU WANT THE PRINTOUTS!
MOST TECHS DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DO THIS...THIS CAR IS A COMPUTER ON WHEELS AND UNLESS THE COMPUTER STATES THERE IS A PROBLEM (DTCs), YOU WILL NEVER GET THIS FIXED.
I would also check my e-brake, make sure it is not dragging. Jack-up the car like you would change a tire. Make sure the e-brake is off (block the other wheels before you jack it up) see if you can rotate the rear tire with ease. Do this for both rear sides, if you feel any drag...take it back to your dealer and tell them you want to see them do the pre-inspection....It was not done correctly before you bought the car and to give you $200 refund.
Additionally where are you located? (cold weather area)
Are you a light-footed driver?
Lastly, make sure everything is documented..documented...documented.
i took my 09 sonata to the dealership and they made some adjustment. told me to give it a week to "learn" how i drive. surprisingly, it worked! the car is great now. shifts harder than the santa fe but better than when it was new.
I have a 2009 sonata v6 limited. It has shifted horribly from day one. At 1000 miles the dealer looked at it and told me the same thing. It has to "learn". Now I have had automatic tranny's "learn", but they didn't have to drive like a bucking bronco as it learns.
I now have 1700 miles on it and it seems slightly better. But then I drive another car and feel the silky smooth shifts are relize it sucks. If I am accelerating hard, it shifts smothly. It's also OK when cold. However once the engine get up to temp, under light to moderate acceleration, the 1-2 shifts are very disruptive, so mush so that I am concerned about driving in the snow.
I also have "learned" to compensate for the harsh 1-2 shifts. As I approach the 1-2 shift, I back off the gas now. This minimizes the shock. Otherwise I love the car. It really annoys me that the dealer is unwilling to concede a problem.
As a side note, the loaner drove perfectly. And that car is driven by someone new every day.
my sonata now has 3600 miles on it i took it back to the dealership several times before they fixed the problem. i know what you mean about the hard shift between 1-2 gear. i hated that car. i wanted to leave it on the lot and walk away from it. mine shifted horribly when it was cold. after it warmed up it would shift better but still a hard shift. not smooth at all. but now it seems to be right. i dont know what adjustment they made but after the second attempt it worked.
my first hyundai was a 2007 santa fe and we also have a 2008 santa fe. both run smooth as silk. you cant even tell when they shift. the sonata on the other hand has been a total different story. i took my veh in twice to the same dealership. the first time they told me nothing was wrong but if it continued to bring it back. the problem was only when the veh was cold. after it warmed up it still shifted harder than what i thought it should but not like when it was cold. i was ready to leave that veh at the dealership and never look at it again. the last adjustment that was made seems to have corrected the problem. it doesnt shift smoothly like other vehs but it no longer shifts with the hard hesitation. i went to north freeway hyundai after numerous calls and no satisfaction. i was tired of being told it had to "learn" me. what if i shared my veh with my husband? which one would it learn? i too hope the veh is fixed
i am being told there is a recall on the 2009 sonatas on a transmission flasher. this is suppossed to be the cause of the hesitant jerking shifting. i am taking my vehicle in tomorrow to have them look at it so i will keep you informed. this car is driving me insane
I've had my 08's transmission reprogramed 4 time now and it does not fix anything.
I was told after owning mine for 15 months now, that our (wife & I) driving style is the cause, we are 'light footed drivers." The HMA Regional has drove the car several time but it never happens to him, so they claim there is not a problem.
I go to court tomorrow, wish me luck... this is not my only problem... apparently the parking brake has been dragging for 13 months now and guess what ... the brakes are not under warranty now... It been in 4 time for the noisy brakes, but everyone just ignores the repair procedures... I'm done with Hyundia, the cars might be o.k., but the techs I've worked with do not know what they are doing!
good luck to you let us know how this works out. now im being told that since it only does it when the car is cold that the transmission fluid hasnt reached the top until it gets warm. kind of makes sense since it only pops 1 gear 1 time. also i was told some hesitation is normal. maybe we should get a class action suit against hyundai since so many have the same problem with no solution.
good luck!!! i already was at the BBB and they denid my case. i think they wanted to say as long as the problem is not safety it's not a problem..and it's o.k.
Firmware is the correct term in this case. Hardware would be the gears.
I just told them that my 1-2 shifts were harsh and that I heard there was a service bulletin about it.
The updated the firmware on the computer controlling the tranny and so far I am pleased. I no longer have to get off the gas as I feel a shiftpoint coming.
i took my sonata to north freeway hyundai and showed them your email and what you had done. the service manager said he never heard of it and was wanting to know what dealership you went to so he can call them and find out what this firmware is. they did an adjustment on my car again but i dont know yet if that will help. can you please provide me the name and number of your dealership? thanks
I was able to get it thanks so much you would think the mechanics that work for hyundai would have access to this and not have to ask the customer for the info. i really appreciate your help.
It's clickable! It doesn't look like it will be when you are composing a post, but once the message is posted, the board makes a hyperlink out of it as long as it starts with the http://
(see, that's all it takes to make the board think it's a link!! )
Yours works too. Dave seemed to think his wasn't going to be clickable, that's all I was trying to address. I've seen lots of posters think that because a link is not clickable in the post composition box, it will not work when it's posted. My post was housekeeping, nothing to do with the subject.
I've posted a couple times in the Hyundai message boards section of Edmunds. Not to ask questions, just shooting the breeze. I own a 2009 Sonata Limited V6 and while I initially came here a few times praising the car, I've grown to really hate it. My list of problems:
1. Cracking and popping sounds from the dash. Sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispy Treats whenever the heater or A/C is turned on. Must be the cheap plastic expanding and contracting with a change in temperature. I know of 15 year old cars that do this, embarrassing!
2. My right speaker has developed an annoying rattle whenever music is turned up to about half way. The Infinity system stinks anyway, but this issue just makes me not want to turn it on.
3. My navigation system has frozen up on me a bunch of times, forcing me to restart the car to get it working again.
4. Various strange noises coming from suspension system. These noises started showing up at the 10,000 mile mark, and they make the car sound like a 10 year old car, not a one year old car.
5. The worst of all these issues is the evil transmission in this car. The 1 to 2 shift is brutal, and is rarely smooth. Makes driving the car a nauseating experience. Even more serious than that, is the extreme, violent lurch of the entire car when slowing down from freeway speeds, say coming off an exit ramp. It's like the transmission gets confused, and instead of slowly down shifting, dumps the gear to 2nd car while I'm still traveling at a good rate of speed. I can't tell you how unnerving this is. It sounds like the transmission system is just going to grenade out of the car into the street.
There are other issues, but I'm too tired to list them all, those are the main annoyances. I know some of these issues (maybe all of them) could be fixed with trips to the dealership, but what a PITA to have to do that. I bought a brand new car so I wouldn't have these problems. Otherwise I could have bought used and let some other sucker take the depreciation hit. Instead now I'm the sucker, both for buying new, and for believing Hyundai is of the same quality as Honda, Toyota, or Mazda.
This will be the last Hyundai product I own. Thankfully I also own a 2009 Honda Fit Sport that I'm sure won't have any of these issues. The Fit was supposed to be a secondary car to run errands with and take my big dog around on the weekends, but it has now become my primary vehicle. My $18,000 Honda Fit drives better, much better than my $27,500 Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata is up for sale. Anyone want a lightly used (12,000 miles) 09 Sonata Limited V6 in the Dallas area? Should be interesting to see what kind of hit I take on this car with Hyundai's stellar resale value.
I feel your pain... I have experienced some of your issues. Luckily, my dealer has taken care of them and I am very happy, however not excited about my 2009 v6 ltd w/nav.
1. Cracking and popping sounds from the dash. I have had cars in the past that the windshield would creak over bumps and potholes.... but only a couple of times a year... My sonata couldn't go 45 seconds... it nearly drove me mad!
3. My navigation system has frozen up on me a bunch of times, forcing me to restart the car to get it working again. My nav froze up a few times and the voice command didnt work at all.
5. The worst of all these issues is the evil transmission in this car. The 1 to 2 shift is brutal, and is rarely smooth. 1-2 shifts made my insane, i would back off the gas just before the shift and it was almost smooth. 2-3 was a little better but not much. Tranny in general is not the most intelegent.
My dealer was able to correct these issues for the most part. Windshield squeaks and nav issues are totally resolved. He flashed the tranny as per this buttlin
and I am a happy camper. The 1-2 shifts are smooth as silk... at least by comparison.... is my wifes acura and my previous inifinti better... of course... but this is a Hyundai and overall it's amazing!.For the money, best car I ever had.
See your dealer... he can make you like your car again.
I still have and issue clicking the link. If I do I get and error and the index, yet the url is exactly correct. However cut and pasting works fine. For some reason the same url that works pasted, doesn't worked linking from here.
Your link in posts 126, 134 and 135 all work perfectly for me; I have tried each one individually. I can't imagine what the problem is that they don't work for you. Perhaps a browser issue? Maybe you need an updated Adobe Acrobat plug-in?
Sorry you are having problems like that, but if it were me, I would take it to the dealership and have them try to fix it first. If you have, and not gotten good results, then try another dealer. Ignoring a problem won't ever make it go away. van
Yeah, I'm going to take it to the dealership and try to get the problems resolved. I just don't understand why such a new car is having this issues. It has driven me to the point of trying to sell the car but as expected I'm not getting any calls. I think that's a good thing as it would be cruel to sell someone my car with these issues.
Ever notice how these sorts of things never rear their ugly heads in a test drive? In my 09 test drive there was no crackling dash, no navigation freeze-up, no harsh 1-2 shift, no strange suspension noise etc. But over the course of a year I've now had all of those issues. I really believed Hyundai was at the quality level of a Honda or a Toyota but I don't think they're there yet.
I, we, specifically bought a new car so we wouldn't have to deal with issues like mine. It just has me very worried about future reliability of the car if I'm having all of these issues in the first year of ownership.
I am new to this forum, but have been lurking around at other Hyundai forums with questions. Basically, I am not happy with the performance of the car. I think my issues have been discussed before, but I will highlight the issue that is bugging me the most and making my living with this car VERY hard.
It is the transmission shift quality. The 1 -> 2 shift under slow acceleration is quite jerky and unsmooth at all times. Also 2 -> 3 shift under slow to moderate acceleration is jerky from time to time, but not all the time. It seems like on both these shifts, if I back off the gas at the shift point, it is seamless. Also under hard acceleration (not as bad a WOT), the shifts are MUCH better. Initially when I bought the car, these shifts were horrible. Last Nov, I got the latest TCM update and although the shifts have gotten better, they are still bothersome. The dealership says there is nothing they can do anymore since they can offer only what Hyundai provides them. I have had the service manager drive the car and although he understands what my annoyance is, he does not have a solution. Hyundai says there is no further TCM update available.
I do not know why I did not discover this problem during the test drive. My bad!! Do you guys have any suggestions? If the shifting was smooth I could probably live with this vehicle.
i have had the same problem for about 9 months now and same for me. on the test drive the vehicle was great so what happened? i have been very frustrated to the point i dont even care if i let it go back as a repo. they can have it if they cant fix it. hyundai has to know they have a problem with the transmissions. we have a santa fe with no problems at all. you cant even tell when it shifts. now the sonata thats another long long story with no obvious ending. let us know if you know of a solution. great name for the vehicle though i so-not-a want that car!!!!
I felt the same way till last February. The 1-2 shifts will killing me. Hard acceleration was ok, but gentle acceleration was like a bucking bronco. My dealer did a firmware upgrade and now I am happy. You can still feel the shifts but just barely..
Sorry to hear that. I guess I got lucky. I can sympathize. I started to really hate my car. I bought it Oct 08 by Feb when I got the update... I was ready to sell it.
All I can say is that since I got the update I am happy with the car.
Did it completely eliminate your harsh shift or reduce intensity? For me it reduced the intensity, but it is still there. Especially on the 1 --> 2 shift when I go in stop and go traffic. When I gently tap on the gas to get the card going, once it hits about 10 mph or so, the 1 -> 2 shifts a bit roughly. When I step on the gas moderate or hard it is not there. Go figure!
Have 30K mi on a 2007 Sonata GLS. Experienced a recurring problem with transmission starting at 25K miles. Automatic transmission doesn't engage for 10 minutes when shifted into Drive. I can shift into Rev and it engages immediately. This occurred twice when the car is first started, once when stopped at a stoplight and the transmission disengaged for 2-3 minutes. When this happens, the shifter is in Drive, transmission is disengaged, the drive gear indicator will blink rapidly R-D-R-D-R-D......R-D as if it can't decide if it is in Rev or Drive. Also, when this happens, there are electrical anomolies ...the dash lights, radio and clock led's blink in unison with the turn-indicator, turn-indicator flashes faster than usual. Shut the car off for a while and everything seems OK, transmission engages and shifts fine. First time, dealer replaced tranny range sensor and no problem for 6 months. Second time, dealer replaced sport mode switch, but problem recurred within a week. On third occurrence, dealer can't find any problems. Will try talking to another dealership/mechanic and see what they can find. Anyone have similar problems???
You should try another dealer. With all that is going on the problem is not with the transmission. You could have a bad ground. How would the transmission effect the turn signals unless the ground is feeeding back thru the lamps and clock. If you explain all of this to a knolegable person they should know where to start.
Hyundai seems to be really dropping the ball on quality lately. If you go to Hyundai Forums, there are a lot of people still having problems with the front and now rear suspension, plus a ton of electrical and transmission problems are now surfacing.
I hate to see this happen because Hyundai seemed to be making great strides for a while there.
Let's hope they get back to making progress and fixing current issues.
Newowner10 gets the gold-star for his tip. Third time was charmed. Dealer found the electrical ground was missing a bolt. Said the ground was not properly installed at the factory. Interesting that it took 25K miles for a grounding problem to surface. Thanks Chaps!
I have a 09’ Sonata that when the weather gets cold and [the motor and transmission is cold] you start off with the car it shifts fine going up but if you stop within the first few blocks or miles, the car will lunge forward at about 2 to 3 mph and does a hard down shift. My dealer where we bought the car new last September 08’ thinks my wife and I are nuts. They are more concerned about getting it out quick for their ratings. Thanks; ricomd
i had the same problem and had to go to the dealership quite often. but dont give up they can do an adjustment to the transmission and it will solve the problem. also there is a tcm calibration update on the hynndai technical service bulletin that will tell them step by step instructions on how to correct this problem. i was ready to park that vehicle on their lot and walk away but now i love the vehicle. hope this helps
Comments
Have you dealer replace the A/T fluid, and reset the adaptive learning module. Then have them take you out when they do the adaptive learning procedure. Make sure they follow all the TSB, something about the ATF temperature must be above a certain temp (Trans Temp Sensor) before the "computer starts learning"
if no DTCs are set, have them hook up the GDS and do a flight record. TELL THEM YOU WANT THE PRINTOUTS!
MOST TECHS DO NOT KNOW HOW TO DO THIS...THIS CAR IS A COMPUTER ON WHEELS AND UNLESS THE COMPUTER STATES THERE IS A PROBLEM (DTCs), YOU WILL NEVER GET THIS FIXED.
I would also check my e-brake, make sure it is not dragging. Jack-up the car like you would change a tire. Make sure the e-brake is off (block the other wheels before you jack it up) see if you can rotate the rear tire with ease. Do this for both rear sides, if you feel any drag...take it back to your dealer and tell them you want to see them do the pre-inspection....It was not done correctly before you bought the car and to give you $200 refund.
Additionally where are you located? (cold weather area)
Are you a light-footed driver?
Lastly, make sure everything is documented..documented...documented.
GOOD LUCK
I now have 1700 miles on it and it seems slightly better. But then I drive another car and feel the silky smooth shifts are relize it sucks. If I am accelerating hard, it shifts smothly. It's also OK when cold. However once the engine get up to temp, under light to moderate acceleration, the 1-2 shifts are very disruptive, so mush so that I am concerned about driving in the snow.
I also have "learned" to compensate for the harsh 1-2 shifts. As I approach the 1-2 shift, I back off the gas now. This minimizes the shock. Otherwise I love the car. It really annoys me that the dealer is unwilling to concede a problem.
As a side note, the loaner drove perfectly. And that car is driven by someone new every day.
Brakes or Transmission?
When you say "shifts harder than the santa fe but better than when it was new." (your 09 Sonata, I assume)
Did the servicing Dealership give you a loaner Santa fe or do you own a Santa fe?
I HOPE YOU HAVE A COPY OF THE SERVICE WORK ORDER.
Who's your Servicing Dealership?
I'm glade to hear you think the problem is fixed.
HAPPY CAR OWNERS ARE USUALLY REPEAT CUSTOMERS
I've had my 08's transmission reprogramed 4 time now and it does not fix anything.
I was told after owning mine for 15 months now, that our (wife & I) driving style is the cause, we are 'light footed drivers." The HMA Regional has drove the car several time but it never happens to him, so they claim there is not a problem.
I go to court tomorrow, wish me luck... this is not my only problem... apparently the parking brake has been dragging for 13 months now and guess what ... the brakes are not under warranty now... It been in 4 time for the noisy brakes, but everyone just ignores the repair procedures... I'm done with Hyundia, the cars might be o.k., but the techs I've worked with do not know what they are doing!
I will keep you posted.
I just told them that my 1-2 shifts were harsh and that I heard there was a service bulletin about it.
The updated the firmware on the computer controlling the tranny and so far I am pleased. I no longer have to get off the gas as I feel a shiftpoint coming.
I was starting to regret my purchase due to the harsh shifting. Now it's smooth as silk.
If you are experiening harsh shifts please go to your dealer. The computer update was quick and effective.
http://sonata.jerrystout.us/tsb/tcm_calibration_update.pdf
(thanks to jerry)
I can't say enough how happy this has made me. I was very happy with the car but the harsh shifts were making me hate the car.
http://www.jerrystout.us/sonata/tsb/tcm_calibration_update.pdf
Don't click it.... copy and paste it into your browser.
If you still can't get it, let me know. I have the pdf, i can email it to you.
(see, that's all it takes to make the board think it's a link!!
1. Cracking and popping sounds from the dash. Sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispy Treats whenever the heater or A/C is turned on. Must be the cheap plastic expanding and contracting with a change in temperature. I know of 15 year old cars that do this, embarrassing!
2. My right speaker has developed an annoying rattle whenever music is turned up to about half way. The Infinity system stinks anyway, but this issue just makes me not want to turn it on.
3. My navigation system has frozen up on me a bunch of times, forcing me to restart the car to get it working again.
4. Various strange noises coming from suspension system. These noises started showing up at the 10,000 mile mark, and they make the car sound like a 10 year old car, not a one year old car.
5. The worst of all these issues is the evil transmission in this car. The 1 to 2 shift is brutal, and is rarely smooth. Makes driving the car a nauseating experience. Even more serious than that, is the extreme, violent lurch of the entire car when slowing down from freeway speeds, say coming off an exit ramp. It's like the transmission gets confused, and instead of slowly down shifting, dumps the gear to 2nd car while I'm still traveling at a good rate of speed. I can't tell you how unnerving this is. It sounds like the transmission system is just going to grenade out of the car into the street.
There are other issues, but I'm too tired to list them all, those are the main annoyances. I know some of these issues (maybe all of them) could be fixed with trips to the dealership, but what a PITA to have to do that. I bought a brand new car so I wouldn't have these problems. Otherwise I could have bought used and let some other sucker take the depreciation hit. Instead now I'm the sucker, both for buying new, and for believing Hyundai is of the same quality as Honda, Toyota, or Mazda.
This will be the last Hyundai product I own. Thankfully I also own a 2009 Honda Fit Sport that I'm sure won't have any of these issues. The Fit was supposed to be a secondary car to run errands with and take my big dog around on the weekends, but it has now become my primary vehicle. My $18,000 Honda Fit drives better, much better than my $27,500 Hyundai Sonata. The Sonata is up for sale. Anyone want a lightly used (12,000 miles) 09 Sonata Limited V6 in the Dallas area? Should be interesting to see what kind of hit I take on this car with Hyundai's stellar resale value.
1. Cracking and popping sounds from the dash.
I have had cars in the past that the windshield would creak over bumps and potholes.... but only a couple of times a year... My sonata couldn't go 45 seconds... it nearly drove me mad!
3. My navigation system has frozen up on me a bunch of times, forcing me to restart the car to get it working again.
My nav froze up a few times and the voice command didnt work at all.
5. The worst of all these issues is the evil transmission in this car. The 1 to 2 shift is brutal, and is rarely smooth.
1-2 shifts made my insane, i would back off the gas just before the shift and it was almost smooth. 2-3 was a little better but not much. Tranny in general is not the most intelegent.
My dealer was able to correct these issues for the most part. Windshield squeaks and nav issues are totally resolved. He flashed the tranny as per this buttlin
http://sonata.jerrystout.us/tsb/tcm_calibration_update.pdf
and I am a happy camper. The 1-2 shifts are smooth as silk... at least by comparison.... is my wifes acura and my previous inifinti better... of course... but this is a Hyundai and overall it's amazing!.For the money, best car I ever had.
See your dealer... he can make you like your car again.
http://sonata.jerrystout.us/tsb/tcm_calibration_update.pdf
Your link in posts 126, 134 and 135 all work perfectly for me; I have tried each one individually. I can't imagine what the problem is that they don't work for you. Perhaps a browser issue? Maybe you need an updated Adobe Acrobat plug-in?
Sorry I can't be of more help.
van
Ever notice how these sorts of things never rear their ugly heads in a test drive? In my 09 test drive there was no crackling dash, no navigation freeze-up, no harsh 1-2 shift, no strange suspension noise etc. But over the course of a year I've now had all of those issues. I really believed Hyundai was at the quality level of a Honda or a Toyota but I don't think they're there yet.
I, we, specifically bought a new car so we wouldn't have to deal with issues like mine. It just has me very worried about future reliability of the car if I'm having all of these issues in the first year of ownership.
I am new to this forum, but have been lurking around at other Hyundai forums with questions. Basically, I am not happy with the performance of the car. I think my issues have been discussed before, but I will highlight the issue that is bugging me the most and making my living with this car VERY hard.
It is the transmission shift quality. The 1 -> 2 shift under slow acceleration is quite jerky and unsmooth at all times. Also 2 -> 3 shift under slow to moderate acceleration is jerky from time to time, but not all the time. It seems like on both these shifts, if I back off the gas at the shift point, it is seamless. Also under hard acceleration (not as bad a WOT), the shifts are MUCH better. Initially when I bought the car, these shifts were horrible. Last Nov, I got the latest TCM update and although the shifts have gotten better, they are still bothersome. The dealership says there is nothing they can do anymore since they can offer only what Hyundai provides them. I have had the service manager drive the car and although he understands what my annoyance is, he does not have a solution. Hyundai says there is no further TCM update available.
I do not know why I did not discover this problem during the test drive. My bad!! Do you guys have any suggestions? If the shifting was smooth I could probably live with this vehicle.
Thanks!
Hang in there... the dealer can fix it.
Have you done the TCM update? I did and still I have the problem.
I did the TCM firmware upgrade and it is still bothersome.
All I can say is that since I got the update I am happy with the car.
I hate to see this happen because Hyundai seemed to be making great strides for a while there.
Let's hope they get back to making progress and fixing current issues.