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The downshift seemed more severe on colder mornings.
I waited till yesterday to bring it b/c it was time for the e-oil change.
They did the TCM flash (b/c I told them I saw it mentioned on Edmunds ) and told me to leave the car overnight so that they can simulate the cold start. But they still noticed the hard downshift this morning.
So they said they are going to reflash with software for 2010 models as recommended by Hyundai. And they'll try to simulate the cold start again tomorrow am.
Will let you know how it goes, but I'm a little worried abt putting the software designed for 2010 models onto my 09 Sonata. Do both 09 and 10 have the same tranny???
But I see that darwinyoh (#159) was only good for 1,000 miles after the update.
My Svc Mgr told me that 09 update didn't resolve the issue.
So they were on the phone w/ Hyundai Tech Support on Thu to manually "force" the 2010 software onto TCM.
The thing that I don't understand is why is this happening all of sudden?
I put on around 14K miles (15 months) before this started to happen.
Thx.
1. Says my transmission fluid is contaminated – found to be dirty and they recommend completed transmission fluid exchange.
2. Recommend top engine cleaner
3. Found brake fluid to be dirty/contaminated and they must perform brake system flush exchange – the last time I went in for service prior to this one they told me I needed my brakes fluid flushed because they used a alcohol based brake fluid and it absorbed moisture out of the air and that is why the brake fluid needed to be exchanged.
4. Power steering fluid is dirty / contaminated and they must perform a complete power steering fluid exchange
Now this is not the first car I have owned (it’s the 9th). I am almost 50 and have owed a Subaru hatchback, Chevy’s (3 Malibus and a Caprice) Dodge Colt, Mercury Capri, Oldsmobile Achieva – out of all of these vehicles – many driven to or over 100,000 I have never had so many contaminated/dirty fluids nor have I ever changed the transmission fluid. Is it just me or are they full of ****? Or maybe I just should not buy a Korean made vehicle since they seem to be awfully delicate.
Engine cleaner? IMO that is bunk. Today's gasolines have cleaners in them.
What does the owners manual say. I use to do all of these things but it depends on how long you are going to keep the car. I would keep all of the records and such once the car has over 100K miles it just goes to an auction. If the transmission fluid is that contaminated they should be rebuilding the transmission for you under the warrenty.
I have not let them do any of the work. I went in for an oil change and they hit me with all this other stuff. I told them "just change the oil". I wondered the same thing about the contamination. If the fluids are "contaminated" then I guess I should go back to american made cars - never had all this "contamination" when I was driving Chevy's. LOL
Then the transmission slams hard back into gear.
I'm getting ready to make an appointment for my 2009 Sonata V6 with 14k miles.
Has anyone experience this problem?
I can re-create the violent downshift pretty consistently by letting the car coast down a hill slighty above 40 and 50mph where the tach falls to around 1K-1.5K rpm. Lightly touching the brakes to slow a bit causes the car to violently downshift and the entire vehicle shudders as is if the transmission will fall out of the car.
Have not gone to a dealer yet, but will be making appt after reading this forum. I do not have the 1-2 upshift issue that all others describe. Car performs very well on acceleration, very powerful especially after 4K rpm.
No error codes. No metal fragments in the fluid.
They said to bring it back sometime & they would check again
And regardless of how well they're taken care of by the manufacturer under the warranty, it's still a major inconvenience. I have yet to see anyone who, upon experiencing a major component failure in the first year or two of a vehicle's life, has had the attitude, "huh, no big deal."
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We just purchased a 2009 Hyundai Sonata with 23k miles. Having the same issue going down hill. Took it to dealer they could find nothing wrong so they say. Rpms drop low and then kicks back in making a hard hitting sound.
The major hurdle is you have to re-create the problem for the dealer which has proven very difficult. Probably the only way to accomplish that is to voluntarily give your vehicle to a Hyundai service manager or technician to drive for several days in exchange for a loaner...unlikely in the average dealership.
In general dealers will blame dirty transmission fluid, computers, flash this, flash that, "couldn't recreate the problem" but in the end they just don't have a fix for what appears to be some type of defect. It will eventually cause the tranny to fail...I just hope it happens within 60K (used warranty).
IF anyone makes progress on diagnosing this issue please share with all of us. Good luck to all.
Anyone know if 2004 sonata has a transmission filter?
Anyone know how I can find a detailed diagram online showing the inside/outside of my transmission?
They too said that they couldn't recreate the problem but they said they re programed the transmission's computer.
The car seems to be better.
I have taken it down hills where it hard shifted before and its acting ok.
Hope it stays that way.
I'm getting ready to take it on a long trip on the interstates through mountains.
Let us know if the downhill shift problem stays away after more driving. Appreciate the feedback. TTD
I work, a lot!
Told my wife how to drive down a hill near the dealership with a tech in the passenger seat.
Instead she handed the keys over to the service tech & waited for them to return.
This time I moved the shifter to the right, locking it in gear, when I went down the long hills.
That worked, but I have to remember to shift back at the bottom of the hill.
New thing.
Now the car shifts hard at lower speeds, like coming to a stop!
First time poster here. To start, I am the original owner of a 2003 Sonata V6 GL. I have 148K miles on it. I recently was experiencing a hesitation of in the automatic transmission when going over 60mph. The engine light then came on shortly after. Brought the car to my mechanic, he connected it to the computer and it stated "torque converter" and some other odd codes he did not hear tell before. He told me to bring it to the dealer so they can give me a better diagnosis. They came out the "torque converter", misfire cylinder in 5 and 6. I had the dealer replace this converter. When I went to pay, its states "solenoid + harness" replacement ($782.00) on the bill. When I ask the clerk why it does not say torque converter he states it was the same thing. What do i know?? He did state the car needs a tune and it was time for the timing belt and water pump to be replaced; their quote: 800 for tune up and 900 for timing belt and water pump. Had to hold off on those repairs to $$. When I drove it home the still was hesitating going over 60mph. I figured it was the misfiring. I brought to my mechanic to do the other needed service for half the price. Well to my dismay the car still has a gear transition problem. Brought it back to the dealer and they called me and said I now need a new transmission The quote was 3k-factory refurbish 0 miles with a 1 year warranty. I am very upset with all of this!! I don't know what to do. Should I just buy a new car or have the transmission replaced. Any thoughts?... Comments?? Thanks
Jay
My mom's 08 honda accord's transmission locked up and was replaced under warranty. The car had less than 10,000 miles.
I have taken it to the dealer 3 times and its unfortunate that they are not able to find anything on the computer chip, yet they always reset the chip back to factory specs. Here in the state of MD it has to be 4 times to qualify for a lemon, which is what I think I have. It is also unfortunate that this issue has only ever happend when I am in the car alone...I would love for someone to be in the car with me to witness and feel what I do.
I urge everyone to report this problem to the NHTSA. Maybe we can get a recall going on this problem.
You can report is online at https://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/online.cfm
Read past messages about how the fix is NOT simple. They include everything from resistant dealers who cannot re-create the intermittent problems, to flash codes that don't solve the problems, to fully replaced transmissions. Various years, various models, no consistency EXCEPT for problematic transmissions on Sonatas. That's why someone might report it - obviously Hyundai doesn't report it internally or they'd utilize a better transmission.
I took it to the dealer yesterday to have it checked. The dealer told me there has been no recalls and no reported issues. They checked it and told me they felt it when taking a test drive. (I didn't witness the test drive) They told me there was a computer update for the cars transmission system that they applied to my car. Then told me I should have a transmission flush done for 200 dollars. They said this could be contributing to the hard downshift. I said no to the transmission flush. On the ride home I did notice a slight buck but so far today (50 mile commute) the car has run smoothly with no hard downshifts.
i'm looking for the link to the .pdf file above ...
http://sonata.jerrystout.us/tsb/tcm_calibration_update.pdf
can you send it to me?
thanks,
dave