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Hyundai Sonata Transmission Problems

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Comments

  • gslav1gslav1 Member Posts: 23
    Where do live, I live in Maryland. I took my car to the dealer this morning with the same problem you have. The service dept. reprogrammed the electronic control module and transmission control module. there is a technical service bulletin 11-AT-003 for this problem. The dealer did not charge for this service. If you live in MD. the dealer is Fitzgerald Hyundai 11411 Rockville Pike.
  • chalirebrownchalirebrown Member Posts: 38
    I live in North Carolina and the delaership here in Greensboor has been very cooperative about any problems I have ever had. Never had the tranny shift problem but a few other minor ones-like no start several times on the push button start and they fixed the brake switch etc etc and the horn had to be replaced but the fixed it all and never a scam. I used ot use a Nissan dealership up on Long Island and they were the worst-always trying to sell you some maintenance junk that didi not have to be done. So sorry to hear about the problems-is there another dealer close by?
  • I would not consider it a minor problem that the car would not start with the push button start. Most drivers would consider their car not starting a big problem. :surprise:

    That service bulletin was from February of 2011. The dealer will not tell you unless you complain, I think because they do not want people to know they have been having so much trouble with their transmissions.

    I too had to have the brake switch replaced, sounds like another common problem with their vehicles.

    There are also several service bulletin for the electrical system / software (including the ignition switch - perhaps they should have fixed that before you left the lot and had to experience it would not start - they must have already known but did not tell you since they posted a service bulletin months ago)

    I am guessing they are waiting until customers get stuck with cars not starting or shifting before they implement the fixes in their own service bulletins. But by not telling customers about the problems they already know exist they save money - perhaps it is so they can pay their CEOs bigger bonuses?
  • targettuningtargettuning Member Posts: 1,371
    Funny...I just received a text from myhyundai.com on my cell phone informing me there was a "recall" on my 2012 Sonata although after going to that site I found it wasn't a recall but a upgrade to BlueLink to make it function more efficiently. This after receiving a letter informing me of the same thing about 3 weeks ago so to state Hyundai isn't informing customers about possible problems that already have a fix is, in my opinion, nonsense. Yes probably not informing customers (maybe only you) to save money. Personally I have found Hyundai to be very forthcoming in information distribution to those who are involved.
  • cjmat7cjmat7 Member Posts: 1
    I was programming I the overhead door. Had the car idling in neutral, did the steps as outlined in book, no luck, got out of the car, went back to my desk computer, watched the movie, went back to the car, again programmed the minutes inside the car, got out, got on the ladder and pressed the SMART button on the overhead motor to program "HOMELINK", the car rolled forward, I jumped off the ladder, got out of the way, the car crushed the ladder against the garage wall, it momentarily stopped as it hit the wall , I reached for the door, opened it to reach in and shut the car off, it went into reverse, I again jumped out of the way not to be pinned and crushed by the open door and the center cement wall of the two car garage, the wall did not stop the car, it tore the open door off, rolled down the driveway, across the lane, hit a 15 foot Pine Tree, and came to a stop on top of the tree. HYUNDAI ConsumerAffairs@hmausa.com SAYS "TOO BAD, NOT THEIR PROBLEM" Don’t trust Chris, Zach or Jesus?
  • austinlaustinl Member Posts: 3
    It probably would've been a good idea to put the parking brake on if you had it idling in neutral. I'm assuming you have an automatic transmission, since it would be impossible for a manual transmission to shift from 1st to reverse all by itself. And if you do have an automatic, why would you put it in neutral in the first place to program the homelink, instead of leaving it in park? It definitely sounds like user error and not Hyundai's fault.
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    edited April 2012
    Did you have the emergency brake engaged. Why did you have it in neutral and not park. You do not need the motor running to do the homelink-just enough for electrical power. When we programmed the homelink I was in the car while my husband climbed the ladder. I personally do not blame Hyundai of this-sounds like human error.
  • imcharlieimcharlie Member Posts: 2
    Thank you for your comment. Human error? This was my first try to set the Garage opener. My wife had set her car by herself for the last 15 years. She said she was having trouble this time so she asked me to fix the opener. I haven't used the emergency brake on any car for thirty or more years. The book did not mention "emergency brake. I worked on the problem alone, my wife was ill. I spent more than thirty minutes trying the books way, both books were from Hyundai, different procedures. I had the car in park and neutral at different times. New cars don't move in neutral. It was then I watched the movie, only one person in the movie, no husband and wife. After fixing the inside he got out, then on the ladder and pressed the Smart button. I duplicated his moves. However I had the car running sometimes in park and sometimes in neutral while answering computer questions as to the model name and then model #, then color of wire on the motor opener, and the car never moved for thirty minutes or more. So I programmed the car, and as the movie did, I got out of the car got on the ladder and pressed the button and the car moved forward at a decent speed at me on the ladder. No driver. The move had no driver. Why not blame Hyundai?
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    Cars in neutral can move. In park it will not.
  • LASHAWNLASHAWN Member Posts: 303
    My question is why in the hell would you need to have the car in neutral, or even running for that matter to program the homelink? All you need to do is put the caar in the ON position and hold the door opener remote to mirror and press either 1, 2 or 3 on mirror while pressing on holding button on remote until red light on mirror flashes rapidly. Then release buttons and press button on mirror and door should close. Make sure garage door is set to TRAIN or LEARN before programming.
  • austinlaustinl Member Posts: 3
    Because it has nothing to do with Hyundai. It is entirely false to say that new cars do not move while in neutral. That's the point of a neutral gear. If it wasn't able to move then there would be no point in having a neutral gear, you would just keep it in park. I can go to ANY car, put it in neutral and I guarantee you that it will move. If there is enough force or if you are parked on a slight incline, a car in neutral will definitely move. I guarantee you that what happened to you has nothing to do with Hyundai. You should've definitely had an emergency brake engaged or had the car in park.
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    We were unable to do that with our garage door opener. My husband pressed the button on the opener while I pressed the one in the car.
  • imcharlieimcharlie Member Posts: 2
    Page 22: Hyundai Sonata quick reference guide -Homelink wireless control system.
    Press and hold your selected Homelink button for twenty seconds release when light flashes rapidly.
    Press and release the "learn" or "smart" button on the garage door opener motor head unit.
    (Note: 30 seconds window to initiate next step)
    This is when the car moved forward. Not in 30 seconds, it moved forward immediately.
    Emergency Brake or Park or neutral whatever ....... It hit the ladder into the wall ..... why did it reverse?
    I was happy to see it hit the wall ..... it stopped momentarily ...... why did it reverse?
    The Owner's Manuel has almost 3 pages of instructions. Starting with "it is advisable to park the vehicle outside of the garage .....
  • tenpin288tenpin288 Member Posts: 804
    I just reviewed the quick start guide and the Sonata owner's manual. Can you point out to me where in either document it states to have the vehicle in something other than park and that the engine needs to be running? You did state you had it idling in neutral. As far as I can see, there was no reason for doing so in that manner. It should have been in park with the engine off.
  • nj2pa2ncnj2pa2nc Member Posts: 811
    sounds like after the car rolled into the wall it caused it to go backwards. That is could happen and in your case did when you have it in neutral.
  • dc_driverdc_driver Member Posts: 712
    Sorry, but I don't blame Hyundai at all for denying this claim. It is just common sense not to leave a car running in neutral if you are not behind the wheel and have access to the brake. There is no car company that would take respsonsibility for this accident, unless they wanted to be out of business.
  • amyalex60amyalex60 Member Posts: 1
    Why did it reverse?

    For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. This is one of Newton's laws of motion.

    I find this conversation laughable that you would think this is Hyundai's fault. Definitely operator error.
  • sonatagls2012sonatagls2012 Member Posts: 1
    I just got my Hyundai Sonata 2012 GLS sedan month back. This is my first Hyundai and I am loving everything else about this car but while going uphill even on the small one, its not picking up that much. Do I have to worry about the Car and I should go to the dealer and have it checked or its just a normal behavior for the Hyundai.
  • chalirebrownchalirebrown Member Posts: 38
    just give it a little more gas-that's all
  • xracer264xracer264 Member Posts: 2
    Purchased the vehicle new on 7/22/11. At 6,300 the sports mode shifter would not work nor would the paddle shifters. It was repaired at the dealer (replaced switch assembly- paddle shifters and shifter assembly). All was well until 12,800 miles. Sports mode would not work again. Bringing to dealer tomorrow to see what they say. I also had my low tire pressure warning light come on and shut off within a miles drive at highway speed. Overall, satisfied with car but my confidence in the vehicle over the long term is wavering...I'll follow-up once I get the dealers response to my problem.
  • xracer264xracer264 Member Posts: 2
    Dealer called and said one of the paddle shifters went bad so they replaced it and all is well.... Lets hope so.
  • crash49crash49 Member Posts: 4
    I have been having problems with my 2009 Hyundai Sonata since I bought it. I had the harsh downshift from the beginning and was told it was trying to "remember" my driving habits. I did some research and found there was a technical bulletin that addressed the issue. Update was performed and problem went away for awhile. Solenoids started buzzing so they were replaced. Buzzing was worse so a rebuilt transmission was put in at 15,000 miles. Buzzing has continued, then I had a loud squeeling noise like a belt was loose along with a "click" sound upon downshift as well as a return of the harsh downshifting. Transmission would not even take the update as well as other problems found and so I am now waiting on yet another transmission and I only have 38,000 miles on the car. I will NEVER buy another Hyundai!!!
  • dfoltydfolty Member Posts: 1
    today we were driving down the road and the big thud came. this had happened to me one other time and i thought i had hit the shift gear and it went into a lower gear, after driving 45 mph i parked and later when i started the car it worked the way it should. Never thought anything about it til tonight when it happened in the exact same place on the road, couldnt believe it. I looked up this forum and there was the same problem others have had, I too was impressed with this car and the good warrenty it carries,but also was disappointed the other day when I was charged to replace a burned out lightbulb inside the car, there are always the hidden, "that was only covered for 12 months" that appear when you don't expect it if you know what I mean. I'm wondering what other surprises are going to show up in the future.
  • val1215val1215 Member Posts: 1
    I purchased my 2012 Sonata turbo in October 2011. Other than the radio crapping out on me the first week and having to get a new one, things have been great. I do experience the harsh downshift at about 30mph everyone is discussing....but talked to people and they assured me that this is normal. HOWEVER, last month I got in my car in the AM to go to work, backed up and when I put the car in drive it was stuck in first gear...would not get above 30mph, RPMS would go to 5000. I could put the pedal to the floor and it wouldn't go. Brought it home and turned it off and restarted it, no problem. A month has gone by and 2 days ago the EXACT same thing happened. Pulled it back in the garage, shut it off turned it back on. Problem solved. Took it to the dealership that day and after 2 hours of waiting and 3 people looking at it, they said it is in tip-top condition, no problems whatsoever. No suggestions and they claim they have never heard of this issue. I am so frustrated and afraid this is going to happen while I am driving and pulling out in traffic after it was working fine. Any ideas on what this could be since I am not nuts and obviously can't rely on the Hyundai professionals to figure out the problem....Thanks for your input!!
  • malski1malski1 Member Posts: 1
    HEY DARK BLUE HYUNDAI. Are you from colorado or wyoming? curious thats who i bought mine from........anyways Just recently bought a used 2011 hyundai with 13,500 miles on it. I love everything about it except im noticing a problem. I had hyundai do a full diagnostic on it before I bought it because Im super paranoid since my last car cost my more to have it running than what i bought for it. Anyways they said it was good as new and no codes . The second day i was driving it i felt a small almost vibrating or bumpy shift when i was going over 20mph or coming down, i thought i was being paranoid so i ignored it. It kept happening over the next few days and more often. I took it straight into hyundai and they drove it with me to " feel" what bumpy/vibrationg second of the tranny ( i think). After 2 hours waiting at the shop, the said they reprogrammed the tranny and cleaned the throttle. AND THEY SAID IT SHOULD BE FINE. NOPE!!! it was okay for a while until that night i was driving and it was ALMOST WORSE! i couldnt believe it, i havent even had the car a week. I was so upset. I Called hyundai right away and told them , we kept getting disconnected and i was being put on hold again and again and again. I was so frustrated!!!! The sonata is going in to the shop again in 2 days, I PRAY and hope they can figure this out!!1 Obviously just becuase theres " NO CODES" doesnt meant there isnt something else thats up with it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!definitley didnt expect these errors from hyundai
  • shaytukesshaytukes Member Posts: 1
    IM PROUD OF MYSELF I JUST CHANGE MY THIRD BRAKE LIGHT.I READ A POST ON HOW SOMEONE ELSE DID IT. I WENT ON GOOGLE AND FOUND A EASY WAY. IN YOUR TRUNK THERE'S A WHITE SOCKET YOU HAVE TO DISCONNECT PLUG FIRST THEN UNSCREW S M PIECE. ON YOUR RIGHT SIDE THERE'S A PIECE THAT LOOKS METAL IT'S NOT USE A SCREW STICK SMALL HOLE UNDER IT'S ANOTHER SCREW.THEN FROM INSIDE OF CAR MAKE PLASTIC TO YOURLEFT .YOU'LL SEE THE LIGHT THEN YOU HAVE TO TURN CORNER CLOCK WISE THE LIGHT BULB THERE.FROM IN THE TRUNK WHERE THE WHITE SOCKET IS PULL THEN PLACE THE BULB. PUT BACK UP IN THE HOLE TWIST YOU MAY HAVE TO USE SCREW DRIVE TO TURN IT BACK IN. SNAP PIECE BACK IN .THEN BACK TO THE TRUNK. PUT YOUR PIECES BACK TOGETHER.OH BEFORE PUTTING EVERY THING BACK TOGETHER CHECK LIGHT TO SEE IF IT WORKS. I'M PROUD OF MYSELF . SAVE ME 60.00 BULB 4.99 GOOD JOB PASS MY INSPECTION.
  • miketrtmiketrt Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2009 as well, low miles (<25k) and my car, when cold, shifts with a thud when it goes from 2nd to 1st gear. When it warms up it goes away... No lights or anything else yet.
  • miketrtmiketrt Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2009 as well, low miles (<25k) and my car, when cold, lately shifts with a thud when it goes from 2nd to 1st gear. When it warms up it goes away... No lights or anything else yet.
  • miketrtmiketrt Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2009 as well, low miles (<25k) and my car, when cold, lately shifts with a thud when it goes from 2nd to 1st gear. When it warms up it goes away... No lights or anything else yet.
  • miketrtmiketrt Member Posts: 4
    I have a 2009, low miles (<25k) and my car, when cold, lately shifts with a thud when it goes from 2nd to 1st gear. When it warms up it goes away... No lights or anything else yet. Anybody else having this issue?
  • chris_li_nychris_li_ny Member Posts: 2
    My 2000 Hyundai Sonata GLS 6 cylinder began downshifting 1 gear when I would be driving at high speed, usually after about 20 minutes of being on the road. I changed out the output speed sensor and the car began downshifting sooner. I changed out the input speed sensor &#150; problem solved! The input speed sensor cost about $80 + tax. Both sensors are under the air filter, the input sensor is under a cable support bracket. It takes less than an hour to do it. Peace & Blessings!
  • lurchman1500lurchman1500 Member Posts: 4
    I have also had the same thing happen to my 11 sonata gls with approximately 34K miles and had it towed to the dealer as I believe the trans, was stuck in a lower gear (limp mode) and with the absence of an engine code stored in the computer the problem couldn't be diagnosed . I too agree the write up on the car was one factor in my lease choice ,glad I have only 1 more year until this lease is up and then I will probably turn it back in.
  • kirstieron1973kirstieron1973 Member Posts: 2
    edited April 2013
    got 2009 hundia sonate 4cyc and it jerks when u first start it up when u slow to a stop , and yesterday i was on coasting to corner and it jerked pretty hard felt to me like i was using the manual trans on it it is a sportstronic im guessing they call it i dont know the name, lol. has 94,000 mls on it just leased it from dealership hasnty even been 30days. and input will help on it plz what are the lemon laws in ga if anyone knows?? and wht can i do im scared its gonna riun the trans in it and i know it will. to insure clearer if really feels like a very hard down shift as if you were driving in manual trans//. now when it does it when u slow to stop it does fine till u get just to where ur about to stop and then it will jerk, was tols it was in the brakes but DONT THNK so. may be wrong i dont know,so if anyone else knows anything PLZZZZZZZZZZ let me know thnks.
  • dcarlisledcarlisle Member Posts: 1
    Car was great first year and 10,000 miles. After the 10,000 mile service visit, I mean immediately as I left the dealership, the car began to fail to accelerate from 18 to 25 mph. Took it back and they said it was fine...no problems for them. The car continues to fail but not every time. This makes driving the car a real challenge..do I pull out and hope it goes? Leaving the stoplight will I be rear ended when it stalls? It is difficult to deal with the car and the dealer. Wish I had picked a different make, like maybe a Honda !!!! :mad:
  • misslamissla Member Posts: 1
    Twice this week, after starting my car, I attempted to put car into reverse to back out of garage. The car would not shift into reverse, and none of the lights on the panel by the gear shift were illuminated. I put car into D, moved forward a few inches, stopped and then could go into R. Still no lights on gear shift panel. Parked car and turned off. Restarted,no problems then. This happened twice 3 days apart. Anyone else have this happen?
  • joto1000joto1000 Member Posts: 22
    Where do I start. This car has been more pf a pain than anything. After dealing with the steering sensitivity issue which resulted in new tires at 12000 miles, I now have a transmission issue that the dealer cannot diagnose.

    Beginning one month ago the car started making a loud whooshing noise eminating from the underside of the car. Thought nothing of it as I assumed that it was the new tires. Then came the transmission clunks after rapidly accelerating then decelerating.

    A couple of weeks ago the car, on several occassions, would clunk after starting and putting it into gear. Then the transmission would continue to shift hard through every gear, both during the upshifting and downshifting process for appx. 1.5 miles, then it would resolve itself. I also noticed that the car often fails to accelerate when attempting to overtake other vehicles.

    The car has been at the dealer for almost a week now and they are unable to determine what is causing this (cannot duplicate during test drives and no codes stored in the computer). Is anybody else experiencing the same symptoms?
  • lurchman1500lurchman1500 Member Posts: 4
    I had a somewhat similar transmission problem as far as harsh downshift at about 65 mph without any warning and no engine code for the techs. to refer too. The problem would self correct when the engine was shut off and this happened twice before the Hyundai tech replaced a solenoid for the transmission pressure. Since this time my transmission has been problem free.
  • stephsandystephsandy Member Posts: 1
    Hi, I have the EXACT same problem as you. Did you figure out what the problem was?
    Thanks!!
  • kirstieron1973kirstieron1973 Member Posts: 2
    yes I asked a lot of q's around and found out not only does it have a computer in for the motor but so does the trans and it learns each drivers driving habbits like if u use the manual shift a lot so if it was used a lot before u got it the care will for a while till it learns your dew driving ways without the manual shift it will think u still are shifting mine has stoped took a while but fianilly has. we don't even think bout touching the manual shift cause it will do it again throws the trans computer off..Are u shifting manually or just standard automatic.. ?
  • mikejtrtmikejtrt Member Posts: 3
    Best I can figure is that I messed up the computer by taking it out of drive at stop lights, thinking that I'd save the clutch and maybe the computer did some funky drive-habits average thing that screwed it up. Or it was the cold, or both. We'll see if it does it again this winter (bit warmer where I'm at now though, Austin TX v Las Cruces, NM.)
  • mikejtrtmikejtrt Member Posts: 3
    Best I can figure is that I messed up the computer by taking it out of drive at stop lights, thinking that I'd save the clutch and maybe the computer did some funky drive-habits average thing that screwed it up. Or it was the cold, or both. We'll see if it does it again this winter (bit warmer where I'm at now though, Austin TX v Las Cruces, NM.)
  • mikejtrtmikejtrt Member Posts: 3
    Best I can figure is that I messed up the computer by taking it out of drive at stop lights, thinking that I'd save the clutch and maybe the computer did some funky drive-habits average thing that screwed it up. Or it was the cold, or both. We'll see if it does it again this winter (bit warmer where I'm at now though, Austin TX v Las Cruces, NM.)
  • lurchman1500lurchman1500 Member Posts: 4
    Yes , the dealer replaced the transmission pressure control solenoid per TSB 13-AT-008.The parts are as follows,FP part 46313-3B600 valve solenoid,46374-3B000 valve pressure co,ATF 00232-19045 .I had 35000 miles at the time of this service and drove an additional 4000 miles after the service without any further problems. I researched the problem online and all symptoms pointed to the electrical control of the transmission. I am glad I pressed the dealer to check this theory, as they couldn't duplicate the problem when I visited the dealer.I was really concerned about the downshift occurring while driving in heavy traffic and possibly being in an accident or ruining the transmission. Bob
  • chris_li_nychris_li_ny Member Posts: 2
    There are 2 speed sensors underneath the air filter. I first changed the output speed sensor because it was easier to get to. The problem persisted. I then changed out the input speed sensor - fixed the problem. Google Hyundai speed sensor locations to see views. The input sensor goes down into tranny so be careful to vacuum the area around it clean prior to removal and be careful not to drop anything into hole. Having read how many people spent 1000's on tranny rebuilds, the $80 or so for each sensor seems to be a bargain! (I also ordered the sensor on line at advanced auto which gave me a discount & also enabled me to pick it up at my local store an hour after ordering.) Peace & Blessings.
  • joto1000joto1000 Member Posts: 22
    Figured out my harsh shifting issue in my 2013 sonata. It was the transmission fluid temp sensor going out. It took a full month to throw a code. For your reading pleasure...

    The profound effect a malfunctioning transmission fluid temperature (TFT) sensor can have in some vehicles is seen with Hyundai models equipped with the A4A/B or F4A40/50 series transmissions. The malfunctioning TFT sensor produces harsh engagements, a hard 1-2 upshift, a flare on the 2-3 shift, no 4th gear and no converter clutch apply. In some cases, such as Volkswagen vehicles with the 01M transmission, this malfunctioning sensor will not produce a trouble code, yet could cause harsh and flared shifts.
  • joto1000joto1000 Member Posts: 22
    Figured out my harsh shifting issue in my 2013 sonata. It was the transmission fluid temp sensor going out. It took a full month to throw a code. For your reading pleasure...

    The profound effect a malfunctioning transmission fluid temperature (TFT) sensor can have in some vehicles is seen with Hyundai models equipped with the A4A/B or F4A40/50 series transmissions. The malfunctioning TFT sensor produces harsh engagements, a hard 1-2 upshift, a flare on the 2-3 shift, no 4th gear and no converter clutch apply. In some cases, such as Volkswagen vehicles with the 01M transmission, this malfunctioning sensor will not produce a trouble code, yet could cause harsh and flared shifts.
  • joto1000joto1000 Member Posts: 22
    Correction...it took a full two months for a problem code to appear. Wondering what other kinds of transmission problems this has created.
  • car2nqueen2car2nqueen2 Member Posts: 1
    My husband and I both have 4 cyl Sonatas bought within 3 months of each other and were new. At 35,000 my husband's car began to "jerk" at 45mph to 50 mph. Stopped at a higher speed. The tach needle never moved during the jerking. He took it to the dealer, they couldn't find a code so nothing was wrong. At 60,000 he took it to another dealer who couldn't find a code, but did change fluid. Stopped the problem temporarily. My car was in the shop last week for exact same issue. Kept it a week. Were reluctanct to change the fluid as I have 50,000 miles on car. They did change it and the problem has stopped. If it's like my husband's, it will come back shortly. Found two TSB referencing problems, but was told they didn't apply to my car, but I can't see the full bulletin. We both have case files started with Hyundai. Any suggestions? Severely disappointed with our cars and the dealership.
  • joto1000joto1000 Member Posts: 22
    I'd have them check the transmission fluid temperature sensor. My 2013 Sonata did not throw a code for two full months.
  • lurchman1500lurchman1500 Member Posts: 4
    I too had no engine code come up as a result of the 2011 sonata harsh downshift at highway speed (65)mph.TSB had a code number TSB 13-AT-008 that the dealer referred to and that fixed the problem in my case.
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