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Airbag Non-Issue - 2015 Hyundai Sonata Long-Term Road Test

Edmunds.comEdmunds.com Member, Administrator, Moderator Posts: 10,315
edited January 2015 in Hyundai

imageAirbag Non-Issue - 2015 Hyundai Sonata Long-Term Road Test

The airbag light in our 2015 Hyundai Sonata illuminated less than 500 miles into our year-long road test. Fortunately it was nothing major.

Read the full story here


Comments

  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    Am I the only one that sees an airbag sensor coming magically disconnected from its harness as more than a 'non-issue'?

    To me that is a pretty critical part and it should be secured into the connector tightly the first time.

    And I wish I was paid to take cars in for warranty work. Rather than getting on the bosses bad side by coming in late because I had to drop the car off and take a shuttle to work. And then bum a ride from a co-worker that will take them 20+ minutes out of their way after work.
  • greg128greg128 Member Posts: 529
    edited January 2015
    m I the only one that sees an airbag sensor coming magically disconnected from its harness as more than a 'non-issue'?

    To me that is a pretty critical part and it should be secured into the connector tightly the first time.



    If it was a GM product the "Airbag Non-issue" title would have been: "Sign of GM spotty quality control and future reliability problems?

  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    If it was a GM product the "Airbag Non-issue" title would have been: "Sign of GM spotty quality control and future reliability problems?

    There is a difference between a connector not securely fastened and the failure of the sensor. GM and Chrysler seem to have more problems than everybody else except the European cars. My mom's friend has a GMC Acadia that's 5 years old with about 58,000 miles and it's had the ABS and Stability Control system fail, two mysterious (can't duplicate the problem) no start situations that required a tow, a recall for defective headlight connectors, broken timing chain guides that requires the engine, transmission and subframe to be removed from the vehicle to fix it(common problem apparently), and the of course the ignition switch recall. My 6 year old Acura with 135,000 miles, on the other hand, has had speakers replaced, engine mounts recently replaced, most of the time now the voice recognition doesn't work, and the satellite radio doesn't work. Big difference.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    So, does that mean that if the car had been in a collision on the way to get "fixed", the air bag would not have deployed?
  • zimtheinvaderzimtheinvader Member Posts: 580
    Mr_Shiftright said:

    So, does that mean that if the car had been in a collision on the way to get "fixed", the air bag would not have deployed?

    Correct. And I'd think that even before the light came on there would be the possibility that the loose connection could have failed in an accident causing the airbag to not deploy.

  • greg128greg128 Member Posts: 529
    allthingshonda said:

    If it was a GM product the "Airbag Non-issue" title would have been: "Sign of GM spotty quality control and future reliability problems?

    There is a difference between a connector not securely fastened and the failure of the sensor. GM and Chrysler seem to have more problems than everybody else except the European cars. My mom's friend has a GMC Acadia that's 5 years old with about 58,000 miles and it's had the ABS and Stability Control system fail, two mysterious (can't duplicate the problem) no start situations that required a tow, a recall for defective headlight connectors, broken timing chain guides that requires the engine, transmission and subframe to be removed from the vehicle to fix it(common problem apparently), and the of course the ignition switch recall. My 6 year old Acura with 135,000 miles, on the other hand, has had speakers replaced, engine mounts recently replaced, most of the time now the voice recognition doesn't work, and the satellite radio doesn't work. Big difference.

    Anecdotal. Outside of regular maintenance my son's Cobalt has only needed a wheel bearing in 140.000 miles. My 8 year old Silverado has not needed a single non-maintenance repair. On the other hand the same son's friend's 2010 Elantra needed a third transmission at 80K miles (which the dealer would not honor supposedly because he had a cosigner on his loan).

    According to the latest 2014 JD Power Dependability study of 3 year old vehicles (2011 MY) which measures problems per 100 vehicles by
    manufacturer, the GM average of all four brands of 121 problems per 100 was 48 problems less than Hyundai. (169). All GM brands ranked above average and above many imports. I just think that the unfavorable perception of GM vehicle reliability has lagged reality for a number of years.
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    Well then, not so minor an incident! If I were Hyundai, I'd be looking into assembly errors like this very closely.
    zimtheinvader said:

    Mr_Shiftright said:

    So, does that mean that if the car had been in a collision on the way to get "fixed", the air bag would not have deployed?

    Correct. And I'd think that even before the light came on there would be the possibility that the loose connection could have failed in an accident causing the airbag to not deploy.

  • chol92594chol92594 Member Posts: 208
    I concur with the rest of these comments. A small issue would be if there was a failure or disconnection with a sensor that controlled something secondary like cabin lights, seat adjustment, climate control, etc. Considering that the disconnection of the impact sensor would have kept the airbag from deploying in a collision, I definitely see it as more than a minor issue, since it compromises the functionality of a crucial safety system of the car.

    Hyundai definitely should look into this and make sure that all of the new Sonatas (as well as the rest of their cars) aren't having corners cut during assembly. There's no reason why an impact sensor should ever become disconnected under normal operating conditions. If the LT Sonata was my personal car, I'd be a little wary about the current state of Hyundai's quality control practices.
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    edited January 2015
    @greg128 Also anecdotal, but personal experiences sway buying decisions. This study also ranks Mercedes Benz second right behind Lexus, ahead of Acura, Honda, and Toyota. Anybody else see something wrong with this picture?
  • allthingshondaallthingshonda Member Posts: 878
    This post reminds me of a article I read many years ago for a total quality management class. Toyota had to redesign a part because during assembly the part would pinch worker's hands when connected. Nobody like getting pinched many times a day so the workers would not secure it properly to avoid the pinch which led to the part making a rattle.
  • benson2175benson2175 Member Posts: 68
    If this was a GM vehicle the dealer wouldn't end up fixing it until somebody died.
  • rysterryster Member Posts: 571
    I am the current owner of a 2011 Hyundai Sonata with the 2.4L engine. I purchased it new, and now have 63,600 miles on it. Over the past 56 months of ownership it has been recalled 5 times (steering, brake switch, lower rear control arms, gear shift, brake lines). It has been back for 2 unscheduled repairs (initial brake switch failed prior to recall, thermostat failed requiring redesigned thermostat and updated thermostat housing per Hyundai TSB.) I currently have a huge list of things that are becoming issues as the car ages:
    1. Numerous interior squeaks and rattles
    2. Serpentine belt squeals after going through a puddle, or starting the car the morning after heavy rain. Dealer says it is normal(?!)
    3. Transmission randomly bangs into gear during the 1-2 shift under heavy acceleration
    4. When #3 happens, the check engine light flashes but never stores a code
    5. Satellite radio is starting to have interference on all channels
    6. Driver's side headlight is starting to peel on the INSIDE of the lens...not sure how that happens
    7. Plasti-chrome trim around the front grill is starting to peel
    8. Hyundai OEM wheel locks are rusting
    9. Engine is burning approximately 2 quarts of oil every 5,000 miles. I have to check the oil level weekly and keep it topped off.
    10. Under heavy acceleration, there is a nice trail of gray/brown smoke coming out of the exhaust. Really noticeable at night when the headlights of the cars behind me shine through the exhaust cloud.
    11. Wiper fluid starting to freeze even using -20F fluid (and it is way warmer than -20F outside.)
    12. Doors have trouble latching in freezing temperatures. I can open them, but have to slam them several times for the latch to finally grab. Silicone Spray nor Lithium Grease work to keep the latches moving.
    13. Driver's side rear folding seat release stops working in freezing temperatures.
    This is my first ever Hyundai. Based on my experience it seems like the products are about 95% fully engineered. They show well, and test drive well, but over a multi-year ownership experience you really get to see where the product development was less than complete.
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