10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
32,496 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

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problem #15

Jun 122011

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 77,366 miles
On June 13, 2011, I took the car to the dealership because the airbag light came on. Dealer found that the occupancy sensor in passengers seat was defective. I just bought my 2007 Hyundai Sonata March 29, 2011 just 3 months. According to technician that diagnose the car, nothing was done by me or my passengers to set off the sensor light. It remains on. Technician said it will cost approximately $900 to replace. If it is not replaced, car can not pass inspection. Research showed numerous amount of vehicles with same problem. Nothing has been done to correct this problem. Hyundai should place a recall on this part.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #14

Mar 102011

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 91,415 miles
I own a 2007 Sonata. On March 5, 2011, or there about, the air bag light came on and stayed on. I took the car to the dealer and they had to replace the fzo cushion in the passenger seat. Was not warranted and the repair cost $1120. Air bags would not deploy unless this was repaired.

- Summerfield, FL, USA

problem #13

Aug 242010

Sonata

  • 76,000 miles
2007 Hyundai Sonata with 76,000 miles - air bag light comes on. Dealership identifies problem as being located in airbag sensor bladder underneath passenger seat.

- High Springs, FL, USA

problem #12

May 262010

Sonata

  • 45,300 miles
NHTSA campaign id number: 08V161000 this is for a 2007 Hyundai Sonata passenger seat airbag switch. When my passenger sits there at times the airbag light on dash will show airbag system off. I have pictures that can be emailed to you if needed. I showed this to the Hyundai dealer and Hyundai corporation. They said because it did not fail at dealers location they can not do anything. I showed them the pictures and they still said no to fix. It would be different if I had no proof. As they say a picture is worth a thousand words. Help me. Thanks

- Long Grove, IL, USA

problem #11

Oct 152007

Sonata

  • 45,000 miles
On 2007 Hyundai Sonata SE limited I have lights telling me that the air bags are not operational. It some time tells me there is a passenger when there is not and sometimes no passenger when there is. Driver side air bag light stays on constantly. Now with the recall for the taillights I am thinking that the vehicle is not safe at all.

- Ft. Campbell , KY, USA

problem #10

Oct 212008

Sonata

  • 18,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. The vehicle was repaired according to NHTSA campaign id number 08V161000 (air bags); however, the failure is still occurring. The vehicle has been to the dealer on five different occasions for the air bag failure. The current and failure mileages were 18,000.

- Elgin, IL, USA

problem #9

Sep 242008

Sonata

  • 11,500 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 08V161000 (air bags) and immediately scheduled an appointment to have the vehicle repaired. After the repair was completed, she noticed that the air bag warning indicator was still illuminated on the instrument control panel. As a result, the front driver's side air bag would not inflate in the event of a crash, which may result in injuries. The dealer refused to make any additional repairs to her vehicle. She filed a complaint with the manufacturer. The current and failure mileages were 11,500.

- Schenectady, NY, USA

problem #8

Oct 152006

Sonata

  • 100 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. The contact purchased the vehicle and 100 miles later, the air bag light illuminated. The failure occurs intermittently, but it would not occur while in the presence of the dealer. The contact received a safety recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 08V161000 (air bags); however, the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer believes that there is no failure; therefore, the issue persists. The current mileage was 27,350 and failure mileage was 100.

- Howell, NJ, USA

problem #7

Feb 012007

Sonata

  • 12,000 miles
My 23 year old daughter traveled with me before she was recently married. She has moved to ga but I will be moving her back home to fl when her husband is deployed. The airbag system never worked for her no matter how we made her sit in my car. She is 5'7" and weighs 130#. my dealer will not fix my air bag sensor because she is not here with me so they can see that it is not working. They told me to drive to ga and have my car fixed there after I show a dealer in ga that she activates the deactivation of the airbag. This will leave her at risk of injury when she comes home to see me. I am a former child passenger safety technician instructor and I bought this car because of the airbags. I want my system disabled so my air bag will remain on. How can I get my car fixed? laurie

- Winter Park, FL, USA

problem #6

Jul 032008

Sonata

  • 31,381 miles
Regarding 2007 Hyundai Sonata. The passenger automatic air bag system doesn't work properly. Hyundai calls this system occupant classification system, this system should turn off the passenger side air bag if the passenger is a child and weights less than 110 pounds (per Hyundai hotline). My son is eight years old and 75 pounds in weight. When he sits in the front seat the advance air bag system turns off the air bag about 10% of the time. I went to the dealer for repairs they confirmed my concern but they had my son sit in a 2008 Sonata and it did the same thing. They are saying that this is normal but they have contacted the Hyundai rep.

- Round Rock, TX, USA

problem #5

Aug 152008

Sonata

  • miles
Intermittent problem with right passenger seat front air bag not detecting an adult passenger and "passenger air bag off" coming on. Took 2007 Hyundai Sonata to dealership in January 2008 to fix problem- they refused because problem is not consistent. After receiving recall letter, took auto back to dealership and again they refused to help us, called their customer assistance center (1888-327-4236) again no help because dealership cannot confirm problem. However, problem still exists.

- North Canton, OH, USA

problem #4

Feb 152008

Sonata

  • 29,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. While driving 10 mph, the contact's vehicle was struck head on by another vehicle. None of the air bags deployed. The vehicle was unable to be driven. The contact was wearing his seat belt at the time of the crash; however, two occupants were injured. There was no maintenance or service performed on the air bags. A police report was filed. The failure mileage was 29,000. The consumer stated he was involved in 2 accidents and the airbags did not deploy either time. The second accident totaled the vehicle. Updated 08/22/08

- Kings Mills, OH, USA

problem #3

May 102008

Sonata

  • 43,500 miles
I was involved in a front end collision which resulted in damage to my car of over ten thousand, the crash happened at a 50 mile an hour rate of speed and the air bags did not deploy. I am concerned that the car is not safe. The accident was a five car pile up on a major highway. Hyundai is saying there is no defect.

- Lake Orion, MI, USA

problem #2

May 292008

Sonata 6-cyl

  • 6,873 miles
In the 2007 Hyundai Sonata there is an indicator light which lights up when the passenger airbag is disabled. According to the manual, this light is supposed to be off when a person is seated in the passenger seat, indicating that the airbag will deploy in the event of an accident. Often, the light remains on, indicating the airbag is disabled, when a 130 lb adult is seated in the passenger seat. No amount of movement causes the light to turn off. I have spoken with both the local service desk and Hyundai customer service. Both have acknowledged that they are aware of the problem, and that the airbag will not deploy while the disabled light is lit. However, neither knows how to fix the problem or is willing to resolve this problem at this time. I am uncomfortable having a passenger in my vehicle with the faulty airbag sensor because the airbag may be disabled during an accident.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #1

Nov 102006

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 1 miles
My 2007 Hyundai Sonata passenger side airbag sensor does not properly activate the airbag when my girlfriend (5'6", 115 lbs) sits on the seat. Turning on and off the car multiple times will usually make the sensor activate. In the last several months the airbag has been disarming while traveling (hitting bumps especially seems to make the airbag get disarmed). This makes me wonder what would happen to the airbag sensor if I needed to swerve and/or break in an attempt to avoid and accident, and ended up getting into the accident anyhow. It seems likely the passenger side airbag would deactivate under these conditions. Furthermore, the sensor sensitivity appears to vary greatly from one 2007 Sonata to another one. When my Sonata was in the shop for maintenance, I rented another 2007 Sonata (same model and same options), and the passenger side airbag sensed my girlfriend's presence just fine. Hyundai has also been extremely uncooperative. After returning the car multiple times to the authorized dealer, and calling Hyundai usa directly multiple times, I stopped receiving return calls. After threatening legal action via a demand letter, Hyundai is at least talking to me again though they seem to have no capability to fix the problem. After doing some web searches, it is clear that many other folks are having similar problems with Hyundai elantras and Sonatas.

- Medford, MA, USA