10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
44,272 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #25

Sep 012009

Sonata

  • 75,000 miles
At first it was the radio, turning on and off by itself when I would try to lower the volume it would be louder. My headlights would go out and turn on again, my emergency brake light will turn on as my car would stop in the middle of the street. Air bag deployment sign is on and the bag it is not deployed. The ABS, ESC and other glow lights will turn on; sometimes I cant roll down the windows or lock the car with the button. Now my car will not start, no power and it resets my clock. I have gone to the dealership twice and they are greedy money hungry '!@#$% who do not care for their customers, I replaced the battery and the alternator and its been through diagnostics and the alternator was the only thing found wrong. I have issues with the car at least twice a day and three times its died completely. This is an 2006 Hyundai Sonata it should not give me these problems.

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

problem #24

Aug 082009

Sonata

  • 90,000 miles
The airbag light wouldn't go out and the dealer has indicated that there was a failure in the sensor in the drivers side seat belt which will cost $400 to replace. Have never had a problem like this in any other car I have every driven. Due to cost have chosen to drive without a airbag on the drivers side.

- Gurnee, IL, USA

problem #23

May 172009

Sonata

  • miles
Airbag light on which means airbag is not working. Called/contacted Hyundai in guam where we purchased our Sonata 2006 all to no avail. They just told us that as soon as our car is outside of guam, our warranty is no longer in effect. German does not honor the warranty since we did not purchase our car from a german dealer. We purchased Sonata 2006 and later that year we were relocated in germany: Hohenfels army post.

- Apo, AE, USA

problem #22

Apr 142009

Sonata

  • 76,000 miles
Airbag light / problem. Took car to car pros Hyundai, seattle wa on Aurora. Advised them my airbag light all of a sudden stays on. They advised me that it was seat belt issue and some wiring under the floor board. Hyundai advised me that the air bags wouldn't work if I was in a accident. Asked them if this was under warranty, they said only up to 60, 000 miles. And my car is over that. I advised why aren't all seat belt functions and airbags covered through the life of the car. Doesn't make sense. Its the law that I have to wear a seatbelt, well it should be a law that the seat belts are working properly and airbags for the life of vehicle.

- Everett , WA, USA

problem #21

Dec 082008

Sonata

  • 98,500 miles
I received a recall letter advising of a problem with the passenger airbag system. The airbag warning light was illuminated on the dash of my 2006 hyundia Sonata. I followed hyundia's instructions and took my vehicle to the dealer where I purchased my vehicle, colonial Hyundai, downingtown, pa. They inspected the vehicle on December 8, 2008 and advised me the problem was not associated with the recall but was rather due to another part. I was informed I would need a replacement passenger seat at a cost of $1,409.96. At that time, they recalibrated the passenger airbag system and the air bag warning light went out. However, the light returned to illumination days later. For the past three months I have been driving my vehicle with this airbag warning light illuminated.

- Gap, PA, USA

problem #20

Apr 012006

Sonata

  • 2,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact purchased the vehicle brand new on March 21, 2006. By April of 2006, he noticed that the passenger side air bag indicator would illuminate when the passenger seat was occupied. He took the vehicle to the dealer, but they could not determine the cause of the failure. No repairs were made at that time. The dealer stated that the passenger was slightly out of the weight range, which was why the air bag sensor indicator illuminated. In October of 2008, the contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign id number 08V161000 (air bags) and took the vehicle back to the dealer. The technician decreased the air bag sensor pressure, but this did not correct the failure. The manufacturer wants to trade the vehicle back because the dealer cannot correct the failure. The contact will not trade in the vehicle because the manufacturer will not honor the total cost value. The failure mileage was 2,000 and current mileage was 48,000.

- Goddard, KS, USA

problem #19

Dec 092008

Sonata

  • 64,000 miles
Not sure if this is the right forum for this issue, if not, please direct me where I can lodge my complaint. Hyundai motors provided a warranty repair notice for my 2006 Hyundai Sonata gls stating that the passenger airbag may not deploy under certain conditions. When I went to the dealer where I purchased the car (75 miles away from my house), the dealer said that they could not diagnose the problem unless I brought the person who sits in the passenger seat that causes the airbag light to not stay indicated. The person is my daughter, and pulling her out of school just to indicate that the passenger air bag is malfunctioning is not a reasonable expectation so that the produce defect can be repaired. The passenger air bag sensor will not indicate correctly if the vehicle is running and my daughter sits in the car.

- Grand Rapids, MN, USA

problem #18

Oct 242008

Sonata

  • 15,984 miles
There is a recall on my car for the OCS, occupant classification system. Its what tells the car to turn on the passenger side airbag when an adult is in the seat. I took my car into the dealer for repairs like the letter stated and was turned away saying it works fine, even though I had an adult in the seat and the system said the air bag was turned off. After a few calls to Hyundai motor America, the dealer decided to send the passenger seat in for testing. I received my car back from the shop on 10-27-08. The following day my 19 year old was in the seat and the light was illuminated saying "passenger air bag off" I called Hyundai motor America and was told they would rectify the situation. Today is 11-17-08 and I have yet to receive a phone call regarding this matter. The dealership is refusing to help me, stating that " we fixed it once and its not our problem anymore" I am at my wits end as to what to do now. No one seems to want to fix the issue. They simply tell me to deal with it.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #17

Nov 152006

Sonata

  • 2 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 45 mph on normal road conditions, the passenger side air bag warning indicator illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer for inspection. The technician discovered NHTSA campaign id number 08V161000 (air bags); however, the failure could not be duplicated. The technician further stated that the occupant must be positioned in the front passenger seat for the recall remedy. The vehicle has not been repaired. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 2 and current mileage was 20,015.

- Portsmith, RI, USA

problem #16

Oct 062008

Sonata

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 40 mph on normal road conditions, the frontal driver side air bag warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. The indicator remained lit until the engine was turned off. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle has not been repaired. The contact was concerned of the safety risk involved. The failure mileage was 80,000 and current mileage was 83,000.

- Lake Charles, LA, USA

problem #15

Oct 242008

Sonata

  • 63,000 miles
60-70% of the time a smaller person sits in my front passenger seat the "passenger airbag off" remains lit. I took the car in for the first time in 2006, right after buying the car, to have it looked at which time I was told they couldn't recreate the situation. I have 3 different friends/relatives/coworkers who are able to vouch that when they have sat in the seat at various times the light has remained lit. I took the vehicle in today pursuant to the recall notice and yet again I was told that they could not recreate the scenario and so my vehicle is not going to be fixed. I was told that they have had 3 cars tested at this dealership so far and none have had the defect detected even though one other owner complained that her vehicle has had the problem in the past. I don't believe Hyundai has done enough to detect which cars have this defect, nor informed their dealerships on how to detect the problem as they are simply picking people out of their employee base to sit in the seat. The woman who was going to test my seat today said she weighed 150 lbs. I'm not sure that really qualifies as a small statured person, although they did end up testing it with a lighter weight person after I spoke up.

- Chelsea, MI, USA

problem #14

Jun 072006

Sonata

  • 19,000 miles
The "airbag off" light in our 2006 Hyundai Sonata randomly illuminates indicating that the airbag is not functioning, even when a large adult is in the passenger sit, sitting upright with no seat covers. This occurs intermittently and is not reproducible at will. Hyundai motor Corp and dennis Hyundai of dublin, oh have both refused to fix the problem since it is not reproducible at will.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #13

Aug 042008

Sonata

  • 34,900 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. While driving at an unknown speed, the air bag light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they sent it away for two weeks to be repaired. When the contact retrieved her vehicle, the air bag light illuminated again the same day. She has taken the vehicle to the dealer a total of three times. During the final visit, the dealer stated that the vehicle had been repaired multiple times and they were not responsible to repair it again. The current mileage was 35,000 and failure mileage was 34,900.

- Hamilton, OH, USA

problem #12

Aug 122008

Sonata

  • 37,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 45 mph, the air bag warning light illuminated intermittently on the instrument panel. When the front passenger seat was occupied, the warning light illuminated until the engine was turned off. The contact experienced failures identical to the ones mentioned in the recall. The authorized dealer stated that the failure must be duplicated on-site in order for recall repairs to be made. The contact was concerned that the air bags may deploy. The VIN and NHTSA campaign id number were unknown. The failure mileage was 37,000 and current mileage was 38,000.

- Preston Jct., NJ, USA

problem #11

Sep 062008

Sonata

  • 500 miles
2006 Hyundai Sonata gls: A short time after purchasing vehicle, the OCS "passenger airbag off" light would come on with the seat occupied by my wife, weight 150 + lbs. I took it in many times to my dealer. They made several attempts to fix it (unsuccessfully) I complained to the national headquarters, more attempts to fix (unsuccessfully. I was also told after submitting the VIN # that it was not included in the recall. Just about 2 weeks ago I was told by national office that they could not and would no longer attempt to repair the system. I was told after I kept expressing my disbelief that I could submit the problem to the national BBB dispute resolution, which I promptly did. Strangely, today 9/ 06/08, I received a motor recall notice (after being told by at least 4 Hyundai personnel that my vehicle was not eligible for recall. ) after 2 years, the OCS still deactivates the passenger air bag when the seat is occupied. This happens sporadically and usually when we are on the freeway where stopping, jiggling in the seat, bouncing up and down are not possible (all suggestions by service dept.) my concern to everyone I have spoken to for the past 2 years has been and still is that if the airbag deactivates and we were to have an accident, this could be catastrophic. I have offered to hold them faultless if they would just disable the OCS system and leave the passenger air bag operational as we have no small children or grandchildren. I am hoping one more time that there is a real solution to this problem and will take the vehicle in first thing Monday morning. I was told by my dealer not to bring the car back unless I had a recall notice. Our last word from Hyundai was that their conclusion is that the problem is our fault, not the vehicles, because of the way we sit in the seat.

- Humble, TX, USA

problem #10

Nov 152007

Sonata

  • 22,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. While the contact was seated in the passenger seat, she leaned to one side and noticed that the passenger side air bag light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and they found no defect in the seat. The failure occurs very intermittently and without prior notice. The VIN was unknown. The current mileage was 23,000 and failure mileage was 22,000.

- Port Monmouth, NJ, USA

problem #9

Apr 152008

Sonata

  • 38,864 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. Whenever the contact's wife is seated in the passenger seat, she has to enter and exit the vehicle two or three times for the air bag light to turn off. The failure occurs intermittently. The dealer could not duplicate the failure. Complaint number 3272955 was filed with Hyundai. NHTSA campaign id number 08V161000 (air bags) was referenced. The current mileage was 42,799 and failure mileage was 38,864.

- Annandale, VA, USA

problem #8

Feb 162008

Sonata 6-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 25,939 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. While driving 35 mph another vehicle drove through a stop sign and crashed into the contact. The air bag did not deploy. The dealer advised the spouse that the vehicle had to be hit at a certain angle for the air bag to deploy. The driver sustained a broken hand and there was $7,492.80 worth of damage to the vehicle. The current mileage is 29,983, and the failure mileage was 25,939. Updated 08/14/08 updated 08/14/08

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #7

Jun 242008

Sonata

  • 34,000 miles
The passenger side airbag signal on the dashboard very often does not go off when my wife sits in the seat. It seems to be intermittent but most often it does not work. I have heard rumors about a recall but, so far, we have not been notified of this directly.

- Marlborough, MA, USA

problem #6

Mar 032008

Sonata

  • 25,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the air bag light remains illuminated on the instrument panel. The failure indicates that the air bag will not deploy in the event of a crash. Two months ago, she took the vehicle to the dealer twice for repair. The first time, the dealer reset the light, and the second time they replaced the sensor in the passenger seat. The air bag light has illuminated again within the last thirty days and is still lit. The Hyundai dealer stated that they could not repair the failure, but would like the contact to drive 200 miles so that an inspection could be performed. The manufacturer stated that they will send out a customer service satisfaction notice for all customers experiencing air bag failure. They further stated that they will develop a remedy because they are unsure of the cause of failure. The failure mileage was 25,000. Updated 7/3/08 when the brakes are applied the seat belt will release and not lock. When the accelerator is applied, the seat belt will not release.

- Gillette, WY, USA

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