The braking system on this vehicle is poorly engineered and extremely frustrating to the car owner. After 16,000 miles, my rear brakes began squealing. After inspection, it was determined that the back brakes are sticking on and grinding off against the rotor. This is a recurring problem that can not be fixed, with multiple replacements the only choice. In the four years I have owned the vehicle, I have gone thru 5 sets of brake pads and 4 rotors, with no end in sight as long as I keep this car.

- Butler, PA, USA

Rear brakes on my Sonata started grinding at 25000 miles. Contacted Hyundai headquarters by email and they stated the brakes were out of warranty and no recall on this problem. I was informed by them to take it to the Hyundai dealer. Since this should not happen at this mileage I had taken it to my mechanic who is state certified. Hyundai needs to do a recall on this safety problem. I have kept the email response that Hyundai headquarters sent to me.

- Lodi, NJ, USA

Purchased demonstrator car with approximately 2,500 miles for normal use. Rear disk brake noise at 15,976 miles required both rear brake pads and rotors to be replaced under warranty. Same problem happened again at 33,356 miles, again requiring replacement of pads and turning of rotors (this time it was not covered - considered normal wear items). Once again, at approximately 52,000 miles, loud grinding from the left rear brake revealed that both inner and outer pads had been totally scrubbed off with light metal to metal contact, while the right rear pads still had greater than 50% of original pad thickness. The caliper slides operated smoothly and were well lubricated and sealed, and the pad slides were dirty with brake dust, but not corroded or blocked with dirt. The pads appeared to have been exposed to high heat. I replaced the pads to finish my trip and upon return it was apparent that the new pads had been dragging as evidenced by a strong smell and glazed appearance. It does not seem normal for this condition to happen - there was no grinding or abnormal noise observed during the most recent event, until pulling into our destination, when it was very loud. Appears that the caliper or caliper piston is sticking to keep the pads in contact with the disk, thus overheating and challenging the brake pad life. This seems to be only on the left (driver's side) caliper. Hyundai discussion forums have indicated this is a common problem that Hyundai is not formally addressing. I will take the car to the dealer this week, but wanted to register with NHTSA since it is a brake issue with safety implications.

- Industry, PA, USA

Rear brakes wore out. Front brakes 'like new'. shouldn't front brakes wear out first as that is where the engine weight is?

- Westfield, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was being inspected by an authorized dealer and the dealer stated that the rear brakes were corroded. The vehicle was repaired. The failure and current mileages were 22,000. Updated 12/12/11 the consumer believed substandard material were used in the initial production or design of the brakes. Updated 06/22/12

- Framingham, MA, USA

When I bought a new 2008 Hyundai Sonata, I soon experienced a squealing sound from the rear brakes. The dealership serviced the brakes. They said it was the shims causing the brakes to seize and keep from sliding properly. Within 30,000 miles the rear brakes were worn out. I now have 54,000 miles on the car and the rear brake pads are worn out. I discovered from my mechanic that this model is known for a premature wear problem with the rear brakes. The pads seized in place unable to back off the rotor. I'm prompted to notify you due to the many postings of this issue on the internet. I'm not sure if it is a weather concern with corrosion or a design flaw in the caliper.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Our 2008 Hyundai Sonata, at around 25000 miles began to have intense screeching from rear brakes. Local mechanic informed us hydraulic piston was stuck/rusted open and was wearing brakes totally down. He was able to grease and do painstaking repairs to pistons. Had to replace shoes/rotors. Neither visor will stay up they have sagged to the point that we have escorted to industrial velcro to keep them up.this has nearly caused 2 accidents.

- Philipsburg, PA, USA

I have been concerned about the rear brakes due to the numerous complaints on mycarstats.com. Often when I get the car serviced by the dealer I have mentioned that they should check the rear brakes. This time was the 45000 mile service and I brought a printout of the 26 existing complaints. The service manager assured me that they always check and clean rear brakes, calipers, rotors, etc to prevent an early failure. Shortly after leaving the car, the service manager calls me to say that indeed the rear brake pads were worn out and needed replacing. I told him I thought that it should be under the bumper to bumper warranty because it was a known defect in these Sonatas. He said brakes only had a 1 year warranty and I would have to pay. There was no sound or warning in advance. If it wasn't for the mycarstats.com website, I would have never known to keep asking. The front brakes are fine and have not yet been replaced. Driving is mostly highway. Is there a class action suit for this yet?

- Ft Montgomery, NY, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while engaging the brakes it produced a grinding noise. A local mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined that the rear brake system was defective. The dealer was contacted and advised the contact to have the failure diagnosed. The manufacturer was contacted and did not offer any assistance since there was no recall for the failure. The failure mileage was 29,000 and the current mileage was 30,000.

- Annandale , VA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata gls. The contact stated that the left rear brakes were grinding abnormally. The dealer informed the contact that the brakes were worn and would need to be replaced. The dealer replaced both rear brakes and pads. The current mileage was 30,279 and the failure mileage was 29,000. Updated 03/31/11 updated 04/05/11

- Staten Island, NY, USA

Took car to dealer for annual state vehicle inspection and to have "chirping" noise from brakes checked. Rear brake pads were at 3/32"; min allowed is 2/32". front pads ok at +7/32". replaced rear pads, machined rotors. Mileage was 23,226; car purchased feb2008 and was regularly serviced at dealer. Dealer sa advised that pad wear was normal and that 'on this model the rear brakes always wear faster'. when this was disputed the sa said that corrosion on caliper did not allow pads to withdraw and that constant contact wore out the pads. When asked about warranty coverage sa said that brakes are only covered for 12 months. Subsequently noted that on side of car with sticking caliper that the paint on both steel wheels has peeled and wheels have rusted. Tires have been rotated, front-to-back, several times since new. Possible that excessive heat from dragging pads overheated wheels and damaged paint. Also possible that there was excessive heat to wheel bearings. Will have this checked at next service, or sooner. This premature rear pad wear is not normal for Hyundai. Also, presently driving a 2001 elantra that went 60K+ before needing brakes. Never owned any car that had rear brakes wear before front. The number of complaints registered indicates that this is a design/material issue that needs correcting before someone is hurt.

- Doylestown, PA, USA

No failure occurred. The problem was detected before failure. I had the brakes checked at just under 45,600 miles expecting to have the brake pads replace. Inspection showed that the rear brake rotors were made of defective metal which corroded and pitted badly. It destroyed the outer part of the brake pads so they did not make contact with the rotor. Less than one half of the brake pad was providing braking ability. The rotors had to be replaced on the rear wheels as well as all brake pads on all 4 wheels. The brake pad replacement is expected maintenance. The rear wheel rotors were defective parts.

- Steubenville, OH, USA

Rear brake rotors rusted. Rear brakes worn. Replaced rear brakes and resurfaced rotors. Vehicle only has 35,570 miles. Front brakes fine. Rear brakes should be rusted and need repair at 35,570 miles.

- Middlesex, NJ, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 20-25 mph, the contact depressed the brake pedal and noticed a very loud rubbing sound, like metal to metal. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer but there were no repairs performed. The vehicle was taken to a local repair shop where the contact was told to take the vehicle back to the dealer. The dealer polished the drumbs and reset the brake pads but the failure occurred again. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer at least eight times and the dealer polished the drums and reset the pads on each visit. The vehicle had not been repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileae was approximately 14,000 and the current mileage was approximately 18,500.

- Leominster, MA, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 20 mph, the contact engaged the brake pedal and heard a metal to medal loud screeching noise. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where they informed the contact that when the vehicle was produced the manufacturer did not lubricate the pistons properly; and the quality of the lubricant was insufficient. The rear rotors were replaced at the owner's expense. Additionally, the owner's manual instructed that the brakes be diagnosed every 15,000 miles, and if the brakes lubrication was not functioning properly then the calipers would need to be replaced. The contact stated the information provided in the manual was not communicated to him at the time the vehicle was purchased, which was a significant concern. The failure mileage was 22,000. The VIN was unavailable.

- Akron, OH, USA

I have a 2008 Hyundai Sonata and had to replace my rear brakes at 24,000 miles. My dealer said that it had something to do with the calipers sticking and this caused my rear brakes to wear prematurely. My dealer also indicated that this is "a Hyundai problem" and they see this a lot with "these cars." I contacted Hyundai and informed them of this issue, and they were very rude to say the least with regard to their response. They clearly took no responsibility for this issue and for the most part lays the blame on the driver and the driving conditions. Under no circumstances should the rear brakes require replacing at such low mileage. There are many other complaints listed here where other owners of these cars have had the same problems, yet no investigation is being launched and Hyundai clearly refuses to take responsibility for clearly substandard braking systems.

- East Providence, RI, USA

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. She heard a noise near the brakes. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership where the brakes and rotors were replaced. The contact called the manufacturer who stated that the brakes should be inspected every 15,000 miles but offered no further assistance. The current and failure mileages were approximately 27,100.

- Grove City, OH, USA

At 10K miles rear brake rotors were glazed from sticking brake pads; rotors were machined and brake pads replaced. At 26.8K miles the rear brakes were "metal to metal" and brake pads completely worn due to drivers side brake pad being seized into rotors (dealers language). Dealer attributed brake failure to increased corrosion due to our Maine location. None of the other vehicles we have had exhibited these problems. This is a safety issue in that I have been operating the car for an indeterminate time with no rear brakes. The defect was discovered during a normal tire rotation. I suspect Hyundai encourages tire rotation at every service interval in order to have an opportunity to examine rear brakes.

- Biddeford, ME, USA

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. While driving 35 mph there was a squeaking and a grinding noise coming from the brakes. The pin that controls the brake pads and rotors was worn. The pin controlled the movement in the brake calipers and when it does not move it deteriorates the calipers and rotors. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that she had to replace the brakes at her expense since they were not covered under the warranty or recall. The manufacturer was not contacted. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileage was 27,000.

- Tonawanda, NY, USA

Rear brakes sticking on. First occurred at 35,000 miles and dealer notified me that the brake pads needed replaced, but upon inspection I saw that only one pad was worn to the metal, and the others were at > 50% life. I replaced the pad but the caliper and slider design is defective and the failure happened again at 40,000 miles. This time the car began jerking and suffered loss of brake performance as the indicator, along with noise, smoke, and odor. The Hyundai dealer (mike miller in peoria, il) would not fix the problem under warranty, instead saying it was a normal wear item.

- Peoria, IL, USA