10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
19,301 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.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2008 Hyundai Sonata:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #13

May 012011

Sonata

  • 60,000 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated the air bag lamp was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic who diagnosed that the air bag system was defective, as a result the passenger side sensor needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but offered no assistance since the vehicle was not included in NHTSA recall campaign number: 08V161000 (air bags). The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 60,000 and the current mileage was 85,000.

- Murrietta, CA, USA

problem #12

Jul 232011

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 67,738 miles
My 2008 Hyundai Sonata gls has a "passenger airbag off" light that lights up even when a grown adult is in the seat. I fear that the passenger airbag will not deploy in the event of an accident even when an adult is sitting in the passenger seat. This light has been illuminating for the past 2 years. I took it to a Hyundai dealer in Illinois, and the dealer refused to fix the issue, saying it was not covered by a certain recall.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #11

Aug 112010

Sonata

  • 91,020 miles
Own a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The air bag light just came on and won't reset. Dealer said it could be several things... replace seat belt or the seat at a very high price. Dealer also stated that there was no guarantee that the light would not come on again after making the so-called repair. They couldn't even tell me if the air bags would function while the air bag light was on in my car. I'm pretty much at a loss on this one. Whatever happened to safety first??

- Minneapolis, MN, USA

problem #10

Jul 052009

Sonata

  • miles
2008 Hyundai Sonata. There is a recall but we are told ours is not part of the recall. However at least 75% if the time when I or my husband are in the passenger seat the passenger airbag off light is illuminated. We have taken it in to Hyundai over and over, they have reprogrammed it several times even replaced the entire seat but we still have the same problem. The seat does not recognize me or anyone as an adult, computer registers me as not being heavy enough and I weigh almost 200lbs. I am told by Hyundai they will not give us a loaner till the problem is resolved and they are not responsible is we are in an accident and the airbag does not deploy and it causes more serious injury. It has been over a week since the seat was replaced and they have made no determination other than our seat is not under warranty. We have been taking it in for this problem since last summer, not long after it was purchased it!! what can we do?

- Floyd, VA, USA

problem #9

Oct 252009

Sonata

  • miles
I was involved in a front end collision with a 30ft mound/railroad track. My airbags did not deploy. There was a significant amount of damage, enough to deem the car a "total loss", yet none of the airbags deployed, I suffered physical injuries to top half of by body by literally slamming into the steering wheel and windshield. Had my air bags deployed there would have been minimal injuries to my body.

- Pena Blanca , NM, USA

problem #8

Apr 262008

Sonata

  • 200 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. When someone was seated in the passenger seat the air bag light illuminated which also indicated that the air bags would not deploy in the event of a crash. The dealer stated that there was an internal failure within the air bag. The seats were taken out of the vehicle and reprogrammed on two occasions with no change in the failure. The contact was also informed that it would be costly to replace the seat or the air bag sensors. The contact notified the manufacturer and filed multiple cases each time the vehicle was repaired. The contact is aware of the safety risk if the air bags fail to deploy in a crash and the possibility that a serious injury could occur. The contact is also concerned that attempts to repair the vehicle have been unsuccessful. The failure mileage was 200 and the current mileage was 20,000.

- Cary, NC, USA

problem #7

Mar 312008

Sonata

  • 1,000 miles
It was purchased March 2008 from dave mengay in rainbow city, Alabama. Within weeks of owning this vehicle, I noticed that the passenger airbag off light was not going off when adults were seated. Per the manual, this light should only be on when passengers less than fifty pounds were seated in my front passenger seat. For my first oil change in June 2008, I took my car to the Hyundai dealer in huntsville, Alabama to have serviced and to check the problem with the passenger airbag light. At the time, the service department was not able to duplicate the issues. I later called back, and was told that they are aware of the issue and that my seat may need to be serviced in California. After my move to Illinois, I took my car to be serviced for the passenger airbag light. At this time, I have had my car serviced for this issue at least eight times. This is truly ridiculous. The airbag is one of the safety features that have decreased accident related fatalities. In the event of a crash, my passenger may not be protected due to the issue. I have attempted to follow up with my local Hyundai dealer many times with this issue. Just recently, a service representative, told me that she was working with the Hyundai customer service and they wanted to try one last option before seeing what else could be done. On the same day of my last service appointment, the problem reappeared. I contacted her a few days later. Despite her promises of call backs, I have never received one. I called last Saturday, August 15, 2009 to inform the managerial staff that I was about to write to Consumer Affairs and wanted to give them one more attempt to help me. The sales manager, promised to call me back on Monday after 2 pm. Not only did he not call me back, but when I called him on the Monday, he told me that he was waiting on a call back and would call me back by 9 pm which he did not. Now my ESC light is coming on while I am driving. I have had it serviced for this but it still does it.

- Carol Stream, IL, USA

problem #6

Jun 242009

Sonata

  • 21,951 miles
We have a 2008 Hyundai Sonata and we have had this vehicle in the shop 5 times for the same defects. The passenger air bag light unless you sit completely still in the seat it will not come on. They supposedly fixed it the last time it was in but shortly after we got it back it started doing it again, another problem is there is a noise under the front end and every time it hits bumps it sounds like something is broke.

- Crestview, FL, USA

problem #5

Jan 012008

Sonata

  • 10 miles
Front passenger side airbag remain deactivated (sign shows that), several times, when my wife (120lbs, 5'3) sits on it. Have been to dealership once and they sent the seat to Hyundai service center for rectification, but the problem is still there. This can be a serious situation in case of crash, as having properly working airbag is essential for passenger safety.

- Sandy Springs, GA, USA

problem #4

Nov 182007

Sonata

  • 1,200 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. Each time a 260 lbs. Occupant is seated in the front passenger seat of the vehicle, the air bag indicator illuminates intermittently. This indicates that the air bag system was deactivated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer approximately seven times to determine the cause of the failure; however, they were unsuccessful. There is a recall regarding this issue, but the failure has still not been resolved. The current mileage was 10,351 and failure mileage was 1,200.

- Ogden, UT, USA

problem #3

Oct 182008

Sonata

  • 7,800 miles
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that whenever his 115 lbs. Spouse sits in the front passenger seat, the air bag indicator illuminates and eventually dims. The VIN is included in NHTSA campaign id number 08V161000 (air bags). The vehicle was taken in for the recall and the seat was supposed to be shipped away with his spouse's weight specifications; however, the air bag light currently no longer dims when she sits in the passenger seat. The current mileage was 8,000 and failure mileage was 7,800.

- St. Louis , MO, USA

problem #2

Mar 152008

Sonata

  • miles
I received a recall notice from Hyundai indicating that there is a defect and the "passenger air bag off" lamp illuminates while the right front seat is occupied by an small stature adult. I have twin 16 year old daughters and when they sit in the right front seat the light sometimes goes off and it sometimes stays on. I contacted the dealer and let him know the situation and I was told to give it another week. On 9/23 I contacted the dealer again in newark Ohio and again explained the situation and craig barger informed me he would have to contact his rep. He let me know via email on 9/26 that again unless I could show them that the light did not go out they couldn't do anything. I then contacted the Hyundai customer assistance center and informed them of the situation and they informed me that they could not do anything unless I proved to them the light would not go out. He told me to go straight to the dealer and I informed him that during the week I work and after work the dealer is closed and has minimal hours on the weekend. I am frustrated and concerned that the safety features of this car is not what I bought.

- Newark, OH, USA

problem #1

Jun 302008

Sonata

  • miles
My 2008 Hyundai Sonata was affected by the airbag sensor recall. I took it in to the dealership where I bought the car to have it repaired. My car was in the shop for 3 days and it was returned to me but the airbag sensor problem still persisted inconsistently. I am a 120lb adult and the airbag sensor does not recognize me as a passenger when I sit in the seat. I have taken the car back 10+ times trying to get this problem fixed and ultimately they gave me a brand new passenger seat because they could not figure out what was wrong with mine. Unfortunately the problem is still continuing even with this brand new seat. I am scheduled to take the car back in to the shop next week and am hoping they will get to the bottom of this fiasco soon. I have been dealing with this for a month now.

- Antioch, CA, USA