1997 Hyundai Sonata Problems

AFTER ATTEMPTING TO CALL HYUNDAI, I AM ABSOLUTELY FED UP WITH EVERYTHING THEY ARE DOING. I HAVE "REPAIRED" MY VEHICLE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS TO NO AVAIL. AFTER AT LEAST 5, DEFINITELY MORE, TRIPS TO THE MECHANIC I HAVE REPAIRED THE ALTERNATOR TWICE, THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE, BRAKES, MOTOR MOUNTS, DONE A TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGE, AND HAVE HAD TO REPAIR 2 FLYWHEELS IN THE TRANSMISSION. THAT LIST DOES NOT INCLUDE THE GENERAL MAINTENANCE OF PLUGS, FILTERS, AND OIL. I CAN'T DEAL WITH THIS ANYMORE. THIS IS NOT ACTUALLY MY VEHICLE, THIS IS MY MOTHERS VEHICLE, BUT REGARDLESS OF WHO'S VEHICLE IT IS, THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. WHAT IT BASICALLY IS DOING IS WHEN IT REACHES A CERTAIN MILEAGE IT WILL BASICALLY "KICK/JERK/PUSH FORWARD" (FOR A LACK OF TERMS) WHEN IT REACHES 12 MPH AND 32 MPH AND I'M CERTAIN OF OTHERS BUT MY MOTHER VIRTUALLY NEVER DRIVES ABOVE 45 MPH SO ANYTHING ABOVE THAT I'M UNCERTAIN OF. IT ALSO HAS A VERY HARD TIME ACCELERATING TO 20 MPH. ONCE IT'S ABOVE 20 MPH IT'S EASY AND ACCELERATES VERY FAST. MY MOTHER HAS NEARLY BEEN HIT TWICE DUE TO THIS INABILITY TO ACCELERATE AS FAST AS IT SHOULD. I HAVE TAKEN IT TOO HYUNDAI AND THEY REFUSED TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE SAYING IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY, SO I TOOK IT TOO NUMEROUS DIFFERENT MECHANICS. I AM GETTING 3 DIFFERENT ANSWERS, SOMETHING IN THE FUEL/AIR LINE, ENGINE COMPUTER MODULE, AND TRANSMISSION. I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY OF THESE REPAIRS SO I HAVEN'T DONE ANY OF THEM, BUT I AM THINKING THAT THIS DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE REPORTED. THERE ARE TRANSMISSION AND ELECTRICAL ITEMS BEING REPORTED WHICH MAY BE RELATED TO THIS. IF THIS IS AS NUMEROUS AS I'M SEEING ON HERE, YOU MAY WANT TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. ONCE IS A COINCIDENCE, 5 TIMES IS PHENOMENA, BUT OVER 20 TIMES IS AN EXPLICIT FAILURE BY THE COMPANY, NO MATTER IF THE VEHICLE IS 30 DAYS OLD OR 30 YEARS OLD.

1997 HYUNDAI SONATA HAS DEFECTIVE FUEL TANK. LEAKING GAS FROM THE UPPER PART OF ON THE FUEL TANK. THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE TANK IN THE YEAR 2001..AND MY CAR WAS FIXED, HOWEVER IT HAS REOCCURED (SAME PROBLEM). I TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY WOULD NOT HONOR THE RECALL, DUE TO THE FACT IT HAD ALREADY BEEN DONE. I ALSO CALLED THE MANUFACTUROR AND THEY WOULD ALSO NOT HONOR. THERE IS ALSO A DEFECT IN THE DOOR LOCK, NOT ALLOWING THE DOOR TO EVEN OPEN.

TRANSMISSION FAILURE

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION; WHEN APPLING GEAR IN REVERSE THERE IS A HARD BANGING NOISE COMING FROM TRANSMISSION. TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, DEALER REPLACED FAULTY O2 SENSOR. FAULTY BATTERY CAUSING VEHICLE TO CRANK SLOW. DRIVER DOOR WINDOW MOVES SLOW, DEALER LUBRICATED GLASS CHANNEL. OUTER CV BOOT REPLACED, IT WAS CRACKED. SOLENOID VALVE FAULTY CAUSING POOR GAS MILEAGE. *SLC

ON SEPTEMBER 18, 1999 WHILE DRIVING ON BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON PRKWY, I APPROACHED AN AREA OF HIGHWAY WERE WORK WAS BEING DONE. I WAS NOW TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 3-5 MPH. AT ONE POINT TRAFFIC CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. AS I GLANCED DOWN AT MY INSTRUMENTAL PANEL THE AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT APPEARED TO BE FLICKERING, THE LIGHT STAYED ON FOR A FEW SECONDS, THEN WENT OUT. WHILE IN A STOPPED POSITION APPROXIMATELY (2) MINS AFTER AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON, THE AIRBAGS BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER DEPLOYED. I WAS STARTLED BY THIS AND DID HOWEVER RELEASE THE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES SLIGHTLY BUMPING THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF ME. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE OTHER VEHICLE AND LITTLE DAMAGE TO THE BUMPER OF MY CAR. THE MAJOR DAMAGE IS FROM THE INTERIOR OF MY CAR FROM THE AIRBAGS. PLEASE BE AWARE THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED BEFORE MY CAR CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE OTHER VEHICLE. *SCC *JB

PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED AT LOW SPEED, UNDER 5 MPH, KILLING FRONT SEAT PASSENGER.*AK THE SONATA HIT THE REAR END OF A VEHICLE DEPLOYING BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT BAG. THE CONSUMER DOES NOT KNOW FOR CERTAIN IF THE 5 YEAR OLD CHILD IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WAS BELTED. THE CONSUMER DOES NOT BELIEVE THE CHILD WAS. THE CHILD SUSTAINED LACERATIONS TO THE NECK, SPINAL CORD INJURIES AND BRAIN DAMAGE. THE CHILD WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE.CW

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON AFTER DEALERSHIPS TRIED TO FIX MULIPLE TIMES. I HAVE SPEND ABOUT 3,000 DALLORS OF MY MONEY TO FIX THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP HAS FINALLY TOLD ME THAT THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS WRONG WITH THE CAR. THE CAR WANTS TO STALL AT A STOP AND THE IDLE JUMPS AROUD WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. THE CAR REALLY ACTS UP WHEN YOU HAVE THE A/C ON.*AK

MY VEHICLES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR WELL OVER A YEAR NOW. I BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM IS DUT TO A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO COME OUT OF MY POCKET TO PAY FOR A COMPANY'S MISHAP. I WOULD LIKE THE PROBLEM TO BE CORRECTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.*AK

FAILURE/BREAKAGE OF PASSENGER SIDE SUN VISOR AS ADDRESSED IN HYUNDAI TSB 09-01-003 NHTSA ID:10028945 RESULTING IN VISOR BEING UNABLE TO STAY IN POSITION BLOCKING VISIBILITY. *TR

FUEL TANK RECALLS BELOW HAVE NOT BEEN PROPERLY FIXED. FUEL TANK STILL TAKES ON TOO MUCH PRESSURE AND VEHICLE HAS ALSO FAILED EMISSIONS INSPECTION. WINDSHIELD WASHER MOTOR HAS FAILED TWICE (CURRENTLY BROKEN). HAZARD LIGHT SWITCH HAS FAILED 4 TIMES.*AK 1997 HYUNDAI SONATA L4-1997CC 2.0L DOHC MFI SAFETY RECALLS TSB NUMBER ISSUE DATE TSB TITLE 01-01-004 MAR 01 RECALL - CANISTER AIR FILTER REPLACEMENT EMISSIONS RECALLS TSB NUMBER ISSUE DATE TSB TITLE 01-01-004-1 APR 01 RECALL - CANISTER AIR INTAKE/FUEL TANK REPLACEMENT

AFTER ATTEMPTING TO CALL HYUNDAI, I AM ABSOLUTELY FED UP WITH EVERYTHING THEY ARE DOING. I HAVE "REPAIRED" MY VEHICLE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS TO NO AVAIL. AFTER AT LEAST 5, DEFINITELY MORE, TRIPS TO THE MECHANIC I HAVE REPAIRED THE ALTERNATOR TWICE, THE IDLE AIR CONTROL VALVE, BRAKES, MOTOR MOUNTS, DONE A TRANSMISSION FLUID CHANGE, AND HAVE HAD TO REPAIR 2 FLYWHEELS IN THE TRANSMISSION. THAT LIST DOES NOT INCLUDE THE GENERAL MAINTENANCE OF PLUGS, FILTERS, AND OIL. I CAN'T DEAL WITH THIS ANYMORE. THIS IS NOT ACTUALLY MY VEHICLE, THIS IS MY MOTHERS VEHICLE, BUT REGARDLESS OF WHO'S VEHICLE IT IS, THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE. WHAT IT BASICALLY IS DOING IS WHEN IT REACHES A CERTAIN MILEAGE IT WILL BASICALLY "KICK/JERK/PUSH FORWARD" (FOR A LACK OF TERMS) WHEN IT REACHES 12 MPH AND 32 MPH AND I'M CERTAIN OF OTHERS BUT MY MOTHER VIRTUALLY NEVER DRIVES ABOVE 45 MPH SO ANYTHING ABOVE THAT I'M UNCERTAIN OF. IT ALSO HAS A VERY HARD TIME ACCELERATING TO 20 MPH. ONCE IT'S ABOVE 20 MPH IT'S EASY AND ACCELERATES VERY FAST. MY MOTHER HAS NEARLY BEEN HIT TWICE DUE TO THIS INABILITY TO ACCELERATE AS FAST AS IT SHOULD. I HAVE TAKEN IT TOO HYUNDAI AND THEY REFUSED TO LOOK AT THE VEHICLE SAYING IT IS OUT OF WARRANTY, SO I TOOK IT TOO NUMEROUS DIFFERENT MECHANICS. I AM GETTING 3 DIFFERENT ANSWERS, SOMETHING IN THE FUEL/AIR LINE, ENGINE COMPUTER MODULE, AND TRANSMISSION. I DO NOT WANT TO HAVE TO PAY FOR ANY OF THESE REPAIRS SO I HAVEN'T DONE ANY OF THEM, BUT I AM THINKING THAT THIS DEFINITELY NEEDS TO BE REPORTED. THERE ARE TRANSMISSION AND ELECTRICAL ITEMS BEING REPORTED WHICH MAY BE RELATED TO THIS. IF THIS IS AS NUMEROUS AS I'M SEEING ON HERE, YOU MAY WANT TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THIS VEHICLE. ONCE IS A COINCIDENCE, 5 TIMES IS PHENOMENA, BUT OVER 20 TIMES IS AN EXPLICIT FAILURE BY THE COMPANY, NO MATTER IF THE VEHICLE IS 30 DAYS OLD OR 30 YEARS OLD.

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION; WHEN APPLING GEAR IN REVERSE THERE IS A HARD BANGING NOISE COMING FROM TRANSMISSION. TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, DEALER REPLACED FAULTY O2 SENSOR. FAULTY BATTERY CAUSING VEHICLE TO CRANK SLOW. DRIVER DOOR WINDOW MOVES SLOW, DEALER LUBRICATED GLASS CHANNEL. OUTER CV BOOT REPLACED, IT WAS CRACKED. SOLENOID VALVE FAULTY CAUSING POOR GAS MILEAGE. *SLC

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION; WHEN APPLING GEAR IN REVERSE THERE IS A HARD BANGING NOISE COMING FROM TRANSMISSION. TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, DEALER REPLACED FAULTY O2 SENSOR. FAULTY BATTERY CAUSING VEHICLE TO CRANK SLOW. DRIVER DOOR WINDOW MOVES SLOW, DEALER LUBRICATED GLASS CHANNEL. OUTER CV BOOT REPLACED, IT WAS CRACKED. SOLENOID VALVE FAULTY CAUSING POOR GAS MILEAGE. *SLC

WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE JERKS AND RPM LINE GOES UP IN DOWN. THEN VEHICLE STARTS SLOWING DOWN, AND WILL SHUTDOWN. ENGINE CHECK LIGHT STAYS ON. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. CONSUMER HAS TO KEEP VEHICLE IN NEUTRALTO KEEP IT IN ORDER. *AK

THE POWER LOCKS ARE DEFECTIVE, WHEN PLACING THE KEY INTO THE LOCK THE PASSENGER LOCK WOULD NOT OPEN, WHEN THE CONSUMER WAS INSIDE THE VEHICLE ,THE LOCKING DEVICE WOULD NOT LIFT.

VEHICLE FIRE DUE TO FAILURE OF THE DASHBOARD WIRING. MJS

SINCE WE HAVE OWNED VEHICLE - 9/98-TO PRESENT ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON CAUSING LACK OF POWER- SMOKE-VIBRATION - TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP ON FIVE OCCASIONS WITH NO REAL FIX TO PROBLEM -TWO TIMES WE LEFT DEALERSHIP AND WITHIN TWO MILES LIGHT WOULD COME BACK ON. *AK

WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED FRONT OF VEHICLE IS SHAKING REAL BADLY, AND FRONT TIRE IS VIRBATING. WHEN CONSUMER IS DRIVING OVER A BUMP, VEHICLE WILL SHAKE. DEALER CAN'T DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. *AK

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION; WHEN APPLING GEAR IN REVERSE THERE IS A HARD BANGING NOISE COMING FROM TRANSMISSION. TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED THREE TIMES. DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM.*AK CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED, DEALER REPLACED FAULTY O2 SENSOR. FAULTY BATTERY CAUSING VEHICLE TO CRANK SLOW. DRIVER DOOR WINDOW MOVES SLOW, DEALER LUBRICATED GLASS CHANNEL. OUTER CV BOOT REPLACED, IT WAS CRACKED. SOLENOID VALVE FAULTY CAUSING POOR GAS MILEAGE. *SLC

ENGINE NOISE AND LEAKAGE DUE TO THREE COLLAPSED LIFTERS AND FRONT CRANKS SEAL LEAKING, DAMAGE TO BELT FROM OIL.

WHEN CONSUMER USES HAZARD LIGHTS AND THEN USE IT AGAIN SIGNAL LIGHTS GO OUT. TOOK TO DEALER, AND THEY REPLACED AT 3708, SECOND TIME 6000 MILES, AND THIRD TIME AT 59,000. CURRENTLY, CONSUMER HAS TO CHANGE HAZARD LIGHTS AGAIN. *AK

IN EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER, THE HYUNDAI SONATA'S TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS DO NOT FUNCTION. IN ORDER TO GET THEM TO ACTIVATE, YOU MUST TURN ON THE EMERGENCY FLASHERS OR WAIT FOR THE VEHICLE TO WARM UP. THE PROBLEM IS KNOWN THE HYUNDAI, BUT THEY HAVE TAKEN NO STEPS TO RECALL THE AUTO TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IN ORDER TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, THE EMERGENCY FLASHER SWITCH, WHICH SOMEHOW PROVIDES POWER TO THE TURN SIGNALS, MUST BE REPLACED. THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE CONNECTION IN THE STEERING COLUMN THAT POWERS THE AIR BAG CONTROL SYSTEM. WHEN THE CONNECTION IS POOR, THE "AIR BAG" LIGHT ACTIVATES, INCDICATING THE SYSTEM IS DISABLED. MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN "REPAIRED" TWICE, AND STILL HAS NO AIR BAGS. THE DEALER "FIXES" THE PROBLEM BY "ADJUSTING/BENDING" THE "CONNECTOR" IN THE STEERING COLUMN. THE PROBLEM RECURS WITHIN DAYS. I'VE BEEN WITHOUT WORKING AIR BAGS FOR 8 MONTHS NOW. HYUNDAI IS AWARE OF A MAJOR DESIGN DEFECT IN THE STERRING COLUMN WHICH CAUSES THE AIRBAGS TO REPREATEDLY FAIL AND DE-ACTIVATE IN THIS MODEL. THEY HAVE TAKEN NO STEPS TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE GOV'T NEEDS TO ORDER THEM TO DESIGN A FIX FOR THESE PROBLEMS AND RECALL ALL OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. *AK

CONSUMER STATES HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THEIR BRAKES CAUSING VEHICLE UNABLE TO STOP.

MY VEHICLES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS BEEN ON FOR WELL OVER A YEAR NOW. I BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM IS DUT TO A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT AND I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO COME OUT OF MY POCKET TO PAY FOR A COMPANY'S MISHAP. I WOULD LIKE THE PROBLEM TO BE CORRECTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.*AK

CONSUMER REAREND VEHICLE WITH A 25 MPH IMPACT WITH APPLYING BRAKES. DUAL AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND SHOULDER SEATBELT DID NOT LOCK UP, CAUSING CONSUMER TO HIT HEAD AGAINST STEERING WHEEL. CONSUMER WILL CONTACTED DEALER TO DETERMINE CAUSE.*AK

WHILE TAKING AN EXIT RAMP OFF THE HIGHWAY STEERING LOCKED UP, CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK

TWO TIRES FAILED PREMATURELY (UNIROYAL). YH