2012 Hyundai Sonata Limited with Navy 2.0 turbo

Faults:

Waste gate actuator at 17500 (turbo was down every cold morning until it was fixed).

Sunroof squeaks since day 1 - dealer can't fix it.

Rattling interior, leather seats wear out fast.

General Comments:

Lemon... both the squeaky sunroof (went 3 times to the dealership with no result) and the waste gate actuator are on the dealership service bulletin, so it's a common issue for these models. The waste gate actuator had to be adjusted - on every cold morning (temp under 15 degrees Celsius) the car felt like an 80HP car because of the cold air, which has more density, and the ECU was tricked and forced to open the waste gate to let go of "the excess boost"- so instead of sending the boost to the engine, it was wasted.

Other than that, lots of power, great looks, great fuel MPG (especially on highways), drives very well, very comfortable, very nice stereo, very nice interior except for the leather seats (which wear out very fast), cheap steering wheel (just half covered in leather) and the rattling dashboard.

I had very pleasant experience with an Elantra in the past, but this one is my last Hyundai ever, considering the amount of money I paid for this car and how many times I went to dealership in just 18,000 miles. Can't wait to get rid of it.

I will post more updates in the future, but so far I am very unhappy with the reliability, even though I am very happy with the looks, power and the way it handles.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th August, 2013

6th Aug 2013, 09:16

There is no doubt that Hyundai Motor Corporation has made some very good vehicles. But in all fairness, they have only been making cars since 1967. Compared to Ford (1903), Chevy (1911) and Toyota (1937) they are just starting out and will continue to improve. But buying cars from basically the new kid on the block... there will be problems. Cars are made up of thousands of components, and buying from the looks of the car or the feel of the car, just doesn't cut it anymore. You will have to go a lot deeper in your research before you buy any car out there... including ones that have been around for a while.

14th Aug 2013, 09:58

Always wanted a car that comes with its own navy.

4th Mar 2014, 11:12

A couple of issues and it's a lemon?

In reply to 6th Aug 2013, 09:16

19th Feb 2018, 00:06

Yet Ford and Chevy still make their share of garbage... Perhaps the age of a manufacturer is irrelevant after they get off the ground?

25th Feb 2023, 22:47

On 2009-2014 the starter has inside a small piece of plastic fork which will break, causing the starter to spin without cranking the engine. The plastic piece is available at Hyundai, but the job is not easy, the starter may come easier from the top by removing the intake manifold and replacing the gaskets - the manifold has two hidden bolts at the bottom.

2012 Hyundai Sonata GL

Summary:

It's a very well built, safe and economical car

Faults:

Bluetooth connection in the steering wheel.

General Comments:

I've had this car for 5 months and have put over 12,000 Km on it. I only have a few things that I don't like about it:

Exterior mirrors are much too wide (about 10" each). I have to watch it when I back in to my garage.

Although you operate the Bluetooth system by voice activation, it's too long to get what you want.

While driving during the day, the blue panel of the radio is hard to read when it's sunny and you're wearing sun glasses.

Now for the good things:

This car handles like a large 6 cylinder; it has ample power. You can get 0 to 100 km (0 to 60 miles) in +/- 9 seconds.

It has a lot of pick up and go at any speed. You have to watch yourself, because the gas pedal is very sensitive.

The automatic transmission is so smooth that you don't even feel it changing.

The suspension is excellent on any roads, and the steering wheel is very precise.

The sound system is very good, and the wind noise factor is almost nonexistent.

The front seats are very comfortable, and there is ample space for all your things (phone, CDs, gloves and so on).

Having to drive a few times a week in very heavy traffic (Downtown Montreal) I get better gas mileage than I've been getting in my last 4 cars (I'm up to my 41st).

We feel very safe in this car and the brakes are very powerful but not hard to apply.

All in all, I'm very happy with it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 15th October, 2012

10th Feb 2013, 08:36

I rented a 2012 Sonata in Hartford Connecticut to drive over to Danbury and back on a service call. I found it pleasingly powerful, comfortable, very well mannered, great handling, very good mileage and nice looking. It was not the turbo model, the direct injected I-4.

My only item isn't a gripe really, I'm only 5' 8 & 1/2" tall and it seemed to have a low enough roof-line, that when entering it, I felt like I needed to angle my torso outward so as not to hit the roof with my head. I have to do that with my Miata too, but not my Jaguar X-Type. Sleekness has its cost, though a small one in my opinion.

I owned a new 89 Sonata, and they have come a long, long way. The 89 bugged me in several ways, but the biggest was the misalignment of the seat, which was not centered to the steering wheel, and the speedometer was also not centered to the wheel.

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