2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS 2.4L GDI from North America
Summary:
Perfect when running...
Faults:
- Driver's door latch. Had to replace it myself after the dealer denied to do it under their certified pre-owned deal.
- Chasing rattles in the dash and plastic parts. Fixed most of them.
- The car pulls to the right. Alignment, new tires, advanced tires balance!
- Suspension noises: Replaced front stabilizer link parts, shock absorbers, and lower ball joints. Dealer then said that maybe it is something in the chassis and they have to cut a hole to check something (as in TSB). They started charging me for work so I just denied and tried to live with it.
- Steering noises and rattles caused by the rubber coupling. Dealer pretended not to have any idea about what I am talking about. I replaced it myself.
- Noises in the dash behind the sound unit! Took it off and re-installed it back again and the noises are gone.
- Problems in acceleration: The car was accelerating in stages! Dealer again said there is nothing wrong with that and recommended buying their Techron re-branded cleaner. I fixed the problem by getting the MAP sensor replaced and A/F ratio sensor as well.
- Front right brake caliper got stuck occasionally... Dealer recommended replacing rubber lines first! Replaced caliper myself after. I had to replace both of them to have the brake acting right again.
Recall campaign for engine noise: Dealer said no noise in engine!
- @ 97K miles and 1 month after the recall visit, knocking noise getting louder from the engine and the oil light coming on on idle (very often).
- Engine seized few days later, on my way home in the middle of the highway!
- Dealer denied any responsibility and tried to blame it on oil changes and some other reasons.
- Dealer offered to generously pay for the car if I trade it.
- Hyundai USA refused to re-check the case and the engine, and I was on my own!
- Got a used certified engine with 35K miles. Donor car had passed dealer recall as well.
- Transmission shift indicator went blank and issues with transmission occasionally. When that happened, I had to cycle the ignition on/off until the indicator was on again.
- 5 months later, @ 107k miles the engine started making noises and seized almost at the same spot.
The car was extremely taken care of. Driven 80% highway! Only full synthetic oil was used and replaced every 4K miles with a Hyundai genuine filter.
General Comments:
While running fine: The car is powerful, fun to drive and really strong on the road. Offering a good feeling of safety and comfort.
Braking is also very strong and stable.
Hyundai cheats on MPG. Numbers displayed are like 2 to 4 MPG more than reality! Shame on you Hyundai...
I used to love the car and was trying to keep it, but I couldn't. The Hyundai warranty is a scam! They don't honor their words. Except that one: The car has passed the recall and we didn't find any issues with the engine...
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No
Review Date: 3rd October, 2016
5th Oct 2016, 09:03
What do you really expect from off brand Korean junk... I've had a few friends/family members try Hyundai out, and their first one was always their last. They sound great with the low price and warranty, but like you and many others have said, the warranty is a sham and Hyundai will weasel themselves out of responsibility in any way possible. They are cheap, flashy disposable cars for the uninformed car buyer that thinks all cars are the same.
I've had early 90's Buicks, Toyotas and full size Chevy trucks with over 300k on them that were super reliable, very low maintenance and ownership costs, and not even a fraction of the issues you listed on a 4 year old Hyundai. Save yourself some hassle next time and buy American or Japanese. All my GMs/Fords and Honda/Toyotas have been amazing. I swear by those brands; Korean made is always a disappointment in the end.