2005 Hyundai Sonata

AT ABOUT 110,000 MILES THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON IN MY2005 SONATA. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SCANNED IT. THEY SAID IT WAS EITHER A BAD MODULE OR A BREAK IN A WIRE. I TOOK IT TO A VERY GOOD LOCAL MECHANIC AND THEY INSPECTED THE WIRING AND MODULE IN THE CENTER CONSOLE AND FOUND NOTHING OBVIOUSLY WRONG. THEY PUT IT BACK TOGETHER AND THE LIGHT STAYED OFF FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS. I TOOK IT BACK AGAIN, THE DID THE SAME THING AND IT STAYED OFF FOR ABOUT 3 WEEKS. IT HAS BEEN ON SINCE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V280000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) WAS DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

WE HAVE HAD INTERMITTENT ISSUES WITH THE AIR BAG LIGHT COMING ON IN THIS VEHICLE. WHEN IT FIRST HAPPENED WE TOOK IT TO A HYUNDAI SERVICE CENTER AND THEY SAID THAT SOME ITEMS GOT UNDER THE FRONT SEAT AND COMPROMISED THE WIRE HARNESS. I EXPLAINED MY CONCERNS TO THE SERVICE REP THAT I WAS SHOCKED THAT THE AIR BAG AND SAFETY SYSTEM COULD BE COMPROMISED BY ITEMS THAT MAY GET UNDER THE SEATS. THIS WEEK WE HAD ANOTHER AN AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT COME ON AND AGAIN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE HYUNDAI SERVICE CENTER. THIS TIME IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS A SHORT CIRCUIT IN AN AIR BAG ASSEMBLY. ON 8/26/14 I CALLED A HYUNDAI SERVICE CONTRACT REPRESENTATIVE ABOUT COVERAGE FOR THIS UNDER A SERVICE CONTRACT. I WAS ADVISED THAT THE AIR BAG WAS A MAINTENANCE ISSUE AND THAT AFTER TIME THE AIR BAG COMPONENT WOULD WEAR OUT. MY REACTION WAS THAT, YES, EVERY COMPONENT IN THE CAR WILL WEAR OUT OVER TIME. USING THAT ARGUMENT, HYUNDAI COULD ARGUE THAT NO COMPONENTS WOULD BE COVERED AS EVERY ITEM ON THE CAR IS ARGUABLY A MAINTENANCE ISSUE. I FOUND THAT POSITION SHOCKING AS NO SERVICE VENDOR OR OWNER MAKES REGULAR INSPECTION OF THE AIR BAG SYSTEM. THIS EXPERIENCE LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT HYUNDAI DOES NOT TAKE THEIR RESPONSIBILITY SERIOUSLY REGARDING THE USE AND SAFETY OF THEIR AIR BAG SYSTEMS. *TR

CHROME INTERIOR DOOR HANDLE. THE CHROME ON THE HANDLE IS CRACKING AT THE CHROME EDGE. IT HAS A SHARP EDGE AND CUT MY PASSENGERS HAND. I HAD THIS HANDLE REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY ONCE BEFORE FOR THIS ISSUE AND NOW IT IS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE AS BEFORE. THEY HAVE A RECALL ON THE 2002 - 2003 SONATAS PERSONALLY I DON'T THINK THEY FIXED ANYTHING AND THIS SHOULD BE INCLUDED FOR THE RECALL AS WELL. *TR

YOUR PROBE INTO THE HYUNDAI SONATA AIRBAG ISSUE SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO EARLIER MODELS AS WE HAVE A 2005 AND WHAT YOU ARE INITIALLY EXPLAINING AFFECTS OUR VEHICLE ALSO. WE HAVE HAD THE AIRBAG LIGHT RESET A FEW TIMES BY THE DEALER (ZIMBRIK HYUNDAI IN MADISON, WI). THEY INITIALLY STATED THAT IT WAS JUST A WIRE UNDER THE SEAT THAT NEEDED TO BE REATTACHED. THEY'D DO THAT AND TURN OFF THE AIRBAG LIGHT, IT'D BE OK FOR A FEW MONTHS, THEN THE LIGHT WOULD COME BACK ON. THEY EVENTUALLY STATED THEY WANTED TO REPACK THE AIRBAG FOR THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS, SEEMED SOMEWHAT LIKE A SCAM, SO WE NO LONGER GO IT FIXED AND HAVE BEEN DRIVING WITH THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON. *JS

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY THE CAR STARTED ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN. TRIED PUMPING THE GAS PEDAL TO RELEASE IT, CAR STILL ACCELERATED. BRAKES DID LITTLE GOOD. WAS ABLE TO DOWN SHIFT INTO FIRST GEAR, THEN INTO NEUTRAL AND UTILIZING THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ABLE TO GET THE CAR SLOWED DOWN ENOUGH TO CUT THE ENGINE. SOME PROBLEM HAPPENED IMMEDIATELY WHEN I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON TRYING TO GET IT OFF THE FREEWAY OFF RAMP. WAS ABLE TO STOP SAFELY IN A PARKING LOT WITHOUT HITTING ANYTHING. HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY SAID IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE THROTTLE. *TR

I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER OF THIS VEHICLE SINCE IT WAS NEW. MY WIFE PRIMARILY DRIVES THIS CAR AND THE PASSENGER SEAT MAYBE GETS USED ABOUT 10% OF THE TIME. THE VEHICLE NOW HAS JUST OVER 70K MILES. VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE HYUNDAI MULTIPLE TIMES DUE TO THE AIR BAG LIGHT COMING ON WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH THE PASSENGER SEAT. AT FIRST THEY TOLD US IT WAS DUE TO STUFF UNDER THE SEAT. THE NEXT TIME IT WAS A BAD MODULE @ $400 TO REPAIR. THIS TIME WAS DUE TO FAILURE OF STATE INSPECTION. PRIOR TO TAKING TO DEALER TO HAVE THE CODES READ, I DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND OUT THAT THERE WAS A SERVICE BULLETIN RELATIVE TO THE AIR BAG CIRCUIT SENSOR WIRING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE AT THE DEALER SEVERAL YEARS AGO BUT NEVER WAS. SO THIS TIME, ONCE AT THE DEALER THE CODES WERE READ AND INDICATED A HIGH RESISTANCE ON BOTH SEATS AND A DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SEAT BELT BUCKLE. I PAID TO HAVE THE SERVICE BULLETIN IMPLEMENTED AND REPLACEMENT OF THE PASSENGER SEAT BUCKLE. MY WIFE PICKED THE CAR UP BUT WITHIN A COUPLE MILES THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. SHE RETURNED TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THEM REPAIR IT AGAIN. NOW THERE IS A DIFFERENT CODE BEING READ FROM THE COMPUTER THAT INDICATES THAT THERE IS A SHORT ON THE PASSENGER AIR BAG, BUT THIS FAULT COMES AND GOES IF THERE IS MOVEMENT OF THE HARNESS IN THE VICINITY OF THE AIR BAG WITHIN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE DEALER CONTACTED HYUNDAI ENGINEERING CONCERNING THE NEWEST FAULT CODE AND THEY ARE IS NOW TELLING ME THAT HYUNDAI ENGINEERING IS STATING THAT TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM WILL REQUIRE THE SEAT TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $2200. THIS IS ABSURD. THE AIR BAG SYSTEM IS ONE OF THE KEY SAFETY SYSTEMS ON THE VEHICLE AND SHOULD BE ROBUST ENOUGH TO WITHSTAND MANY YEARS OF SERVICE. I HAVE HAD MANY CARS OVER THE LAST 40 YEARS AND HAVE NEVER HAD A CAR WITH SO MANY WIRING PROBLEMS LET ALONE AIR BAG ISSUES. *TR

WHILE DRIVING IN A HEAVY RAIN THE ENGINE BEGIN MISSING AND SLOWING DOWN. BECAUSE OF THE RAIN TRAFFIC WAS RUNNING AT ABOUT 25 MPH. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND I DRIFTED ONTO THE SHOULDER OF THE HIGHWAY (I 95). AFTER A FEW ATTEMPTS THE ENGINE RESTARTED , BUT WAS STILL MISSING BADLY I COULD ONLY GET TO APPROX. 20MPH. EACH TIME I STOPPED THE ENGINE WOULD STOP. USING THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME. THE NEXT MORNING I TRIED TO START THE CAR BUT IT WOULD NOT. I OPEN THE HOOD JUST TO SEE IF THERE WAS ANYTHING VISIBLY WRONG. I CHECKED THE AIR FILTER AND FIND THAT IT WAS FULL OF WATER. WITH WET FILTER OUT AND THE WATER REMOVED FROM THE FILTER HOUSING THE CAR RUNS WITH OUT A PROBLEM. I CAN'T LOCATE WHERE THE AIR INTAKE IS TO SEE IF THERE IS PART MISSING ETC. THIS IS THE FOURTH TIME THIS HAS HAPPEN. THE DEALERS ANSWER FOR THIS PROBLEM "DON'T DRIVE IN HEAVY RAIN". *TR