- Hyundai is launching a customer service campaign to address complaints about steering pull in the 2011 Sonata equipped with 18-inch wheels and tires.
- Hyundai told Inside Line on Tuesday that the problem is not safety-related, just "an annoyance," which is why the 2011 Sonata is not being recalled.
- There were 198 complaints about steering pull in 2011 Hyundai Sonatas posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site as of Tuesday morning.
FOUNTAIN VALLEY, California — Hyundai Motor America is launching a customer service campaign to address complaints about steering pull in the 2011 Sonata equipped with 18-inch wheels, after numerous complaints from consumers.
James P. Trainor, a Hyundai Motor America spokesman, told Inside Line on Tuesday that the problem is not safety-related, just "an annoyance," which is why the 2011 Sonata is not being recalled.
"I don't want to downplay it, but it's a slight drift to the left," Trainor said in a phone conversation. "Some people notice it, where others don't. It's not safety-related at all, it's just an annoyance."
He said about 41,000 Sonatas out of approximately 200,000 are in the "impacted group...A small percent of those will have the issue," he said. "It's not widespread at all."
However, there were 198 complaints about steering pull in 2011 Hyundai Sonatas posted on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Web site as of Tuesday morning.
"My 2011 Hyundai Sonata 2.0T pulls to the left very hard," wrote one unidentified consumer. "It occurs at just about any speed, but is worse with highway speeds."
Another wrote: "(Sonata) pulled left immediately upon delivery. Return to dealer. They said they switched the two front tires to fix the problem. They said it was due to radial pull. This begs the question what happens when I replace or rotate tires?"
Consumer Reports has said that its 2011 Sonata Limited 2.0T "drifts to the left on some roads."
"On our car, it could easily be countered by minor one-handed steering corrections, but it was an annoyance," it said on its Web site. "A suspension alignment and a new front left strut improved matters and reduced complaints among our staff, but we still feel the car should track better. Other Sonata owners have had more severe symptoms and complaints."
Hyundai dealers will check the wheel alignment on the 2011 Sonata and how the vehicle tracks. If necessary, new front suspension struts will be installed and a wheel alignment will be performed for free. The Korean automaker said a loaner car will be provided at no charge.
The customer service campaign is for owners of Sonatas built between September 1, 2010 and April 30, 2011.
Hyundai recalled 138,354 2011 Sonatas last September for an unrelated problem with steering.
Inside Line says: If you own the 2011 Hyundai Sonata with 18-inch wheels, be aware that this service campaign is in the works.
Add A Comment »
adukes_007 says:
09:15 PM, 01/29/2012
The new models dont have this issue.,....
http://www.turbosonata.com
rhkem says:
06:47 AM, 01/09/2012
corbie i am having the same exact issue i brought the car in about 5 diffrent times for the same pullin isssue and i feel like theere just trying to cover iit up because theres no fix. im so ready to get rid of my car!
corbie says:
02:45 PM, 12/21/2011
My 2011 Hyundai sonata problems
"Cool that Hyundai is taking care of it this way"... Yeah right!!! I have been dealing with Hyundai about tire and alignment issues and they are not taking care of anything....
I bought my car about a year ago and 8 days after I bought it I took it back stating that the alignment was out and pulling to the left. They sent it to a les schwab across the street to have it done and told me that the alignment was fine no problems. They also told me that the car had a normal pull and I shouldn't worry about it.... 10 months later I have had more issues and took he car to Dublin Hyundai stating that I am getting vibrations from the tires and more alignment issues. They told me they would look at it and while I was there they took care of some other recall issues I was having. When they brought the car back to me they stated everything they did and what they looked at and did not mention anything about the tire/alignment issues I was having until I asked. The service advisor said " oh yeah' the tires are all cupped"... I was shocked and all he recommended was new tires... Later that week I called him back and said something's not right and I want you guys to look at them again... When I brought the car back they didn't even take the car from me they just asked me to turn the wheel so they could look at the tires and said "oh!!! The tire are not cupped there feathered" and told me how much they would be to replace them... I have had les schwab and pep boys look at the tires and they both said my car had weird alignment issues and that I should have the dealer look into this deeper. So I called the dispute line for Hyundai and opened a case... Hyundai calls the dealer that I had these issues with and the dealer tells them that I wasn't rotating my tires "which is total bs" and Hyundai closed my case right away from that statement... I had to call and open the case again and go to a different dealership... I'm still dealing with them and my tires are so messed up it sounds like I'm driving around a helicopter. I can tell you that so far I have had the worst experience trying to get to the bottom of this with hyundai and I will continue to speak out about my in resolved issues until they make it right... I feel like I'm driving around a piece of junk and I wish I could say otherwise. Hyundai if you are hearing this fix this issue and I will speak of how you stepped up to the plate to make it right. Do nothing and I will continue to tell everyone I know to not buy Hyundai and continue to blog about it...
Hyundai case #4661257
nutsaboutcars says:
12:21 PM, 11/10/2011
I have this issue with my 2010 genesis sedan v8 with 18 in wheels. Been to the dealer 3 times and all they can do is do a wheel alighnment but still the problem
desmolicious says:
01:14 PM, 08/16/2011
Cool that Hyundai is taking care of it this way.
Didn't Edmunds have front end issues on their LT Audi S5 and A4 Wagon? No 'recall' IIRC, but it seems that maybe if they weren't Edmunds they would not have got the same treatment as a regular customer.