After removing the drivers front wheel I noticed the control arm attachment point severely rusted, & the sub frame cracked ready to break. I know about the recall. Unfortunately nebraska along with other states were not included. This car was well maintained by the original owner, & driven very little in salt/ snow conditions. She purchased @ approx. 80 years of age. The federal safety agency should take a look at this again. Water being trapped in the sub frames is the real problem, salt may have only made the failure happened a bit sooner. I have talked with hyundai customer assistance, & was told the car would not be covered by the recall. I live 8 miles away from iowa, which is covered by the recall. Omaha does use salt on the streets. 14 -15 years for a sub frame to rot away seems quite short. The problem is a design defect not allowing the water to get out. No states should have been left out! Who doesn't wash their car regularly? How many 1999-2004 models of this car are still on the road? Fortunately for our family we noticed the steering wheel significantly out of position, & both front wheels leaning in at the top. Separation of the control arm from the frame would not pretty at a higher rate of speed. People that have looked at the pictures I took of both sides on this car seem to agree, we were probably only a few more chuck holes away! Will hyundai notify current owners of any of these cars regardless of which state & remedy correctly?? Will hyundai, or government put out tsb's or psa's alerting any current owners of the potentially catastrophic condition which may cost someone their life?
1999 Hyundai Sonata body problems
36 complaints (29% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 105,000. 2 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 36
- of this car's complaints
- 29%
- typical mileage
- 105,000
- crashes
- 2
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Frame and members26
- Frame and members: underbody shields3
- Body: trunk lid1
- Body: door1
- Body1
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
Hyundai Sonata body problems in other years
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
Front sub-frame corrosion
In a letter dated april 14, 2009, hyundai-kia america technical center, inc (hyundai) notified the federal safety agency that hyundaiis conducting a safety recall of model year (my) 1999 through 2004 hyundai sonata vehicles manufactured prior to november 20, 2003 that are registered and operated in the following salt belt states and the district of columbia: connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, and wisconsin.hyundai is recalling the vehicles to remedy a condition where internal corrosion of the front subframe may lead to separation of the lower control arm at the forward mounting point and/or separation of the axle from the transaxle.this could result in a loss of vehicle control and/or vehicle disablement. The subframes will be inspected in the recalled vehicles using a procedure developed by hyundai to measure metal thickness.parts with perforations from corrosion or with metal below the specified thickness will be replaced with redesigned subframes.if the minimum metal thickness is met, drainage holes and rust proofing material will be added to the existing subframe. Odi's analysis of complaint data revealed that 98% of the consumer complaints were from vehicles either originally sold or operated in saltbelt states. Similarly 99.7% of the warranty claims were from vehicles originally sold or operated in saltbelt states.odi identified 105 reports of lower control arm detachment and/or axle separation from the transaxle through analysis of warranty and complaint information and consumer interviews.one hundred three (103) of the 105 incidents involved vehicles in states covered by the recall.in addition to the subject vehicles, hyundai also noted in the april 14, 2009 letter that my 2001 through 2004 xg300 and xg350 were also being recalled as they were manufactured with subframes similar in design the subject vehicles.based on hyundai's decision to conduct a safety recall this engineering analysis is closed.
EA08016
Front sub-frame corrosion
The office of defects investigation (odi) opened preliminary evaluation, pe08-029, on april 22, 2008, based on 40 consumer complaints alleging front sub-frame corrosion in model year (my) 1999 through 2002 hyundai sonata vehicles.complaints describe severe corrosion of the vehicle sub-frame in the area where the right-front lower control arm is attached.in some vehicles, sub-frame corrosion has caused complete or partial detachment of the control arm, resulting in wheel collapse or separation. In response to odi's information request letter for pe08-029, hyundai provided owner complaints, field reports, and warranty claim data for approximately 197,906 my 1999 through 2002 subject vehicles sold or leased in the united states.the base warranty for the subject vehicles is 60 months or 60,000 miles, whichever occurs first.according to hyundai, prolonged exposure to the road salts may result in corrosive damage to the subframe.hyundai redesigned the sub-frame early in the my 2004 production (november 2003) to address problems with premature corrosion of the crossmember near the right-front suspension attachment. Odi's analysis of both complaint and warranty data for the my 1999 through 2002 sonata vehicles shows that the failure rates are significantly higher in salt belt states, which account for approximately 50 percent of vehicle sales and over 90 percent ofcomplaints and warranty claims related to the alleged defect (note:for purposes of this investigation the salt belt includes connecticut, delaware, the district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia and wisconsin).according to hyundai, the alleged defect results in a progressive loss of structural integrity of the subframe and there is ample opportunity for the problem to be detected (by inspection, steering feel or tire wear anomalies) and repaired before it reaches a state where a safety related incident may occur.hyundai identified 4 allegations of vehicle disablement and 1 allegation of a crash; where the lower control arm broke from the vehicle while driving at 55 MPH and the driver lost control and drove into a yard.there were no reported injuries.odi received a separate allegation of a crash, where the complainant alleged that while driving around a slight curve at 65 MPH on a freeway, the vehicle sub-frame fractured and the driver lost control of the vehicle and went off the road.again, no injuries were reported.approximately one-third of the complaints to odi allege that the sub-frame corrosion resulted in a loss of control and/or a vehicle disablement due to wheel collapse or separation.this investigation has been upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea08-016) covering my 1999 through early-2004 hyundai sonata vehicles in salt-belt states and equipped with the subject sub-frame design to further assess the frequency and safety consequences of the alleged defect.
PE08029
What 1999 Hyundai Sonata owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The sub frame/k frame on my 99 hyundai sonata rusted out causing my driver side rear tire and passenger side rear tire to face outwards almost coming off and damaging my left control arm. I heard a loud pop and couldn't figure out what it was then realized the steering wheel was cocked at 180. I had to drive it home which was luckily only 2 minutes down the road, I had to drive 10mph smelling burning rubber.
I was pulling in a shopping center turning the steering wheel to the right, I heard a loud bang and got out of car, the drivers side wheel was caved in, had car towed to mechanic, he said the subframe was completely rusted and broke away from the car, and I was lucky that I wasn't going at a higher speed.
I purchased my 1999 sonata from a used car dealer & have had numerous problems with the car, its been a nightmare, one problem after another!!!! The crankshaft sensor had to be completely replaced because the component had severely melted, issues with the transmission, ABS/airbag warning light on, & have had to change out the half shaft on both drivers/passenger side, numerous tires, brakes but the most severe of all the problems which puts my safety, my 12 yr old son & fiance's safety, along with family/friend's safety at risk is the complete corrosion of the subframe I too to a mechanic today & he told me to not drive this car for anything because it will result in an accident where I can potentially end up hurting myself or other innocent bystanders because hyundai made a defective subframe especially for us that live & drive in hazardous conditions of the wintry/icy elements for 5+months out of the year in upstate new york!!! I will be calling hyundai's customer assistance ctr & fuccillo hyundai(local dealer)& the attorney general for new york. I cannot imagine what could've happened if I drove over a pot hole resulting in my tire(s) falling off especially if I was on the expressway doing 55mph my loved ones or other's loved ones, & myself could've been severely injured or worse dead due to hyundai using a subframe that would severely corrode the subframe especially in the "snow belt" states!!!!! I just hope that I do not have a difficult time having hyundai fix the problem in a speedy fashion without trying to strong arm me into paying for repairs that I am not responsible for because it is an inconvenience being without a vehicle now until it gets repaired.
Tl* the contact owns a 1999 hyundai sonata. The contact stated that the front passenger side axle fractured while driving 25 MPH. The vehicle was towed to his residence where he noticed that the sub frame was also rusted. The vehicle was not repaired or inspected. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign id number: 09v124000 (suspension) and any repairs would be at the contact's expense. The contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. The current and failure mileage was approximately 113,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 hyundai sonata. While driving out of a parking space at 5 MPH the engine cradle fell down, broke the control arm and tore the axle apart. The steering wheel would only move to the right. When the vehicle was shifted in reverse, it would also move to the right. He noticed that the axle bushing, cv boot and grease were on the ground. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic who stated that the engine cradle was corroded which caused the engine to fall. The manufacturer and the dealer were not notified about the failure. The failure and current mileages were 185,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 hyundai sonata. He took the vehicle to the dealer for recall 09v124000 suspension front sub-frame. The vehicle was functioning normally prior to the repair. The vehicle currently doesn't drive straight and when he engaged the brakes it veered off of the road. He contacted the manufacturer. The manufacturer stated that they would not pay for the vehicle alignment. The failure and the current mileages were 154,000.
Tl*the contact owns a 1999 hyundai sonata. He stated that he took the vehicle to the dealer for recall 09v124000 suspension front sub-frame. The vehicle has not driven straight since the repair was performed instead it veers from side to side. He contacted the manufacturer who stated that hey would not pay for the alignment. The failure and the current mileages were 154,000.
The lower control are separated from the frame on the front passenger side of the car as I was turning a corner, tearing up a brand new tire and the fender.
I have a 1999 hyundai sonata. Today I took it in for an oil change and they noticed that the motor cradle is rusted out and needs to be replaced. In looking through the internet I have discovered that this is a consistent problem.
Questions about the 1999 Hyundai Sonata body
Does the 1999 Hyundai Sonata have body problems?
Owners have filed 36 complaints about the body of the 1999 Hyundai Sonata, 29% of all its complaints, more than any other problem.
At what mileage do 1999 Hyundai Sonata body problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 105,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 1999 Hyundai Sonata body?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
What year does the Hyundai Sonata have the most body problems?
The Hyundai Sonata model years with the most body complaints are 2010 (164 complaints), 2000 (109 complaints) and 2002 (88 complaints).
Other 1999 Hyundai Sonata problems
Airbags 31Engine 23Suspension 17Transmission 14Electrical 11Brakes 6Seat belts 6Steering 6Tires 6Visibility 5Acceleration 4Lights 3Fuel system 2Wheels 1
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