2001 Hyundai Sonata problems

What is wrong

Hyundai is recalling 188,282 my 2001-2004 sonata and my 2001-2004 xg300 and xg350 vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Road salt applied in these jurisdictions during the winter months may result in progressive, internal corrosion of the front sub-frame on the vehicles, and may result in thinning or perforation of the sub-frame steel. The corrosion is frequently visible and often discovered during inspection or routine maintenance, and owners may also hear noises or notice tire misalignment and steering pull. If these signals are undetected or unheeded, the corrosion may progress and the forward mounting of the lower control arm may detach from the sub-frame.

Risk

If that happens, the vehicle may lose drive power to the wheels, and the front wheel may make contact with the fender or wheel well, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy

Dealers will measure the thickness of the front sub-frame and inspect the front sub-frame for corrosion damage and, if necessary, the front sub-frame will be replaced with a new sub-frame that incorporates additional holes in the upper and lower panels. If the front sub-frame does not require replacement, the dealer will add drainage holes to the sub-frame and will treat the sub-frame with rust-proofing material to stop the corrosion process. This procedure will be performed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during april 2009. Owners may contact the hyundai customer assistance center at 1‑800‑633‑5151.

Recall number 09V124000 · Recall details

What is wrong

On certain passenger vehicles, an intermittent condition that leads to the supplemental restraint system (SRS) air bag warning light illumination could result from motion of the side impact air bag wiring harness and side impact air bag wiring harness connector which mount to the adjustable seat cushion assembly. This condition only relates to the side impact air bags and could prevent air bag deployment during a crash where such deployment should occur.

Risk

Non-deployment of the SRS side impact air bag could increase the risk of injury during a side impact crash.

Remedy

Dealers will more securely fasten the side impact air bag wiring harnesses and connectors to the vehicle's front seat cushion frames. Owner notification began may 28, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact hyundai at 1‑800‑633‑5151.

Recall number 02V105000 · Recall details

What is wrong

Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The supplemental restraint system (SRS) air bag warning light could illuminate due to motion of the side impact air bag wiring harness and side impact air bag wiring harness connector that mount to the adjustable seat cushion assembly. This condition only relates to the driver and/or passenger seat-mounted side impact air bag(s).

Risk

This condition could prevent seat mounted side impact air bag deployment during an accident where such deployment should occur. Non-deployment of the SRS side impact air bags could increase the risk of injury during an accident where side impact air bag deployment is intended.

Remedy

Dealers will more securely fasten the front seat side impact air bag wiring harness and connectors to the vehicle's front seat cushion frames. Owner notification will occur in six mailings on may 27, june 3, june 10, june 17, june 24, and july 1, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact hyundai at 1‑800‑633‑5151.

Recall number 01V347000 · Recall details

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

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