2007 Hyundai Sonata: rotors or pads wearing out early

Filed Aug 1, 2012 · Brakes · 17,513 miles · MI

I heard high pitched noise from rear while driving 2007 sonata gls. I found that the rear wheels were extremely hot. I was afraid the tires will catch fire due to the heat. I took it to the dealer in southfield michigan. The manager said that it would cost me $300 to replace rear pads and they were not covered under warranty. Rear brake pads essentially were 95% worn out. Front brake pads were minimally worn during this time period and were ok. I got them replaced at "napa complete car care center" for $176 in oct 19, 2009 when it had 17,513 miles on it. At 40,042 miles while driving from detroit to milwaukee, I heard dreadful grinding noise. At "car-x auto service" in milwaukee they found the same problem with rear pads while front pads were ok. One rear pad was almost bare and others were more than 95% gone. I spent another $350 and this time the rotors also have to be replaced. There is definitely a design flaw and it is a safety issue due to heat which can cause tire fire. It seems the rear pads stop moving freely after certain pad wear. It could be too much hydraulic oil pressure in the rear brake lines or there is some defects due to ABS system. Hyundai must own this problem and fix this issue for good. Environment al (salt, water etc) effect is the same for both front and rear brakes. Front brakes do not need any adjustment or lubrication and they are ok. Why would only rear brakes need cleaning and lubrication at every 5000 miles as suggested by the dealer? In my driving for 40 years I have never seen this issue in any of the other vehicles I drove. On checking internet discussion boards I found that this issue is common and hyundai is not doing anything. This is not fair at all while consumers are holding the bag with perpetual expensive repairs and fear of being stranded and tire catching fire.

Filed Oct 16, 2010 · Brakes · 64,000 miles · TX

Rear brake pads are prematurely worn out on 2007 hyundai sonata gls compared to front brake pads. Rear brake pads essentially went to 99% worn out in matter of 4 months while front brake pads were minimally worn during this time period and are still around 50%. Internet discussion boards are full of this type of events with this car model's rear brake system suddenly wearing out brake pads. This is a huge safety issue that hyundai refuses to do a recall on.

Filed Dec 12, 2009 · Brakes · 34,967 miles · WI

Defect in design or substandard metal parts in the rear brake assemblies of 2006 & later hyundai sonatas causing premature brake wear. I have premature brake pad wear (metal on metal) after 35,000 miles on my 2007 sonata. This condition is reported online by many other owners with as little as 20k. Dealer will not cover under warranty. Hyundai USA will only consider reimbursement after it is repaired first and preferable by a dealer. My dealer said its a "design flaw with the pad retainer", those online report corroded caliper mounting pins as the cause. Some report they need to routinely clean and lubricate these parts to prevent the excessive wear. Because this is a brake issue, safety of all owners should be enough to issue a recall.

Filed Nov 2, 2009 · Brakes · 20,550 miles · IL

Tl* the contact owns a 2007 hyundai sonata. During brake application he would hear metal grinding coming from the rear-end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealership, and the technician concluded that the brake pads needed to be replaced and that the rotors needed to be shaved down to a certain degree. The current and failure mileages were 20550. Updated 12/8/09 *cn the consumer stated she experienced premature wear on rear wheels due to a stuck caliper and corroded pins in the brake system that doesn't allow pads to move properly causing uneven wear. Updated 12/09/09.

Filed Oct 29, 2009 · Brakes · 39,700 miles · MA

I have a 2007 hyundai sonata purchased in april/may 2007, and I've always done regular maintenance at dealers only, no outside servicers. Bought car at power bowser in pittsburgh, pa (live in boston now) who did pa state inspection and 30k service there when the car was at 32k miles in 2/09. (rear brakes had been replaced already in 7/08). At the time, front brakes were measured at 60% remaining and rear 90% remaining. I did mostly highway driving, which involves little braking, since that time. Less than 7k miles and 7.5 months (my car is now at 39k) later now my car is at mirak hyundai in massachusetts with the front brakes measuring at 25-30% and damaged rotors, and the back brakes are at zero% on one side in the back and 70% on the other side in the back with the 70% side immobile in the caliper having worn down from 90% only because of rotor wear. In other words, one side of my rear brakes was not functioning causing the other side to wear to zero, and I was driving on 25-30% front brakes. The back rotors were destroyed and had to be replaced with the brakes. The power bowser in pittsburgh service manager told me that this is a widespread problem with the sonatas (especially my model year) that hyundai corporation is fully aware of (in 2 ways they either stick to the rotor or don't move, as in my case) and has not recalled or issued a bulletin on. Instead, they apparently have a "goodwill unofficial warranty" that they will fix the problem if it happens within 2 years or 24k miles of purchase. My car is a few months over 2 years old, so that did not apply to me. They knew about this problem with my model car, but I had no warning. I was driving around with one side of my back brakes not working that wore the other side to zero and was grinding metal-on-metal. I had to pay $500+ for the rear brakes and rotors. Overall, this incident was not only costly but frightening that they let me and others drive around on brakes they know to fail.

Filed Jul 29, 2009 · Brakes · 25,000 miles · NJ

Rear brake pads wear out at 25k miles and are not covered under warranty.

Filed Jul 23, 2009 · Brakes · 19,800 miles · IL

Rear brakes on 2007 hyundai sonata acquired high pitched squeal, odor, and wheels were hot to the touch at 19,800 miles. Dealer replaced brakes pads and resurfaced rotor. Seems to be premature wear of rear brake pads and rotors due to defective rear brake mechanisms causing the pads to freeze against the rotors. Dealer maintains the brakes need "adjusting" every 10,000 miles to avoid the problem.

Filed Jul 20, 2009 · Brakes · 26,500 miles · MN

Premature wear of rear brake caliper pads due to corrosion on caliper guides.

Filed Jul 13, 2009 · Brakes · 16,450 miles · NH

Purchased hyundai sonata recently and heard high pitched chirp/squeal sound in rear area of car. Searched internet to see if similar problems were identified. Learned that hundreds of people are experiencing similar issues with premature brake wear due to defective rear brake mechanisms. Brakes appear to be malfunctioning under normal road conditions and freezing brake pads against rotors. Rotors wear out from premature wear. This is a serious safety issue. Hyundai unresponsive to customer complaints indicating road salt is to blame. This is costing hundreds of americans hundreds of dollars in tough economic times not to mention the safety concerns of potentially failing brakes causing accidents. Investigation and action is needed to determine the cause of the defect and initiate a formal recall from hyundai.

Filed Jul 9, 2009 · Brakes · 27,200 miles · 00

2007 hyundai sonata - 4 cylinder rear brakes noticed smell & heat coming from rear wheels after car was stopped. Have also noticed that fuel mileage has been poor for the last several months. Suspected park brake sticking, but took to dealer to investigate. Their investigation came back that rear brakes were sticking and rear brake pads worn out after 27,000 miles. Recommended I have the rear pads & rotors replaced, and should have a "brake service" done where they disassemble the brakes, clean and reassemble. Brake service was done and rear brake pads were replaced. Refused new rotors based on a 2nd opinion that they were fine. I asked service manager why this would be necessary with so few miles on the car. I previously owned a 2004 mazda6 with rear disc brakes. I bought it new and traded it with 70,000 miles on it, having spend $0 on the brakes. His response was that all hyundai sonatas experience problems and unless annual brake service is performed, I will have problems with the rear brakes sticking. I view this as a manufacturer defect. Hyundai charges me for the brake service, and since I did not have it done during the first year of ownership, my rear brakes were sticking on , causing my poor mileage and a rear brake pad replacement. None of this work was covered under warranty, and I am now out approx $500 for work performed on my car, not to mention the fact that I will now need to spend money each year to have a "brake service" performed. A quick check on message boards on the internet revealed that many people are seeing the same problem. This should be rectified by hyundai in the form of a recall. I should be reimbursed for the money I have spent, and an improved design should be implemented (such as on my mazda).

Filed Nov 24, 2008 · Brakes · 17,000 miles · NY

I brought my 2007 sonata into the dealer to get it inspected the first year with 17,000 miles on it and have a noise from the wheels looked at and it had to have new brakes. I was astonished that after 17,000 miles I needed a $600 plus brake job, but the warranty covered it. Five months later the noise came back and I brought it in again, and was told that I needed to have my brakes taken apart, cleaned out and lubed ($150) or I would need new brakes again in a few months. I was appalled and asked the mechanic how a new car could possibly need new brakes once a year? I have never replaced brakes on any of my cars before at least 70,000 miles, so I know as the sole driver of the car that I'm not causing premature wear by my driving. He explained to me that the new hyundai brakes are great except in the northeast where they corrode very quickly from the salt, and that if I don't have them cleaned and lubed ($150) at least once a year I will need to have them replaced every year. I did pay to have them cleaned and lubed, but this is crazy. They obviously are selling cars with defective brakes if they will only last for one year. I then asked around to the 4 other people who I knew who also had newer hyundai's (3 sonata's and one elantra) and they said they also had to have their brakes replaced before 20,000 miles. Since the brakes are only under warranty up to 25,000 miles I am now looking at having to pay several hundred dollars a year to keep the car with brakes, so I'm thinking I should take the loss and trade it in.

Filed Sep 16, 2008 · Visibility · 10,710 miles · CA

Driver side sunvisor mounting has become so loose that it allows the visor to continually drop down in front of my face, obscuring my view of the roadway, thereby presenting a real danger to the safe operation of the vehicle. The odds of an accident caused by the premature wear/failure of the visor retention mechanism is very real. In my opinion, this constitutes a safety defect.