I have owned my 2011 hyundai sonata for one year. On july 15, 2011, I went to start the car and I could not depress the brake or start the car. The acc stuff would come on but no ignition to the motor. I tried and tried to start it and ended up calling the dealership. I was told to "kick" the brake pedal "hard" several times; which I did. I finally got it started and drove it to the dealership. I was told "brake light switch" replaced. Left the dealership and drove to my office and when I went to tried to start the car to leave the car would not start, but this time I had to call roadside assistance for the car to be towed back to dealership. Dealership told me they replaced brake light switch again. Now the traction control light comes on and my brake lights are not working. When I did get it to start the car would not go into any gear; it just was locked in park. Well, yesterday, july 20, 2011 the car had to be towed again because of all the same problems. So, the car has been back to the dealership three times within the past five days; two of which the car was towed. I am very concerned about my safety because I believe the brakes have something to do with the air bags not to mention the unknown electrical issues.
2011 Hyundai Sonata electrical complaints
Page 15 of 16: complaints 401 to 430 of 444, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I have a 2011 hyundai sonata. I purchased the car in august of 2010. About a month after owning the vehicle, the engine light came on. When I took it to the dealer, they recorded the code and then said it was the AC. I was asked to wait 15 seconds before turning the AC on after starting car. So I did that. About a week or so later, the light comes on again. Take it back twice after this, they record the code and then the switch is replaced. I maintain my car with all maintenance requested and I drive it on the highway. I had the tire light come on a few months later - was told it was the temperature. That eventually went off. Next was the engine light yet again. This time it occurred after I took the car in on june 17th for an oil change. They told me a recall was on the transmission and they did the recall update. Immediately after this update, the car drove terribly. Very loud, very rough. About a week after this update, the car breaks down in the parking lot. It has done this now about 5 or 6 times since june (today is july 20th). I take it to the dealer and told I need the engine light on in order to repair. The light needs to come on two or three times before hyundai will replace. The engine light sometimes comes on, sometimes does not, but it is guaranteed to break down. It is most definitely the transmission as it will stall and then hesitate. The lights on the gear shaft go away completely and the dash lights go away so you have no idea if you are in park, reverse, etc. Last time my engine light came on, it went back off that night. The problem continues and hyundai can't seem to fix. I read online from a general search on this car that this is a resounding issue across the board with others as well. I am frustrated and something should be done. I called corporate and got nowhere. I continue to get the runaround. They should be investigated before someone dies from their transmission issue/lack of concern for the safety and wellbeing of their drivers.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 hyundai sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 MPH, she applied pressure to the horn but it would not sound. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostics or repair. The approximate failure mileage was 3,200.
The horn supplied with this vehicle is so low it can not be heard by other drivers.
I initially unlock the vehicle by either depressing the unlock button on the key fob or pressing the unlock button on the outside door handle. Once unlocked, I entered the vehicle and attach the seat belt. I place the key fob on the dashboard, depress the brake pedal and press the engine start button. The electrical system will cycle through acc and on mode but the car will not start. A check of the battery system show that the car battery is at full power. This problem occurs intermittently. The only reliable solution for starting the car is to depress the brake pedal and depress the engine start button for a minimum of 10 seconds. I've placed the key fob in several locations in the car (dashboard, cup holder, smart key holder) with no repeatable success. After a visit to a dealership, they cannot find a problem. However, a search on the internet shows several there owners experiencing the same problem.
My 2011 sonata has failed to start 3 times this past month. The brake will not depress and it appears that it doesn't recognize that I have the key. It has a push button start and the key does not go in the ignition. After a few hours it starts. I have been stranded in the dark and this made it a safety issue on a personal basis.
One morning when getting ready to go to work, I tried to start my 2011 sonata. I pressed on the brake, which was very hard, pushed the button but the vehicle would not start. The lights, radio and air conditioner would all come on but the engine would not start. The car was in park and the gear shift could not be moved. I attempted multiple times for the next 10 minutes to start the vehicle but was unable. My husband tried putting jumper cables on the battery to see if that was the problem but it did not start. I waited about 5 minutes and tried again but the vehicle still would not start. Finally after almost 20 minutes, the brake pedal was easy to push on and the vehicle started. It caused me to be late to work but I did not have another occurrence until about a week later when I had been driving for some time and stopped for about 30 minutes. I got back in the car and once again the brake was very hard and the vehicle would not start. After multiple times over the next 10 minutes, it finally started.
Engine stalled at highway cruising speed without any warning. The engine lost most of its power. Check engine and ESC (traction control) light were on. Restart the engine appeared to resolve the lost power problem but check engine light were still on. This happened twice within three weeks while driving on a busy highway and was quite dangerous. Dealer was able to reproduce the problem and replaced the electric throttle control module.
2011 hyundai sonata failed to start. I tried several times and the key light was lit on the dash panel. Tried several times and press brake pedal was screaming at me as I pressed the darn thing. Tried the key bob in the slot in the storage area and same result. Got out of the car and closed and locked the doors. Back in and tried again with the same results. Called my next customer and told them I would be late as my car would not start. Finally after 20 minutes I was able to get the car started with the bob in the storage area. Went straight to the dealer -they have never heard of this happening.
A few times I have nearly had accidents, involving both cars and people because the horn cannot be heard! I think a horn is a safety device, to warn others, but this one cannot. It sounds like it is from a motor scooter. Unfortunately, someone will probably end up being hit, injured or even killed before something is done. I have heard that hyundai, in effect, admitted the problem by re-designing the horn on later 2011 model year cars. All cars should get the new horn. This type of incident happens everytime someone pulls or walks out in front of me at the last second, and I am unable to properly warn them with the horn.
2011 sonata se. Will not start. Warning light indicates key not present or press brake to start. When pressing brake, pedal is "stiff". Tried emergency key reset procedure per owner's manual. No luck. Wait 30 minutes, heard relay in dash click, and car returned to normal operation. 3rd time occurred. Noticed I had pulled into parking space by truning hard right prior to shut off. Also, my wife had opened the passenger door and climbed in prior to the driver's door being opened (possible alarm system problem?) no warning. Dealer is stumped. Many others have same exact issue. Suspect either computer or sensor problem. Other possible cause, issue with the alarm system when teh passenger door is opened while car is locked. Car waits until after a time reset to initialize the relay again.... Milage 13,600.
My new hyundai sonata se 2011 fail to start or to turn off ( I have to restart the car in order to do it). Besides that once in a while the transmission indicator does not show any letter on (r or d or p or n).again,I have to restart the car then it goes on normally.when driving the transmission downshifts abnormally.
The horn on the 2011 hyundai sonata is so weak it is inaudible while in traffic. The dealer ordered a new one but to no avail. My sonata was built prior to the sept. 2010 switch to a dual horn. The old horn is a hazard and offer no protection to alert drivers as to prevent accidents. There should be a fix but dealer advises there is none thus far.
The horn on my 2011 hyundai sonata is not loud at all. I honk at people and they have no idea I am honking at them. Its very quiet and high pitch. This could cause a serious accident if the horn was seriously needed on a highway or something.
Picked up new sonata gl with 58km on it now has 96km interior lights flicker and click on and of brightly. Head lights also flash at same time. Car is under 3 hours old. Already called dealer and there first thing in the am.
It happened in one afternoon in a company parking lot when all the employees were leaving for the weekend. The exit line was backed up and while waiting in line for traffic to clear, another employee backed up her car from the parking space. Although the car was moving slowly, the driver was paying attention to the other cars parked on sides but failing to assure that there is enough space behind. Immediatly I noticed that there is a potential for a collision and I activated the horn for at least 15 seconds. Unfortunatly the horn was not loud enough for the other driver to hear it (by her own admission the horn was innaudiable) and the colision could not be avoided. As a result the cars front right fender was slightly bended. The damaged resulted was valued at $708. Nevertheless, since I purchased the car there were at least five other incidents in highway traffic when the horn was not loud enough to alert other drivers.
My car was warming up in the driveway. It was running for about 5 minutes. I went outside and it was on fire. The flames were coming from underneath the hood. There is only one recall for this and it was mechanical related to the steeering column. The fire was a difinitive smell of electrical burning. The car was a total loss.
Tl*the driver owns a 2011 hyundai sonata. The vehicle was equipped with a key fob in which the vehicle was supposed to shut off once the key fob was within a specified distance away from the vehicle. The vehicle would intermittently remain in the on position when the key fob was beyond the allotted distance from the vehicle which forced the driver to manually turn the vehicle off. He vehicle was not taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 5,200 and the current mileage was unknown.
I was driving on a major dallas freeway when a truck started changing lanes without visibly seeing me. I attempted to use the horn only to discover it did not work. I took the vehicle back to the dealership and after four hours was told they will need to order one. This is a major issue for an automobile when navigating extremely over utilized freeways. Based on read forums, the horn on this car appears to be an issue. I do not know when they will fix my horn. I was only told they would call when the horn comes in. This is extremely poor customer service and care when a product, with known issues, is not supported with replacement parts, in house, in effort to minimize danger to the end user and customer.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 hyundai sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle would fail to start intermittently in cold temperatures, a problem that would occur since the vehicle was purchased. The vehicle was taken to the dealer yet the failure was unable to be duplicated. A diagnostic test was performed but did not generate any failure codes. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred. The contact would have to receive a jump in order for the vehicle to start. The failure mileage was 200 and the current mileage was 958.
For the third time I have gotten in my 2011 hyundai sonata se and it will not start (push to start). The screen will either say the key is not in the vehicle or it will say press brake pedal to start (the key is certainly in the vehicle, how else did I get in with it locked). After repeatedly getting in and out of the car, locking and unlocking pressing the break pads, trying everything and then some for about a half hour the vehicle still will not start. This is the fourth hyundai I have purchased, second brand new and I have never had problems like this before but this is ridiculous. I've taken it to the dealer and they say they have never heard of this happening even though I have found numerous complaints for it online (what sources are they using, google turns up plenty of information). This is the third time I have been stranded in a dark, potentially dangerous area unable to start my brand new car that has already had a recall. I expect more than this.I will drop it off at the dealership again and after that I am going to invoke the lemon law. One recall is bad enough I would at least like to be able to start my vehicle. The battery is fine both in the car and the remote. At 8,000 I should not have any issues!
Tl*the contact owns a 2011 hyundai sonata. The contact stated that the horn was not loud. The contact stated that the manufacturer did not install a dual horn which could cause an accident beause another drive might not hear the horn. The current and failure mileages were 700.
I have a 2011 hyundai sonata. The horn is a real safety hazard. You can hardly hear it inside the car, and in traffic, other cars can not hear it with all the road noise.
My 2011 hyundai sonata has been failing to start over the past 2 days. The problem is inconsistent, it at times takes 5 minutes to start and at others it takes 20 minutes before the car turns on. After several attempts to start the car, a display message appears near the odometer stating that you must press brake to turn vehicle on (this model uses a push start button). The problem is that the brake pedal locks in place and cannot be pressed down.
Tl*the contact owns a 2011 hyundai sonata. While driving approximately 20 MPH, the contact attempted to engage the horn but it could barely be heard. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer where the contact was told that the horn was designed in that manner. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was 52 and the current mileage was 1,242.
The horn in a 2011 hyundai sonata is very weak. On a highway with all the road noise cars cannot hear the horn. When the horn is used it sounds like it is in the distance and not warning the car near you. The horn should be replaced with a louder audible horn.
I back up a previous complaint that the horn on the 2011 hyundai sonata is completely worthless and a safety hazard. It is so quiet that it is useless as a warning to pedestrians or other motorists should the need arise. It has to be replaced with a "normal" loud horn.
Over the past 3 days I have been unable to depress the brake pedal and start my car with the electronic starting system. The problem is intermittent and the time frame varied from 2 minutes to 15 minutes before the car would start.I called my dealer to make a service appointment ant the service department commented they never heard of this before but I see other complaints online. Besides the danger of being stuck somewhere I am concerned that the braked may not work for stopping or a fire if it is electrical.
To the person who had starting problems with the 2011, I agree. Mine has been in the dealer's shop over eight times with the same "intermittent" problems that they can't solve. Won't start, or delays starting with the new electronic start button. Left me in a dangerous situation in a parking lot 30 miles from home.
The horn on the 2011 hyundai sonata is not audible in traffic and does not provide any warning to other drivers or pedestrians. The very weak, ineffective horn and needs to be replaced. Please note dan bedore , a hyundai spokesman , confirmed the model built after 9/1 will have a dual shell horn. Hyundai consumer affairs 1 800 633 5151 confirmed this as well dealership does not want to do anything.
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