1997 Hyundai Sonata Air Bags
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DEPLOYED AT LOW SPEED, UNDER 5 MPH, KILLING FRONT SEAT PASSENGER.*AK THE SONATA HIT THE REAR END OF A VEHICLE DEPLOYING BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER FRONT BAG. THE CONSUMER DOES NOT KNOW FOR CERTAIN IF THE 5 YEAR OLD CHILD IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WAS BELTED. THE CONSUMER DOES NOT BELIEVE THE CHILD WAS. THE CHILD SUSTAINED LACERATIONS TO THE NECK, SPINAL CORD INJURIES AND BRAIN DAMAGE. THE CHILD WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT THE SCENE.CW
ON SEPTEMBER 18, 1999 WHILE DRIVING ON BALTIMORE/WASHINGTON PRKWY, I APPROACHED AN AREA OF HIGHWAY WERE WORK WAS BEING DONE. I WAS NOW TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 3-5 MPH. AT ONE POINT TRAFFIC CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP. AS I GLANCED DOWN AT MY INSTRUMENTAL PANEL THE AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT APPEARED TO BE FLICKERING, THE LIGHT STAYED ON FOR A FEW SECONDS, THEN WENT OUT. WHILE IN A STOPPED POSITION APPROXIMATELY (2) MINS AFTER AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON, THE AIRBAGS BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER DEPLOYED. I WAS STARTLED BY THIS AND DID HOWEVER RELEASE THE PRESSURE ON THE BRAKES SLIGHTLY BUMPING THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF ME. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE OTHER VEHICLE AND LITTLE DAMAGE TO THE BUMPER OF MY CAR. THE MAJOR DAMAGE IS FROM THE INTERIOR OF MY CAR FROM THE AIRBAGS. PLEASE BE AWARE THE AIRBAGS DEPLOYED BEFORE MY CAR CAME INTO CONTACT WITH THE OTHER VEHICLE. *SCC *JB
AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON WHILE OPERATING VEHICLE. DEALERSHIP HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE AND DETERMINED THAT CLOCK SPRING NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS.*AK
WHILE DRIVING ABOUT 50 MPH VEHICLE HAD HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE, AND NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED. *AK
VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL IMPACT TRAVELLING ABOUT 15MPH, NEITHER AIR BAG DEPLOYED UPON IMPACT. CAR WAS TOWED, INSURANCE INVESTIGATION PENDING. *AK
AIR BAG DID NOT INFLATE CAUSING INJURY IN ACCIDENT.
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 1997 Hyundai Sonata has 6 Air Bags complaints on file. 4 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.