2011 Hyundai Sonata Electrical System

The contact owned a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 60 MPH, the instrument panel started flickering, the engine started to rev, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle veered to the side of the road and was parked. The contact then noticed that there was smoke coming from the vehicle and proceeded to open the hood of the vehicle. Soon after, flames were discovered coming from under the vehicle. The contact and her husband removed all personal items and watched from a safe distance. The fire department arrived at the scene however the vehicle was entirely consumed by the fire. The ambulance also arrived at the scene however no medical attention was provided since there were no physical injuries. The contact and her husband sustained emotional distress due to the incident. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

On [XXX], I smelled a chemical burning smell. We searched the house for about 5 minutes and finally went to the garage. As my husband opened the garage door he said the car is on fire. I looked and smoke was pouring out of the inside. He ran, opened the door and flames came bursting out. He immediately took off to get the fire extinquisher from the kitchen and I called 911. The fire department came and put the flames out. Upon inspection, the dashboard had a fire and the extreme heat had melted the entire dash. The fire chief and my husband were trying to figure out what had happened. The car was not running at the time. A little earlier, my husband had an air compressor plugged into the cigarette lighter. When he finished filling a tire, he unplugged the compressor, put the compressor in the car on the floor and turned the car off. Then later, as I described there was a fire. My husband and the fire chief inspected the engine which had no damage. The were specifically looking for the fuses. All fuses were in tact. In researching I discovered the the Hyundai Sonata had issues and new about the problems. We purchased the car in March and were not aware of any recalls, nor were the previous owners. I have spent the last 6 weeks in communication with Hyundai who led me on a wild goose chase and has refused to take responsibility for the fire. The are trying to blame in on the compressor which was not even plugged in. I was made aware of several class action law suits, but have not been able to find any information. I have kept all communication with Hyundai and have requested the recorded phone conversations also. The car is still in my driveway. Obviously all the electrical is destroyed and not fixable. I was trying to avoid lawyers and just get Hyundai to own up to the problem and take responsibility to pay what I paid for the car. I can get copies of all email communication. I attached the final email received yesterday. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after the manufacturer performed Service Campaign 993 (Inspect & Anti-Theft Software Upgrade) the vehicle failed to shutoff as needed. Additionally, the alarm was activated while starting the vehicle. The contact disconnected the battery to shutoff the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where pliers were used to remove the key fob and a second key was used to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

I really don’t know what the problem is. I got my break lights change and they keep blowing out every two to three weeks. I have been changing the bulbs for more than a year now. Every shop I went to say it have wiring problems.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the engine was previously replaced. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the driver's side rear window and passenger's side front and rear windows were unable to roll down with the air bag warning illuminated. Additionally, the overhead light was unable to be deactivated, causing the battery to drain. The key fob intermittently was unable to unlock the doors and was stuck in the ignition. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the electrical system wiring was faulty. The mechanic reconnected the passenger's side rear brake light harness; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 174,000. The VIN was unavailable.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle would not immediately start. Additionally, there was a burning electrical odor present inside the vehicle. The cause of failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact stated that previously the key fob, alternator, starter, and battery were replaced due to the continued failure. The failure mileage was 53,100.

HAVING PROBLEMS WITH MY DOOR LOCKS. I LOOK ON FORUMS AND ITS A KNOWN PROBLEM. MY PASSENGER FRONT DOOR LOCK MAKES A LOUD NOISE, AND MY DRIVERS REAR DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE. ANY HELP WOULD BE NICE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND THE HORN AND SEVERAL CONTROLS ON THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE ODOMETER WAS INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AN UNKNOWN AIR BAG REPAIR WAS PERFORMED ON THE VEHICLE AT KENDALL HYUNDAI DEALER, (15895 S DIXIE HWY, MIAMI, FL 33157, (855) 510-3093). THE VEHICLE TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE SENSOR THAT GO TO THE GROUNDED WIRE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 180,000.

MY HUSBAND AND I ARE THE OWNERS OF TWO 2011 HYUNDAI SONATAS. OUR COMPLAINT IS BASED ON THE FACT THAT WE FEEL THAT HYUNDAI HAS EITHER PURPOSELY OR IN IGNORANCE CREATED AN INHERENT DEFECT IN ITS BATTERY SYSTEM. OVER THE COURSE OF THE PAST NINE YEARS, ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS, WE HAVE HAD TO HAVE OUR BATTERIES CHANGED OR DISCONNECTED TO REPAIR SOMETHING ELSE. EACH TIME THIS HAPPENS, WHEN THE BATTERY IS DISCONNECTED OR REPLACE BY AN AUTO SHOP OTHER THAN HYUNDAI, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNS ON AND THERE IS AN WARNING THAT THE MAP SENSOR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THERE IS NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO CLEARLY EXPLAIN THE PROBLEM HERE. I HAVE, THEREFORE, ATTACHED A LETTER BELOW. THE CONSUMER STATED CODES P0106/P0605/P2110 APPEARED.*JS

MY RADIO HASN'T WORKED ALL YEAR. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC HE INFORMED ME THERE IS A RECALL ON IT AND THE COMPANY SHOULD FIX IT. OTHERWISE IT WOULD BE APPX $1000 JUST FOR THE RADIO. NEITHER OF MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE WORKING. INITIALLY, IT WAS JUST THE PASSENGER SIDE. I HAVE REPLACED IT 4X THIS YR. A MECHANIC TOLD ME HE BELIEVES IT IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. MY BROTHER INFORMED ME THIS WEEKEND THAT I HAVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO LIGHTS IN THE BACK. THIS IS DANGEROUS. *I ASKED THE DEALERSHIP TWICE TO CHECK MY RADIO WHEN I HAD MY CAR THERE FOR OTHER WORK (OIL CHANGE, ETC). THE FIRST TIME THEY SAID THEY FORGOT. THE SECOND TIME THEY TOLD ME THEY DIDN'T HAVE TIME. I FEEL THEY KNOW THERE IS A RECALL ON THE RADIO AND JUST AVOIDED CHECKING IT OUT.

MY SONATA WHEN I'M DRIVING TURNS OFF AND I HAVE TO BE PUSHING THE IGNITION SEVERAL TIMES UNTIL I CAN TURN IT ON. I CHANGED THE SWITCH BATTERY AND IT STILL DOES.

MY KEY GETS STUCK IN THE ACC POSTION. AND WILL NOT TURN TO THE LOCK POSITION AFTER EXPERIENCING THIS AFTER 24 HOURS I FINALLY WAS ABLE TO GET THE KEY OUT. THE NEXT DAY WHEN I PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION IT WOULD NOT TURN TO CIT ON.

THE LEFT DOOR LOCK BEGAN TO ONLY UNLOCK SPORADICALLY WHEN PRESSING THE UNLOCK BUTTON. NOW ONLY UNLOCKS MY DOOR ABOUT 35% OF THE TIME. IT APPEARS TO BE A POOR DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR AND SEEMS TO BE WORSE WHEN THE WEATHER CHANGES. THIS ISSUE FIRST PRESENTED ITSELF ABOUT 9 MONTHS AGO AND WAS VERY SPORADIC AND NOW IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE

I REPLACE LIGHT BULBS ON MY CAR EVERY MONTH IF IT'S NOT THE HEADLIGHTS, IT THE BRAKE OR TAIL LIGHT. I KNOW A FEW PEOPLE WHO OWN SONATAS AND WE ALL HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. BEING THAT THIS IS AN ISSUE FOR MORE THAN ONE CUSTOMER, INSTEAD OF HYUNDAI MAKING MONEY OFF THEIR MALFUNCTION, THERE SHOULD BE A RECALL ON THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM DEALING WITH THE LIGHTS. I HAVE ALMOST BEEN RUN INTO AND HIT BY OTHER CARS BECAUSE WE CANNOT SEE EACH OTHER.

THE AIR BAG LIGHT HAS COME ON AND WON'T GO OFF.

WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY WHEN WE HEAR A LOUD POP. SUDDENLY THE CAR WOULD NO LONGER ACCELERATE. WE PULLED OVER AND SMOKE WAS COMING OUT OF THE FRONT OF THE CAR. POPPED THE HOOD OPEN AND SOME OF THE WIRES WERE ON FIRE. WITHING 5 MINUTES THE WHOLE FRONT OF THE CAR WAS ON FIRE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE, THE CONTACT NOTICED SMOKE COMING FROM THE DASHBOARD. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER AND EXITED AS THE VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT WAS CALLED AND EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 107,825.

THE BUTTONS ON MY STEERING WHEEL SOMETIMES INTERTWINE WITH OTHER BUTTONS ON MY STEERING WHEEL AND AS I PRESS ONE BUTTON THE OTHER IS ACTIVATED THAT I DID NOT ENGAGE AT ALL.

THE CAR HAS A MAJOR ELECTRICAL FLAW, I KEEP GETTING RECALL LETTERS BUT THE ONE THING NO ONE HAS MENTIONED IS THE GROUNDING. AFTER NUMEROUS ELECTRICAL ISSUES. I RAN A PARASITIC DRAW TEST ON THE SYSTEM. THE GROUNDS ARE NON EXISTENT. THE CAR HAS NO GOOD GROUNDS AT EVERY POINT OF GROUND THERE'S NO METAL. THEY GROUNDED THE CAR TO PAINTED SURFACES. THIS IS A MAJOR FLAW THAT IS CAUSING I WOULD GUESS THE MAJORITY OF THE ISSUES IN ELECTRICAL FAILURES. MY BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD NOT TURN OFF. EVER. NO MATTER IF THE THE CAR WAS OFF OR ON. THE RECALL WORK WAS DONE BY HYUNDAI AND WHEN I CONTACTED THEM TO PLEAD WITH THEM TO PLEASE RECHECK IT THEY FLAT OUT REFUSED SAYING THE WORK HAS ALREADY BEEN DONE. I WAS LEFT WITH NO CHOICE BUT TO TRY AND DETERMINE THE ISSUE. MY CAR STARTED WITHOUT PRESSING THE BRAKES. I COULD SHIFT AND OUT OF PARK AND REVERSE WITHOUT PRESSING THE BRAKES. I DROVE AROUND WITH MY BRAKES ILLUMINATED ALL THE TIME. THEN THEY JUST QUIT WORKING SINCE THE BULBS BURNT OUT WHEN THE HOUSING FOR THE BULBS MELTED. THE CAR SUFFERED THE KNOWN ENGINE FAILURE ISSUE BUT THE ELECTRICAL STARTED LONG BEFORE THIS. THE GROUNDING IS NOT SUFFICIENT. PERIOD THESE CARS ARE A MAJOR HAZARD AND SHOULD ALL BE TAKEN OFF THE ROAD. I HAVE PHOTOGRAPHS OFF THE ELECTRICAL BULB HOLDERS THAT MELTED. I'VE INCLUDED PHOTOS OF THE WAY IT'S SUPPOSED TO LOOK AND THE MELTED ONE. THE ONE BULB WAS SO BURNT I HAD TO BREAK IT OUT OF THE HOLDER.

A SHORTAGE IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM CAUSING THE HEADLIGHTS TO GO OUT, THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO NOT COME ON AND HAVE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO COME ON, AND THE CHECK TIRE PRESSURE LIGHT TO COME ON AS WELL.

THERE APPEARS TO BE SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE CAR'S ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT, THE HEADLIGHTS FLICKER, AND THE RADIO/CLOCK LIGHTS FLICKER ON AND OFF WHEN THE TURN SIGNALS ARE USED. IN ADDITION, ABOUT A MONTH AGO I WAS DRIVING IN THE RAIN, AND HAD THE A/C RUNNING. WHENEVER THE WINDSCREEN WIPERS WERE RUNNING, THE CAR'S ENGINE LOST POWER AND FELT LIKE IT WAS GOING TO CUT OFF. WHEN THE ELECTRICAL LOAD WAS REDUCED, THE ENGINE OPERATED NORMALLY. I HAD THE ALTERNATOR CHECKED AND WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS FUNCTIONING FINE.

HEADLIGHTS FLICKER INTERMITTENTLY WHEN USING TURN SIGNAL

MY HORN STOPPED WORKING. I'VE ONLY HAD THIS CAR SINCE FEBRUARY 2018.

THE WIRES FOR THE BRAKE LIGHTS HAS MELTED ON BOTH SIDES OF THE BRAKE HOUSING AND ALL OF IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY REPLACE THESE OFTEN BECAUSE OF THIS! THEY WORKED ONE DAY AND THEN WHEN THE CAR WAS TURNED ON AGAIN THEY DID NOT. PASSENGER SIDE WENT OUT AND 4 WEEKS LATER THE DRIVERS SIDE DID THE SAME THING.

WHEN STARTING VEHICLE IT WONT START. DOESNT MAKE ANY KIND OF GRINDING OR CLICKING NOISE. AFTER A FEW TIMES CAR STARTS UP.