Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| AIR BAGS | |||
| 03/05/2012 | 90000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai sonata. the contact stated that the air bag warning light illuminated constantly. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic who inspected the air bags and stated that the vehicle should be taken to the dealer for repairs. the dealer was notified but the contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 90,000. | |||
| 03/05/2012 | 90000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 hyundai sonata. the contact stated the air bags light illuminates constantly. the vehicle was taken to a mechanic who inspected the air bags and state the vehicle should be taken to the dealer for them to repair. the dealer was notified who stated it would cost $60 to inspect the failure. the contact did not take the vehicle to the dealer. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified. the failure mileage was 90,000. mw | |||
| 10/10/2011 | 107000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 hyundai sonata. the contact was driving approximately 30 mph when he crashed into another vehicle. the driver side air bag failed to deploy and the seat belt failed to restrain the contact. the contact sustained injuries to the chest, rib and neck. the vehicle was towed to the insurance tow-yard. the failure and the current mileage was 107,000. the vin was not available. kmj | |||
| 10/10/2011 | 10700 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 hyundai sonata. the contact stated while driving at approximately 30 mph he crashed into the proceeding vehicle the driver air bag failed to deploy, and the seat belt fail to restrain. the contact received injuries to the chest, rib, and neck. the vehicle was towed to the insurance tow-yard. the failure and the current mileage was 107,000. li | |||
| 04/22/2011 | 111000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai sonata. the contact stated that the driver was involved in a frontal crash while driving 20 mph. the air bags deployed yet the driver sustained minor chest injuries. a police report was filed and the vehicle was destroyed. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that they would send him a packet to fill out and they would decide what they would do. the vin was unavailable. the current and failure mileage was approximately 111,000. | |||
| 04/22/2011 | 110000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 hyundai sonata. the contact stated that the driver was involved in a frontal crash driving 20 mph. the air bags deployed. there were minor injuries (chest pain) sustained by the driver. a police report was filed. the vehicle was destroyed. the contact called the manufacturer who stated that they would send him a packet to fill out and they would decide what they would do. the vin was unavailable. the current and failure mileages were approximately 111,000-bk | |||
| 01/15/2010 | 50000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2003 hyundai sonata gls. while the vehicle was parked the air bag light came on and stayed on. the vehicle was taken to two authorized dealers and he was advised that if they performed a diagnostic it may not solved the problem. the failure had been going on for almost a year. the vehicle had not been repaired. he called the manufacture and they advised him that the warranty had expired and he would have to pay for the repairs. the failure mileage was 50,000 and the current mileage was 80,000. vwb | |||
| 09/29/2010 | 79766 | ||
| 2003 sonata has an airbag light that comes on all the time. i called a hyundai dealer and they said i would need to pay them $89 to check it. i also was told by a mechanic (not at the dealer) that hyundai will want to replace the wire harness and components which will likely cost more than $900 and claim it is normal wear. how can this be normal wear on the vehicle? isn't this a safety issue that hyundai needs to fix? i see multiple complaints on this web site as well as on the web. do i need to pay to have this fixed? with so many complaints why hasn't this been a recall! i am planning on bringing this to the dealer but want to know if they are responsible for fixing this at no cost to me. | |||
| 04/01/2009 | 28000 | ||
| Air bag indicator light remains on all the time, per hyundai not covered under extended warranty as it is caused by the cable and harness assembly which wears out. it started as intermittent but now never turns off. when intermittent they said it was not fixable as it never was on when taken to dealer. it started during the new car warranty period, but did not remain on until it went into extended warranty. then they said it would cost between 700 and 1200 to replace, not covered by warranty, even though it apparently disables the airbag system. they say it is a maintenance item, subject to normal wear such as wiper blades. extended warranty contract explicitly states every thing covered by new car warranty is included. cable and harness is not in the list of excluded or maintenance coverage. | |||
| 08/20/2008 | 55000 | ||
| Air bag light came on took to dealer had replace circuit board 2 weeks later light came back on dealer said needed new wiring harness | |||
| 12/15/2009 | 115000 | 1 | |
| For no specific reason my 2003 hyundai sonata 4 cylinder base model's airbag light came on. i had to get the passenger airbag replaced at a cost of $900 at the dealer. no explanation was given by the dealer as to why the bag went bad. *tr | |||
| 11/20/2009 | 70856 | 1 | |
| My 2003 hyundai sonata's airbag light repeatedly comes on and off for no reason. while driving the light will spontaneously come on and will go back off either during the same driving event or in the next few days. it has never been in any accidents nor has the air bag assembly or seat been damaged. *tr | |||
| 03/09/2008 | 65000 | 1 | |
| I have a 2003 sonata gls. the airbag light has been on and steady for about a year, now with the new state inspections in massachusetts my car will not pass and i am an outside sales rep using my own car. i asked hyundai about the problem and if there has been complaints or a recall and she said no. i am very frustrated with this problem, i owe more money than the car is worth and i cannot afford to fix the problem at this time. i have not been in an accident and i did not receive a car fax from the dealer so i don't know if it was in an accident prior to me buy it. *tr | |||
| 11/10/2008 | 69500 | 1 | |
| My 2003 hyundai sonata gls has a dash air bag light continually on. the local dealer said they have seen this problem before. the car has never been in an accident and has @ 70,000 miles. he said a diagnostic test would be needed to figure out why the light stays on and i would have to pay for this, i noticed similar complaints on the web site. has hyundai done anything about this problem? *tr | |||
| 01/01/2009 | 95000 | 1 | |
| Airbag light is always illuminated. on a side note, my wife was using the car in 2008 and the whole car ust shut down on her while she was driving, she could not start it and after a few tries it started again. it seems to be on or after a very wet/rainy day? *tr | |||
| 01/05/2009 | 76800 | ||
| Tl*the contact owns a 2003 hyundai sonata. the contact stated that the air bag indicator continuously illuminates. he took his vehicle to the dealer and stated that they should have installed a harness to correct the failure. instead, they only reconnected some wiring and cleared the air bag indicator. the contact would have to pay for the repair because it was not covered under the warranty. after two to three weeks, the light illuminated again. the hyundai manufacturer stated that they are reviewing the issue and will call the contact back. he has not yet received a return phone call. the failure mileage was 76,800. | |||
| 09/15/2008 | 1 | ||
| In 2007, i had several problems with my airbag light repeatedly coming on. i was involved in a accident involving another vehicle and the airbag never deployed. when i took it into the shop they told me that there was wiring problems and at that time it was still covered under warranty. a few month later it came on again and this time i was told the sensor had to be reset. when i took it to the shop i was told that the complete motherboard circuit has failed and would need to be replaced with a new one, running almost $800. *tr | |||
| 01/08/2008 | 60000 | 1 | |
| Several issues with the vehicle, airbag has had several problems, never deployed when in accident, first issue was covered under warranty, said they had to rewire it, a few months later light come on again. this time they tell me the circuit motherboard has crashed, completely disabling the airbag. second incident was with alternator, light continued coming on, dealership said nothing was wrong with car. car eventually broke down in traffic, alternator had went out completely and it was only a few days after the warranty expired. i was forced to come out the pocket, now there are issues with the engine. the shaft position sensor has failed and my car broke down on the interstate. there have been several issues with my car, and i use it for transportation from school and work locally. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2008 | 54000 | 1 | |
| I am the one-owner of a 2003 hyundai sonata, 4 cyl., sedan. two months after my warranty expired, the airbag light came on. i have yet to have it checked, but the vehicle has never been in an accident. i am hesitant to find out how much this indicator will cost to diagnose. *tr | |||
| 05/10/2004 | 4 | 12/02/2002 | |
| My air bag lights continue to come on. this has been occurring since 2004. poor contact under seat was the first event. *nm | |||
| 06/30/2006 | 38000 | 1 | 01/01/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the vehicle was involved in a head on collision and none of the air bags deployed. while traveling between 45-50 mph another vehicle switch lines, cutting off the contact. the contact's vehicle went into the left lane and hit a guard rail on the left side of the road impacting the rear of the vehicle. the vehicle then spun around across both lanes and hit the guard rails on the right side of the road head on. none of the air bags deployed. the dealership has been alerted. there was extensive damage done to the vehicle. there were injuries sustained and a police report was filed. updated 07/17/06. *jb | |||
| 04/06/2006 | 53000 | 1 | 11/01/2004 |
| Dt*: the contact stated the airbag warning light illuminated without incident. the vehicle was taken to a dealer for inspection. the dealer determined the airbag wiring located underneath the front seats was dislodged indicating an airbag failure. the service department suggested keeping the space underneath the front seats clear of any debris. | |||
| 07/03/2005 | 46800 | 4 | 10/23/2003 |
| In 2005 while driving my girl friends 2003 hyundai sonata, i went to make a left turn of a main street in oakland, ca. and was hit by a 2006 mercedes benz own the passenger side. no air bags where deployed at all. $8.000 dollars in damage was done. hyundai corporation never came out to look at the car, but ruled that the sensors acted properly. the car wa equipped i believe with front and side air bags. *nm | |||
| 03/08/2004 | 6 | ||
| The consumer's hyundai sonata developed the following problems: the paint was peeling, the sun roof was broken, the passenger side window was inoperative, the brakes failed, the seatbelt broke, the engine blew up and the air bags failed to deploy. *mr the engine surged. as a result of the engine blowing, the right side disintegrated. *sc *jb | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL | |||
| 12/20/2010 | 40000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 hyundai sonata. the contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated and the vehicle was taken to the dealer. the technician advised the contact that the vehicle would have to undergo diagnostic testing at the contact expense. the vehicle was neither diagnosed nor repaired for the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000. | |||
| 12/20/2010 | 40000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2003 hyundai sonata. while parked the contact noticed the air bag light illuminated on the dash board. the vehicle was taken to the dealer where the technicians advised the vehicle undergo diagnostics and informed the contact the costs would not be covered. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 40,000. ds | |||
| 12/15/2009 | 115000 | 1 | |
| For no specific reason my 2003 hyundai sonata 4 cylinder base model's airbag light came on. i had to get the passenger airbag replaced at a cost of $900 at the dealer. no explanation was given by the dealer as to why the bag went bad. *tr | |||
| 12/14/2005 | 38000 | 1 | 03/18/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving on the highway, another vehicle entered and started spinning. the contact moved the vehicle to the far lane, but the other vehicle still hit the passenger side door. when this occurred, none of the airbags deployed. there was a police report taken at the scene. both occupants were wearing seatbelts, but the passenger sustained minor injuries including a broken finger. the vehicle was deemed totaled by the insurance company. | |||
| 10/31/2005 | 3 | ||
| While driving south on us68, an oncoming northbound concrete truck turned directly in front of us. when we hit, the passenger's shoulder harness of my 2003 hyundai sonata failed to lock. i was thrown against the dash and then the airbag deployed directly against my chest. my wife's airbag (she was driving) deployed slightly faster, but late enough that it opened under her chin and popped her head back. she has three damaged disks in her neck (two herniated and one bulging). my shoulder harness was no help, and my airbag actually injured me by firing late and in contact with my chest. my wife's airbag, although slightly faster, caused her injury by deploying slowly. *nm | |||
| 09/02/2005 | 24575 | 1 | 09/18/2003 |
| Car stopped in front of us to turn left with no brake lights and no blinker. when we realized he was stopped we immediately hit the brakes. the surface (concrete) on the bridge was slick and did not allow us to have traction. we skidded approx 65 feet and rear-ended the car at approx. 40-45 mph. passenger front air bad failed to deploy. drivers side deployed. *nm | |||
| 12/01/2004 | 73794 | 1 | 06/01/2004 |
| While driving 55 mph consumer's vehicle collided with the vehicle in front. upon impact, both frontal air bags failed to deploy. driver sustained major injuries, and was transported to a hospital by the prents. vehicle was towed to a garage for inspection. *ak.....the whole dashboard came forward and everything inside vehicle broke, and air bags did not deploy. consumer's son complained of back/leg, and arm injuries, was taken to a hospital. *ak | |||
| 10/31/2004 | 2 | ||
| I was traveling on sunday october 31st on to an event along with my girlfriend and her daughter. as we were traveling westbound on (montvale ave) the main thoroughfare a man pulled out into traffic and turned into and crashed into the front of my hyundai sonata (2003 lx v6) all of the people in my car were ok seeing as we all had seat belts on. one of the failures that i immediately noticed was that both the driver side airbag and the pasenger's airbag did not deploy when we were hit by the other mans 92' buick (silver). at present i have the car in for repair and i am waiting for the auto shop to complete its work that has been in progress since the beginning of nov 2004. i am hoping that by making this complaint i can perhaps make the government aware of the problem of the airbag failure in hopes that the (hyundai motors) & the auto industry will be able to fix this problem so that no one in the future gets injured and or killed because of the disfunction. thank you. paul witt concerned citizen (ma) 2003 hyundai sonota lx v6 owner. | |||
| 10/02/2004 | 1 | 10/07/2003 | |
| While driving 40 mph consumer's vehicle collided with the vehicle in front. upon impact, both frontal air bags failed to deploy. driver sustained minor injuries. vehicle was towed to the dealer for inspection. *ak..... consumer sustained a broken hnee cap and extreme torso bruising. *ak | |||
| AIR BAGS - FRONTAL - SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE | |||
| 07/31/2007 | 6 | 04/22/2004 | |
| I purchased my 2003 hyundai sonata in april 2004. since then i have taken my car into the dealership to have my air bag light turned off a total of 6 times. the dealer stated that connectors pins were not making good contact, he re-positioned it and stated it should be fine. it is a serious problem and needs to be addressed soon. *tr | |||
| AIR BAGS - SIDE/WINDOW | |||
| 12/04/2009 | 70889 | 1 | |
| The airbag indicator light intermittently comes on, my 2003 hyundai sonata with 70k miles. this vehicle has never been in an accident and the seats have not been damaged in any way. the dealership used their scan tool and the code is b1382, the side air bag resistance is too high. the dealership told me that i have to replace the airbag harness (part #917003d010) and this is not covered under my standard warranty. this is a safety issue that the mechanic said is due to insufficient wiring being used in the design of the airbag system. the estimated cost to replace this harness is $1,349 plus the $98 diagnostic fee i had to pay. *tr | |||
| 12/14/2005 | 38000 | 1 | 03/18/2003 |
| Dt*: the contact stated while driving on the highway, another vehicle entered and started spinning. the contact moved the vehicle to the far lane, but the other vehicle still hit the passenger side door. when this occurred, none of the airbags deployed. there was a police report taken at the scene. both occupants were wearing seatbelts, but the passenger sustained minor injuries including a broken finger. the vehicle was deemed totaled by the insurance company. | |||