2011 Sonata SE Steering Problem
#161
01-30-2011 | 07:12 PM
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 2
2011 Sonata 2.0T steering pulls to the left
I recently purchased a 2011 Sonata 2.0T and everything has been to my liking except for the steering pulls to the left. I took the car in a week after the purchase and had the service department tell me that it was a cross pattern problem with the tires. 30 minutes later I was told that the problem was corrected and was sent on my way. After driving the car just a few minutes down the road from the dealer it was evident that the problem had not been fixed at all. I never have experienced this problem with the previous Hyundai vehicles that I have owned. I was just curious if anyone else has had the same problem and if so what was done to actually fix the problem?
#162
01-31-2011 | 03:09 PM
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 2
From: Coral Springs FL
Hey golfer and others
I have a 2011 Limited 2.0T . Had left pull like everyone else. Toe was slightly out of spec but root cause appears to have been "radial pull". He switched the left and right front tires and now everything is fine! I think I got lucky from what I'm reading.
#163
02-03-2011 | 08:37 PM
Junior Member
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 1
Hello all,
I am looking to purchase a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I have test driven the SE and the 2.0T. The SE did not have any left pull what so ever, even driving at highway speeds (80MPH). The 2.0T drifted to the left as i was accelerating but it did not consistently drift left. At the time I attributed this to either torque steering or the road curvature. However, after reading this forum I am thinking not to buy it. I was going to go for the Limited as I want the leather seats.
Does anyone know what percentage of the Sonata's have this issue? Is this specific to a time period of manufacturing? I really like this car, but this steering issue is making me nervous. Thanks for any insight.
I am looking to purchase a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I have test driven the SE and the 2.0T. The SE did not have any left pull what so ever, even driving at highway speeds (80MPH). The 2.0T drifted to the left as i was accelerating but it did not consistently drift left. At the time I attributed this to either torque steering or the road curvature. However, after reading this forum I am thinking not to buy it. I was going to go for the Limited as I want the leather seats.
Does anyone know what percentage of the Sonata's have this issue? Is this specific to a time period of manufacturing? I really like this car, but this steering issue is making me nervous. Thanks for any insight.
#164
02-03-2011 | 09:07 PM
Super Moderator
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 5,301
From: Cyberspace
Don't be nervous. A small number of people are having a problem. The majority are fine. Just test drive the actual car you will buy. If it pulls, don't buy it. If it drives fine, buy it.
#165
02-04-2011 | 09:16 AM
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 2
I test drove a Limited and a 2.0T Limited and I did not notice the pull during my test drive with either vehicle. The test drive with the Limited was mostly through a small town with lots of road construction which may have been the reason I didn't notice the pull in the steering. The test drive of the 2.0T Limited was on a major freeway where I was able to get the full experience of the vehicles acceleration and I didn't notice a steering problem at all. I ended up with purchasing the 2.0T that I test drove.
I was not aware of anyone else having steering issues before I made my purchase. After reading this forum to see if anyone else was experiencing the same thing I was in total shock. I was hoping that the problem was something that could easily fixed but it appears that Hyundai knew about the problem but they don't know how to fix it. I have been given the run around like so many others. I drive 100 miles a day roundtrip and the steering problem is evident the whole time. It is not a subtle pull it is a hard pull so while driving you have to compensate by holding the wheel to the right, by the time I get to my destination I feel like I have had a workout!
I have owned 4 Hyundai's in the recent past that is why I came back because I had good success with the other vehicles. I love the car minus the steering problem if they come up with a solution then I'll be a happy camper if not I have to follow the route that others on this forum have taken.
I was not aware of anyone else having steering issues before I made my purchase. After reading this forum to see if anyone else was experiencing the same thing I was in total shock. I was hoping that the problem was something that could easily fixed but it appears that Hyundai knew about the problem but they don't know how to fix it. I have been given the run around like so many others. I drive 100 miles a day roundtrip and the steering problem is evident the whole time. It is not a subtle pull it is a hard pull so while driving you have to compensate by holding the wheel to the right, by the time I get to my destination I feel like I have had a workout!
I have owned 4 Hyundai's in the recent past that is why I came back because I had good success with the other vehicles. I love the car minus the steering problem if they come up with a solution then I'll be a happy camper if not I have to follow the route that others on this forum have taken.
#166
02-04-2011 | 08:47 PM
Member
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 62
From: Austin TX
Hello all,
I am looking to purchase a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I have test driven the SE and the 2.0T. The SE did not have any left pull what so ever, even driving at highway speeds (80MPH). The 2.0T drifted to the left as i was accelerating but it did not consistently drift left. At the time I attributed this to either torque steering or the road curvature. However, after reading this forum I am thinking not to buy it. I was going to go for the Limited as I want the leather seats.
Does anyone know what percentage of the Sonata's have this issue? Is this specific to a time period of manufacturing? I really like this car, but this steering issue is making me nervous. Thanks for any insight.
I am looking to purchase a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. I have test driven the SE and the 2.0T. The SE did not have any left pull what so ever, even driving at highway speeds (80MPH). The 2.0T drifted to the left as i was accelerating but it did not consistently drift left. At the time I attributed this to either torque steering or the road curvature. However, after reading this forum I am thinking not to buy it. I was going to go for the Limited as I want the leather seats.
Does anyone know what percentage of the Sonata's have this issue? Is this specific to a time period of manufacturing? I really like this car, but this steering issue is making me nervous. Thanks for any insight.
#167
08-17-2011 | 11:15 AM
Super Moderator
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 5,301
From: Cyberspace
Possible explination/solution:
https://www.hyundaiforum.com/forum/h...ge2/#post39026
Granted this was for the Elantra Touring but basically he is saying there was absolutely NOTHING wrong with the car itself. It was totally the tire. I wonder if that's the same thing for the Sonata.
Yes, a slightly larger tire will cause the car to steer. Put a paper cup on its side and roll it. Does it go straight? Which way does it turn? It will always turn to the smaller diameter end.
A 2.3" circumference difference is large enough to make a difference. The stock Sonata SE tire (225/45-18) is 25.9" in diameter and approx 81.4" in circumference. A tire that has a 2.3" larger circimference would be about 26.6" in diameter. That's almost 3/4" taller.
https://www.hyundaiforum.com/forum/h...ge2/#post39026
After a little over a year of my continually complaining that my car pulled ot the right they brought in the district rep and had him drive the car. He agreed, that was a relief. The service manager told me that they were buying a new $15,000.00 wheel balancing machine and wanted to run my car thru that when it arrived. I waited for that and when they ran my car thru it they found out that I had one tire that was 2.3inches bigger in circumference than the other 3 tires. That is quite a lot.
So they replaced that tire and my car no longer pulls. It also is much easier to drive from a dead stop. I no longer have to feather the clutch to keep a tire from spinning or the car from stalling. The car is fixed! It took a year but it finally drives correctly.
FINALLY!!!
That road condition is called camber and the problem is that my car pulled to the right no matter what the road was cambered like. If I was in the left hand lane of a 2 lane highway the camber is to the left for drainage and my car would still pull to the right. If I had a 30 mph wind from the right my car would still pull to the right. I commute 25 miles each way every day on a "superhighway" and my hand would go to sleep from pulling on the steering wheel to keep it from going into the ditch. I have been driving front wheel drive cars for 45 years. Both I and the dealer had switched tires around and no matter what the car pulled to the right which to me does not make sense if my problem was the oversize tire. But a new tire fixed the problem.
So they replaced that tire and my car no longer pulls. It also is much easier to drive from a dead stop. I no longer have to feather the clutch to keep a tire from spinning or the car from stalling. The car is fixed! It took a year but it finally drives correctly.
FINALLY!!!
That road condition is called camber and the problem is that my car pulled to the right no matter what the road was cambered like. If I was in the left hand lane of a 2 lane highway the camber is to the left for drainage and my car would still pull to the right. If I had a 30 mph wind from the right my car would still pull to the right. I commute 25 miles each way every day on a "superhighway" and my hand would go to sleep from pulling on the steering wheel to keep it from going into the ditch. I have been driving front wheel drive cars for 45 years. Both I and the dealer had switched tires around and no matter what the car pulled to the right which to me does not make sense if my problem was the oversize tire. But a new tire fixed the problem.
Granted this was for the Elantra Touring but basically he is saying there was absolutely NOTHING wrong with the car itself. It was totally the tire. I wonder if that's the same thing for the Sonata.
Yes, a slightly larger tire will cause the car to steer. Put a paper cup on its side and roll it. Does it go straight? Which way does it turn? It will always turn to the smaller diameter end.
A 2.3" circumference difference is large enough to make a difference. The stock Sonata SE tire (225/45-18) is 25.9" in diameter and approx 81.4" in circumference. A tire that has a 2.3" larger circimference would be about 26.6" in diameter. That's almost 3/4" taller.
Last edited by NovaResource; 08-17-2011 at 11:21 AM.
#168
08-26-2011 | 07:57 AM
Super Moderator
Joined: May 2005
Posts: 5,301
From: Cyberspace
Hyundai has issued a TSB on 8/15/11:
#11-01-027 SONATA (YF) VEHICLE TRACKING DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR 18” WHEEL VEHICLES ONLY (SERVICE CAMPAIGN 927)
This is for vehicles produced from 9/1/10-4/30/11. Click on the link above to download it.
#11-01-027 SONATA (YF) VEHICLE TRACKING DIAGNOSIS AND REPAIR 18” WHEEL VEHICLES ONLY (SERVICE CAMPAIGN 927)
This is for vehicles produced from 9/1/10-4/30/11. Click on the link above to download it.
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