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2008 Hyundai Sonata Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 425 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Hyundai Sonata, most often about the air bags (32% of complaints, typically around 71,500 miles). It is 11th of 27 Sonata model years by number of complaints and has 3 recalls.
Most common 2008 Hyundai Sonata problems
Air bags
137 complaints · 32%Half of these problems showed up before 71,500 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, sensor.
The morning of the flash freeze on february 21, 2014, my daughter was turning left at an intersection when she lost control of the car due to slick roads. When she stepped on the brake, it slid and crashed head onto a traffic light pole. Part of the traffic light broke off as a result of the impact. Her airbag did not…
Tl contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The contact turned the ignition on and the "passenger air bag off" warning indicator illuminated on the instrument panel. In addition, the "fasten seat belt" warning indicator illuminated while the front passenger seat belt was worn by an occupant. The failures occurred…
Visibility and wipers
96 complaints · 23%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles.
2008 Hyundai Sonata. At 20,000 miles the driver's side visor started to sag, and not return to its full upright folded position. At 40,000 miles it fully failed, in the fully down position it blocks a tall persons field of vision. I resorted to sewing velcro to to the visor and ceiling to hold the visor in place. Now…
Beginning in october 2011 the driver's side sun visor began to "sag" and not stay in the up position. The condition has progressively gotten worse and now the visor is always in the fully extended down position which impairs visibility. Hyundai has issued a technical service bulletin (service campaign t97) that covers…
Brakes
51 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 30,500 miles.
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata gls. The contact stated that the left rear brakes were grinding abnormally. The dealer informed the contact that the brakes were worn and would need to be replaced. The dealer replaced both rear brakes and pads. The current mileage was 30,279 and the failure mileage was 29,000.…
Tl contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while engaging the brakes it produced a grinding noise. A local mechanic inspected the vehicle and determined that the rear brake system was defective. The dealer was contacted and advised the contact to have the failure diagnosed. The manufacturer was…
Engine
49 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 113,000 miles.
I was driving on the highway when my car threw a crank rod. In doing some research I see that this has happened on numerous vehicles having faulty bolts on the crank rod cap. There has been no recall but is an ongoing issue with many owners.
While driving 65 MPH on interstate, a began to hear a knocking sound that became louder and louder. I had two mechanics look at my car and both said that the car was about to throw a rod. On december 13, 2014 the car stop running altogether. I had no warnings prior to this happening, and I had regular oil changes. In…
Electrical
32 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 79,500 miles. Parts named most often: wiring, ignition.
Car will not start. It's not battery related. I've found several complaints from Sonata owners of model years 2006-08. People have come to find out that it's ignition switch related. My car was parked, it has a brand new battery in it.
Oil leaks from front valve cover gasket drips onto the alternator causes electrical system to shut down causing engine to shut down in traffic while in motion
Stability control
30 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 76,500 miles.
Esc light illuminates intermittently. Sometimes the brake lights do not light. Noticed that there is a recall on previous years but not the 2008.
The ESC off does not turn off even after pressing the ESC switch. Both ESC and ESC off turns on after the ignition is switched on and stays for a few seconds. Post that the ESC light goes off. But after few minutes ESC off light turns on. This problem seems to be with most of the Hyundai Sonata
Other or unspecified
21 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 88,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while at a stop sign, the contact smelled and saw smoke. The contact exited the vehicle and discovered that the vehicle was on fire starting from the rear. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The cause of the fire was not…
Car will not start. It's not battery related. I've found several complaints from Sonata owners of model years 2006-08. People have come to find out that it's ignition switch related. My car was parked, it has a brand new battery in it.
Lights
20 complaints · 5%Half of these problems showed up before 78,000 miles. Parts named most often: brake lights, turn signal.
Esc light illuminates intermittently. Sometimes the brake lights do not light. Noticed that there is a recall on previous years but not the 2008.
The ESC off light on the dashboard of my 2008 Hyundai Sonata comes on after it has been driven for a few miles. When this occurs, the rear brake lights stop working. If I shut the engine off and restart the car, the ESC off light is unlit and the brake lights function normally. I understand there was a recall on 2006…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2008 Hyundai Sonata recalls
Suspension: rear
Risk: Control arm separation may suddenly change the rear wheel alignment, affecting the handling of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair or replace the crossmember assembly. The recall began on october 8, 2013. Owners may contact hyundai customer care center at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall number is 113.
Full defect summary
Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 sonata vehicles manufactured march 1, 2005, through january 21, 2010; and model year 2006-2011 azera vehicles manufactured september 27, 2005, through november 22, 2010 originally sold in, or currently registered in, connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin and the district of columbia. Road salt and water can enter portions of the rear crossmember, leading to corrosion of the crossmember steel. This may lead to detachment of one of the rear control arms.
Lights: switch
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'on' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on april 22, 2013. Owners may contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
Full defect summary
Hyundai motor company (hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 accent, model year 2007-2011 azera, sonata and sante fe,2006-2011 tucson, 2009-2011 elantra touring, 2007-2010 elantra, 2008-2011 veracruz, 2009-2011 genesis, 2010-2011 genesis coupe, 2007-2008 entourage, and 2006-2008 tiburon vehicles. Originally, in april 2013, hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 accent and tucson, model year 2007-2010 elantra, model year 2007-2011 santa fe, model year 2008-2009 veracruz, model year 2010-2011 genesis coupe, and model year 2011 sonata vehicles. In september 2013, hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to
Air bags
Risk: Misclassification of a small stature adult as a child in the right front passenger seat may cause the right front air bag to not inflate in an accident that merits air bag deployment and may result in injury to the right front occupant.
Fix: Dealers will verify that the ocs does not properly recognize a properly seated adult occupant. After verification, dealers will remove the right front seat cushion assembly and ship it to an evaluation and repair facility. This facility will evaluate and repair or reprogram the seat cushion and ocs as necessary. The recall is expected to begin on or about may 26, 2008. Owners may contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Full defect summary
Hyundai is recalling 393,308 my 2006-2008 sonata vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system which features an occupant classification system (ocs) in the right front seat. The purpose of the ocs is to disable the right passenger seat front air bag when it detects the presence of a child restraint system or small child in the right front seat. The right front air bag is disabled to prevent injuries to a child that may result from a right front air bag inflation during a crash.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Loss of motive power
Summary
The national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated july 13, 2022, petitioning the agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain hyundai motor america, inc. And kia america, inc. Vehicles spanning model years (my) 2005-2021. The petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) of the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated october 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (etc) system on certain kia vehicles resulting in the opening of dp21-003. Accordingly, model year (my) 2005-2016 kia optima/k5, my 2006-2015 kia sorento, my 2007-2016 hyundai elantra, my 2007-2016 hyundai santa fe, my 2006-2015 hyundai sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a vehicle owner questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (odi) number 11439675.on november 12, 2021, odi opened defec
Seat belt buckle electrical malfunction
Summary
On july 22, 2014 the office of defects investigation (odi) opened a preliminary evaluation to further analyze allegations of seat belt pretensioner malfunctions on model year (my) 2006-2008 hyundai sonata vehicles.odi received 131 unique reports alleging a failure within the seat belt pretensioner system, which was typically preceded by SRS light illumination.odi requested more information from hyundai in order to understand the nature of the failure and how the airbag deployment algorithm, the seat belt pretensioners, and/or the airbag function may be affected. In response to odi?s information request (ir), hyundai submitted 764 unique consumer and field reports and 19,847 warranty claims r
Rear control arm failure
Summary
In a letter dated august 9, 2013, hyundai-kia america technical center, inc. (hyundai) notified NHTSA that hyundaiis conducting a safety recall (13v-354) involving approximately 239,000 vehicles involving model year (my) 2006 through 2010 hyundai sonata vehicles (approximately 215,000)produced beginning on march 1, 2005 through january 21, 2010 and model year (my) 2006 through 2011 hyundai azera vehicles (approximately 24,000) produced beginning on september 27, 2005 through november 22, 2010 that are registered in and operated or originally sold in the following 20 salt belt states and the district of columbia: connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts,
Questions about the 2008 Hyundai Sonata
- What are the most common problems with the 2008 Hyundai Sonata?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (137 complaints, typically around 71,500 miles); visibility and wipers (96 complaints, typically around 56,000 miles); brakes (51 complaints, typically around 30,500 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2008 Hyundai Sonata have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from August 12, 2013 (suspension). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2008 a bad year for the Hyundai Sonata?
- It is 11th of 27 Sonata model years by number of complaints, with 425 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.