2006 Hyundai Sonata GL 2.3L I4

Summary:

I love mine, and would buy another

Faults:

Front rotors warped a bit at 11K miles - Dealer turned them with no protest or charge (also made sure to let me know how many miles I had left on the base warranty).

Car is slow off the mark if cold (about 1 minute of warm up time seems to be sufficient, no matter how cold ambient temp is). My feeling is there is a sensor somewhere than needs time to come up to temp - to me, no biggie.

Typical "clunk" from the rear suspension on really bad pavement (I don't fret over it, and wonder why those that do fret do...).

Gasoline "sloshing" sound if the tank is totally full (In a car without this level of sound dampening, I doubt you'd even here it though)...

Sloshing goes away when fuel is just slightly less than full... No worries.

General Comments:

Handles well.

Quiet as a church inside.

Will definitely be checking out the Azera in a couple of years.

The area I live in (California's Splendiforous Central Valley...yippee!) is lousy with Hondas and Toyotas and is the the #1 area in the US to get your new or older Honda or Toyota stolen.

I deliberately picked a nice reliable comfortable understated car (Of NON Toyota, Honda, or Nissan make) that one of our many local car thieves shouldn't be targeting a couple of years from now for parts...

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 22nd May, 2007

13th Apr 2012, 18:57

I actually wrote the post - just about 5 years ago! Still have the same Sonata (now has about 85K on it).

The AC gave me a bit of trouble at around 40K, but the dealer fixed it...

Had an front upper control arm break in half! (Feb 2012) and just got the car back from the shop for replacement of the catalytic converter assembly and the O2 sensors (the cat broke into pieces, and was doing a good job blocking the exhaust manifold)...

After getting the car back after this last fix, I have to confess I am still happy to drive it, and that the car is running better than it has in years. The only thing that has broken besides what I have already mentioned, was the driver's side visor (which I will fix when I come across a cheap one in a junkyard some day)...

All in all, still a great car... And (since it's paid for and still running like a top) I am going to drive it until the wheels fall off...

2006 Hyundai Sonata limited V6

Summary:

Sweet car!!!

Faults:

This was a demo model. I purchased it as a "left over" and I love it! It has all the extras and rides smooth. The only problem I have is the gas mileage. I only get 15.9mpg and I've been very easy on it. Other than that, i installed a remote starter and tinted the windows. The car is beautiful!

General Comments:

This car is nice. Everyone that has been in it or drove it says "you wouldn't even think you were in a Hyundai" as compared to the "old" Hyundai that is.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 8th January, 2007

15th Jan 2007, 16:48

How much did you payed for the demo?

20th May 2007, 16:16

Um well you have a limited edition, congrats, but they didn't make them until the 2007 model year. In 2006 they were labeled the LX!!!

2006 Hyundai Sonata 4 cylinder

Summary:

This car is a lemon and I would never buy another Hyundai

Faults:

The fuel pump failed at 22,000 miles. Also had to replace float in gas tank per dealer. We had a full tank of gas at the time of service and got it back with an eighth of a tank.

The check service light is on now at 22,150. Dealer said it is OK to drive. Engine is sputtering. Service scheduled for Monday the 8th of January 2007. Service department suggested we make sure the gas cap is on. The car had two recalls within 3 months of our purchase (reclining lever and headliner).

General Comments:

Like so many people, I did a lot of research on the Hyundai Sonata and was impressed by the 10yr/100,000 mile warranty. I didn't think we would have it serviced every 20,000 miles of that 100,000 mile warranty.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 5th January, 2007

17th Dec 2007, 14:22

...every 20,000 miles of a 100,000 mile warranty. Sign me up! I wish I owned a car that only needed to be serviced every 20,000 miles!

23rd Mar 2010, 12:10

Different problems, but similar story with my '06.5 Kia Optima (same as Sonata).

At around 32k miles, the tire pressure light came on. New tire pressure sensor needed.

At around 45k miles, check engine light came on. Oil flow control valve needed. Both sunvisors broke. Luckily, all was covered under warranty.

So far so good at 56k miles.

If Mercedes and BMW can have stupid issues so early in life, so can Kia/Hyundai. Just glad I don't have one of those other cars with 3x the repair cost OUT of their short warranty!

23rd Mar 2010, 19:06

The quality of BMW/Mercedes and Hyundai/Kia is a world apart.

The BMW/Mercedes cost far more, and so their owners are usually horrified if something goes wrong..

..whereas Hyundai/Kia cost next to nothing, so their owners come to expect something to go wrong..

In reply to 23rd Mar 2010, 19:06

24th Mar 2010, 15:06

Actually, newer Hyundai's are far more reliable than BMW/Mercedes. Like you said, the quality of BMW/Mercedes and Hyundai/Kia are a world apart... and yet Hyundai wins the reliability war. It's pretty funny when you think about it.