2010 Hyundai Sonata from North America

Faults:

My tires have worn out at 18,000 miles. I'm 65 year old lady and don't treat my car badly, but all four tires need to be replaced at 18,000 miles. Hyundai does not warranty tires, and the tire manufacturer says they don't have a mileage warranty on new cars. I have never heard of tires wearing out at 18,000 miles, and feel Hyundai is using too cheap of tires on their new cars.

The leather seat on the driver side is distressing badly, but the dealer said this is normal wear and not under warranty. I have had the car 1 1/2 years and have 18,000 miles on it.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 22nd December, 2010

20th Feb 2011, 19:15

Not really Hyundai's issue. You have to talk to the maker of the tires. Do you rotate them every 6000 miles? Sounds like you didn't.

2010 Hyundai Sonata from North America

Summary:

My car is not safe to drive at night

Faults:

Headlight problem with low beams on my Hyundai Sonata 2010. Very noticeable when going up and down hills, and around curves, when a black pall of curtain descends upon the upper 50% of the headlight reach. It forms a blind spot when going around curves, and up and down hills, where I can only see the lower 50% of the normal headlight field. The upper half is black. This is dangerous for me, as my field of vision is obstructed. I am worried that I will hit a person or animal because they are not illuminated.

I have been to the dealership 3x, and they have adjusted the headlights up to compensate with no success. All that happens now is the beams are too high in the air, and oncoming cars flash their lights at me. Still the black curtain blocks my vision after dark.

Hyundai US denies that I have a problem, and said that "headlights are working as designed". They have referred me back to dealership for 4th visit! Hyundai US told me to drive with my high beams on all the time! They are not helping me at all.

The dealership is very nice, and they say there have been other complaints on this issue, but they do not have any way to fix it. I cannot recommend Hyundai, if they will not help me and if other cars have this problem. Test the car at night if you are going to buy one! I think that organizations that test cars should test the lights as well. This problem seems to have slipped thru the reviews done on this model when it was new. I studied all the reviews before I selected this car. At this point I am very nervous about driving the car at night, and have to drive slow on back roads to avoid overdriving the lower 50% of my low beams.

General Comments:

Nice car, but cannot recommend it with the headlight design problem. Very frustrating that Hyundai does not have a fix for it, and do not seem to care. In each case, I have to contact them to find out what is happening. They are not out front on this issue.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 6th November, 2010

6th Nov 2010, 13:41

Maybe have your eyes tested for driving at night Especially if the dealer says its OK.. My daughter has a Sonata and no problems.

16th Nov 2010, 18:44

I purchased a 2010 Sonata in July, and also noticed the headlight problem, especially on dark roads with no streetlights. I purchased an aftermarket hid headlight kit and it made a significant difference. Hid's are brighter than standard bulbs, and the color temperature is close to sunlight. I would recommend that you buy a kit, too.

5th Mar 2011, 23:02

23:02, you no facts to support your false statement. If Hyundais were so poor, no one would buy the cars and the company would be out of business. There are not rated the # 6 most reliable car manufacturer by Consumer Reports for no reason (that is based on their unbiased testing and their subscriber surveys).

Anyway, to the original poster, I also had a problem with the headlights. The problem that you are having is that the projector beams have a sharp cutoff, which means that when driving at night, it looks totally black from the vertical midpoint of the windshield up (throws off your perception). I bought an aftermarket HID (high intensity discharge) headlight bulbs, also called xenon bulbs and no more problems. I still have a cutoff, but the brighter output of the HID bulbs lessen this effect to a minimal point. So, I agree with some of the other comments. Buy an HID aftermarket kit and your night driving problems should be solved.

22nd Oct 2011, 23:19

That comment made no sense at all. If Hyundais are so poor, no one would buy them and they would be out of business. Don't hate, drink the cool aid instead. You're just mad that they are on a hot streak with new product design and serious sales. Toyota even lowered the cost on the Camry to compete with the Sonata, according to Akido Toyoda.