22nd Apr 2010, 18:12
Sorry to hear you're not happy with your new Hyundai. I know it seems ludicrous to have to spend money on what's already a brand-new car, but you may consider aftermarket HID headlamps for night-time driving.
27th Apr 2010, 18:35
I too live in rural Pennsylvania, and yes, no navigation system will give an accurate display for the 'T' roads that frequently are posted on printed maps. As for the headlight thing, it seems that you are a short driver and are getting a reflection back from the dash onto the inside of the windshield. Get a pillow, it may help. No reason to bash such a superb vehicle without fully understanding it. Who knows, maybe the dealership still has your Oldsmobile Aurora (even though GM discontinued making them in 2003).
5th May 2010, 00:15
Quote -- "Seatbelt frequently 'catches' when you go to put it on."
You are pulling on the seat belt too fast when you grab it! They are inertia belts that designed to catch when pulled hard, that's why the tighten up in a crash as your body is thrown against them. Cars have been using this belt design for over 35 years. The belts are working just fine.
I think your review is too picky. The "bad" things you mentioned aren't worth giving it a bad rating.
11th May 2010, 14:57
Not all GPS's are the same. Some will find roads that others won't. Just the way it is. I think you can adjust the headlights yourself. Have you looked into it? The seatbelts were designed to tighten up like that. I agree with the one poster in saying you were too picky. These aren't real problems.
27th May 2010, 19:03
I agree the headlights on the 2010 Hyundai are a big problem. I, too, live in a rural area with a a lot of hills and curves. There is a distinct line between light and dark and you simply cannot see far enough before that distinct line. When going down hill it is even worse; when going down hill around a curve it is downright scary; when you add in a residential area with parked cars, you better be going under the speed limit. I am short, but my husband is tall and has the same problem. In a rural area with a lot of deer you need to see ahead. When driving in a more suburban area with lots of street lights, it is not a problem. Also, when you can have high beams on, it is not a problem.
Coincidentally I called the service manager today to see if the 2011 Hyundai has the same headlights because I'm thinking about trading it in. He knew exactly what I was talking about. Apparently they have been redesigned, as the car has been in general.
17th Jun 2010, 14:05
Your car has projector headlights, which is why there is such a sharp cut-off line. You are likely used to reflector headlights. I don't understand why you would buy a new car and not test drive it at night. However, you can have HID's (High intensity discharge) headlights. These are much brighter than halogen, and should solve your night time driving problem.
23rd Jul 2010, 20:53
I have a 2010 Hyundai Sonata, and also have trouble with night time driving. Visibility at night is frightening. There is what I refer to as a "hood" effect (almost like seeing with sunglasses) from the middle of the windshield to the top. I will check in to the HID headlights, and hope that solves the problem.
20th Aug 2010, 00:48
I don't see why Hyundai gets a pass and other automakers don't. They're having a lot of first year troubles with the Genesis Coupe and Sonata, a lot. All this good press for Hyundai and GM hating came at about the same time they built a plant in Alabama. Not a coincidence.
20th Aug 2010, 12:31
I know what you mean about the light from the headlights having a sharp cutoff to the pattern of light. My '06.5 Kia Optima (same as Sonata) has a very similar characteristic. However, this is not a defect. This is how projector style headlights function. There most likely isn't anything wrong with your headlights. The high-beams seem much better, because they are NOT projector style lights, only the low-beams. You can expect this from any car with projector style headlights, which is what more and more vehicles have these days.
8th Nov 2010, 12:36
It's easy to improve this problem considerably:
1. Buy some good headlight bulbs from Amazon, Walmart etc: something like Silverstar Ultra. Cost around $20-40. The main bulbs are H1, dims are H11B. You can fit it yourself in 5 minutes: just unscrew the big round cover behind the headlight, unclip the retainer (for the main bulbs, for the dims just turn counterclockwise), and replace the bulbs.
2. Adjust the beam a little upward. The factory settings are too low. Once again, a 5 min job. Instructions are on this Hyundai forum website:
20th Mar 2011, 19:38
You can adjust the low beam on your 2010 Sonata on the back of the housing where the low beam light is you will see a 12mm bolt. You can adjust the up and down by turning that bolt. It should be easy to turn.
27th Apr 2011, 13:02
All but the headlight issues are user related: they're either caused by the user or due to ridiculous expectations.
"Paint chips"; they're called stone chips; pretty darn normal. "Seat belt catching"; good... it works!; NORMAL. "Cargo net"; throw it out then! Headlight; easily remedied by the sounds of it (above comments). "Navi issues"...
Of course all of these could be solved by moving to a civilized area with street lights (headlight issue solved), paved roads (stone chips; check!), straight roads (who needs a cargo net now!) and marked streets (navi.. check!). See? Problems solved. Glad I could help.
18th Apr 2010, 08:19
Much as I hate to say it, the Korean carmakers are probably going to be the next big thing. Hyundai is winning award after award, and getting dozens of excellent reviews. They have really caught up in quality.
Car manufacturers go through phases of building good quality cars, and building crap. The Big 3 are a perfect example of this. When Honda and Toyota first came out, the Big 3 were building much better cars than them. That all changed in the 80's, when Honda and Toyota began building the automotive gold for which they became famous for. The Big 3 had gotten too comfortable with it's customers and had slacked off, so customers looked elsewhere.
The same exact thing is happening with the Japanese car companies right now. Toyota became too powerful, and too focused on profits (a lot more so than Honda, that is). However, I'm also a firm believer that Honda and Toyota quality took a real hit when they began building in the States, and I think I was right considering only American built Toyota's were affected by this huge recall.
The point I'm trying to get to is, with the Japanese companies in a bit of a hole right now, it will give the Koreans a chance to rise to power. Honda and Toyota aren't going anywhere though, eventually the cycle will repeat and someone else will be on top again.