Hyundai Sonata / 2008
2008 Hyundai Sonata problems
Owners have filed 554 complaints about the 2008 Hyundai Sonata with NHTSA. Air bags account for 25.1% of them — the clear leader, ahead of visibility at 12.1%.
Complaints554
Crashes24
Fires17
Injuries19
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Air bags 25.1% · 139
Visibility 12.1% · 67
Engine 8.7% · 48
Electrical system 5.8% · 32
Electronic stability control (ESC) 5.4% · 30
Service brakes, hydraulic 5.4% · 30
Visibility/wiper 5.4% · 30
Service brakes 3.8% · 21
Severity
Of those complaints, 24 describe a crash, 17 describe a fire and 19 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 25 model years of the Hyundai Sonata in this data, 2008 sits 11th by complaint volume. 2011 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 12 in the last three years against 17 in the three before. That is normal as a generation leaves the road.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 65,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The airbag light went on on the dashboard and the 'passenger airbag off' light was no longer illuminated when there is no one sitting in the seat. Error code b1448 was found to be the error, which is a faulty passenger seat sensor mat. I have small children and this may be an issue because the airbag will always deploy regardless of who is sitting there. This happened while stationary upon turning the car on one day. Air bags · reported at 95,000 miles
Front passenger warning light:"passenger air bag off" remains lit even when occupied. Hazard: do not know if air bag is activated or not. Bad ocs module? Want recall honored 08v161000. Front visor remains straight down position blocking visibility. When moved to the right blocks entry/exit from vehicle by hitting people in the head. Hazard! What do I do if mfg. Refuses to fix these items--my recourse?? Air bags · reported at 53,000 miles
I was involved in a front end collision with a 30ft mound/railroad track. My airbags did not deploy. There was a significant amount of damage, enough to deem the car a "total loss", yet none of the airbags deployed, I suffered physical injuries to top half of by body by literally slamming into the steering wheel and windshield. Had my air bags deployed there would have been minimal injuries to my body. Air bags
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…