2006 Hyundai Sonata
Safety ratings, recalls, and consumer complaints from NHTSA
NHTSA Safety Ratings
2006 Hyundai Sonata 4-DR w/SAB
- Overall
- Not Rated
- Front Crash
- Not Rated
- Side Crash
- Not Rated
- Rollover
- Not Rated
Recalls(11)
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 532,633 MY 2006-2007 ACCENT, ENTOURAGE, SONATA, MY 2007 AZERA, ELANTRA AND SANTA FE, MY 2005-2007 TUCSON AND MY 2007-2008 VERACRUZ VEHICLES. THE STOP LAMP SWITCH IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY MALFUNCTION. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A STOP LAMP SWITCH MALFUNCTION MAY ALSO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFTED OUT OF THE PARK POSITION. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND IT MAY NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.
Campaign: 09V122000
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2006-2011 Hyundai Azera and 2006 Hyundai Sonata vehicles. Water may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short .
Campaign: 18V026000
AIR BAGS
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.
Campaign: 08V161000
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.
Campaign: 09E012000
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
HYUNDAI-KIA IS RECALLING 4,085 REPLACEMENT HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SOLD FOR USE ON 2006-2008 SONATA AND AZERA VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ALIGNED PROPERLY AND FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE PHOTOMETRIC REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.
Campaign: 08E021000
SUSPENSION:REAR
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.
Campaign: 13V354000
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 3,011 MODEL YEAR 2005-2007 ELANTRA, TUCSON, SONATA, AZERA AND ACCENT VEHICLES. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO FAIL TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A DEFECTIVE STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY ALSO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFT OUT OF THE "PARK" POSITION. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND IT MAY NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.
Campaign: 09V280000
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL:AUTOMATIC (ASC)
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.3 LITER ENGINES AND ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC), THE ESC MAY HAVE BEEN PROGRAMMED TO BE OVERSENSITIVE TO THE ONSET OF OVERSTEERING WHILE DRIVING ON BANKED CURVES, CAUSING INADVERTENT APPLICATION OF THE FRONT OUTSIDE BRAKE WHEN ESC ACTIVATION MAY NOT BE NEEDED.
Campaign: 05V316000
EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE AIR BAG WARNING LABEL INSTALLED ON THE SUNVISORS HAD LOST ADHESION TO THE SUNVISORS AND HAD DISTORTED OR SEPARATED FROM THE SUN VISORS.
Campaign: 06V234000
SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FRONT SEAT BELT MAY INTERFERE WITH THE MANUAL SEAT BACK RECLINER KNOB AND COULD CAUSE THE FRONT MANUAL SEAT BACK RECLINER TO INADVERTENTLY RELEASE.
Campaign: 05V377000
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE INNER BEZELS OF THE HEADLAMPS WERE NOT PROPERLY ASSEMBLED WHICH MAY CAUSE THE TURN SIGNAL LENSES TO BE IMPROPERLY POSITIONED.
Campaign: 06V180000
Consumer Complaints(1047 total, showing 10)
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway and noticed that engine oil was leaking onto the ground and the coolant level was abnormally low. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a valve cover leak. The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense; however, the failure reoccurred. The local dealer was not contacted. In addition, the contact stated that several other unknown repairs were made; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact related the failure to an unknown NHTSA Campaign; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE
I am filing this complaint regarding a serious engine issue with my 2006 Hyundai Sonata equipped with a 2.4L GDI engine. My vehicle experienced [engine knocking, stalling, and then seized up indicating complete Engine failure] without warning, posing a potential safety hazard while driving. The issue appears to be identical to the known manufacturing defects that Hyundai has acknowledged in its recall of 2013–2014 Sonata models with the same engine Class Type. Although my vehicle is not currently included in the official recall “ SONATA ENGINE RECALL CAMPAIGN it contains the Theta II MPI Engine which constitutes and Further solidifies proof of the ongoing Manufacturing Defects of Theta Model Engine design and exhibits the same symptoms of sudden engine failure. This raises concerns that the defect may affect a broader range of model years than Hyundai has acknowledged. I urge NHTSA to investigate this issue and determine whether the scope of the current recall should be expanded to include earlier model years such as 2006. The defect creates a significant safety risk to drivers and passengers, and Hyundai should be held accountable for all affected vehicles—not just those produced within a narrow window.
STEERING,SUSPENSION
There is a recall for the rear lower control arms for the 2006 Hyundai sonata getting rusty and not performing. My car was taken in for an alignment and the mechanic said he isn’t able to make the toe match up to be in good driving standards. I tried reaching out to a Hyundai dealership and they checked the VIN and said they couldn’t do anything about it because my car isn’t in a certain part of the United States. If I don’t get this fixed soon the mechanic said my when could fall out of alignment and cause some serious damage to me or someone else.
SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud bang and scraping sound coming from the vehicle. The ABS and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the control arm and suspension had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made not aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 176,000.
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V161000 (Air Bags); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 140,000.
SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES
I have a 06 sonata 2.4l that had rear control arms rotted out plus the subframe. And my esc light is on not really sure what to wit that. But my car is down now due to rear control arms needed replaced.
SUSPENSION
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while making a turn at 10-15 MPH, the contact heard a loud bang and scraping sound coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over and discovered that the rear crossmember had detached. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the lower and upper control arm bolts were severely corroded; however, the contact was not yet informed of what needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle had previously been repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V354000 (Suspension); however, the failure occurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.
SUSPENSION
Rear lower control arm snapped
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that water had entered the ABS module and caused an electrical short. The contact was informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V026000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was not repaired. An undisclosed dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was unavailable.
SUSPENSION
The rear suspension became corroded and one of the coils or bars broke off while driving. After the coil from the suspension broke off, it punctured a tire, which blew while driving. Thankfully, I had just exited the interstate, otherwise this would've happened at high speeds. This is a known issue that has previously been reported in a recall (113). The vehicle is registered in Ohio and has been since 2014.
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