2006 Hyundai Sonata Transmission Problems
15 owner-reported transmission complaints from NHTSA data
Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.
Owner Complaints (15)
Your 2006 Hyundai Sonata's engine experienced knocking sounds, stalling, and then completely seized without warning while you were driving. You believe this is the same defect that Hyundai recalled in 2013–2014 Sonatas with the same engine type, but your vehicle isn't included in that recall. Addressing this will likely require a complete engine replacement or major engine repair.
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE AT AN INTERSECTION, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED HOWEVER, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD, TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE WAS SLOWLY DRIVEN BACK TO THE RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT ENGAGED THE PARKING BRAKE AND ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT THE GEAR SHIFTER FROM NEUTRAL TO PARK WHICH FAILED TO OPERATE AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT'S HUSBAND USED A ROCK TO CHOCK THE REAR WHEEL, DISENGAGED THE PARKING BRAKE, AND SHIFTED THE VEHICLE INTO PARK. THE BATTERY TERMINALS WERE DISCONNECTED. THE FOLLOWING DAY THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO COLUMBUS SQUARE AUTO (61 BLINMAN ST, NEW LONDON, CT 06320, (860)442-1236) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE SHIFTER FUSED FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED FOR HER SAFETY WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 102,000.
THE TRANSMISSION STARTED TO BECOME JERKY AT 140,000 MILES. THIS OCCURED ON A VEHICLE WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION; WHILE THE CAR WAS MOVING AND IN DRIVE, IT WOULD DELAY AND THEN JERK WHEN SHIFTING UP OR DOWN, SUCH AS WHEN THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING AFTER STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR (ESPECIALLY DURING TURNS OR ENTERING HIGHWAYS) OR WHEN THE CAR WAS DECLERATING (ESPECIALLY WHEN ON A CITY STREET, MOVING 40 MP4 OR LESS) AND NEITHER THE BRAKE OR ACCELERATOR WAS BEING APPLIED. THE CAR ALSO DELAYED AND JERKED HARD WHEN SHIFTING TO AND FROM REVERSE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED AND PLACED IN EITHER DRIVE OR REVERSE, IT SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. IN ADDITION, THE BRAKES FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE VEHICLE UNLESS HE PLACED THE GEAR IN NEUTRAL. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED BEFORE OR AFTER THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CAR PROS HYUNDAI RENTON (201 S 7TH ST, RENTON, WA 98057) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED. *TT VIN AVAILABLE *JB
TAKATA RECALL ON CHRISTMAS NIGHT MY CAR WOULDN'T GO IN REVERSE.IT HAS TRANSMISSION FLUID IN THERE.I DROVE AROUND TO THE STORE AND IT WON'T GO OVER 60MPH.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GEAR SHIFT FAILED TO SWITCH INTO PARK AS THE ABS AND ESC WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000.
WHEN I STARTED THE CAR IN THE MORNING THE( ECO OFF) LIGHT CAME ON, AND THERE WAS NO POWER, BUT THE ENGINE WAS STILL ON. I PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, SHUTOFF THE IGNITION, WHEN I STARTED THE CAR AGAIN, EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. IT HAPPENS EVERY TIME THAT THE CAR IS PARKED OVERNIGHT. THE SOLUTION IS ALWAYS THE SAME, PULL OVER AND CUTOFF THE IGNITION FOR A FEW SECONDS. *TR
THE SYSTEM WARNING LAMPS ILLUMINATED, THEN THE ENGINE SHUT OFF AND WOULD NOT RESTART. EVALUATION SHOWED THAT THE ALTERNATOR HAD FAILED AND WAS COVERED WITH ENGINE OIL WHICH HAD LEAKED FROM THE FRONT VALVE COVER GASKET ONTO THE ALTERNATOR. THIS FAILURE IS THE SAME AS NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER 14V415000, WHICH COVERS ANOTHER HYUNDAI VEHICLE.
VEHICLE IS NO LONGER ABLE TO SHIFT INTO DRIVE. WHEN SHIFTED INTO REVERSE DISPLAY SHOWS PARK AND VEHICLE WILL NOT MOVE, WHEN SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL DISPLAY SHOWS REVERSE AND VEHICLE WILL GO IN REVERSE, WHEN SHIFTED INTO DRIVE DISPLAY SHOWS NEUTRAL. DRIVE IS COMPLETELY MISSING. *TR
FIRST OF ALL THE TIME AND MILEAGE ARE APPROXIMATE. WE EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY IN TURNING OFF THE PARKING/DASHBOARD LIGHTS IN OUR 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA. FLICKING THE STALK BACK AND FORTH A FEW TIMES WOULD EVENTUALLY TURN THEM OFF. I ASKED MY MECHANIC AND CALLED 2 LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALERS AND ALL AGREED THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE FUSE/RELAY BOX. AFTER CONSULTING A FEW HYUNDAI FORUMS I LEARNED THAT THIS WAS A PROBLEM AFFECTING SOME 2006 AND 2007 HYUNDIAS AND THAT OWNERS WERE PAYING BETWEEN $700 TO $1200 TO REPLACE THE FAULTY PART. MANY OWNERS ARE UPSET THAT HYUNDAI DOES NOT ISSUE A RECALL. ON MONDAY, JANUARY 27, 2014 THE STALK STOPPED WORKING. A CALL TO HYUNDAI NORTH AMERICA NOT ONLY RESULTED IN NO HELP IN FINDING OUT WHICH FUSE WOULD DISABLE THE LIGHTS BUT ALSO ASSURED ME THAT HYUNDAI SEEMS TO EXPECT THE LIFE OF SUCH PARTS TO LAST JUST PAST THE WARRANTY EXPIRATION DATE. I DECIDED TO PULL OUT THE RELAY LOCATED UNDER THE DASHBOARD WHICH TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS (AMONG OTHER THINGS). THE NEXT DAY WHEN MY WIFE LEFT WORK AFTER INSERTING THE RELAY BACK IN, SHE COULDN'T GET OUT OF FIRST GEAR AND SLOWLY THINGS STARTED TO STOP WORKING SUCH AS THE HEATED SEAT AND THE REAR DEFOGGER. ONCE HOME, I DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY, WAITED A FEW MINUTES, RECONNECTED THE BATTERY AND ROAD-TESTED THE CAR. EVERYTHING WORKED NORMAL; HOWEVER, THIS IS THE ONLY WAY TO TURN OFF THE LIGHTS. ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2014 I BOUGHT A BATTERY QUICK-DISCONNECT AND WIRED THE OTHER END TO THE EXISTING HYUNDAI POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE. NOW, WHILE WE WAIT WEEKS (POSSIBLY MONTHS) TO HAVE THE MONEY TO GET THIS PART REPLACED, MY WIFE WILL HAVE TO LEAVE WORK AND IN A DARK PARKING LOT, RECONNECT THE BATTERY USING THIS QUICK-DISCONNECT TOOL. WHILE THE CAR SITS AT HOME AND AT HER PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT, IT REMAINS UNLOCKED WITH NO ALARM, I CAN PROVIDE DIGITAL PICTURES OF THIS ALONG WITH OTHER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE CAR. *TR
WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE AT 50 MPH, IT SUDDENLY SLAMS INTO THIRD GEAR CAUSING A VIOLENT JERKING AND SUDDEN DECELERATION. THE ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE CAR REMAINS IN 3RD GEAR FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND THEN RETURNS TO NORMAL. THIS OCCURRED TWO DAYS IN A ROW. THE SECOND TIME I WAS ALMOST REAR ENDED WHEN MY VEHICLE SLAMMED INTO THIRD GEAR. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE TRANSMISSION WIRING HARNESS AND OVERDRIVE SOLENOID WERE DEFECTIVE. ERROR CODE WAS P0765. *TR
09V122000-I HAVE TAKEN MY CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAVE REFUSED TO FIX THE CAR AS THEY HAVE NOT STARTED THEIR CAMPAIGN YET. MY CAR HAS NO BRAKE LIGHTS AND THE ABS/ESC LIGHT IS ON IN THE DASH ALONG WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT. I CANNOT SHIFT OUT OF GEAR WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE SHIFT RELEASE BUTTON. *TR
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHILE DRIVING 60-70 MPH, THE SPEED WOULD DECREASE TO 20-30 MPH WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT SHUT OFF, BUT IT WOULD JERK REPEATEDLY WHILE IT DECELERATED. THE FAILURE OCCURRED WITHOUT THE BRAKE PEDAL BEING DEPRESSED AND HAS TAKEN PLACE NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THREE DIFFERENT DEALERS. INITIALLY, THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED 1,400 MILES LATER. SECONDLY, THE DEALER STATED THAT THE CYLINOID NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED 1,600 MILES LATER. THE THIRD DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS ANOTHER CYLINOID THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED AND THE REPAIR WAS MADE. TWO WEEKS LATER, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO JERK AT SPEEDS NO GREATER THAN 70 MPH. THE VEHICLE JERKED BACK TO 20 MPH AUTOMATICALLY. THE DEALER TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND THE SUPERVISOR STATED THAT HE HAD NEVER BEFORE EXPERIENCED THIS TYPE OF TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ELECTRICAL HARNESS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED; HOWEVER, THE DEALER STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT GUARANTEE THE FAILURE WOULD NOT OCCUR AGAIN. AFTER THE REPAIRS WERE PERFORMED, THE INSTRUMENT PANEL FAILED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 188,000.
COMPLAINT CENTERS ON A PATTERN OF DECEPTIVE AND MISLEADING REPRESENTATIONS BY HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP IN LAS VEGAS, PLANET HYUNDAI. CAR WAS BROUGHT TO THEM SHORTLY AFTER JULY 1, 2007, WITH A DRIVER COMPLAINT OF FAILURE TO UPSHIFT PROPERLY RESULTING IN EXCESSIVELY HIGH RPMS. DEALER RESPONDED BY RESETTING THE COMPUTER CODES AFTER CONSULTING WITH MANUFACTURER IN CALIFORNIA, ALLEGEDLY. CAR WAS RETURNED TO OWNER WITH PROMISE THAT IF THIS REOCCURRED, TRANSMISSION WOULD BE REPLACED, AS PER MANUFACTURERS DIRECTION. SUBSEQUENTLY, A WEEK LATER THE CAR WAS RETURNED TO DEALER WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. THE CAR HAS BEEN ON THE DEALER'S LOT SINCE MIDDLE OF JULY, NO WORK HAS BEEN PERFORMED, DEALER REFUSES TO REPLACE TRANSMISSION, AND CAR HAS SUFFERED EXTENSIVE BODY DAMAGE WHILE ON THE LOT. DEALER ADAMANTLY REFUSES TO PERFORM WARRANTY WORK ON CAR.
TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE 2006 HYUNDAI SONATA LX, HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING. WHILE DRIVING AT 10 MPH AND TRYING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN THE VEHICLE STARTED TO MAKE A RACING ROARING NOISE. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON TWO OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO GO 10 MPH, BUT HE COULDN'T STOP IT. HE APPLIED THE BRAKES, AND THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T STOP. THE CONTACT SAT ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD FOR A FEW MINUTES, TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE LET IT SIT. HE STARTED THE VEHICLE, AND DROVE HOME WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. THE CONTACT DID TAKE THE VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP AND THEY DID A DIAGNOSTIC AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED ON 2 OCCASIONS AND THE DEALERSHIP DID CONTACT THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER TOLD THE DEALERSHIP TO MAKE SURE THE MOTOR MOUNTS WERE TIGHTENED, AND TO CHECK AND CLEAN ALL TERMINALS. THIS WAS DONE IN JANUARY 10, 2007. THE CONTACT HASN'T HAD ANY OTHER PROBLEMS SINCE. THE CONTACT WANTED NHTSA TO BE AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM, HE HAS SENT THE MANUFACTURER A LETTER REGARDING THIS PROBLEM ON 01/20/07 AND HADN'T GOTTEN ANY RESPONSE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 7050.*AK