Five Years With A Hyundai Sonata.

I purchased this beautiful car late 2010 and loved it...for about 5,000 miles. Then the problems started coming. Here is a list of the problems at each mile mark.

• 5,000 - 1st gear engagement is jerky. Dealer says it's supposed to be that way...no fix available. I have to live with this for the rest of my ownership of this car.
• 7,000 - Recall. Front door latch.
• 20,000 - Cheap Korean tires have to be replaced. Handling and traction has improved dramatically after purchasing Michelin tires.
• 30,500 - Alignment. Car started veering to the right on the freeway. Brought it to the dealer and they said warranty wouldn't cover it because it isn't a manufacturing defect.
  $100 to fix. (Toyota fixed my Scion TC for alignment at 36,050 miles, 50 miles after the warranty period was passed.)
• 32,000 - Paint on front passenger starts fading. This is when I noticed it, not when it started happening. Paint is only warrantied for two years. Now my right fender is dull, looks like it's been in an accident and some a cheap paint shop did the work. Car has never been in an accident.
• 35,000 - Recall. Steering column interim shaft.
• 40,000 - Clear coat on handles fall off.
• 40,000 - Brakes pads replaced, rear rotors resurfaced. All four. The car was squeaking and shaking while braking. Brought it to to Hyundai, they wanted $400 for only front pads and resurfacing! Brought it to my mechanic to have all four done for ½ the price.
• 45,000 - Check engine light. O2 sensor broke. This was covered under warranty, but kept the car for 3 days. Loaner was an Elantra. The Elantra stutters when I gas too hard, but not my car, not my problem.
• 50,000 - Gas door doesn't open. I have to open thru the emergency cable in the trunk.
• 50,000 - Dealer recommends a new battery. It works fine and haven't changed it yet. Still starts strong at 80,000 miles.
• 55,000 - Recall. Stop lamp switch.
• 60,000 - Rear passenger window doesn't roll up and down.
• 75,000 - Paint on spoiler oxidized.
• 80,000 - Steering wheel clicks when I turn. Covered under warranty. Car was kept for 2 weeks. loaner was a Toyota Corolla. Even Hyundai doesn't believe in their own vehicles anymore :p
• 81,000 - Engine Recall. Wrote me a letter saying something was wrong, but they don't have a fix for it yet, if you hear a strange noise, stop driving.
• 81,500 - Recall. Stop lamp switch...again.

Other complaints not listed:

• Did not come with floor mats. This was a $99 option.
• The board in the trunk above the spare feels like card board. It is so flimsy and bends if you put something heavy on it.
• Latches for baby car seats are almost inaccessible. The gap is so small many car seats can't fit.
• City MPG is the same as my 4runner. (HWY MPG is great)

I know a company or a car type can't be judged by my car alone, but this was Hyundai's chance to prove it's worthiness to me and failed. I will update this as I own the vehicle.