2011 Hyundai Sonata pulling left problem

It’s been something of a trying time for a number of major players in the auto industry these past few years. First it was the government bailout of US auto giants GM and Chrysler, as the due sat on the brink of financial disaster.

Then it was Toyota, whose vehicles developed a problem with “sudden acceleration”, which, coupled with reports of cover ups and misinformation regarding the issue, left them with a bit of a black eye. The latest company to fall under the microscope of the car buying public is Hyundai, who is reportedly having some mechanical issues with their newest edition of the Sonata.

The South Korean carmakers have made massive inroads in the US market, and a great deal of that success lies in the popularity of the Sonata midsize sedan. The latest version has proven to be a real shot in the arm for Hyundai, selling over 300.000 units since its release last year, but all does not appear to be rosy in the Hyundai Sonata world.

A small number of owners have started to complain about the car and it’s propensity for pulling to the left, especially when travelling at highway speeds. All cars have a tendency to pull a little to either side, but that is usually due to tire pressure, rather than the mechanical problems that seem to be at the root of the Sonata’s issues. Online forums have been lighting up with owners of the vehicle sharing their tales of wandering woe, and around 188 complaints have been filed with US federal officials.

For their part, Hyundai is addressing the issue head on, and has tried valiantly to come up with a permanent fix. Initially, the carmaker recalled a number of the vehicles and worked on a separate steering issue, one that was believed may fix the wandering problem, but when it continued to persist, the next step was to issue a special bulletin to owners that contained specific alignment details.

From there, Hyundai added new front struts to the left hand side, one of which has a larger bolt hole which allows the vertical tilt of the wheel to be altered so that it favors the left side.

As yet, none of these tweaks have resulted in a permanent solution to the problem, but to its credit, Hyundai is continuing to work on the issue, and asks their loyal 2011 Sonata owners to stick with them while they try to get it right.