Harsh Downshift 2012 Sonata Limited Turbo

[room7]

When Im coasting to a light or stop sign right, around 30mph I feel a harsh downshift. I took it into the dealership and the first time the mechanic said he felt it but had to wait till the shop foreman came in (the week after). So I brought the car in again and they told me it was normal and couldn't do anything unless there is a open issue or recall. I told them people online said the computer needs to be reset (read something similar on the forms) because the problem was caused by timing issues.

Anyone else have this issue? What should I do to get this fixed?

[Michael_V]

I thought I was "feeling" things. I too have that hard downshift. So much so I put it in neutral when coming to a red light. The car just rolled past the 500 mile mark. I figured it was happening because it was new.

[Gixer1k]

Lots of 2011 models had this issue. Mine was fixed at the dealership when they reflashed the transmission software. It was a known issue, they did it while I was there for an oil change.

No more hard downshift at 30 MPH. The transmission seemed to respond better everywhere after the fix.

Wasn't aware 2012's had the issue.

[Holeshot67]

I can feel a downshift when coasting to a stop.....but I wouldn't say it was hard or abrupt at all.

I actually kind of like it....it helps to slow the car without having to use the brakes.

[doeboy]

my problem is though, where I drive the speed limit is 30 mph. So instead of coasting like a normal car would, mine auto brakes for me. It gets annoying after a while.

[Fig19]

I have the same exact problem. My car feels very slugish once it drops below 40mph and at 30mph it automatically brakes/downshifts, it's very annoying and I can't coast at all. I have been to the dealer about 4 times and they had my car for a week. They reset the "adaptive learn" and then they claimed that the problem was fixed. Less than a day later, it started happening again and it gets progressively worse. I have done this twice now and they seem to think that I am crazy. Hyundai had the exact same problem with the 2011 model and we probably, if anything, won't see an update until the spring, which is ridiculous.

I also have a bad steering/alignment problem where my car drifts to the right. I brought it back to them and I had to wait for this "special" machine to arrive and when it finally did it took them a day and a half to fix that. But of course, it's been a about a week now and the alignment is still off. I haven't even had the car for 2 months and my 1990 mustang runs better!

As far as I am concerned, Hyundai is an awful company. I understand there will always be problems with a brand new product, but their custom service is terrible and the fact that they can get away with telling us that it's "simply the way the car drives" or that "there is nothing they can do", and clearly there is a BIG PROBLEM, is just wrong and I will never ever buy/lease from this company again. It's a shame because it really is a nice car.

[black2.0t]

you cant necessarily blame hyundai for much of it. a lot of it rest right on the dealerships shoulders. hyundai will look into the problem if there are enough comments brought up about it. they cant push for a complete model fix if only one or two cars are experiencing certain issues. if something is of concern, email hyundai customer service about it directly. choose another dealership or something. yeah it sucks only having the car for two months and it being in the shop for that long, but again that is most likely the dealerships fault. it has been stated numerous times that the engine braking is normal. that surge you feel when you are coasting is normal. there is some transmission reflash or whatever so ask about that and see if it applies. mine does it and ive brought it up to 3 dealerships and theyve driven the car and have stated nothing is wrong. i personally dont find it to be a big deal. if something happens, thats what you paid for the warranty for.

[munchito]

Same issue here as well. I've only had my 2012 a couple days and noticed it right away. At first I figured it's just 'one of those things' and I would get used to it, but it's starting to get more annoying the more I drive it. Most speed limits in town are 50 kph, which is when this harsh downshift kicks in, so its occurring constantly.

Hoping it is a simple fix as has been mentioned above.

[jsolo_sx2011]

I think the downshifts are harsh because there's no rev matching of any kind when it's done. The drive wheels are spinning up the engine on the downshift instead of the ecu matching the revs for the given gear/speed. What you notice is the engine braking effect. I'm all for engine braking, but this logic is flawed IMO. I can't comment how other cars implement this these days, other than to say our 2004 grand prix gt (3.8L) has no such effect when slowing down. My last car was a manual, so if I were coming up to a light, it would usually have some engine braking up to 4th or 3rd gear, then coast in neutral to the light.

Suffice to say, for similar reasons this will be my last kia/hyundai too. And on that note, the next car will almost definitely be a manual too.

[HyunKiamon]

My 2012 Accent SE 6 spd auto also does this. It waits till about 25 mph instead of 30 if in ECO mode. Somewhat of a hassle,but if I manually upshift it to a higher gear during coast-down,the 30 mph downshift doesn't happen.