Anyone noticing rust on their 2000 Sonata's....
We have to deal with salt on the roads, but the car is
rusting very badly. (for 2 years now)
Bottom of doors....wheel wells....etc...etc...

It was originally rustproofed and I started the oil spray last fall
but its too late.....

The 2008 Sonatas have the same seam on the bottom of the doors,
so this issue will probably continue with newer models...

No more hyundai's for me..... grrrr

Its a fact of life living in an area where they use salt or chemically treat the roads. It happens to all vehicles and thats why a southern vehicle is worth slightly more then a northern vehicle.

Steve

Thats one reason I like living in the south is the lack of rusty cars. I once made a mistake and bought a car out of northern Ohio. The underside was so rusty! I had never seen rust like that before.

A friend has a 2000 Hyundai Elantra GLS and despite never being washed and well abused, I have not see the first speck of rust- even on the undercarriage. Thanks to the lack of snow/salt here.

You might want to have a mechanic look at the underside of your car. There is currently a NHTSA investigation on this in the States. Check out the NHTSA web site. This is not a new problem. Yes, salt will cause corrosion, but the corrosion that is being seen on some of these Sonatas is a little more than one would expect in hostile climates. Hope this helps.

Thanks, I had seen this previously on car-stats.com as a complaint but now its an official investigation which is good. Looks like they entered this investigation into the database on 22 Apr 2008. Hopefully something will pan out soon. I doublechecked mine and didnt see anything out of the ordinary, minor rust on spot welds with no visible cracks or seperation. I will definately be on the look out esp. since there is a case open. So far 35 of 40 are from the salt belt. We spent 5 years in Virginia Beach with the Sonata and have been through deep enough water a few times due to thunderstorms flooding the roads to just barely come over the hood which is way to deep for me. We have cruzed to Pennsylvania every winter of those 5 years where they use salt like crazy. They use so much salt my black car turns white on those trips, so I would always do a car wash as soon as I got home. Now I find my self in Alaska where we just recieved 15" of snow 3 days ago trying to avoid the road de icer they use. Well Im off to washig the car.

Steve

Thanks.....

The reason I mentioned this...is that
I have a 1999 Toyota with no rust at all....

The rust on the Sonata is unbelievable....

I have seen others that are rusting bad in same places...

Will check out NHTSA site...

thx

I am a owner of a 2000 Sonata GLS which had the subframe rust and brake. After 4 months of fighting with Hyundai Dealers and corporate, I managed to get Hyundai to pay for my repair. I have Helpd many people get thier cars fixed.

Since November 2006 I have been contacted by 35 different people who have all experienced a failure with the right front subframe rusting apart and actually breaking. Approximately 18 people have been settled with, either Hyundai repairing the car or reimbursing for the repair. Most people have been on the eastern have of the United States. I have been working with an attorney building a case for a class action Lawsuit. We are currently looking for anyone who has had this problem and not contacted me. The NHTSA Number PE08029 is an active investigation that report 40 known failures. I am especial interested in anyone from California.

If you own a 1999-2001 Hyundai Sonata I suggest inspecting your subframe for rust. If you are not sure where to look, you should turn your steering wheel all the way to the right. Look where the A-Arm bolts to the frame. You will probably find severe rust. If you do, I would like to hear from you at tntnknbjuno.com Even if it has not failed yet, I suggest taking it to a Hyundai dealer and filing a claim with Hyundai Consumer affairs and filing a formal complaint with nhtsa.gov in regards to this issue.

My hope is that Hyundai, who has admitted to a problem by paying for repairs will soon address this obvious safety issue.

Tom Baker, Kansas City, MO

There was similar info (with some really scary pictures) on the Santa Fe 1G forum. Complete loss of right rear wheel when the subframe broke.

Please contact me at
tntnknb@juno.com
if you have experienced the rusting frame on 1999-20002 sonatas and for anyone who has not had this failure please inspect your 1999-2002 sonata. Especially the right front, where the a-arm bolts to the frame.

Tom Baker Kansas City MO

I live in icealnd and i have a 2002 sonata. My car is not rusting at any place around the frame or wheels but i did get hit by a couple of stones up on the roof and i have 2 rusting spots on the roof that is all. All i can say is that the ppl doing your rust protection are not doing a good job and that is why your car is rusting or you are not doing a good job washing your cars really. Here when you go to a car wash they will wash the car all over and i mean even the floor from the outside and wheel arches and all. Maintaining your car is hard when you live in an country that uses a crap load of salt and if you dont any car will rust away. I still see my old 1997 sonata and that car is still not rusting so the guy must be taking good care of it and as well i have seen so many toyotas and mazdas that are rusting a lot faster than hyundais. Lets not even start talking about Hondas and how bad those cars rust up here in iceland and tbh that is the only reason i would never buy a honda in icealnd just cos they rust like mad. All i can say is if you live in a place where they salt the roads take your car once a week at least to a car wash and let them wash the car properlly and all over :).

I live in the middle of the U.S., Kansas City, MO. We use salt but for only 3-4 months. I don't wash my car evry week, but on a regular schedule. The problem with my frame and the other I have found is they don't have drain hjoles to disapate any internal condensation. I have some pretty graphic pictures to show how the rust is from the inside out.
Tom Baker

Attached thumbnail(s)

See also this post. on the Santa Fe 1G subframe corrosion issue. Seems drainage of frame members is a recurring safety defect.

I appreciate the heads up. I had looked at it. It is a different model, but the same problem. I am looking for anyone who lives in CA with this issue.
Tom Baker Kansas CIty, MO

From NHTSA Defects and Recalls Database

A new investigation has been opened:


With abstract: