Hi,

I just got the New 2009 Sonata GLS 2.4 last friday, I notice that When i am on highway especailly when i am on the left or middle lane, if i release the steer wheel, the car will move toward the left. I had to kinda tilt the wheel to the right to offset it. But, if i am on local, even if i go 50-60MPH, the car will not wave to left or right. it will be stright.

This happens on my old civic as well, is this something is should worry? this is a new car,

if anyone knows this or have the same experience let me know.

thanks

I think you may be driving on a road that is slightly(vrey slightly) tilted to the left. That's why both your cars do the same thing. If the road tilts a little bit, a car that's aligned perfectly will tend to drift in the direction of the tilt in the road... just my opinion on what's causing your "problem"

I would take it back to be adjusted if needed. My LX does not seem to do it.

In fact even when it Vibrates or gets floaty around 40-45 MPH, it still goes great straight!

This post has been edited by MiamiLX: Apr 21 2008, 08:32 PM

I will take a look at tomorrow on the road condition, it is just werid that both car do the same thing and on my old civic, it does the samething even i had replace all 4 tire, do wheel balance and wheel aligment.

as for the sonata, it is brand new, hard to believe it is already defective on the aligment.

also, this only happens on highway, local or any road that is not an interstate such as the US Route 1 or Route 9, the car will go stright.

:)

Does it do it on all roads? It is possible the car is following the camber of the road and the front end is fine. It could also be something simple like uneven tire pressure. (Our TPMS is not THAT sensitive.) Like Miami wrote, you can always have the dealership inspect it. At least mention it during your first oil change.

I will have the dealer check it on my first oil change, maybe have them rotate the tire. :)

Two things to consider:

1st clue is NEW CAR.. Did you check the tire pressure with a good quality dial gage? If not, do it (a good dial gage is less than $15 dollars and you will use it every week or two). When I purchased my car the dealer didn't properly set the pressure - it was way too high and not even side to side.

I drive 1,000 highway miles a week and have learn to tell when one tire is 1/2 pound "out" from optimum.. That 1/2 pound will cause a drift. I set front tires to have about two pounds more then the rear...30.5 rear and 32.5 front.

Now, if one tire is 1/2 pound low, the car will drift, be it a front or rear tire.

2nd clue is "highway". Most interstate highways have a slight center crown to allow for water drainage. Travel the left lane and drift left - travel the righht lane and drift right. Normal conditions in most of the country.

From a previous post regarding tire pressure:

REAR tires at 31 pounds
FRONT tires at 32.5 to 33 pounds

This assumes the stock tires (or most replacement tires), driving with one or two persons and no (or little) extra weight. Begin by taking the measurement with cold tires.

That 1.5 to 2 pound differential makes the steering virtually effortless but retains a comfortable ride for highway driving. Go to 2.5 or 3 pounds differential and the car gets squirrelly, as will over inflating past 36 pounds (for highway driving).

Buy a quality dial guage, one where you can easily judge 1/3 to 1/4 pound (many digital guages only measure in .5 pound steps which isn't fine enough). Set your tires to rear=31 and front=33 with less than 1/4 difference front-to-front and rear-to-rear. If the car is a little too easy to turn (over correcting too often) remove 1/4 pound from the front and try again. Take your time and get the pressures as close to dead-on as possible - it's worth the effort.

Yes you can make those 1/4 pound changes when the tires are warm but ONLY the differential, NOT the actual pressures. That is, you start with the front at 33 pounds, drive 10 or 20 miles and then stop to remove 1/4 pound from the front. Take a measurement then remove the 1/4 pound from whatever the reading is...your actual warm pressure will be up 2 to 4 pounds from your starting cold pressure. DO NOT remove air down to the cold pressure, just remove 1/4 pound from the warm pressure.

Regards,
GEWB

And you also say your Civic did it too, even after it was balanced...

So, OBVIOUSLY there is NOTHING wrong with your Sonata.... Spare your time, skip the visit to the dealer.... Just drive your gorgeaous car and enjoy!

There's a certain stretch of road in my area that's very smooth, and flat as a pancake. If there's no wind blowing, my Sonata will run a half mile at a time hands off without drifting. However, we don't like to drive that stretch of road when it's raining.

Hmmm...

Are you a Democrat?

Him? Helll NO. His car must be. If he's complaining, he must be one of them Neocons.