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Crazy Power Steering Issue!

8K views 36 replies 20 participants last post by  russSonata2k11 
#1 ·
My wife was driving the Sonata today and as she got up to 20-30MPH from a light, the EPS light came on and the entire steering wheel and column started to shake so badly that she ended up with blisters on her hands from the incident! :eek: She said she was just barely able to get it in a grass median and we have AAA Gold, so we had it towed to the house for free (she just knew to call AAA - she didn't have her cell and didn't know to call the number on our window sticker).

Here's the crazy part - the steering wheel and column continued to vibrate for almost 10 minutes AFTER the car was turned completely off! WTF?!?!?! It was just wrecked on the rear passenger side adn I requested a 4-wheel alignment, which WAS done at the dealership I usually go to, so you'd THINK they had the EPS zeroed in once the alignment done - I'm thinking this is more a complete failure of the EPS.

Usually, I'm the one driving the car and almost always on the interstate. That happening at interstate speeds is pretty scary to think about. :( Has anyone ever heard of this or know what the deuce just happened? Again, the EPS light did come on, so I'm assuming it was logged in the PCM/ECM and the dealership can just pull it up.

My wife will be calling 1st thing tomorrow and letting them know they need to come get the car and have a rental ready for me ASAP, heheh...
 
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#3 ·
QUOTE (Souks @ Sep 13 2010, 08:33 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=356094
Sounds like the video that was posted a while back. Seems like only a few complaints with this problem so might just be a part failure than a design fault in the power steering.
Do you happen to have a link to the vid? I must've missed that. One of the first things my wife said was that she wished she could get it on video. She said she'd never seen anything like that before.
 
#6 ·
Why you all goofing with it ?

2011 Sonata, I seriously doubt you have surpassed the 60,000 mile mark yet,,,,, take it to dealer and let them warranty it for you.
 
#7 ·
QUOTE (sbr711 @ Sep 13 2010, 10:43 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=356128
Why you all goofing with it ?

2011 Sonata, I seriously doubt you have surpassed the 60,000 mile mark yet,,,,, take it to dealer and let them warranty it for you.
Why are we all goofing with it? Wha-?

Go back and re-read my first post where it explicity states that my wife is calling the dealership tomorrow morning (I work 2nd shift, so I'll be out cold when the dealership opens) and having it towed from my house.

I'm posting up to see if anyone else has had the problem so I can possibly know what I'm dealing with in advance and to create a history on this specific issues for others later down the road - that's what we're all here for man, is to help each other, whether under warranty or not.

60K warranty? The steering should be part of the drivetrain, so that'd fall under the 100k warranty anyway.
 
#9 ·
I believe he already stated hes getting it towed to the dealership :closedeyes:

Hes not asking what to do about the problem, but wondering how widespread the problem is.

I think its a rare problem in which you got unlucky. There are youtube vids, so you definitely aren't alone though. It might be a couple of bad batches. Maybe check the vin for production date and compare with other with the same problem? If this gets more widespread, it'll definitely make the news and there will be h ell to pay on the forums.

I'm a bit worried now, but you can't allow every bad case to make you paranoid as every company and car has a few problems.
 
#10 ·
i think this is the 3rd or 4th mention of this issue. i remember when the one poster had that vid they were upset that we "weren't paying enough attention" (or something like that) to the problem. and we all responded along the lines of 1 incident isn't an indication of a MAJOR problem. but if it cropped up more, we'd like to know more.

so...this is seeming to be a larger problem. keep us posted.
 
#12 ·
They would need to replace the whole EPS system. flip a **** and make sure they give you a loaner. If your wife received physical damage to her hands get a lawyer.



Oh and BTW that video sucks, and is nothing compared to what it really does.
 
#14 ·
QUOTE (unccjester @ Sep 13 2010, 10:00 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=356136
Why are we all goofing with it? Wha-?

Go back and re-read my first post where it explicity states that my wife is calling the dealership tomorrow morning (I work 2nd shift, so I'll be out cold when the dealership opens) and having it towed from my house.

I'm posting up to see if anyone else has had the problem so I can possibly know what I'm dealing with in advance and to create a history on this specific issues for others later down the road - that's what we're all here for man, is to help each other, whether under warranty or not.

60K warranty? The steering should be part of the drivetrain, so that'd fall under the 100k warranty anyway.
I dont think that would be covered for the 100 k, 60 yes.
Steerings not part of the engine / transmission
i could be wrong but doubt it..
 
#16 ·
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/6708210/ne...nata/index.html

An investigation into reported steering shaft issues with 2011 Hyundai Sonatas has been opened by the National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration.
NHTSA didn't specify how many reports it had received of this problem, nor did it cite any accidents or injuries attributed to the problem. The agency did note that all of the reported vehicles appeared to have been manufactured during the same month and all had less than 600 miles on them. The investigation covers some 16,300 model year 2011 Hyundai Sonatas, NHTSA said in its announcement.

"No defect has been identified. It's too early to draw any conclusions about anything," Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainor told The Detroit News. Trainor said that while the company had received two reports of separating components in the steering shaft, both had been repaired and Hyundai is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with the problem. The company, he said, is cooperating fully with the investigation.

The issue centers around the universal joint on the upper end of the intermediate steering shaft. The joint has allegedly been coming loose and/or separating completely, resulting in a partial or complete loss of steering. In cases where the intermediate shaft and universal joint did not separate completely, it is alleged that a cross-threaded pinch bolt may be causing threads to strip out and allowing the joint to loosen, but not fail.

The 2011 Sonata has been a big hit for Hyundai. Through July, the Sonata has accounted for a full third of the company's sales with 107,085 sold as of August 3. Sonata sales in July were up 33 percent over the previous year and up 45 percent over the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2009.

Source: The Detroit News, NHTSA
 
#17 ·
QUOTE (twitchster @ Sep 17 2010, 10:37 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=356877
http://rumors.automobilemag.com/6708210/ne...nata/index.html

An investigation into reported steering shaft issues with 2011 Hyundai Sonatas has been opened by the National Highway Traffic SafetyAdministration.
NHTSA didn't specify how many reports it had received of this problem, nor did it cite any accidents or injuries attributed to the problem. The agency did note that all of the reported vehicles appeared to have been manufactured during the same month and all had less than 600 miles on them. The investigation covers some 16,300 model year 2011 Hyundai Sonatas, NHTSA said in its announcement.

"No defect has been identified. It's too early to draw any conclusions about anything," Hyundai spokesman Jim Trainor told The Detroit News. Trainor said that while the company had received two reports of separating components in the steering shaft, both had been repaired and Hyundai is not aware of any accidents or injuries associated with the problem. The company, he said, is cooperating fully with the investigation.

The issue centers around the universal joint on the upper end of the intermediate steering shaft. The joint has allegedly been coming loose and/or separating completely, resulting in a partial or complete loss of steering. In cases where the intermediate shaft and universal joint did not separate completely, it is alleged that a cross-threaded pinch bolt may be causing threads to strip out and allowing the joint to loosen, but not fail.

The 2011 Sonata has been a big hit for Hyundai. Through July, the Sonata has accounted for a full third of the company's sales with 107,085 sold as of August 3. Sonata sales in July were up 33 percent over the previous year and up 45 percent over the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2009.

Source: The Detroit News, NHTSA

thats a different issue from the one he has, his issue is with the EPS motor going nuts, and in my opinion due to bent/defective torque angle sensors inside the unit.
 
#18 ·
What are the specs of your car?

miles you had on it? manufacture date? any other incidents during your ownership period? or warning signs that might have indiciated something was about to go wrong? noises? weak steering?

This is a serious issue that could potentially cause an accident so it should be thoroughly investigated.
 
#19 ·
Sorry I haven't gotten back sooner guys - it's been one of THOSE months...I don't have the manufacture date on the car on me right this second, but will look at it when I pick the car up today. I had JUST turned 5K miles on the car and it's obviously a 2011... Indigo Blue with the Sunroof/Nav/Dimension package. The dealership's had it since last Tuesday or so.

At first, they gave me an 05 Santa Fe loaner, which was NASTY - I don't think it'd been cleaned since 05, so I returned it the next day and said it smelled faintly like puke, so they gave me a Versa with 3k miles on it as another one of their loaners... whatever, it gets me from point A to B and it's clean - I was pretty ticked, but didn't go bananas on the service department. The next day, I get a call from the GM saying that the owner of the dealership got wind of what happened and wanted to know if I could come in that day to pick up a brand new Genesis (3.8L...sorry folks, not the V8, heheh) that had JUST gotten on the lot THAT morning and drive it around until mine was fixed (it was their newest loaner). Needless to say, I've been driving the Genesis around since Thursday or so. :)

They had to send the logs from the ECM/PCM (whatever Hyundai refers to it as) off to the engineers at corporate. On Friday, they replaced the EPS steering module, which appears to be the brains of the mechanism and drove it around extensively. The service writer called and asked me if he could drive it home to the next town over (10 miles), let it sit overnight, and drive it back in, to more quickly put miles on it, so I obliged. They're doing more test driving today and will have it ready for pick-up. Hopefully, this solves the issue. I want the logs from the engineers and I want to see what IN the logs made them say to replace that and not something else, just for giggles, but I'm not sure if I can even get this info...any suggestions there?

I never looked at it this way, but it's quite frightening to think that the fail-over from EPS to manual steering is now controlled by electronics and is no longer a mechanical fail-over. I'll say that the dealership really stepped up...I let them know I was ****, but with the intelligence that it's not their fault it broke - they're just there to sell and fix cars, which the service department and owner appreciated. I also let them know that this is something that can never happen again and that if it did, I'd engage corporate lawyers (will be signed up for legal services through work here soon :) ).
 
#20 ·
Obviously there are just a few recorded instances of this happening so far, but it is a bit disconcerning.

You would think there would be more of a failsafe built in. If the EPS goes out the worst thing that should happen is you lose all power steering. The steering wheel going haywire all by itself should not be possible.
 
#21 ·
QUOTE (chitown1211 @ Sep 20 2010, 02:23 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=357455
Obviously there are just a few recorded instances of this happening so far, but it is a bit disconcerning.

You would think there would be more of a failsafe built in. If the EPS goes out the worst thing that should happen is you lose all power steering. The steering wheel going haywire all by itself should not be possible.
That's really all I'm asking for - keep the fail-over for EPS to MS mechanical - if the unit fails, you get MS...done.

I forgot to get the build date, but here's the write-up from the dealership:

Scanned and found DTCs C1259, C1616, and C1603. Steering angle sensors - electrical malfunction, Can Bus off, and Derating (EPS Thermal Protection). Called tech line case ####### and spoke to John. Determined the MDPS (Power Steering Module)) needs to be replaced.

Hyundai sent a MDPS and the technician replaced the MDPS in the vehicle. Test drove the vehicle 57 miles. Verified Op Code #########. They even washed and vaccuumed it...how nice. :)

Again, I can't really blame the dealership for anything that went wrong - they did what they were told by the tech line, since EPS is new to all the techs, apparently - and they gave me quite a nice new loaner... hopefully, this will never happen again and I can just enjoy my car now.
 
#23 ·
QUOTE (Smoke1991 @ Sep 20 2010, 05:10 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=357499
I told you it was the EPS unit, lol.

knew it had something to do with the angle sensor :grin:
"They would need to replace the whole EPS system. flip a **** and make sure they give you a loaner. If your wife received physical damage to her hands get a lawyer.

thats a different issue from the one he has, his issue is with the EPS motor going nuts, and in my opinion due to bent/defective torque angle sensors inside the unit."

You never mentioned the module, Focker - you said the entire system, then bent/defective torque angle sensors. :p :harhar: *LOL* Sorry, couldn't resist. :thumbsup:
 
#24 ·
QUOTE (unccjester @ Sep 20 2010, 05:42 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=357544
"They would need to replace the whole EPS system. flip a **** and make sure they give you a loaner. If your wife received physical damage to her hands get a lawyer.

thats a different issue from the one he has, his issue is with the EPS motor going nuts, and in my opinion due to bent/defective torque angle sensors inside the unit."

You never mentioned the module, Focker - you said the entire system, then bent/defective torque angle sensors. :p :harhar: *LOL* Sorry, couldn't resist. :thumbsup:


its a non serviceable system and its all contained in one unit, computer, angle/tq sensors...etc go to your Hyundai dealer and ask them if you can order the parts separately.

to repair his car they would of replaced 3 and 4, and thoroughly inspected the rest of the system including the u-joint

provided is a picture from hmaservice... # 3 and 4 are ONLY sold as a set. (edit: as of now)

Sorry for being Vague about the eps system being non serviceable, and when it comes to Electronic steering on cars, torque and angle sensors play the same roll.

All kidding aside, glad to see your dealer stepped up and took care of you. Little jealous you got to drive around in a nice loaner.

Only reason I know what the cause was is my car did the exact same thing.
 

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#25 ·
QUOTE (Smoke1991 @ Sep 20 2010, 08:13 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=357555
its a non serviceable system and its all contained in one unit, computer, angle/tq sensors...etc go to your Hyundai dealer and ask them if you can order the parts separately.

to repair his car they would of replaced 3 and 4, and thoroughly inspected the rest of the system including the u-joint

provided is a picture from hmaservice... # 3 and 4 are ONLY sold as a set. (edit: as of now)

Sorry for being Vague about the eps system being non serviceable, and when it comes to Electronic steering on cars, torque and angle sensors play the same roll.

All kidding aside, glad to see your dealer stepped up and took care of you. Little jealous you got to drive around in a nice loaner.

Only reason I know what the cause was is my car did the exact same thing.
Would you guys with the EPS issues care to share your build dates?
 
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