Other steering problem on the 2009 Hyundai Sonata
When other steering problem gets reported
Owners of the 2009 Hyundai Sonata report other steering problem at a median of 105,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 70,000 miles and a quarter after 150,000 miles, from 17 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 95,000 miles. It is the 9th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 60,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 150,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 91,809 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
0% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60,200 miles | 70,000 miles | 105,000 miles | 150,000 miles | 152,009 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $350–$2,400 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 15 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2020, at a median of 800 miles, and latest on the 2002 at 135,000 miles.
By volume the 2011 carries the most reports, with 737; the 2009 has 19. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
In spite of following manufacturers guidelines for tire inflation and following proper rotation timetables and having the car aligned this car eats tires. I have replaced all four tires 5 different times in less than 100,000 miles. I purchase premium, name brand tires with a mileage rating of 60,000 miles. In 2011 I took my car in for alignment at a hyundai dealership. They informed me that "all lower control arms, cam bolts and bushings seized due to rust; can't align properly. I had a platinum extended 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty through hyundai. The dealership called to advise of the extended warranty. The adjuster came and inspected and "extended warranty denied coverage as rust was the cause, they will not pay for repairs." the dealership argued that this is the northeastern part of the us and we have snow and the roads are salted in the winter. Dealership felt this should have been covered and tried again but coverage denied. As the owner I called the about the extended warranty and was also denied. Because correct alignment is not possible due to rust issues there is a handling/stability problem in the vehicle…
The esc light has been going off intermittently in my vehicle for the past 2 weeks, causing the shifter to downshift instead of keep moving the car when I press the gas, and the gas pedal becomes unresponsive. This happened on the interstate (I-78) today, and I almost got into an accident in the middle lane. I researched the problem, and it seems there was a recall on previous hyundai models, yet hyundai has failed to address this issue in the 2009 sonata. There needs to be a recall regarding this issue. It is very dangerous, and could be related to the crankshaft sensor or a number of things, but bottom line, it causes the car to become unresponsive while in motion, and the driver needs to pull over, shut off the car, and turn it on again for it to maybe work, maybe not. This is a horrible headache that needs to be addressed, and I am sure that I am not the only sonata owner with this issue. Here is evidence: http://www.sonataforums.com/forum/hyundai-sonata-engine-technical-discussion/1906-esc-off-light-comes-intermittantly.html so please get it done and issue a much needed recall for this major safety issue before someone gets…
My steering and brakes suddenly locked up. I had my kids in the car and lucky that it happened right by my house. No traffic. Even the suspension was affected.I immediately got kids out of the car and contacted my insurance to tow the car. *tr
Also reported on the 2009 Hyundai Sonata
Other brake problem
Other body or interior problem
Other engine problem
Other electrical problem
Other driver assistance problem
Other powertrain problem
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 19 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does other steering problem happen on the 2009 Hyundai Sonata?
Across 17 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 105,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 70,000 miles and a quarter after 150,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is other steering problem on the 2009 Hyundai Sonata?
19 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.5 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed