2003 Hyundai Sonata Tires Problems

WHEN I REPLACED THE TIRES WITH THE SPECIFIED SIZE TIRE AFTER HAVING THE CAR FOR ABOUT 23,000 MILES, I HAD THE PROBLEM WITH THE HUBCAPS SHIFTING AND SHEARING OFF THE VALVE STEM. I TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE TIRE DEALERSHIP (BF GOODRICH TIRES) AND THEY TRIED TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THEY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP WHO TOLD THEM IT WAS THE TIRES, BUT THAT WAS ILLOGICAL. THEY WOUND UP PUTTING METAL STEMS ON ALL FOUR TIRES AS IT WAS HAPPENING ON THE FRONT TIRES BUT ROTATION WOULD REQUIRE METAL STEMS IN ALL TIRES. THIS KEPT THE HUB CAPS FROM SHEARING THE STEM, BUT THE CAPS WOULD SLIDE UP OVER THE STEMS SO AS TO MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO CHECK THE AIR IN MY TIRES. FINALLY AFTER ABOUT A YEAR AND HALF OF HEADACHE, I FINALLY BOUGHT NEW WHEELS FOR THE CAR. THIS COMPLETELY SOLVED THE PROBLEM. HYUNDAI WOULD NEVER ADMIT TO THE PROBLEM AND TRIED TO TELL US THAT THE TIRES WERE WRONG. LIKE OTHERS HAVE STATED, THERE IS NOTHING IN THE OWNERS MANUAL THAT STATES THAT ONE HAS TO BUY MICHELIN TIRES. WHEN I FINALLY BOUGHT THE NEW WHEELS, THE TIRE DEALERSHIP ATTEMPTED TO MOUNT THE NEW TIRES ON THE OLD RIMS THAT CAME WITH THE CAR AND THE TIRE COULD NOT BE MOUNTED ON THE RIM AND HOLD AIR. THERE VERY DEFINITELY IS A PROBLEM WITH THOSE WHEELS BUT HYUNDAI NEVER WOULD ADMIT IT AND ONLY OFFERED TO BUY A NEW SET OF HUB CAPS WHICH DID THE EXACT SAME THING. I LIKE THE WHEELS I BOUGHT BUT I SHOULD NOT HAVE HAD TO BUY THEM. HYUNDAI SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THE WHEELS ON THE CAR. I EXPERIENCED FIVE FLATS ON THE FRONT END OF MY CAR BEFORE THE METAL STEMS WERE PUT IN. VERY POOR DESIGN ON THE WHEELS. *TR

THE WHEEL COVERS ON MY 2003 HYUNDAI SONATA ARE MOVING ON THE RIMS OF MY TIRES CAUSING THE TIRE VALVE STEMS TO FLATTEN AND EVENTUALLY WEAR THROUGH CAUSING SUDDEN TIRE FAILURE. I HAVE HAD TWO (2) SUDDEN TIRE VALVE FAILURES SINCE PURCHASING FOUR NEW UNIROYAL TIGER PAW 205/65R15 TIRES FROM B.J.'S WHOLESALE CLUB ON MAY 7. 2005. THE TIRES I BOUGHT WERE THE EXACT SIZE SPECIFIED FOR MY CAR IN THE B'J'S TIRE CATALOG AND MY OWNER'S MANUAL. THE HYUNDAI DEALER TRIED PUTTING ON NEW WHEEL COVERS BUT THAT DIDN'T HELP. LATER THEY SAID THAT THE TIRES WERE STICKING OUT TOO FAR OVER THE RIMS, CAUSING THEM TO BE IN CONTACT WITH THE WHEEL COVER, WHICH CAUSED THE WHEEL COVERS TO MOVE AND FLATTEN THE VALVE STEMS. THEY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE TIRES WERE THE RIGHT SIZE BUT SAID THEY WERE SOMEHOW DIFFERENT FROM THE TIRES THAT CAME WITH THE CAR. THERE IS NOTHING IN THE HYUNDAI OWNER'S MANUAL WHICH SPECIFIES ANY PARTICULAR TIRE OR BRAND OF TIRE, OR WHICH STATES THAT CERTAIN TIRES CANNOT BE USED. THE ONLY SPECIFICATION IS THE SIZE, WHICH IS 205/65R15, EXACTLY WHAT I PURCHASED. THE PROBLEM IS ONGOING. AT THE DEALER'S SUGGESTION, I AM DRIVING WITHOUT THE WHEEL COVERS. EVEN IF I BUY ANOTHER SET OF TIRES, HOW DO I KNOW THEY WON'T CAUSE THE SAME PROBLEM? *NM HYUNDAI ADMITTED THAT THEY ARE AWARE OF THE THIS PROBLEM BUT WOULD NOT TAKE RESPONSIBILITY. *SC

I AM EXPERIENCING THE VALVE STEM/TIRE ISSUES IN MY 2003 HYUNDAI SONATA THAT ARE CURRENTLY BEING INVESTIGATED. I HAVE HAD 2 FLAT TIRES SINCE JULY AND BOTH TIMES I WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE VALVE STEM. I WAS TOLD THAT THIS IS A HYUNDAI ISSUE AND THAT WHEN YOU HIT A BUMP THE HUBCAP SPINS AND EVENTUALLY "SNAPS" OFF THE VALVE STEM. I HAVE CALLED 2 DIFFERENT HYUNDAI DEALERSHIPS AND THEY BOTH DENIED THAT IT WAS A HYUNDAI ISSUE. THEY BOTH CLAIMED THAT I PROBABLY HAVE THE WRONG SIZE TIRE ON THE CAR. I FELT LIKE MY ISSUE WAS DISMISSED BOTH TIMES. THE TIRES ON THE CAR ARE THE EXACT SIZE AS REFERENCED IN MY OWNERS MANUAL. I WAS TOLD THAT REPLACING THE TIRES TO A "SPECIFIC BRAND" WOULD SOLVE THE PROBLEM. SO YESTERDAY, I BOUGHT 2 NEW TIRES AFTER I COULD NO LONGER KEEP AIR IN THE FRONT TIRES FOR MORE THAN 6 HOURS. WHEN THEY REMOVED THE HUBCAPS, THEY SAID THAT THE TIRES DEFLATED ON THEIR OWN, THROUGH THE VALVE STEMS. I CAME ONLINE TO RESEARCH THIS ISSUE AND SEE IF ANYONE ELSE HAS HAD THE ISSUE AND SAW AN ARTICLE ABOUT THE INVESTIGATION THAT HAS JUST BEGUN AND THOUGHT IT BEST TO LODGE A COMPLAINT. I HAVE RECEIPTS FOR ALL OF THE REPAIRS AND NEW TIRES IF THIS IS NEEDED. *JB

HUBCAPS ON 2003 SONATA SLIDE AROUND PINCHING VALVE STEMS. THIS WAS FIRST NOTICED WHEN I REPLACED TIRES FROM MICHELIN TO BF GOODRICH . TIRES ARE PROPER SIZE .THIS PROBLEM OF THE HUBCAPS SHIFTING HAPPENS DAILY AS I HAVE TO REMOVE HUBCAPS AND STRAIGHTEN. HAVE NOW REMOVED HUBCAPS PERMANENTLY FOR SAFETY REASONS. HAVE HAD ONE BLOW-OUT DUE TO STEM BEING TWISTED. NUMBER OF FAILURES BELOW ARE ESTIMATED BUT THE HUBCAPS UNTIL RECENTLY WERE OUT OF POSITION DAILY. DATE OF BLOW-OUT BELOW IS ESTIMATED SOMEONE AROUND THE MIDDLE OF AUGUST. *JB

I PURCHASED A 2003 HYUNDAI SONATA IN JUNE 2003. AT 18,000 I HAD TO REPLACE MY FRONT TIRES DUE TO WEAR. I HAD THE CORRECT SIZE MOUNTED AND IT WENT FLAT APPROXIMATELY 5-6 TIMES. MY DEALER KEPT SAYING IT WAS THE TIRE DEALERS FAULT HOWEVER, IF THE CORRECT SIZE TIRE IS USED IT COULD NOT BE THEIR FAULT. CAR DEALER REFUSED TO LOOK AT UNTIL ABOUT THE FIFTH TIME. I BECAME IRATE AND THEY TOOK IT IN. I WAS TOLD MY CAR WILL ONLY USE THE EXACT SAME TIRE THAT CAME ON IT FROM FACTORY. THIS IS NOT IN ANY OF THE CAR INFORMATION OR OWNERS MANUAL. ANY OTHER TIRE USED CAUSES FRICTION ON THE WHEEL COVER CAUSING IT TO MOVE AND CUT THE TIRE VALVE. I FEEL THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. IF THE TIRE HAD GONE FLAT IN HEAVY TRAFFIC OR AT HIGHER SPEEDS IT COULD HAVE CAUSED A FATAL ACCIDENT. LUCKILY, IT KEPT GOING FLAT AFTER IT WAS PARKED. I JUST HAD TWO MORE TIRES PUT ON, THE EXACT SAME ONES THAT CAME ON THE CAR STANDARD. WE'LL SEE WHAT HAPPENS. *JB

ON 03/26/05, I PURCHASED BF GOODRICH TOURING T/A PRO SERIES (SIZE P205/65R15) FOR MY 2003 SONATA AT SAM'S CLUB. IN A MONTH AND A HALF, I HAD 4 FLAT TIRES AND 10 VALVES REPLACED BECAUSE THE HUB CAPS SPIN AND SLICE THE VALVES. I LOST 7.5 HOURS OF WORK AND RECEIVED A BACK INJURY WHILE TRYING TO CHANGE ONE OF THE TIRES. I'VE SPOKEN TO HYUNDAI AND BF GOODRICH - BOTH OF WHICH SUGGESTED GETTING THE H RATED TIRES INSTEAD OF THE S RATED. I DID THAT, BUT IT DIDN'T WORK. I ALSO PAID $75 FOR A DIAGNOSTICIAN TO TELL ME THAT I HAD THE WRONG BEAD ON THE TIRES BUT WHOM COULDN'T SUGGEST A SOLUTION. MY OWNERS MANUAL SIMPLY STATES, ALWAYS REPLACE YOUR TIRES WITH THOSE OF THE RECOMMENDED SIZE LISTS THE TIRE SIZE SPECIFICATIONS AS P 205/65R15. THERE IS NO RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT BRAND NAMED AND NO MENTION ABOUT HAVING THE CORRECT SIZE BEADING. I TOOK MY CAR TO ANOTHER DEALER AND LEARNED THAT THE BF GOODRICH TIRES HAVE A BEAD PROTECTANT WHICH CAUSE THE HUB CAPS TO REST DIRECTLY AGAINST MY TIRES THUS CAUSING THEM TO SPIN. THERE SHOULD BE A GAP BETWEEN THE HUBCAP AND TIRE. I SWITCHED TO A GOODYEAR TIRE AND HAVE NOT HAD PROBLEMS SINCE. THE PROBLEM WITH SLICING VALVE STEMS ONLY OCCURS ON THE 15 INCHES TIRES WITH HUBCAPS (AS OPPOSED TO THE 16 INCHES TIRES ON ALUMINUM WHEELS.)

IN APR 04 I PURCHASED NEW TIRES FOR MY 2003 HYUNDAI SONATA. INSIDE OF THIRTY DAYS, I HAD THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE GO FLAT WHILE DRIVING ON A MAJOR HIGHWAY. I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER TO CHANGE THE FLAT. I WENT BACK TO NATIONAL TIRE & BATTERY (NTB) WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE TIRES. THEY COULD NOT FIND AN OBVIOUS CAUSE FOR THE TIRE FAILURE. THEY REPLACED THE TIRE, AND THREE DAYS LATER, THE TIRE WENT FLAT AGAIN WHILE TRAVELLING ON THE HIGHWAY. I EXPIRENCED TWO MORE FLAT TIRES ON THE SAME WHEEL WITHIN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS, AND THEN A FEW DAYS LATER THE LEFT TIRE WENT FLAT. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE VALVE STEM WAS BEING CUT BY THE HUBCAP. NTB SUGGESTED THAT I GO BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAVE THEM INVESTIGATE THE SITUATION. I WENT TO POHANKA IN FREDERICKSBURG, VA AND THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN SAID THAT THE HUBCAP WAS MAKING CONTACT WITH THE TIRE WHEN THERE SHOULD BE A SMALL GAP SEPARATING THE TWO. THE SUGGESTION FROM THE DEALERSHIP WAS TO CHANGE THE TIRE OR REPLACE THE RIM. I WENT BACK TO NTB, AND THEY CONFERRED WITH BF GOODRICH, THE MANUFACTURER OF THE TIRE, AND THEY SUGGESTED THAT I GO BACK TO THE STOCK TIRE THAT WAS ON THE CAR. I HAD ALSO FILED A CLAIM WITH HYUNDAI, AND THEIR SUGGESTION WAS THE SAME. MY PROBLEM WITH ALL OF THIS, IS FIRST, I SELECTED A TIRE THAT WAS THE PROPER SIZE FOR MY CAR (BF GOODRICH TRACTION T/A 205/65R15). NOWHERE HAD IT BEEN INDICATED BY HYUNDAI OR BFGOODRICH THAT THE SELECTED TIRE WAS NOT SUITABLE FOR MY VEHICLE. SECONDLY, MY LIFE AND THE LIFE OF OTHERS BECAME ENDANGERED BY THIS PROBLEM. THIRDLY, I AM BEING FORCED TO MAKE TIRE SELECTION, BECAUSE NEITHER HYUNDAI, NOR BF GOODRICH HAVE PROVIDED LIMITING INFORMATION ON THE TIRES THAT WILL PROPERLY FUNCTION WITH MY CAR. THIS IS SERIOUS AND NEEDS IMMEDIATED ATTENTION BY SOMEONE, BEFORE THERE IS LOSS OF LIFE OR SERIOUS INJURY TO SOMEONE BECAUSE HYUNDAI'S HUBCAP FOR THE SONATA IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE TIRE SIZE THAT IT HAS INDICATED WITHIN THE OWNER'S MANUAL AND THE LABEL ON THE CAR.*AK

CONSUMER INSISTED THIS VEHICLE QUALIFIED UNDER RECALL TO REPLACE THE CURRENT SPARE TIRE WITH A LARGER TIRE ALTHOUGH VIN DID MEET THE CRITERIA. MANUFACTURER TOLD CONSUMER THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT ELIGIBLE. *AK *LA

HUBCAPS ARE SLICING MY VALVE STEMS (HAD TO BUY THREE TIRES) AND PAINT ON BUMPER (WHICH TOOK THEM THREE TIMES TO MATCH) IS PEELING.*AK