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Sonata 2004 Power Steering Problem

3 messages,  Last post on Aug 03, 2009 at 12:32 PM

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#1 of 3 Sonata 2004 Power Steering Problem by fatbob92 Aug 03, 2009 (7:03 am)
My wife drives a 2004 Sonata, 6 cyl. Automatic. Awhile back at 60,000 miles or so, the power steering became sluggish at low speeds and very hard to turn when backing in and out of parking spaces and similar low speed situations. In addition to being much harder to turn, the steering seems to shimmer. It performs perfectly on the straights at higher speeds.   When my wife took it in to the dealer, she was told that this is not a problem, but a common symptom of wear and tear. I seldom drive this car and put my wife’s complaints on the backburner.   However, a few days ago, I drove it. I work out on heavy weights and I experienced difficulty at low speed maneuvers so I expect this problem is very annoying for my wife.   I can’t believe that this is a normal symptom. Do I have a repairable problem? We have an extended service contract. Replies to this message: billward (Aug 03, 2009 8:12 am) newowner10 (Aug 03, 2009 12:32 pm)
#2 of 3 Re: Sonata 2004 Power Steering Problem [fatbob92] by billward Aug 03, 2009 (8:12 am)
Replying to: fatbob92 (Aug 03, 2009 7:03 am) I have two Sonatas, one is a 2003 GLS V6 (the other is an 09 GLS I4 Automatic). I had a similar problem last fall. We did NOT continue to drive with the car; I felt it immediately after starting the car, and starting down the Cul-de-sac my wife and I live on. We returned to the house, parked the car, I called AAA, and had it towed to the service place we use.   The service place discovered the issue quickly; there was a pin-prick hole that had developed in one of the bends on the aluminum power steering fluid pipes, and the system had pushed out the power steering fluid. The service place pulled that piece, put a new piece in and flushed the power steering lines. They filled the system back up with new Power Steering fluid, and the car felt perfect. Total time at the service place: 45 minutes. Total cost: $59, including the diagnostic and new pipe. Piece of mind that it wasn't something bad like the power steering pump: Priceless.   They said that the car WAS safe to drive without the power steering, BTW, and that it would have taken driving a protracted time (a couple thousand miles) before it might have been an issue with the power steering pump, but from your description, you might want to have it checked sooner, rather than later; power steering pumps are more expensive than a simple line, and it sounds like you've been driving like that for a little while now. Check the Power Steering level to be sure, though.   Oh, and if the dealer said it's normal wear and tear... BS. My '03 has 113K miles, and the power steering is light and easy, except for that one episode. It REALLY sounds like your fluid is out. From experience with a non-power steering car (you may not have ever had one, but my first car didn't have power ANYTHING... surprised there weren't cut outs to open and put my feet down to help stop the car!) the low speed situation you're describing is a DIRECT indication you do not have working power steering; higher speeds, no problem steering, low speed means turning the wheels against ground friction from the weight of the auto. If you take it elsewhere, and they find a hole in the system, I'd march back to the dealership and demand a refund, and something extra; they didn't do any real work for you. It might not be covered by the 100K warrenty, though I would look at it.
#3 of 3 Re: Sonata 2004 Power Steering Problem [fatbob92] by newowner10 Aug 03, 2009 (12:32 pm)
Replying to: fatbob92 (Aug 03, 2009 7:03 am) I would expect they would check the fluid in the pump first at the dealer. If it was the fluid level they would top it off and charge you $50. The level should not drop unless you have a leak. You could do a couple experiments: 1) speed the engine up when you are turning at low speed see if that makes a difference. 2) Verify that the belt is not slipping. 3) Remember when the car is going fast you do not turn the steering wheel as much and the wheel is easier to turn so you need less assitance. 4)With the engine not running if you get both front wheels off of the ground see how easy the steering wheel is to turn. Maybe a joint is frozen up but I would expect that when you are driving you would find the wheel would not straighten its self up. 5)Does the pump make any noisy when the wheel is turned. 6) any leaks?

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