2008 Hyundai Azera Problems

What owners report

Owners of this model year most often describe the driver's power seat moving on its own, sometimes pinning them against the steering wheel, and a persistent airbag warning light that dealers usually trace to the front passenger seat belt tension sensor or occupancy detection system. Brake-related warnings, including ABS lights and occasional loss of power assist or pedal feel, are also common, and many reports come in between roughly 40,000 and 130,000 miles on a car that is now well out of warranty.

1. 1
   Seats

   Driver's power seat moves on its own

   • 20 complaints (29%)
   • median 42,953 mi at 6.0 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2016

   Owners describe the driver's power seat, especially the seat back, moving forward, rearward, or reclining without anyone touching the switch, both while parked and while driving. In several reports the seat pushed the driver against the steering wheel or moved so far back the pedals could not be reached, and holding the switch was the only way to keep it in place. Some say the dealer could not find a cause, others were told the seat track needed replacement, and a few had the track replaced without the problem going away. Reported across a wide mileage range, from under 20,000 to over 140,000 miles, and in both parked and moving conditions.

   Recall 16V6300003 related service bulletins

   What to check: With the car parked and then running, watch the driver's seat for any movement without touching the switch, and try every power seat function. Ask whether recall 16V630000 was performed, checking the VIN with a dealer.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Power drivers seat moves on its own. It moves forward with the back seat rest pushing me and actually pinning me into the steering wheel this occurs both while parked with the engine in the off or running, and in while the vehicle is being driven at any speed. The motion of the seat varies from sever to minor movement. It does not make any different if on the highway or urban streets. Unknown cause at this time.”

   NHTSA complaint #10807345, filed 2015-11, 139,000 miles

   “The driver side power seats move forward as you are driving. The back of the seat pinned me forward against the driving wheel, and would not go back as I tried franticly to do. I was able to move to the side of the road. I shut off the vehicle and after sitting for a while I tried the electric seat control and the seat recline back again. I went down the road without incident, however the next day when I got into the car the seat was again forward up against the steering wheel. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10593997, filed 2014-05, 10,700 miles
2. 2
   Air bags

   Airbag warning light on (seat belt sensor / occupant

   • 13 complaints (19%)
   • median 85,706 mi at 8.8 yrs old (10 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2020

   The airbag light stays on, often accompanied by the passenger seat belt reminder lighting up when no one is in the seat. Dealers typically diagnose it as a faulty front passenger seat belt tension sensor wiring harness or the passenger occupant detection system, and quotes of several hundred dollars for the repair are common. Some owners were told their VIN was not covered by the seat belt tension sensor recall even though the symptoms matched, and a few had the harness replaced and saw the light return. Mostly reported from about 30,000 to 120,000 miles, and in some cases it began intermittently before becoming constant.

   Recall 09V497000Recall 10V0070002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Turn the key to on and confirm the airbag light goes out after the bulb check. Ask a dealer whether recalls 09V497000 and 10V007000 apply to the VIN and whether they were completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Started having a problem with the vehicle when my wife rode with me and the passenger airbag off light flashed on and off. Eventually, it started to remain on the whole time with her in the seat. Now the passenger seat belt unfastened light flashes constantly with no one in the seat. I took it to my local Hyundai to diagnose the issue and it is reading a fault code b1489 indicating an issue with the passenger occupant detection system (pods). …”

   NHTSA complaint #10968828, filed 2017-03, 98,913 miles

   “The airbag light came on in my car. I took it into the phil long Hyundai dealership in colorado springs and was told that the passenger occupant detection sensor in the front passenger seat was malfunctioning and needed to be replaced. At first the service representative was very confident that Hyundai would pay for the replacement, but after a phone call he was told that they would not because my vehicle had over 100,000 miles and I was not the original owner. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11121094, filed 2018-08, 117,108 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   ABS warning light and brake system faults

   • 9 complaints (13%)
   • median 97,769 mi at 8.0 yrs old (8 state mileage, few)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2013–2023

   Owners report the ABS and brake warning lights coming on, sometimes with messages about ABS system failure, noise from the front wheels, or smoke from the front driver's side. Dealers and independent shops have diagnosed failed ABS modules, damaged wiring, wheel speed sensors and tone wheels. A spongy or low brake pedal is also mentioned, and one owner reported the car surging while braking at low speed. Usually reported between about 35,000 and 135,000 miles, often noticed on startup or during ordinary driving.

   Recall 18V0260002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check that the ABS lamp comes on with the key and then goes out, and look for moisture or corrosion around the ABS module and its connector. Confirm whether recall 18V026000 was applied to the VIN.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “I had ABS failure light on aug 27th, 2013. When I checked with my friend, I found out he has the same issue in his car. We both purchased the same type of cars from the same dealer in april 2008. The warranty expired just a few months ago. The timing of the issue is puzzling to me. How come both cars have ABS system failure during the same week?”

   NHTSA complaint #10541966, filed 2013-09, 35,900 miles

   “While driving, suddenly ABS indicator, ESC off indicator and ABS system failure message on dashboard showed up and had to make emergency stop since all of these scared me. Also scared me that vehicle's ABS and stability control stop working. - after started driving slowly - some noise from front wheels were coming. Went to dealer and told us that issue with wheel speed sensor and tone wheel damaged.. Why these sensors are exposed to road and damaged suddenly that make safety issue during driving and may have caused accident.”

   NHTSA complaint #10542053, filed 2013-09, 49,500 miles
4. 4
   Vehicle speed control

   Loss of power / throttle position sensor faults

   • 13 complaints (19%)
   • median 32,672 mi at 3.2 yrs old (12 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2019

   Owners describe the car losing acceleration or dropping speed suddenly, sometimes entering a reduced-power mode with the check engine light on. In several cases the dealer replaced the throttle position sensor and performed an ECM update. Some reports mention unexpected acceleration instead, including one where the car moved forward into a building shortly after being shifted into drive. Reported from as low as about 16,000 miles up to around 65,000 miles, while driving at steady or highway speeds.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask whether the throttle position sensor was replaced and the ECM update applied under the relevant service bulletin, and have a scan tool check for stored electronic throttle codes.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving on the expressway the car lost all acceleration and I had to maneuver out of traffic to the side of the road. I was traveling out of state and it happened several times before I could get help. Due to the danger it was towed to a dealer and they reported a throttle sensor was bad.”

   NHTSA complaint #10386216, filed 2011-03, 21,000 miles

   “While driving on a 2 lane country road with no shoulder to pull over on my speed dropped from 50 MPH to about 10mph. There was no response when I pressed the gas pedal. I had to have my car towed some 43 miles to the Hyundai dealer. The problem turned out to be that the throttle position sensor had failed. This failure, had it ocurred on a heavily traveled highway, could have resulted in following vehicles rearending my vehicle because of the sudden reduction in speed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10409638, filed 2011-06, 16,726 miles
5. 5
   Electrical system

   Engine oil leaks onto the alternator; charging light

   • 5 complaints (7%)
   • median 97,000 mi at 10.4 yrs old (5 state mileage, few)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2016–2024

   Owners report the battery charging warning light coming on and the alternator failing, with a valve cover gasket leak traced as the source of oil reaching the alternator. Some had the gasket, battery and alternator replaced and saw the failure come back. A few reports describe engine compartment fires while the car was parked and off, which owners linked to the ABS module recall. Mostly reported between about 34,000 and 100,000 miles, with the charging light appearing while driving.

   Recall 18V026000

   What to check: Look for oil residue on the alternator and around the valve cover gasket, and check whether the charging light behaves normally. Confirm recall 18V026000 was completed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Oil leaks from the front cylinder bank straight into the alternator causing it to fail prematurely. The NHTSA issued a recall for this exact same issue for the 2006-2012 Hyundai veracruz (NHTSA campaign number: 14v415000). You concluded in the consequence paragraph an unexpected failure of motive power while driving increases the risk of a crash. I'm deeply concerned of this happening with my Hyundai Azera as it currently has oil leaking into the alternator. My Azera has 80k original miles. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10897354, filed 2016-08, 80,500 miles

   “Recall number 18v026000 recall date 01/09/2018 component service brakes, hydraulic:antilock Hyundai recalls Azera and sonata for fire dangers january 24, 2018 ' Hyundai is recalling about 88,000 model year 2006-2011 Hyundai Azera and 2006 Hyundai sonata cars because the engine compartments may catch on fire. On 1/10/18, 2 weeks prior to this recall my 2008 Hyundai Azera caught fire in my basement while it was parked and no key was in the ignition. This happened at 3:30am, our entire house, including both of our vehicles were destroyed. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11202884, filed 2019-04, 179,000 miles

Buying note. Have a dealer run the VIN against recalls 16V630000, 18V026000, 09V497000 and 10V007000 and confirm they were done, since several common complaints here map onto those campaigns. Testing the power seat and watching the airbag and ABS lights during a test drive will show quickly whether the most frequently reported faults are present.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.