2006 Sonata ABS brake question

We just took delivery on our 2006 Sonata GLS V6. Overall this is a
great car, though we have never had a vehicle with features like ABS,
traction control, etc., and it's something of an adjustment getting
used to all this computer-controlled stuff. One thing we are noticing
is that there is kind of a 'lumpy' feel to the brakes when hitting the
pedal. Is this due to the ABS or do we maybe have a slightly
out-of-spec rotor?

 

ABS pedal feel is normally very smooth. Only when the ABS feature kicks in
should you feel the rough or vibrating pedal. This normally occurs when
pressing the pedal pretty hard. On ice, snow, or wet streets, you may feel
the ABS kick in even at a lower pedal pressure. This is normal, and probably
preventing wheel lockup.

Assuming normal driving, sounds like you may have a warped rotor as you
suspect.

 

Often it isn't a warped rotor per se, but actually the pads imprinting
the rotor with rust or a patch of pad material if they were held against
a hot rotor as can occur at the bottom of a long hill with a stop light.
Try a few (3-6) very hard stops on dry pavement from 50-60 MPH in a
location where it is safe to do this. Often this will cure the pulsing
pedal. This is similar to the break-in procedure recommended for new
pads, which most folks are never told about.


Matt

 

Thanks, we'll give it a try. If the symptom persists after doing this
we'll have the dealer take a look at it. I did notice today on the
driver's side front rotor a light circular line about 1/2 way down the
friction contact area, which looked a bit strange. Maybe some debris
got picked up by the pads. (It's not that way on the other side.)

Overall we're very satisified with this car. It's a real improvement
over the 2000 model we had before, and that was a pretty nice car.

The only real suprise so far was discovering that there is no keyhole
on the passenger door! (That was a real "WTF?!" moment.) The only
other car I've ever seen this on was the old Subaru 360, a tiny
2-cylinder, rear-engine economy model that was sold in the U.S. in the
late 1960s. I never noticed this when looking over the new Sonatas at
the dealer or reading reviews. (Maybe that's just the way it's done
these days, this is our first new car in nearly 20 years. We're still
getting used to all the gadgetry.)

 

there is a keyhole on my Sonata. it's in the door handle where you'd put
your thumb if you grab the handle with your left hand!

 

With keyless entry standard, I suspect one keyhole on the driver's side
is a sufficient backup. Last year a friend with a high-end Mercedes
faced a significant puzzle when his battery died with the Mercedes
pulled into his garage. Apparently, there was no publically available
way to unlock the car and open it with a dead battery. I remember him
saying the car could not even be towed out of the garage to visit the
dealer (in Park of course). Eventually a mechanic from the dealership
visited and used a back door method to enter the car. Now I suspect
that car has at least one keyhold, but the locking mechanism would not
function without electrons. Wow.