Alternator/generator/regulator problems of the 2007 Hyundai Sonata

The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the vehicle drove sluggish and unresponsive and would not properly accelerate. Upon inspection it was discovered that engine oil from the valve cover gasket had leaked onto the alternator. The vehicle was taken to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the alternator was damaged due to the presence of oil inside and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact indicated that the vehicle was previously serviced by the manufacturer to prevent the failure from occurring but the failure had occurred on two separate occasions. No further information was available. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 151,000.

Valve cover leaks onto alternator, can cause sudden power loss and premature alternator failure. I've been researching this issue and other people have had this exact thing happen. Apparently once you get the valve cover gasket fixed, it will fail again in another year or so. There is a defect either in the gasket or the valve cover mating surface. Currently my car is only at the stage of oil leaking from cover gasket and getting onto the alternator. No further failure has happened yet. My car has 67,000 miles.

April 3, 2018: two years ago we replaced the alternator in our car. Suddenly we are having issues with the battery light and seat belt warning lights coming on and off or staying on. We went online to see if there were complaints or issues of the same kind. We find that others have complained with the oil valve and alternator problem as well as the indicator lights coming on and off or staying on. So we took the alternator out and returned it because thankfully it was still under warranty. Therefore, this is now the third alternator for our car. However, if this is an ongoing problem, we want to be part of documented cases with the same issue. As of today, the car is running fine with the newest alternator. Our frustration is with the fact that this is the second one in two years to have to be replaced because of whatever reason. Thanks. . .

I first noticed the valve cover gasket leaking onto the alternator at about 121,000 miles and at 140. 000 miles I had the valve cover gasket replaced, thermostat, intake plennom gasket also. And had the alternator replaced after it failed because of the oil leaking onto it at 156,092. Luckily I just drove by my mechanics garage at about 50 mph and about a mile passed his garage the car started to buck and stall and all the dash board lights were flashing along with the cd turning on and off along with the seat belt light which was flashing on and off when it was buckled for about 1 month prior to this failure. I actually made it to his garage before it shut down in his parking lot.

For the second time, I have had oil leaking out of the valve cover or timing belt cover onto the alternator. So much so, that the alternator becomes soaked and "shorts out" according to a Hyundai dealer. Mechanics who have repaired this all agree that this is a hazard and public safety issue. "fire risk" and "sudden complete loss of control at highway speeds" were both mentioned. Hyundai states that my vehicle is out of warranty due to mileage and says that there is no recall for this problem despite the obvious risks that their mechanics and other mechanics mention. After very little effort in researching this problem on the internet, it immediately became obvious that this is a common recall for Hyundai concerning this engine(3. 3l v6). The recalls name other Hyundai products but for some reason skip my vehicle even though two reps at Hyundai customer service state that "you are describing the exact same problem". We have spent close to $1000 on this one issue in the last year. It nearly caused my wife to be stranded on the interstate 10hrs from home. And Hyundai admits that it is an issue but because my VIN is not listed, they refuse to help fix or refund any thing that has already been spent on this manufacture defect. Again, I emphasize that this is a public safety hazard that needs to be addressed. Despite recent repair, this problem still continues. The vehicle was traveling at 70mph each time this issue occurred. I have records of repair from independent mechanics and statement from Hyundai stating this problem. This occurred at 118,000 and 132,000 miles. It seems like it occurred prior to this as well(looking for records).

My valve cover gasket leaked oil onto the alternator and caused it to fail prematurely. My research has uncovered many Hyundai vehicles having recalls with the same engine specs but Sonata is not covered. Why is this? why are so many consumers paying for this problem on the Sonata when other Hyundai vehicle (santa fe; veracruz) having identical engine setups are being recalled? I realize my Sonata is almost 10 years old but shouldn't it still be a consideration?.

Same problem as described in 14v415000 Hyundai veracruz recall. While driving the esc warning light on, then intermittent battery + seat belt indicating alternator failure, caused by leaking valve cover. Can cause sudden failure. This defect is not isolated to the veracruz and perhaps the recall should be broadened.

I am reporting this because I see other models with the same engine having the same problem. My valve cover gasket leaked oil onto the alternator and caused it to fail prematurely. This has happened in April of 2014 and has now happened again in June of 2015. Other models utilizing the same engine have been recalled due to this problem. Will this model be recalled?.

Several times I have had the alternator and battery fail shortly after and during a rain fall. When it rains the electrical system starts given problems by turning lights off both outside and cluster panel lights, it also starts giving warning light failures such as abs, esc and the hazard lights will not function during this time of failure making it very dangerous to be run into in the dark of the night. The dealer is useless as all they do is put the VIN # in their computer and say there is no recall nor know problems as these problems and it is working fine after the alternator is replaced. The car was bought used and in less 10 months the car has had 3 alternators and 2 batteries and the problem has not been resolved.