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.
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