Loose steering wheel
 

Have owned my 2011 Sonata since new. NOticed the steering wheel now has some "play" in when turning the wheel. Has a loose gap of about 6 inches before the wheel turns. Most noticeable when stopped, and just can sit and rotate the wheel to the l or r and wheels don't move. I spoke with a friend today who also had this problem starting, and said it gets worse. Has there been a recall on this? Anyone else? Is it under warranty?

Yes, it should still be covered under the warranty of you have less than 60,000 miles. Take it to the dealership and let them check it.

My car just developed the exact same issue. It's also a 2011 Sonata. The car has just 50,000 miles. Super Moderator, are you saying that the repairs will be covered under my warranty???

This thread was started in 2014 for a 2011 Sonata.
It is now 2019, you may or may not have a warranty covered item.
Call dealer and find out.

It is probably worn out tie rods
But, should have a mechanic check it out.

If it is worn tie rod ends, I have seen what happens when the end separates and the result is not pleasant !!!
I wouldn't drive the vehicle except to a shop until you know for sure just what is going on with the steering.

This is an old thread but I thought I'd take a crack at suggesting a fix. The "play" in the steering began in my 2011 Elantra and got worse over time. If it was a tie-rod issue the vehicle would wander all over the road and the driver would be fighting it to off-set it with opposite throws of the steering wheel. That's typical of loose/worn tie-rods ends but doesn't happen in this case.

Hyundai employs a motor in the steering system. Because I don't readily see the usual belt-driven power steering pump and reservoir under the hood, I'm assuming the motor is used to boost the steering system power. That motor is coupled to a steering mechanism inside the car. The steering column assembly is coupled to the mechanism by a splined shaft. To repair the play in the wheel the column must be dropped down from its mounted position in the dash. Many screws, panels and wiring harnesses must be removed and/or disconnected to get the column to drop down. Once down, a cylindrical can-type of motor becomes visible mounted vertically at a slightly left-tilted angle on top of the steering mechanism. I pulled the steering column completely out of the way and set it aside on my garage floor to get it out of my way. There are three T30 Torx bolts securing the motor to the mechanism that must be removed. Once the bolts are out the motor lifts straight up off the mechanism. The output shaft of the motor has a gear-like cog that couples to a similar gear-like cog on the mechanism. Between them a rubber 8-lugged star shaped coupling (bushing) is used to take up the gaps between the lugs of the motor and lugs of the mechanism. It's like a dampener to prevent metal-to-metal contact of the motor and mechanism cogs. It deteriorates over time and crumbles. Mine was completely crumbled leaving only the hub and macerated debris that used to be the 8 legs. That left the motor and mechanism cogs with nothing to take up the slack between them, resulting in the extreme play in the steering wheel.

I bought a replacement coupler bushing for under $14.00 from an auto parts store and replaced it myself. The entire job took 2-1/2 hours. Besides the T-30 bit for the motor, a Phillips screw driver and 8, 10 & 12mm sockets were needed to removed all the panels. I took lots of pics and perused u-toob videos of the fix. It's not rocket-surgery but it does require patience.

Thanks for the info. Maybe the poster will attempt to do the repair, but we never know unless the folks get back to us.

That was great information that is little known.
Thanks

I have the same problem and the repair might cost me $2000, can I see the photos and I want to give this a try, where do you buy your parts to fix this. Thanks.
my mail is output123@gmail.com