Sunroof Rattle

[cane2025]

@KK in Ct....... I absolutely understand where you are coming from. For the 3 1/2 weeks i was driving the Elantra all i kept getting asked is "what happened to the Genesis" by my coworkers and neighbors. They actually all thought that it was a mechanical issue as this is what Hyundai was known for. I hope my sunroof doesn't start doing it again like yours did. Not a good impression on future buyers since they all think its a good looking car. I could see the ?????? around my co-workers heads when they didn't believe it was just the sunroof.

 

[kdjlaw]

OK. I've read all 561 posts, one of which was mine, and I need some advice. All of the contributors to this thread have been very generous with their time and effort keeping us up to date with their progress or lack thereof.
I had the sunroof rattle when I first got the car. Took it to my local dealership (I had to buy it elsewhere because there were not yet many 2015's available) to have them fix the rattle. My local technician said he "tightened the hell out of every screw in the sunroof" and the rattle was gone--for about a week. I've just been sucking it up since then because it is such a time-wasting hassle taking any car to any dealership. The rattle doesn't affect the drivability of the car and it's not a safety issue, so I've tried to ignore it. But I've had enough and I'm going to take it in.
Here's the question: Has anyone been able to get anything like a permanent fix if they replaced the sunroof and then never opened it? Or can a repair be made that will stop the rattle, even if it renders the sunroof unusable?
I have a 2015 5.0 Ultimate and I would gladly buy the same car without a sunroof of any kind. Somebody said it's a $4K option? To think I paid extra for something that only makes noise is pretty infuriating.
Thanks to anyone who has any advice on my next step.
By the way, I'm a lawyer so I'm going to take a look at the Louisiana "Lemon Law", too.

 

[rojo2223]

Is the rattle covered under the 60K warranty? I bought the HPP and I believe it does not cover the sunroof track assembly during the extended warranty period. I wonder if Hyundai would cover pano repairs beyond the 60K warranty especially if you have already had the pano roof replaced once?

 

[kn5owa]

Sunroofs are supposed to rattle & cause trouble.

The real issue is how do you force the manufacturers to stop padding prices with this sort of junk?

The last time I was able to actually purchase a line item customized purchased car was in 1990 - a Buick Regal.

 

[MikeDLA]

I'm doing research on buying a 2015 or 2016 CPO. Reading about the sunroof problems is concerning. I don't want the sunroof but it comes bundled as a package with other things I'd like. The only way to avoid a sunroof is to buy the base model and miss out on all kinds of other options. Very frustrating.

I would likely buy the CPO wrap protection plan that extends the warranty. At some point presumably Hyundai will say that a rattle is fair wear and tear on an ageing car even if a warranty is in place. i.e. they warrant the roof to function but not to be silent at all times.

 

[Seejay]

I'm doing research on buying a 2015 or 2016 CPO. Reading about the sunroof problems is concerning. I don't want the sunroof but it comes bundled as a package with other things I'd like. The only way to avoid a sunroof is to buy the base model and miss out on all kinds of other options. Very frustrating.

I would likely buy the CPO wrap protection plan that extends the warranty. At some point presumably Hyundai will say that a rattle is fair wear and tear on an ageing car even if a warranty is in place. i.e. they warrant the roof to function but not to be silent at all times.

I don't want my next car with a sunroof. Period. End of statement. I have been lucky with mine and I leased the car just because it had a sunroof. I hate them, and it's not a preference thing--it's sound engineering and financial reasons. If I wanted all that sky, I'd get a convertible. Here's the top ten reasons why sunroofs suck out loud:

1. If you own a car with a sunroof in the southern US, you will come to realize that the summer sun is not your friend. Glass and steel expand and contract at dramatically different rates, and so rubber is needed to fill gaps and seal out dust and water. This will eventually fail. I carried a plastic tarp in the trunk of my 10 year old sunroofed beater. At this point, you don't dare open it and the whole thing becomes a point of depreciation.

2. The weight of this feature is in the worst possible place on a car in terms of handling performance--it's like carrying around a sack of grain on the roof.

3. Generally, you lose headroom.

4. The driver cannot enjoy the view unless the car is stopped--it's a treat for passengers only.

5. Cutting a hole in the roof weakens the structural integrity of the car. Even though a well made car is very rigid, it is more rigid without a sunroof.

6. Even when it's closed, there are small amounts of wind noise at high speeds and stiff crosswinds.

7. If you have the bad luck to encounter a heavy hail storm unprotected, kiss your interior goodbye.

8. The greenhouse effect is more pronounced with a sunroof, so the interior heats up faster in the summer.

9. There is far greater chance of occupant injury from debris in a rollover collision if the sunroof is open.

10. In a hot muggy climate like Houston, there are about five to ten days a year where it's fun. You are paying dearly for something rarely used.

 

[pmckechnie]

Seejay, you hit the nail on the head. I also will never have a car with a sun roof.

When I bought my 2016 Genesis, the first requirement was NO sunroof. Other things like color, engine, etc were still on the table.
Salesman went to see what they had. He came back with a silver on gray 3.8 base. It was the only Genesis they had WITHOUT a sunroof.
I ask if they could get one with a V8. Answer, V8 not available without sunroof. Ask about some of the other options, and got the same answer.
In other words, the only Genesis without a sunroof is the 3.8 base. Only option was a different color.

That day, Hyundai lost a lot of money. I would have gladly paid for every option available as long as it didn't have the 'you know what'.
We got the base car and love it.

We had a customer at our auto electric shop that only had 1 arm. After knowing him for a few years, I finally ask about his missing arm. I figured he was wounded
in the service or something. No, he was driving a VW bug with a sun roof (really just an accordion cloth thing that folded up when you pushed it back). Another car
hit him and the VW bug rolled over, his arm came out of the top and was ripped off. (his words, not mine) That was the final thing that convinced me that I would not have one.
I do have a 1984 Mercedes 500SEL with a sunroof but it is metal, very strong, and is never opened.

 

[chris41]

Can anybody upload an audio of the sunroof rattle?

 

[kn5owa]

I don't want my next car with a sunroof. Period. End of statement.

I signed on with this forum two years ago - when I bought my Genesis -

Now finally, I'm seeing some intelligent commentary about the goofy gadgets on this car.

Yesterday, I played around with the speech recognition thing - and yes - it's nothing but a toy - not even remotely is it state of the art.

I guess all this proves is that we have a lot people around who have no idea about the difference between gadgets and genuine technology.

 

[gbxk86a]

Here's the question: Has anyone been able to get anything like a permanent fix if they replaced the sunroof and then never opened it? Or can a repair be made that will stop the rattle, even if it renders the sunroof unusable?

I have a 2016 Tech AWD. We do not want a sunroof because my wife does not like them. However, because it is bundled with other features, we have been buying cars in the last twenty years or so, all with sunroofs with very infrequent use. The Genesis has about 6000 miles on it, built in July 2015 and bought in January 2016. I think I have opened the sunshade about ten times to check out and to show the panoramic roof to others. I have probably driven with the roof opened about two times for about 30 miles each. I have to admit the panoramic roof does look nice from inside, but we really do not care to open it when we drive. So far, I have not heard any rattling at all, from the sunroof or the front overhead light and control compartment, which some seem to have rattling problem. Whether it will develop noise in future is anybody guess.

I have also a 2016 Sonata Hybrid with panoramic roof bought in August, 2016. It came with the Sonata Ultimate version. The car was built in January 2016, and has about 5800 miles now. The sunshade and the roof were opened less than the Genesis. So far, there is no rattling.

I do not know if I answered your question or not, since the quietness of the roof so far may or may not be related to the "never opened it."

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[jsmit86]

I've had 14 cars with Sun roofs. These included 4 Hyundais, and 10 Chrysler products. Of those 14, I had 2 with issues.

One was my '96 Chrysler Concorde, which developed a squeak. It was worked on, and mostly got better, but there was always a bit of residual squeaking when on rough roads.

My '13 Azera also developed a rattle after more than a year. My dealer expected that the issue was going to require major surgery, but as it turned out, the issue was quickly resolved with a bit of felt tape (that I never could find). The problem never returned.

My only point is that not every sun roof rattles, and when they do, sometimes they can be fixed. This is not to dismiss in any way some of the persistent problems from the posters on this thread. Just pointing out that not all, or most G2s have the problem.

 

[MikeyTG]

I leave the sunshade open most of the time and open the sunroof often on nice days and roads. I've not had any rattles or any other problems. ~10K miles, plus many miles on previous Hyundais back to 2001. I like having a sunroof and will always opt for one if possible.

 

[kk in ct]

OK. I've read all 561 posts, one of which was mine, and I need some advice. All of the contributors to this thread have been very generous with their time and effort keeping us up to date with their progress or lack thereof.
I had the sunroof rattle when I first got the car. Took it to my local dealership (I had to buy it elsewhere because there were not yet many 2015's available) to have them fix the rattle. My local technician said he "tightened the hell out of every screw in the sunroof" and the rattle was gone--for about a week. I've just been sucking it up since then because it is such a time-wasting hassle taking any car to any dealership. The rattle doesn't affect the drivability of the car and it's not a safety issue, so I've tried to ignore it. But I've had enough and I'm going to take it in.
Here's the question: Has anyone been able to get anything like a permanent fix if they replaced the sunroof and then never opened it? Or can a repair be made that will stop the rattle, even if it renders the sunroof unusable?
I have a 2015 5.0 Ultimate and I would gladly buy the same car without a sunroof of any kind. Somebody said it's a $4K option? To think I paid extra for something that only makes noise is pretty infuriating.
Thanks to anyone who has any advice on my next step.
By the way, I'm a lawyer so I'm going to take a look at the Louisiana "Lemon Law", too.

I had the same thinking as you - when they replaced my entire panoramic sunroof assembly - in essence replacing the entire roof of the vehicle, I didn't dare even open the sunroof, thinking that could loosen some bolt and jinx everything. Since I truly believe the flaw in the design is somewhere in the way the assembly fits to the body of the vehicle because the stress I hear in the roof when I drive up into a parking garage is ridiculous. Maybe that's why it took four months for the noise to come back rather than it coming back right away, but it did come right back. They have had my vehicle there now for a week this time, "fixing imperfections in the glass panel" which the service engineer said fixed the issue. It did not, verified by a simple driving test by the service manager at the dealership the next day. Now the service engineer is making them order another glass panel to install to fix the issue. I believe after this attempt at a fix, the regional Hyundai Consumer Affairs division is finally going to try and work with me on buying back the vehicle and admit that they do not know how to fix this issue. And yes, in order to get the any features on the Hyundai Genesis, or now the Genesis G80, higher than the "base" model, you must purchase the option that contains the panoramic sunroof. At the time I purchased my 2015 Hyundai Genesis, that packaged cost $4,000 and the sunroof was by far the most expensive feature of that package. At the time the options on the Genesis were hard to come by in other vehicles, but now that they are talking about buying back the vehicle and I've been looking around online, these features are quite common among the competition.

I did ask if they could just work with me on moving me into a G90 somehow. Obviously with some type of financial exchange needed for the difference, but that is unfortunately the only vehicle they offer that does not have the panoramic sunroof requirement to get me to the same level of options that I currently have with my Ultimate edition. Of course, since the Genesis I purchased was sold by Hyundai, and now they are sold by Genesis (which is still owned by Hyundai but is operating independently) my only option is the buyback). So I will see what they say. I first reported this issue to them about 2.5 years ago, and it has taken them this long to finally admit to me that they cannot fix it, despite almost 2 months of time in their shop spread out at various times, usually about a week at a time, going through sometimes the same fix with the same failed result. It's clear that money is no object when they are trying to hide the fact that they have no idea what they are doing trying to fix this issue, so hopefully that will be the case when they try to keep their customer happy with the final resolution.

You would think as they are trying to build a new luxury brand, they would want one of their newer customers (at least in the eyes of all of the people who know me and see me drive the vehicle and all of the Hyundai's I drive when my vehicle continues to be in the shop) to be taken care of. By that I mean, you would think they would want the end result to be to find a way for me to remain a delighted long term Genesis customer, rather than to buy back my vehicle to take their money to another luxury car dealership and purchase one of their cars. Then I'll be explaining that story to everyone. It's really quite something how the Genesis get's complete strangers to ask me questions even at gas stations. I bet I'll have those same people who asked me what kind of fancy car I was driving and how I liked it, ask me later why I'm not driving a Genesis anymore - was a Hyundai luxury car too good to be true after all.

 

[kavisic]

I had the same thinking as you - when they replaced my entire panoramic sunroof assembly - in essence replacing the entire roof of the vehicle, I didn't dare even open the sunroof, thinking that could loosen some bolt and jinx everything. Since I truly believe the flaw in the design is somewhere in the way the assembly fits to the body of the vehicle because the stress I hear in the roof when I drive up into a parking garage is ridiculous. Maybe that's why it took four months for the noise to come back rather than it coming back right away, but it did come right back. They have had my vehicle there now for a week this time, "fixing imperfections in the glass panel" which the service engineer said fixed the issue. It did not, verified by a simple driving test by the service manager at the dealership the next day. Now the service engineer is making them order another glass panel to install to fix the issue. I believe after this attempt at a fix, the regional Hyundai Consumer Affairs division is finally going to try and work with me on buying back the vehicle and admit that they do not know how to fix this issue. And yes, in order to get the any features on the Hyundai Genesis, or now the Genesis G80, higher than the "base" model, you must purchase the option that contains the panoramic sunroof. At the time I purchased my 2015 Hyundai Genesis, that packaged cost $4,000 and the sunroof was by far the most expensive feature of that package. At the time the options on the Genesis were hard to come by in other vehicles, but now that they are talking about buying back the vehicle and I've been looking around online, these features are quite common among the competition.

I did ask if they could just work with me on moving me into a G90 somehow. Obviously with some type of financial exchange needed for the difference, but that is unfortunately the only vehicle they offer that does not have the panoramic sunroof requirement to get me to the same level of options that I currently have with my Ultimate edition. Of course, since the Genesis I purchased was sold by Hyundai, and now they are sold by Genesis (which is still owned by Hyundai but is operating independently) my only option is the buyback). So I will see what they say. I first reported this issue to them about 2.5 years ago, and it has taken them this long to finally admit to me that they cannot fix it, despite almost 2 months of time in their shop spread out at various times, usually about a week at a time, going through sometimes the same fix with the same failed result. It's clear that money is no object when they are trying to hide the fact that they have no idea what they are doing trying to fix this issue, so hopefully that will be the case when they try to keep their customer happy with the final resolution.

You would think as they are trying to build a new luxury brand, they would want one of their newer customers (at least in the eyes of all of the people who know me and see me drive the vehicle and all of the Hyundai's I drive when my vehicle continues to be in the shop) to be taken care of. By that I mean, you would think they would want the end result to be to find a way for me to remain a delighted long term Genesis customer, rather than to buy back my vehicle to take their money to another luxury car dealership and purchase one of their cars. Then I'll be explaining that story to everyone. It's really quite something how the Genesis get's complete strangers to ask me questions even at gas stations. I bet I'll have those same people who asked me what kind of fancy car I was driving and how I liked it, ask me later why I'm not driving a Genesis anymore - was a Hyundai luxury car too good to be true after all.

Well said and I, for one agree with you on the treatment you or I deserve. I too, may have to look at another brand in the future.
I'm also convinced that the problem is the lack of enough torsional rigidity in the body itself. Therefore, you find some people who have the problem and some who don't. It depends a lot on the angle of one's driveway or parking garage that's used every day that eventually causes the problem.
Why they don't offer the ultimate without the pano roof has been a mystery to me. I am also one who could do without the sunroof, if it avoids having to live with squeaks and rattles!

 

[xsolara]

How do you explain the majority of owners not having pano roof problems ???

 

[kk in ct]

How do you explain the majority of owners not having pano roof problems ???

I assume you are asking Hyundai, as they would need to explain this. I have no idea why my sunroof won't stop making this awful noise, and why no service engineer can't figure out how to fix it. Or why they keep replacing the same parts over and over on the same vehicle, getting the same result (no change) and then replacing them again expecting a different result. Maybe on a few vehicles someone messed up on the assembly line and no one caught it. Not a big issue, but whatever it was caused this issue? I'm not an engineer, all I can say is everyone including the engineers agrees there is an issue, they all think they can fix it, they all walk away believing they have fixed it, yet the issue returns sometimes within a few hours. That is not OK on a vehicle that costs this much money, whether it's one or all of them.

 

[kavisic]

How do you explain the majority of owners not having pano roof problems ???

Their angled driveways, parking garages, or often traveled roads don't require the body to "twist" or "flex"on a routine basis.!!

 

[kk in ct]

Their angled driveways, parking garages, or often traveled roads don't require the body to "twist" or "flex"on a routine basis.!!

Exactly. It's not a problem for all, because not all have the same driving conditions. But for those of us who do, these aren't extreme conditions, they just cause the car to flex a bit, which any car should be able to do. So the actual problem isn't the sunroof noise, the sunroof noise is the symptom. Hyundai keeps insisting on fixing the symptom - replacing pieces of the sunroof, or adjusting the sunroof, or lubricating the sunroof, and are surprised when I bring the car back the very next day and the noise is back. Well it was quiet on their perfectly flat road test. Well of course it was. My question to them now is, what about the car is making it necessary for you to need to continue to replace that sunroof seal, or that piece of glass, or tighten all of those bolts, etc.

To try and put it another way, if you have tree outside your house that every time the wind blows, a certain large branch will slam into a window and smash it. Do you keep replacing the window every time you have a storm (treat the symptom - like the sunroof) or do you cut the branch off - actually correct the root cause (perhaps the frame or body of the vehicle). I'm not an engineer, but I've watched enough over the past two years that Hyundai's system is broken. They have made had 9 separate occasions of trying to "fix" my sunroof, some of which they have attempted multiple "fixes". From lubricating things all the way to the entire replacement of the sunroof. Sometimes they give the car back without eliminating the noise, and sometimes they are successful in masking the noise long enough for a short, flat, smooth road test. None of the attempts lasted. Currently my car has been at the dealer for almost 3 weeks for this multiple attempt. They are making one final attempt on Thursday before they finally decide they cannot fix it for me and repurchase it. It's not like I drive it off road, if the car is too fragile to drive it into a parking garage then something is very wrong.

 

[cane2025]

drive it like you stole it(up to 99,999 miles) and let "Americas greatest warranty" deal with it.

 

[zeez]

Exactly. It's not a problem for all, because not all have the same driving conditions. But for those of us who do, these aren't extreme conditions, they just cause the car to flex a bit, which any car should be able to do. So the actual problem isn't the sunroof noise, the sunroof noise is the symptom. Hyundai keeps insisting on fixing the symptom - replacing pieces of the sunroof, or adjusting the sunroof, or lubricating the sunroof, and are surprised when I bring the car back the very next day and the noise is back. Well it was quiet on their perfectly flat road test. Well of course it was. My question to them now is, what about the car is making it necessary for you to need to continue to replace that sunroof seal, or that piece of glass, or tighten all of those bolts, etc.

To try and put it another way, if you have tree outside your house that every time the wind blows, a certain large branch will slam into a window and smash it. Do you keep replacing the window every time you have a storm (treat the symptom - like the sunroof) or do you cut the branch off - actually correct the root cause (perhaps the frame or body of the vehicle). I'm not an engineer, but I've watched enough over the past two years that Hyundai's system is broken. They have made had 9 separate occasions of trying to "fix" my sunroof, some of which they have attempted multiple "fixes". From lubricating things all the way to the entire replacement of the sunroof. Sometimes they give the car back without eliminating the noise, and sometimes they are successful in masking the noise long enough for a short, flat, smooth road test. None of the attempts lasted. Currently my car has been at the dealer for almost 3 weeks for this multiple attempt. They are making one final attempt on Thursday before they finally decide they cannot fix it for me and repurchase it. It's not like I drive it off road, if the car is too fragile to drive it into a parking garage then something is very wrong.

First, you're not wrong. I agree that they are treating the symptom not the cause.

Second, before they roll out a fix to all the cars they need to know 100% what the cause is. Then they need to create a fix that 100% will fix the problem and 100% will not cause other problems. Then they need to figure out how to roll out the fix on sold cars, unsold cars and cars in production. And I'm probably simplifying it greatly.

I have a 2015 ultimate with the creaking and I hate it..but I know it's not truly simple to roll out the fix. I've seen various solutions proposed by the creative (and handy) people on this forum. one of them involved stuffing some cloth through the sunglasses-holder thingy, but that's not likely to be a solution that Hyundai will roll out because if mold grows on that cloth they've created a larger problem.