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I had bought this pair of roof racks thinking a had a Hyundai Sonata 2012, but I misremembered and its actually a Sonata 2015. The fitting guide does not explicitly mention Sonata 2015 under its supported models, and measurements for the Sonata 2014 don't seem to fit. Should I just get a new pair of racks that are meant to go on my car, or is there a way I can fit them safely and securely without a fitting guide? They are adjustable and supported by so many other makes and models that I figure there is some configuration that would fit, but I want to be sure before I turn a kayak into a ballistic missile on the freeway.

The roof is bare and the racks would need to hook into the door frame.

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  • The specs stop at 2014. You can try and see if its fits with one rack. The mounts should fit precisely onto the contour of the door roof frame and clearance when closing the door. Any interference or misfit simply means it's not compatible with your 2015 Sonata and return it.
    – F Dryer
    Commented Oct 13, 2022 at 1:20
  • This seems worth turning into an answer.
    – dlu
    Commented Oct 13, 2022 at 7:33

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If you can return the rack that would be the safest move. Using a rack that the manufacturer claims will fit your vehicle places some of the liability with them if something goes wrong.

But still, you need to be confident that the rack is solidly attached to your car. As F Dryer suggests in the comment on your question, you could do a test to see if the clips and roof pads are a good fit with your car. If they seem to be, the next step would be to remove the rack and put it back on with a shop towel or other thin, but durable padding between the rack and the bodywork to prevent scratches, then push hard on the rack to see if it has any inclination to shift or loosen.

If the rack seems completely solid, there is a good chance that it would be safe to use. To be cautious, I'd add a bow and stern line from the kayak(s) to your towing eyes or some other solid tie off point on the car. Even with a properly fitting rack the boats will have a lot of sail area -- they will probably be able to generate more force on the rack that you could as you test the fit. Taking a tie down to points on the car that don't depend on the rack would give you some useful redundancy and help to ensure that even if the rack starts to move that the boats won't be able to go far.

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