Hyundai Sonata Complaints

369 consumer complaints on file.

#11725462March 19, 2026
SEAT BELTS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:HORN, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Sonata. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the seat belt warning light intermittently illuminated with an audible chime while the driver’s and passenger's side seat belts were properly buckled. Additionally, on two separate occasions, the horn was inoperable, and the anti-collision warning light illuminated while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and two other dealers, Alexandria Hyundai (1707 Mt Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301) and Sheehy Hyundai of Waldorf (2910 Crain Hwy, Waldorf, MD 20601), who were unable to duplicate the seat belt failures. The third dealer, Sheehy Hyundai of Waldorf (2910 Crain Hwy, Waldorf, MD 20601), determined that the horn needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11725107March 17, 2026
ENGINE
Hyundai technical service bulletin 23-EM-009H (EHRS COOLANT LEAK) - AKA a faulty heat exchange that causes the coolant to leak into the exhaust and burn away. Resulting in a very hard to diagnose coolant disappearance. This should be a recall. They have literally already acknowledged a manufacturer defect with the service bulletin. The problem is that in most cases, it occurs out of the 60k or 100k warranty. The dealer seems to have discretion as to which of the mileage limits apply. One dealer in NC told me 60k and my local in SC told me 100k. My problem started at ~90k, but was just topped off on fluid and repaired as "normal evaporation". Now 12k later at 102k, they acknowledged the TSB but claimed I was out of warranty. With me being out of warranty, they claimed that Hyundai would not send them tsb parts and that I would need to replace the whole system with the normal skus around $3k.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11724724March 16, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Battery Management System completely exhausting the 12V battery resulting in the car acting as if it has no power. When this happens, you can't unlock the door or open the trunk. On two separate occasions, I have encountered a complete loss of power in my Sonata Hybrid, preventing me from unlocking the trunk or doors upon returning from extended trips. The first incident occurred after a ten-day absence last Fall, and the most recent was on Saturday, March 14, 2025. During the latest incident, I returned from a seven-day trip and found my vehicle parked at Orlando International Airport. Upon approaching the car, I anticipated being able to unlock the trunk, load my luggage, enter the vehicle, and drive home. However, once again, the vehicle was unresponsive. Accessing the car required removing the cap from the door handle and manually inserting the key, a process that took approximately ten minutes, which was particularly inconvenient and concerning in an airport parking lot. This situation was even more challenging considering I am a [XXX] woman of smaller stature attempting to resolve this issue alone at night. I believe this poses a serious safety concern for all owners under similar circumstances. Following the incident last Fall, I brought my Sonata Hybrid to Key Hyundai in Jacksonville. I was informed that this is a known issue for which there is a recall; however, my vehicle model year is not included in the affected range. It was suggested that I would need to manage this problem independently. I believe this recurring issue represents a known vulnerability that could potentially expose Hyundai and its dealerships to liability should an owner suffer harm while addressing this malfunction. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11724526March 16, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I purchased the car new and three times since then, the latest last week, the automatic brakes kicked in briefly for no apparent reason. I feel that if a vehicle would have been directly behind me this could very well have caused an accident. Each time it happened it was during daylight and fair weather although I can't remember if the sun was shinning. After the second time it happened I reported it to the dealer and they said they had no recalls on it and no explanation but if it happened again I should record all circumstances to investigate the cause. A couple years went by and it didn't happen again until last week. Now the warranty has expired on my car. No one has inspected my car; It has driven fine except for when the automatic braking problem occurs. There were no warning or indicator lights that I noticed at the time.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11724237March 13, 2026
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
Reported this previously, but more information was gathered, thanks to collision mechanic who guessed immediately when he heard 2023 hybrid Sonata - he said "they're notorious for it." Was at a stand still in a parking space/lot I know well. Cautious driver, watch my speed, very aware of other drivers, quick reaction time. Incident mid day, no pedestrians, distractions, no moving traffic. Vehicle doors shut, seat belt on. Not on incline. Pulled into parking spot I use weekly, spot has parking curb. Was at a full stop. Realized I had not pulled into the spot quite far enough, and attempted to inch vehicle forward. (Do not recall any warning lights, but this car usually alerts at literally anything - even shadows.) Very lightly applied gas to inch forward, slowly. Felt slight "scrape" of undercarriage on the parking curb. Put car in reverse, lightly applied gas to inch back. Car did not rev, no screeching tires, it was at a standstill previously. Was in Eco mode. All seemed normal, until vehicle suddenly launched UP the parking curb, full force, and into a building pillar directly ahead. The car never moves with that much force, I'm not a pedal-to-the metal driver. Eco mode on. No airbag deployment, injuries, etc. Sheriff took report for the building, simple incident. I couldn't make sense of it. I know how overly cautious I am while parking, what I do, and don't do. Took responsibility, but was still analyzing a week later, and explained what I remembered to the mechanic. He guessed right away. Said Sonatas were notorious for it. He said they're known for randomly applying the ebrake unexpectedly - and also randomly releasing the ebrake - and aggressively (and silently) switching from electric to gas when met with resistance, aka the parking curb. Insurance totalled the car. 2.5 years old, 17k miles. This was my 3rd Hyundai in 20 years, others were great. Discovered 40,000 Elantra hybrids, same year as my Sonata, were recalled due to "unintended acceleration."
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11722956March 9, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The Full stereo system with cameras and most sensors and the car is currently at the dealership as 03/09 @11:00 am and I took It to them as well so that they can repair the other pending recall I have at the moment and they stated that It was a " point to point check recall " and that they would change it whether it would need to be or not and I raised concerns about another possible recall on the car and if they could check it out which is my stereo system they tried to charge me almost $200 and " the symptoms or warnings " was that sometimes it would happen but Instead of It going out completely I was able to troubleshoot it by pressing on the little button under the volume button
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11722271March 5, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who determined that the failure was associated with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V796000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11722063March 4, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, STRUCTURE:BODY
Recall 286 my vehicle suffered from this causing heat module failure misfire in cylinder 2 and high pressure in gas tank. Sports Hyundai had previously done a 180 day repair under recall 9b1 for an expanded gas tank after the repair the car suffered from the updated recall 286 . I brang to the dealership 4 times with check engine and misfires and limp mode between 57k and 68k they refused to fix the car under recall 286 and cleared all the codes and continued to make me leave in a unsafe car. On February 14th it sport Hyundais negligence was the direct cause of an auto accident were the car was unable to move out the way because of lack of power /limp mode. I begged them in the final days of me having the car to fix it and saying I didn’t feel safe and they wouldn’t without an extensive amount of money I could not provide . I’m currently filing a claim with Hyundai consumer affairs and the dca in Newark and also my senators office and I have a lawyer also who might help I wish to report this to the NHTSA.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11721888March 4, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Hello everyone. Since I purchased the vehicle new, the HVAC controls have never functioned properly. The A/C engages with the button off; this issue is only temporary solved by turning the button on and off again. The mode defaults to face and feet; this issue is only temporary solved by cycling through the modes until you reach your desired mode. Besides this being a very annoying problem, I found this to be dangerous for me because I like cool air blowing to my face, and I rarely catch this issue on time. Instead of cool air blowing to my face only as it's selected in my car, cool air is being blown to my face and feet instead. My feet get numb and my foot movements are slow when theyre too cold, and it takes a long time to warm back up. I usually pull over for a few minutes to warm my feet up to get back on the road, sometimes I'll get out of my car and walk back and forth to get the blood flow going. The dealership has inspected my vehicle twice to get it fixed under warranty, but so far their repairs have not solved the problem. In my opinion it is most likely a software bug that could be caused by a faulty module or program code, or something in the canbus system. I am almost certain that it is not a mechanical failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11721861March 3, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
P0471 code before 55k miles even after repair is made
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11721841March 3, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle WITHOUT WARNING will start to jerk then go into “limp” mode. Pressing on gas pedal makes the revving noise but with not physical movement made. This has happened on MULTIPLE occasions (13 times in 4 months) including in the snow and on the interstate while driving at 70mph where no shoulder is available to pull over. Car was taken to dealership 3 different times with no actual diagnosis, tests were ran all 3 times with nothing. Eventually the 3rd time at the dealership I was told the transmission was being replaced although they were not sure what actually caused the issue (this is written in the service report by the rep/mechanic). CAR REMAINS UNSAFE AND UNRELIABLE. Livelihood of myself, family and other drivers is at risk EVERYTIME I put the car in drive due to this mechanical issue. NO WARNINGS NO POWER NO FIX.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11721548March 2, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road. The contact stated that the fuel level indicated empty, and the low fuel warning light was illuminated. The passenger seated in the rear seat noticed that the rear seat was out of place and that the seat was very hot. The vehicle was refueled prior to the failure. The contact and the other occupants in the vehicle exited the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact was informed that the failure was like the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V796000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact was unaware of the open recall because a recall notification was not received. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11721199February 28, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Driving home and heard what sounded like a gun shot. Upon arriving home we found the moonroof glass had exploded/shattered. Took pictures/video to document. Found online that there have been reports of similar instances happening dating back to 2011 and newer vehicles. Have called dealership to see what next steps are to have repaired as a warranty issue but service department is closed until Monday morning 7am.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11721116February 28, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I am filing this complaint regarding Recall 25V-796 (Hyundai Recall 286). On November 27th, while driving, my vehicle made a loud popping noise twice and then began sounding muffled. About a week later, while on a long-distance drive, I attempted to refuel and the gas would not go into the tank. At another gas station I was able to fuel it, but afterward the vehicle began rapidly leaking fuel while I was driving. The fuel gauge was also malfunctioning. It showed 53 miles remaining and then suddenly jumped to 200 miles. It was not accurately reflecting the fuel level. When I stopped again for gas, the same muffled noise occurred and the fuel level rapidly dropped again. Due to safety concerns, I took the vehicle directly to the dealership.I dropped the vehicle off on December 6th and it has remained at the dealership ever since. The vehicle is currently sitting in their lot with no remedy available. I am still making monthly payments on a vehicle I cannot use. Although Hyundai provided a rental vehicle, it has now been over three months of inconvenience, including having to exchange rental vehicles for service. This has caused disruption to my daily life and financial strain. Hyundai has offered to pay off my loan and provide 8% toward the purchase of another vehicle. However, I am a single mother who is currently rebuilding financially after losing my job in prior years, and my credit score has been affected. I do not believe I should be pressured into purchasing another vehicle due to an unresolved manufacturer safety defect. I also attempted to seek guidance regarding Florida Lemon Law, but was informed that I may not qualify because the vehicle was purchased in April 2023 and the issue occurred after the two-year period. However, this is a manufacturer recall involving the fuel system, and I believe it is unfair that I am left financially responsible for a vehicle with a serious safety defect and no available remedy. I am requesting investigation
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11720493February 25, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN
Sudden loss of acceleration. This occurred while making a left turn across traffic from a stop. At approximately 7mph the car would not accelerate any further. I was luckily able to coast the vehicle into a center turn lane. Upon coming to a stop I was unable to get any acceleration. The vehicle was turned off and turned back on again and operated normally. There were no trouble codes displayed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11720359February 25, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after depressing the START/STOP button, the vehicle failed to start immediately. Additionally, there was smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated; however, an undisclosed message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who replaced the fuel injector; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V796000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11720224February 24, 2026
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Sonata. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V796000 (FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11719681February 22, 2026
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
On i believe 1/14/26, my check engine light came on. Scheduled appt.for 1/16/26 for diagnostic. Several things were wrong. I decided to come back due to not having the money at the time. Over the wked, I remembered a recall notice i received around November that I asked about in November during my oil change & was told the parts aren't in & they'd give me a call. Upon viewing the recall it seemed some things I was told on 1/16/26 could be a result of the recall. I called my service person Linda on 1/20/26, she spoke to her supervisor & they informed me some of the issues seem to stem from the recall. Linda gave me the manufacturer recall contact information. I contacted them on 1/20/26. She explained there was indeed a recall, there wasn't a remedy yet, it was safe to drive & if something changes, to call back. On 1/28/26 around 5:30am I left home for work & my car all of a sudden experienced a loss of power. It wouldn't go past 30mph. I returned back home & called out of work. I called the manufacturer recall & informed them. She made an appt. to take my car in the follow day, 1/29/26. I decided to drop it off that same day, 1/28/26. I had someone follow me being i could only go 30mph on a flat road & 10mph on a slight hill. I found out my service person Linda was no longer employeed there. I spoke with another employee. He said they would have to do another diagnostic. I left my car. I called the dealership on 1/29/26 for an update, they had not looked at my car. I called the manufacturer recall, they assigned a case manger to my case. Jay from the NCA, called me on 1/30/26 I believe. We've communicated several times without me receiving a adequate update. He's saying the issue seems to be steamed from the recall, there is now remedy yet, & they are still investigating. I've been without a car since 1/28/26, still making payments, missing work, haven't been offered a loaner & have no idea when or if I will get my car back.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11719316February 20, 2026
ENGINE, VISIBILITY/WIPER
The EHRS coolant system failed and had a leak causing the coolant to be excessively burned off as thick white smoke. This caused me to not be able to see anything behind me and forced others to stop or slow down dramatically to avoid colliding with me. I had my engine overheat and force me to pull over on the side of an unsafe road because the exhaust system burned off my entire tank of coolant in less than a mile. I have taken this to a Hyundai dealership and they confirmed it was the EHRS system failure and told me it was a fairly known issue with the 2020-2023 Sonata Hybrids. I was told that even if I get it replaced the possibility of having it happen again are pretty high. This seems extremely unsafe to myself and others.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718993February 19, 2026
POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS
Car was parked, full stop, doors shut, seatbelt on. Foot on brake. Car then seemed to lurch forward by itself forward hitting parking cement block. Put in reverse to back away and car stayed still...then I tapped the gas again to back up and insted vehicle plowed forward.instead.of reverse ...went over the parking block and hit concrete beam in front, when the car should have backed up in reverse. I'm a person who drives speeed limits, and ulta careful when i drive, and parked at this place/spot for years. This has never happened not sure why it did. No injuries or other people involved thank god, but scared the heck out of me. Wracking my brain, my recalls and software and service appts are up ro date.Nothing out of ordinary that day. I'm confused and shaken, why the first lurch forward and why did going in reverse move it forward? ugh. It drove home fine. Commute to work daily for years, no issues. All I can guess is gear didn't click to reverse and was somehow in drive? Ive been going over the possibilities in my head for human error but they dont make sense - again I've been driving for 40 years. If it happens to other models, would love to know! Car will go to repair tomorrow as "my fault" via insurance, hoping they can see more if any error codes, to at least say if Reverse didn't engage or something else happened. May have been human error but it's so out of the ordinary for me. Thanks!
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

← Back to Hyundai Sonata