Hyundai Sonata Complaints

17,026 consumer complaints on file.

#11695169October 23, 2025
ENGINE
My engine seized on the highway on my way home from work. The service department has been horrid. They lied about who the manager is. They lied about the reason behind not wanting to honor the recall. They are rude - threatened to tow my car today after I waited 6 days to hear back from them about the issue with my car and determination. Was extremely rude. Stated that they were not honoring the recall because there was obvious signs of my engine being tampered with or certain parts on my engine, but could not provide a name of the part or a serial or model number so that this could be verified. I need this addressed immediately.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11695234October 23, 2025
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
In summer of 2023 my car 2011 Sonata Hybrid quit running and would not start. My granddaughter had used the car to go to Oklahoma City for a tennis tournament. Her life was at risk because she was coming back in the evening and was alone. The next day I had the car towed to Ada Oklahoma and then called dealership and had it towed to Ardmore, Oklahoma where I had purchased the car new in 2011. The car was at the dealership for 6 months. The vehicle was inspected at the dealership. There were no warning lights or symptoms of the failure prior to the breakdown. I am an 80 year old female that knows nothing about a car engine and they talked to me like I was a mechanic. I still do not know why my claim was denied but was told that I did not have a claim. I had to rent a car to get to work for several months and was out the money to have my car towed 2 times. Not to mention the strain of being without my car for 6-7 months. I finally just gave up until I read about all these other people having trouble with Hyundai also.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11695328October 23, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Initially vehicle battery is drained after three days of sitting in driveway and not being used. Vehicle has been taken in to dealership in July 2025 and found the 12v integrated battery was faulty and was replaced after being on backorder for three weeks. After battery was replaced the vehicle battery is drained after five days of sitting in driveway and not being used. No lights are left on, no aftermarket accessories are plugged in or attached to the electrical system. This has been an ongoing issue and the dealership I initially worked with has now had my car 3 different times and over four weeks and have stopped returning my phone calls. I have just sent my car do a different dealership and have been told it may take up to 2 months to diagnose the issue. I cannot open the door or start the car without using the emergency key, when I gain access to the car the 12v battery reset button rarely works to power the vehicle again. This is something that the dealerships are aware of, but have no idea what the actual problem is. Please for the love of God help.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694671October 21, 2025
ENGINE
Problem with the valve cover gasket. Dealer said replaced. Engine oil smell has been entering into the cabin and making me ill. Causing chest pain, headache, dizziness, nausea.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694680October 21, 2025
ENGINE, EXTERIOR LIGHTING
I bought this car from someone in April of 2024 and the person who i bought it from said everything was perfectly fine, they brought it to the Hyundai dealership and according to the mechanic there the engine was fine….i have taken care of the engine since i bought the car, kept up with oil changes and everything….until a few days ago when the whole thing ceased up on me while driving down the road to my sons school. I wasnt going fast either, the speed limit is 40mph where i was when it happened, but I’m glad i have quick reflexes because otherwise we would have wrecked the car. Everything shut off on me and now its knocking. There is alot of metal shavings in my oil and my mechanic tried to drain it a few times to get the debris out of the oil but it does no good.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694795October 21, 2025
ENGINE
My car has been with Priority Hyundai in Chesapeake Va since September 23rd. They have advised me that I will definitely need a new engine however, Hyundai is requiring them to do 2750.00 worth of work on my engine before they can submit a claim to have my engine replaced. They explained to me that one of the piston rings in my engine needs to be replaced. The service technician reassured me “the failure was nothing that I could have caused”. I have gotten my oil change regularly, and I have paperwork that shows that. The car is five years old. I’ve only had the car for 3 years and I’m the first owner. I have never driven my car long distance. I work from home. The most I do is take my boys to and from school which is at the most 5.1 miles away from my home. The dealer recommended that I call Hyundai my self and start a case. Which I did. Two days later Hyundai Canada called to tell me their decision is final and my case was denied because the warrant is 5 years/60,000 miles I told them the car was over the 60,000 mileages when I bought it and I’m still well within the 5-yr mark. She then says, basically that the piston failure is not included in the extended warranty. However the class action suit states differently. The dealership advised me that their system shows a 99 yr warranty on the engine, which they took that to mean lifetime. They priced me a new engine at 7111.00 in addition to the 2750.00 of engine work they told me I must get done before hyundai would approve me for a new engine. I have been in contact with the lawyers handling the Hyundai/Kia 2.0L and 2.4L Theta II GDI Engine Class Actions. They have added me to the data base and provided me some direction. which have led me to you, the NHTSA.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694876October 21, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
No incident to report. Vehicle not regularly driven in about 5 years, other than to keep battery charged. But charge not hold. Have to charge battery again the next day. This is to reporting a crack in the passenger side dashboard where airbag is located.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694887October 21, 2025
ENGINE
Sir this is not first time to make complaint I brought my car to Hyundai company after I got an appointment and they called text emailed me and the know my car information on 10/1/2025 I brought my car but they mentioned wrong VIN NUMBER and after that I came back on 10/8/2025 but when I got there to finish my recall 953 they said your car rebuild title and now my car engine I think out I don’t know but they changed the engine before and i bought the car three months ago and now I can not drive it please help me with that the car just stopped when I was driving and 124369 miles and how the rebuild car not affected by recall
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11694891October 21, 2025
ENGINE
Engine is burning oil at an excessive rate. Burning a liter every 1,000 miles and Hyundai refuses to do anything about it.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694723October 21, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Car sits several days at a time. Door locked. 12 volt auxiliary battery goes dead within 60 minutes after driving 60 miles. Happened 6 times in last 6 weeks. Battery is lithium. Dealer looked at car Sept 8. They did cursory check and said my rodent deterrent caused issue. After driving 60 miles. Turned rodent deterrent off. Still have issue. Car resets the 12 volt battery nearly daily. Lithium battery if bad can blow up and cause vehicle fire. Car is parked in car port next to house. If fire, it burns up my house also. This is fire hazard. If the battery is bad, it must be fixed. Car under 10 year 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty. I need car fixed. NOT just looked at. This is fire hazard till it is fixed,
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694560October 20, 2025
ENGINE
Engine consumes oil, more than 1 quart a week. started misfiring on a trip and dealer stated that engine needs to be replaced since valve was burnt. have 116k miles on car and have been diligent in maintenance.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694575October 20, 2025
ENGINE
Knock sensor has gone bad
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694619October 20, 2025
ENGINE
I bought the car on [XXX] used and it’s has 165000 miles drove fine for the 30 miles as I was driving At 65miles car losing power and slightly noise out the engine getting louder as I was to push the gas pedal and the engine light started flashing suddenly car has shut down as I was rolling on the road and I lost the power of breaking luckily I was going uphill on [XXX] and I parked on the side of the road. I call the Hyundai dealership of 3810 W Hillsborough Ave, Tampa, FL 33614 and I explained what happened he asked me have the car lost power I said yes, is the check engine light flashing I said yes. and do I hear knock engine I said yes. The dealership check the vin number and said it’s been warranty And we will inspect if that’s the problem we will be no charge to you with the repairs if something else we will charge you $175. I haven’t hear back i text to see the status and he told me the did test on the car and failed the test because of the issues on the engine I said okay you going to replace it he said we need to inspect inside the engine and take a photo to send over and to proof of the damage if not proof I will be responsible for the inspection time charge of $375 and I ask me of the I want to door that way which I have no choice until the dealership send over and get the proof to see the photo. Now im waiting the answer tomorrow 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
#11694048October 17, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle shut off unexpectedly and failed to restart. The engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who determined that the failure was caused by the starter. The mechanic informed the contact about an engine recall. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the contact was informed that the vehicle was working as designed. The starter was replaced. While leaving the dealer lot, the vehicle shut off. The dealer informed the contact that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, who informed about a monetary compensation, a starter, or a repurchase of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 198,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694092October 17, 2025
AIR BAGS, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
This is the 2nd Hyundai I've owned, same year make and model. The first one was totaled due to the air bag deployment. The accident did not warrant the air bag deploying. I should have reported it at the time. I didn't realize that I could and now it's too late. The claim has already been submitted. Now, we have the same exact car and a crack has appeared on the passenger dash. My concern is the airbag. The crack just appeared from nowhere. I do not feel that we should have to pay for a replacement dash. Is this something that can be repaired by Hyundai, as it poses a risk to my 18 year old student driver. My number is [XXX] , [XXX] 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
#11694186October 17, 2025
AIR BAGS
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with a failed air bag clock spring. The contact was informed that the driver's air bag clock spring needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to the dealer; however, the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under recall. The contact had received an unknown recall notification previously for the air bag. The contact was informed that he was nine days late for the coverage of the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under repair. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11694028October 17, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
While driving at highway speed, my vehicle suddenly lost power due to fuel injector failure and could not be restarted, creating a serious safety risk for myself and others in high-speed traffic. This is the second vehicle of the same year and model that I’ve owned to experience the exact same injector failure. In the first case, one injector was replaced under a Hyundai service bulletin before I sold the vehicle. This second occurrence confirms that the issue is not isolated and should be escalated to a formal safety recall. The most recent failure was diagnosed and repaired by Hyundai, confirming the problem (this time replacing all injectors). The vehicle has not been inspected by police, insurance, or other outside representatives. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to the failure—it occurred without any warning, significantly increasing the risk of a crash
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11693813October 16, 2025
ENGINE
Driving at 70 mph on the highway, the engine seized without warning. The car violently shuddered and rapidly decelerated in the travel lane. A fully-loaded semi-truck was directly behind me and had to swerve violently and brake hard to avoid crushing my vehicle. This created an immediate, life-threatening risk of a catastrophic, high-speed rear-end collision. The failure is with the internal engine assembly (likely connecting rod bearings) and is available for inspection. The dealer confirmed the engine failure but denied the repair. This is a known defect. The "Engine Oil Pressure" warning light flashed and a loud engine knocking began moments before the total power loss. This is a dangerous defect that causes sudden, unpredictable stalling at highway speeds.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11693887October 16, 2025
POWER TRAIN
See attached document for complaint.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11693942October 16, 2025
ENGINE
Engine malfunction putting my safety at risk. This is a known issue under Hyundai’s active campaign, and the issue was verified by the manufacturer. A PA was required and Hyundai is refusing to repair vehicle due to service records prior to my ownership not being available. This issue was identified on 9/4/2025.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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