Hyundai Sonata Complaints

17,026 consumer complaints on file.

#11757665August 18, 2026
ENGINE
The oil is low, went to get looked at by another mechanic besides Dealer cause they want to hit you over the head with prices. Was told car burning oil. Took to dealer for Oil Consumption Test. Had to pay for oil change. Came back a little before 1,000 miles and car failed. They charging me 900.00 for next step because I can’t find ALL the oil changes. I just don’t get it, if this is a known issue with this model engine why do I have to pay.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757692August 18, 2026
ENGINE
The vehicle suffered an internal connecting rod bearing failure, a known manufacturing defect affecting the Theta II GDI engine. The failure was explicitly diagnosed via the manufacturer - specific OBD-II fault code p1326 Knock Sensor Detector System. This defect causes sudden engine stalling poses an immediate risk of catastrophic engine failure or fire while driving. Hyundai Motor America has denied financial reimbursement for the required engine repair because the work was completed by an independent shop and third-party arbitration deadline (BBB Auto Line) communicated to me. The manufacturer is actively refusing to remedy an acknowledged safety defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757693August 18, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
The contact owns a 2019 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced severe overheating and excessive oil consumption. The contact also stated that there was a misfire in the engine even though the spark plugs and ignition coils were replaced. Due to the failure, the vehicle could not be driven with the air conditioning activated. Additionally, the engine was knocking and shaking abnormally, causing an oil leak and a smoke odor due to the oil burning. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where an engine replacement was recommended. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757743August 18, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The AC/heating blower motor circuit on my 2020 Hyundai Sonata failed intermittently due to extreme electrical resistance overheating and melting the terminal pins inside the engine fuse box. I took it to the dealership and they inspected it said it was out of warranty but it needed part number 18980-09910-FFF and wiring kit 91300L1000-FF to repair at a cost of 780.00 including parts, tax, and labor. This matches the severe design defect acknowledged in Hyundai TSB #25-EE-002H or alternative TSB-24-EEOO-1H. I filed case number 43138757 with Hyundai corporate. For now this just affects my air conditioning. However, the root failure is a known design defect that presents a severe vehicle fire hazard and potential loss of windshield defrosting capability, lights, etc. if the whole electrical system should fail. As you should know the engine bay fuse box (which currently has melted parts) is the "brain" for the car's electrical distribution. It doesn't just power my AC fan; it holds the fuses and relays for the cars fuel pump, engine control module (ECM), headlights, and electronic power steering. If left unfixed and over time as the plastic melts, copper wires will cross and touch each other, causing a massive short circuit. My engine could suddenly cut out and stall while I am traveling at 70 mph on the highway, instantly killing my power steering and power brakes and putting me in extreme danger. Again not to mention the fire hazard this situation is likely to cause. This should be addressed via a mandatory safety recall, so that I don’t have to pay for a known engineering design defect and in case the TBS bulletin fails or further unknown damage has already occurred.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757588August 18, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY
Driving on road and hear grinding. Pull off and check underbody and see undercover dragging the pavement. Going speed limit prior to hearing noise of grinding undercover and no impacts or damage occurred to bumper or undercover prior to ripping and dragging the ground
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757370August 17, 2026
POWER TRAIN
The contact owns a 2025 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while the accelerator was depressed, the vehicle hesitated, jerked, and failed to accelerate as intended. The failure occurred while driving from a stop and while driving at various speeds, causing the vehicle to decelerate during the failure. While depressing the brake pedal, there was a rubbing or grinding coming from the vehicle, and the braking was rough. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757253August 16, 2026
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
I recently had the 9C2 Emissions recall update performed on my car, and since the update my car drives like total garbage after a cold start. It hesitates to accelerate, it bucks when trying to accelerate, and it’s to the point the engine is about to stall. I took it back to the Hyundai dealership and they said they are aware of the issue, but there is no fix from Hyundai at this time. This is a major safety concern, as the car barely wants to accelerate after a cold start. Please have Hyundai fix this safety issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757263August 16, 2026
STRUCTURE:BODY, ENGINE
The paint on all parts of the car is completely coming off down to bare metal. It’s as if the car wasn’t prepped to receive paint. Every Hyundai I pass that’s white the paint is coming off. There is also an internal engine oil leak where I’m losing 4qts of oil a week.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757315August 16, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake lights not working properly.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11757244August 16, 2026
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
I took my vehicle in for the safety recall due to an expanding fuel tank on 08/03/2026. I received my vehicle back on 8/12/2026. Hyundai performed an improper repair on the vehicle that will not correct the fuel tank expansion. They replaced the same check valve that was replaced last time I brought the vehicle in for recall on 11/20/2024 repair order # 107221 at Jones Hyundai of Belair. This valve did not and will not correct the fuel tank expansion issue. The expansion issue is caused by fuel getting past the check valve and entering the purge control system. The correct repair is to replace the fuel tank and the purge control system, as the check valve has already allowed fuel to bypass it and enter the system causing the expansion issue. . Replacing the valve that failed & allowed fuel into the system & caused the tank to expand will not correct the issue caused by the failed valve. My fuel tank has not decompressed. I still have the same problem I brought the vehicle in for because the repair Hyundai advised NHTSA on was NOT performed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11756748August 13, 2026
EXTERIOR LIGHTING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
On the freeway at night when headlights and back lights quit working. Got off freeway and were able to temporarily fix it. A few months later while parked in driveway and not in use for a couple of days, lights came on without our knowledge and drained our battery. Neighbor alerted us to the situation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11756752August 13, 2026
ENGINE
MY ENGINE WAS DECREASING IN SPEED AND SHUTTING OFF IF I BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN ON MAJOR EXRESSWAYS AND LOCAL ROADS. I WAS ADVISE BY MY DEALERSHIP MECHANIC SHOP THAT MY ENGINE HAD A RECALL AND NEED TO HAVE IT TOWED TO A HYUNDAI SERVICE DEALER FOR A REPLACEMENT ENGINE . MY ENGINE LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD HAD A CONSTANT BLINKING LIGHT. MY VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED CAMELBACK HYUNDAI AND A NEW ENGINE WAS REPLACED. THE DEALERSHIP IS HOLDING MY VEHICLE HOSTAGE DEMANDING I PAY 2500.00 FOR REPLACEMENT ENGINE THAT WAS A RECALL. THEY ARE THREATENING TO PLACE AN ABANDONMENT CHARGE AGAINST ME
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11756831August 13, 2026
ENGINE
On January 26, 2026, my 2019 Hyundai Sonata SEL suddenly became inoperable overnight. The vehicle had been operating normally with no warning signs—no check-engine or oil-pressure light, abnormal engine noise, overheating, loss of power, or other indication of an impending failure. The following morning, the engine would not start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic on January 28, 2026, who determined that the engine was locked/seized. On February 11, 2026, it was towed to Wayne Hyundai for further diagnosis. The vehicle had only 51,533 miles and had received Hyundai’s Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) update. Hyundai denied warranty coverage, citing engine sludge, despite my providing a complete service history after resubmiting the missing receipts I had previously misplaced. My primary concern is safety, not the warranty dispute. A sudden engine seizure without warning could cause an unexpected loss of propulsion or create a dangerous situation if the engine fails while the vehicle is being driven. This concerns me because Hyundai Theta II engines have previously been associated with engine seizure and stalling, including issues addressed through The Hyundai Theta II Engine Settlement: and subsequent litigation involving certain 2019 Sonata vehicles. I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate whether a continuing or insufficiently addressed engine defect exists in affected 2019 Hyundai Sonata vehicles, particularly sudden engine seizure/no-start failures occurring without warning. I also ask NHTSA to examine whether existing recalls, campaigns, software updates, warranty extensions, and other remedies adequately protect owners when an engine fails suddenly before the KSDS system provides a warning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11756865August 13, 2026
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
While driving on a backroad at about 9am on a sunday morning I heard a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot from inside the vehicle. When i pulled over to look what happened, the sunroof glass had spontaneously shatttered.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11756636August 13, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The entire dash cluster including the radio display cuts off and back on while driving. The only way I can describe it, is that the car seems to act like it was turned off then back on again. Initial lights when you start the car come on, seatbelt lights, initial startup dash lights, headlight indicator, headlights, radio, drive setting, everything turns off and back on while driving. Lasts for anywhere from 5-15 seconds. this has been going on for over a year now and the dealership has been made aware and have attempted to recreate the incident without success. It doesn't happen with any one way of driving, it happens at random times and so quickly, no photo evidence is able to be obtained. This most recent incident I did have a dashcam installed and it powered off and back on as it does when the vehicle is turned on and off. A different situation that my car has been having that is unable to be recreated is that the windows will lock up and not go down as well as when this happens the doors either remain locked unable to be unlocked or don't lock at all. This has also been reported to the dealership and they held my vehicle for a week attempting to recreate it without success even though I have multiple video evidence of this occurrence. I do not have pictures, but do have videos and it will not let me upload videos.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11756244August 11, 2026
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the malfunction indicator and coolant temperature warning lights illuminated, and the engine overheated and shuddered abnormally. There was smoke and an abnormal ticking sound coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact was able to pull into a parking lot, and the vehicle was turned off. The contact became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by a dealer or an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11756308August 11, 2026
ENGINE
My Sonata 2016 suddenly lit up the Check Engine icon, which was blinking. It is available for inspection request, as it's in the shop right now. Added 2 qts of oil just to be safe. Was hoping the light would go away in the morning. It didn't. The car was sputtering and jerking while I was attempting to get where I was going, so I drove a little slower so it wouldn't stall out, which would have caused someone behind me to crash into me if it stopped suddenly. My mechanic said it was engine failure, possibly due to oil burning. Hyundai Dealer told me there is no recall for this issue, but my mechanic said there had been. I was never notified of such, and when I called them, they said that there was no recall, and she acted like she had never heard of the problem. I find that amazing, since on your website, there are some 717 claims of the same problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11756370August 11, 2026
ENGINE
Excessive oil consumption. I lose 3 qt of oil every 1200 miles. I have had the required maintenance on the car and still having excessive oil consumption.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11755879August 10, 2026
STEERING
Intermittent and sudden loss of power steering nearly caused an accident for both of sons when each one was driving on two separate occasions this past week. "EPS" and traction control warning lights both illuminate on the dash when steering goes out. Sometimes the codes will clear themselves out after restarting the vehicle, but not always. Had it inspected by an independent service center and they cleared out the codes with their scanner. Steering worked fine for a few days afterwards, but then suddenly lost power steering again yesterday. It is very dangerous to drive and it is very unpredictable. I see that there was a recall for this issue for certain manufacture dates for 2011 Hyundai Sonata, but mine was not part of the recall. I believe that it should be part of that recall before someone dies or is injured.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11755968August 10, 2026
AIR BAGS, STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES
My 2013 Hyundai Sonata (VIN [XXX]) suffered a driver's airbag clock spring failure, completely disabling the primary restraint safety system. ABS light was on, the horn and all other electronics on the steering wheel were not functioning. All symptoms indicated in the recall This vehicle is explicitly covered under Hyundai Extended Warranty Campaign TXXA/TXXJ for 15 years/unlimited miles. However, Hyundai's validation systems are actively rejecting my VIN and blocking my federal right to a cost-free safety remedy or repair reimbursement. I replaced clock-spring and mechanic suggested i check into the recall. I attached receipt for repairs 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

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