Hyundai Sonata Complaints (2016)
888 consumer complaints on file.
- #11493323November 13, 2022ENGINE
*On 10/9/22 I was traveling approximately 60 miles an hour on Hwy 25 in Hollister when I experienced Engine Failure in my 2016 Hyundai Sonata Sport 2.4 liter. Engine available for inspection. *This was the 2nd time the engine light has turned on and resulted in vehicle stalling while driving on the highway. Fortunately, there was no accident. *Hyundai Dealer, Hyundai Corporate, or independent service center have not reproduced or confirmed the problem. There is an extended warranty covering the rod bearing and associated parts, that was neither inspected nor granted by Hyundai. I also reported excessive oil consumption to Hyundai and was put through an "Oil Consumption test" at 120677 miles and was denied repair/replacement, even though the engine was burning more than a quart every 1000miles. This increased to me adding a quart every 500 miles and eventually the engine failed at 161147 miles. The vehicle is an independent mechanic awaiting an engine replacement. *The engine has not been inspected by manufacturer, police, insurance representative or any other entity for the mechanism of engine failure. It is confirmed loss of compression and blown pistons/piston rings. Hyundai dealer did not conduct rod bearing test. *Engine light turned on and engine stalled. It was then towed to Hyundai Dealer. There is an extended lifetime warranty on the rod bearings in the engine, which was not inspected by Hyundai prior denial of engine repair/replacement under extended warranty. Excessive oil consumption problem was also an ongoing problem which Hyundai refused to resolve. In my opinion the engine failure is due to either excessive oil consumption, or the rod bearing failure. Hyundai is not taking responsibility and resolving these ongoing problems with the GDI Theta engines.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11492764November 8, 2022ENGINE
The vehicle has had mechanical problems since I purchased it. I have submitted a complaint with the dealership who sold it to me and at their recommendation I am moving it up the ladder. The engine had the knock sensor go bad and also failed the bearing test. As I was driving the check engine light, oil light, and battery light came on and the vehicle lost all power. I was going 60 miles an hour and was barely able to safely get it on the side of the road. It had to be towed to the dealership I bought it from, who determined it had no oil in the reservoir and had burned through it in less than 2000 miles. There was no warning lights. I have had mechanical issues since purchasing the vehicle and they failed to correctly diagnose it. It had an oil consumption test that it barely passed months before the engine needed to be replaced. I travel extensively for work and the vehicle malfunctions put me at risk. It has broken down several times and took months to diagnose the issue.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11492553November 7, 2022POWER TRAIN, ENGINE
The engine light has come on and I have done extensive repairs on my vehicle since January 2022. No warning signs showed prior as I have kept up with maintenance on the car since the 60,000 mile marker. The valve gasket cover was replaced as the engine was smoking due to an oil leak. A pipe was repaired due to the leak. The engine camshaft position sensor was replaced. There is still issues with the engine after replacing the CVVT cover and plugs. The spark plugs have been replaced. If my car stalls or blows on the highway, this can cause a major accident putting myself and others at risk. I have done multiple tests with Hyundai dealerships and Firestone and AutoZone and no one can tell me what the ultimate issue is with the Sonata.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11492529November 6, 2022POWER TRAIN
Car shut off on me twice as i driving. Once along time ago but again just October 18th while I was driving on the highway I know hyndai has a class action lawsuit against them but the fact it shut off on me twice and the first time the issue accrued I took it to Fairfax Hyundai and they weren’t phased at all and didn’t even bother to check/diagnose my car because I didn’t have a check engine light illumination at the time of incident ;because they were backed up with cars but a huge safety concern, and they just simply let me leave the shop and didn’t advise me to be safe/careful. I want to bring this to your attention because I have no voice and if anything could be taken from this is that I could’ve crashed and caused an accident the first time this ever happened because I was in the city bumper to bumper when it shut off on me and it’s would’ve been my fault and my issues to deal with. Also this car is very unreliable i don’t know what star rating you guys have gave this car but it needs to be a -0. I got it when it was at 89,000 from a private dealer but the car just went downhill since I got it then I have been nothing but Patient with the car along with keeping up with maintenance & recalls, but after 4-5 months I’ve already changed the transmission out of pocket @ around 100k miles , cv axle later on along with , right side whole knee suspension, engine packs and spark plugs TWICE, front break calipers, and now they’re changing the engine block warranted out through Hyundai after the car stalled out on me again the second time on oct 18th with an check engine light where the car is now getting warranty worked. I just hope you advocate and push demand on hyndai that they’re screwing consumers like me that have to deal with the pain & agony we have to go through these dealerships who try to charge us an arm and a leg.please do something about this dangerous situation and hold them accountable especially the private dealerships associated with hyndai please.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11491813November 1, 2022STEERING, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Electronic Power Steering (EPS) Failure.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11491242October 27, 2022ENGINE
While driving at about 45MPH, the car lost and acceleration was limited as the car wouldn’t work properly. Engine make a ticking sound when trying to accelerate. At the time of lost power the check engine(flashing), abs and traction control all came on. It almost caused me to get into an accident. The car also indicated to shut off vehicle. The vehicle code read P1326, called dealer and they stated multiple vehicles has been having the same issues and that they are full with no openings. So I’m in the process of getting it to a dealer who has an opening for a better diagnostic. Dealer says it may be rod bearings.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11490776October 25, 2022ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
2016 Hyundai Sonata (not part of any recall) driven short distance on expressway had "check engine light" come on. Pulled off of expressway and checked under hood...No visible issues. Chose to return home via side streets as car was riding rough and having problems with acceleration at that point. Short while later, heard loud noise and saw smoke coming from under hood. Pulled to the side of the road and exited car. Was told by bystander that car was on fire. Called Fire Dept, by the time of their arrival, entire front end ablaze, tires and body melted. Thankfully, fire extinguished before any explosion or damage to neighbor's property occurred. Vehicle was a total loss.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- Yes
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11490623October 24, 2022UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Still having intermittent turn signal problems after the dealership worked on turn signal recall. Sometimes no signal or signal stays on after turning, even after flipping the turn signal switch off. Sometimes there is a delay (up to 10 seconds) before turn signal lights on. Just trying to signal a lane change is dangerous because I never know if the turn signals will work properly.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11490124October 20, 2022ENGINE, HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH or faster in Hybrid Mode, the vehicle stalled. The HEV error warning light was displayed on the instrument panel. The check engine warning light was also illuminated. The contact turned off the vehicle and disengaged the HEV Mode for the vehicle to restart and function as intended. The failure occurred three times. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer however, the mechanics were unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The approximate failure mileage was 66,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11489368October 15, 2022STRUCTURE:BODY
Paint is peeling off car in several places, causing rust. Paint peeled in sheets from roof of car and hood. Paint is peeling off of side panels as well. Currently a class action lawsuit against Kia/Hyundai regarding improper curing of white pearl paint on models from 2014 to present. Dealership admitted to issue being replicated among same make/models of that color. No warnings were issued, however, company has settled several occasions by paying for repaint, thus admitting there is an extreme issue with improper curing of the paint.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11488503October 8, 2022ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
My vehicle lost power exiting the freeway. I went from 70 miles an hour to 10 miles per hour in a matter of seconds. The Check Hybrid system, Turn off engine HEV ! triangle showed up on the dash, then the car slowed to a halt. I had to get my vehicle towed home, then towed to the dealer the next day. The problem with this is, for the past year, the Check Hybrid System HEV light would come on. I took it to the World Car Hyundai North dealership in Live Oak, Texas and a few months later, it's doing the same thing. My vehicle was in the shop at World Car Hyundai from March 24, 2022 until 9/9/2022. I drove my vehicle one week, went out of the country for 2 weeks and upon return, coming from the airport almost home, the car does the same thing. You would think after having my vehicle for 6 months, the problem would be fixed. I started bringing my car in for this problem September of 2021. I was told, I needed an oil change, a new battery, ne plugs, codes checked, etc. None of this seemed to fix my vehicle, because a few weeks later, the car would slow to an almost stop and I would have it towed to the dealership again. There has been several mechanics working on my vehicle and they've all said something differently. My vehicle was never written up for the correct problem until recently, when the manager was able to drive my vehicle and it stopped on him. I don't feel safe driving this vehicle anymore. I have taken this car to the dealer ship for the same problem, actually once in 2018 and every other month since 2021. I've been inconvenienced, , put on hold, far to long, I need a new vehicle and I need a loaner car, while my they're trying to figure out what to do. I've been told I needed a new engine twice, but all of a sudden, it passes the engine test and there is something else that the dealership is trying to do to fix the problem. Well, since I've been taking my car back and forth to the dealership, it is now out of warranty. The car remains unsafe to drive .
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11487933October 5, 2022ENGINE
For the past several months I have been experiencing extreme oil consumption. I drive my Hyundai Sonata 2016 an average of 120 miles per week and I am required to put in at least one quart of oil each week. This is not normal and there is a serious internal problem with my engine. I am not leaking any oil whatsoever, therefore, the engine is burning oil . The Planet Hyundai dealership in Golden, CO has told me that they have many cars with the same problem waiting to get their engines replaced under warranty. Planet Hyundai has told me there is nothing more to be done and I need a new engine and to contact Hyundai Headquarters, which I have. I have an extended warranty I purchased when I bought the car and it goes for $100,000 miles or July 2, 2023. My extended warranty has referred me to another Hyundai dealership in the Denver area and they are telling me I need to do a combustion cleaning for approximately $1000. Then I have to wait till I drive another 1000 miles and then they will let me know how my engine is doing? If one Hyundai dealership says there is nothing more they can do why would another Hyundai dealership (MacDonald . Please help and thank you so much for your time.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11487964October 5, 2022ENGINE
Vehicle has excessive oil consumption. Has been an issue for some time now. Same engine is under recall for the rods/valves malfunction. vehicle has had regular maintenance done. there is no aftermarket work done to the engine. Vehicle has been to the dealer for this issue 3 separate times now and the issue is progressively getting worse.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11487420October 1, 2022ENGINE
The engine failed. PIAZZA HYUNDAI in West Chester,Pa confirmed that the engine bearing in my THETA 2 ENGINE failed however HYUNDAI refused to honor their Expressed warranty of 10 year 100,000 mile. This engine is part f the Whistleblower's case which was reported to NHTSA however HYUNDAI refused to replace the engine even though they know they have a major problem with the design and manufacturing of their engine. We have been without our car since March of 2022. We want HYUNDAI to honor their warranty and compensate use for our loss of use of our vehicle during the last 6 months. HYUNDAI knew and knows they have a problem however they have failed to live up to their responsibility. Please contact me as soon as possible via phone and in writing. My cell # is [XXX]. My home # is [XXX]. My mailing address is [XXX]. I have additional documentation on this matter which I will provide to you once you contact m since I'm reporting this on my cell phone. 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
- #11487211September 30, 2022SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
Had previous issue with HEV warning light and took to dealer. But While driving down the road last night, the HEV light on the dash comes on and beeps, the car sputters then the brakes slam on and the car immediately shut off in the travel lane. Turn car back on put into drive and same thing happens. Vehicle was towed to Dealer.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11487142September 29, 2022ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for routine maintenance and the contact was informed that there was a leak in the scored piston cylinder walls and that the part needed to be replaced. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11485880September 22, 2022VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 MPH and approaching a traffic light, the accelerator pedal was released, the vehicle sped up, the brake pedal was depressed, and the vehicle stopped. The contact stated the failure occurred after the vehicle was taken to the dealer for a software recall update. The contact stated that no warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken back to the dealer where another update was completed. The contact stated that 4 days later the failure recurred as the accelerated pedal was released, the vehicle accelerated however when she attempted to depress the brake pedal and the vehicle sped up. The contact stated that she rear-ended another vehicle and stated that the driver-side air bag was deployed. The contact stated that medical attention was required for being hit in the chest by the air bag. The contact stated she was unaware if the occupants of the other vehicles needed medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however a failure cause was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure however, no assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 20,000.
- Crash:
- Yes
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 1
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11484867September 16, 2022AIR BAGS, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SUSPENSION
Head lights. Not working. It's not the bulb or fuse. This is a safety issue. It looks like it's an issue with most make, model and year. My family's safety was put a risk drive when the lights when out. No to Q 3 No to Q 4 No warning intel i could see the road anymore then warning lights came. For the suspension the tire shop says there's an issue with suspension due to manufact Airbag Sensor warning light. Right side window doesn't go down also. If you get your hand in the window it doesn't go back down for safety
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11483636September 9, 2022ENGINE
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. Additionally, the contact stated that he noticed white smoke coming from the exhaust. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The mechanic stated that the vehicle experienced excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the failure was due to the lack of proper maintenance. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0
- #11483454September 8, 2022EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Recently purchased vehicle. Did not test drive at night or we never would have purchased. While driving at night, the low beams cast a black, unlit area in front of the vehicle. It's so bad that anyone crossing the street in front of vehicle would not be seen. It is incredibly dangerous, yet the dealer says the lights are set to manufacturers specifications. This is a serious safety issue. It has already caused us quite a few close calls with people and items in the roadway. Please help, as we cannot afford to trade it in, and although the dealer admits its a serious safety problem, there's nothing they can do.
- Crash:
- No
- Fire:
- No
- Injuries:
- 0
- Deaths:
- 0