Hyundai Sonata Complaints (2016)

888 consumer complaints on file.

#11703202December 5, 2025
ENGINE
My 2016 Hyundai Sonata with the DOHC GDI Theta-II engine is experiencing severe engine oil consumption consistent with Hyundai's known TXXI/TXXC extended warranty defect. The oil pressure warning has flashed while driving or braking, the engine runs rough when slowing down, engine has made knocking noises, and there is smoke/vapor with a burnt oil smell when removing the oil cap after driving. The oil level drops rapidly between changes despite proper maintenance. This issue poses a risk of engine failure, stalling, or fire while driving. I have maintained the vehicle on time with all oil change receipts. A Hyundai dealership refused to perform the required warranty diagnostics even though this issue falls under Hyundai's extended warranty for Theta-II engines. This is a serious safety concern, and no corrective action has been taken.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11703280December 5, 2025
ENGINE
My Hyundai is experiencing severe and continuous engine oil consumption that creates a safety risk. The vehicle loses a significant amount of oil within 1,000–1,500 miles, sometimes showing almost no oil on the dipstick despite recent oil changes. There are no external leaks, no burning smell, and no visible oil under the car. The cause remains UNKNOWN, but it appears to be internal engine burning or a manufacturing defect. I have taken the vehicle to the Hyundai dealer multiple times. They performed oil consumption tests but either reported “normal results” or did not provide clear explanations. The issue continues exactly the same. I also contacted Hyundai corporate, but no meaningful assistance or goodwill support was provided. The dealer acknowledges no leaks but still refuses to repair or replace the engine. This problem is dangerous because the oil level drops without warning lights or error codes. If I do not manually check the dipstick, the engine could run dry and seize while driving. Sudden engine failure on highways or in traffic can cause accidents. I now have to frequently top up oil just to keep the engine alive. I have maintained the vehicle properly and completed all requested tests. The cause is still UNKNOWN, but based on similar Hyundai cases, it may involve piston rings, valve seals, or internal engine wear. Many Hyundai owners report the same issue, suggesting a broader defect. The dealer’s only advice is to “keep monitoring oil,” which is not a safe long-term solution. This defect poses a serious safety concern and financial burden. I am filing this complaint so NHTSA can investigate, as the engine may fail unexpectedly, putting me and others at risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701485November 25, 2025
ENGINE
Car has been consuming oil fast since around 75,000 miles. Car is under 100,000 miles and I have been told by an independent shop that it basically has piston ring failure which means engine failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11701050November 23, 2025
ENGINE
The vehicle is going through oil very quicky. No leaks no burning.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700973November 22, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Vehicle experiences intermittent DTC C222908 (Integrated Brake Actuator internal circuit malfunction). Warning lights (Brake, ABS, ESC, Hybrid System) illuminate intermittently, brake pedal feel changes, and regenerative braking fails. Dealer confirmed stored code but refused repair stating "no current issue". This is a known failure in 2015-2019 Hyundai hybrids that can lead to sudden loss of hydraulic brake assist and increased stopping distance. Safety critical defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700487November 20, 2025
ENGINE
This car burned oil like crazy from the start. We kept the oil changed regularly, had to change spark plugs weekly and add a quart or more of oil each week in between oil changes. One day whole stopped at a red light the engine started knocking for no reason. Once diagnosed it turned out that it had spun a rod bearing. These engines need to be recalled before someone ends up in a fatal accident. This car was driven daily on a major interstate thankfully the issue happened at a red light, but has left me with a car note and a non drivable car. What’s it gonna take to get these engines recalled and replaced?
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11700333November 19, 2025
ENGINE
My 2016 Hyundai Sonata (VIN: [XXX] ) had its engine replaced under recall campaign 20V746000 in March / April 2024 at Hyundai of Round Rock, TX. In October 2025, less than 18 months later and at 97,000 miles, the replacement engine failed again. Hyundai has refused further repair, citing an expired recall warranty. This raises serious safety and reliability concerns, as a recall engine should not fail this soon. Engine failure while driving could result in a stall or crash risk. Please investigate whether Hyundai’s recall replacement engines are defective and if extended coverage is warranted for affected consumers. 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
#11699823November 17, 2025
ENGINE
Engine issue - but no recalls there have been hundreds of this same car yr and model with engine issues out of the blue
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11699824November 17, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
The vehicle experienced an engine and power train failure while driving on the highway, resulting in sudden loss of power. The electrical system also failed after the dealer visit, causing the battery to die every morning. Yes, the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. My car suddenly lost power on the highway and would not accelerate, forcing me to pull over on the shoulder with traffic moving around me. This created a serious risk of a rear-end collision or crash. Additionally, after the dealer visit, the electrical system began failing and the vehicle has been completely dead every morning, leaving me stranded with a child and unable to reliably start the car. The problem has not been reproduced because the check engine code cleared itself after the incident; however, the symptoms absolutely remain. The dealer refused to diagnose the loss-of-power event because the code was cleared, and they returned the vehicle to me with a dead battery. The electrical issue (car dying every morning) has been happening consistently since the dealer visit. The vehicle was taken to a Hyundai dealership immediately after the incident, but they refused to diagnose the loss of power due to the code being cleared. A mobile mechanic scanned the code at my home before the tow, but the code disappeared afterward. The electrical failure began after the dealer visit and has not been properly inspected by Hyundai. Yes. While driving on the highway, the check engine light came on and the car immediately lost power and would not accelerate. After the dealer visit, the car has been completely dead every morning and requires a jump to start. These symptoms began on the same day as the highway incident and continued after Hyundai serviced the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11697970November 6, 2025
AIR BAGS
On September 25, 2023, I was involved in a motor vehicle collision while driving my Hyundai Sonata 2016, during which the front driver-side airbag failed to deploy despite the impact being significant enough to cause injury. This non-deployment represents a malfunction of the airbag system, including its sensors and deployment components, and aligns with issues already reported in class-action complaints involving Hyundai vehicles, making my case further evidence that an airbag defect exists. Because the vehicle was declared a total loss by my insurance company and later sold at auction, the physical component is no longer in my possession now; however, I retain documentation on accident-related records that clearly show the airbag did not deploy. The failure of this critical safety system placed my safety at direct risk because the protective barrier intended to reduce impact forces was absent, resulting in greater injury than would reasonably be expected had the system functioned properly. The problem has not been reproduced yet because the vehicle was transferred to insurance immediately after the incident and was not repairable. But working with accident reconstruction engineers on this matter. Prior to the crash, the vehicle displayed no warning lights, SRS messages, or other symptoms indicating an issue with the airbag system, and at no time before the collision was I alerted to any malfunction that would have suggested the system would fail at the moment it was most needed.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
3
Deaths:
0
#11696735October 31, 2025
ENGINE
While driving, my 2016 Hyundai Sonata’s engine suddenly started knocking loudly. I stopped immediately and found the engine oil was very low without any prior warning. After adding oil, the engine still runs but with possible internal damage. This could have caused the engine to seize while driving. There were no warning lights or leaks before this happened.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11696767October 31, 2025
ENGINE
Sudden engine failure. Compression issue, car has only 63,000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11696700October 30, 2025
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
High engine oil consumption 2 qts every 1k miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11693637October 15, 2025
ENGINE
Car had oil in the electrode of spark plug. Total engine failure
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11692535October 10, 2025
ENGINE
At 70712 miles cylinder 4 suffered a catastrophic internal failure. The vehicle also had excessive oil consumption and the dealer just told us to keep adding oil as there was nothing they could do. The vehicle must have had a manufacturing defect.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11692555October 10, 2025
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The problem with my vehicle is a failure of internal engine components, specifically a known defect in the piston rings of the Hyundai Theta II engine. This failure causes excessive oil consumption, which is burned internally. The internal engine components have failed, leading to a widely documented defect in the Hyundai Theta II engine. The primary symptom, which began to get serious around 80,000 miles, is the constant need to add oil to the engine every two weeks. If I do not do this, the low oil warning light illuminates on the dashboard, serving as a continuous alert of the problem. This failure was officially confirmed by an authorized Hyundai dealership. About two weeks ago, they first documented that there were no external leaks on the vehicle. When I returned because the oil had been consumed again, they performed a new diagnostic, for which I paid over $300, that confirmed the engine is burning oil internally. The dealership, acting as the manufacturer's representative, is the only entity that has formally inspected the vehicle. The situation places my safety and the safety of others at serious risk. First, the oil consumption can lead to a sudden and catastrophic engine failure, resulting in a loss of power and control of the vehicle while in transit. More alarmingly, the guidance I received from Hyundai staff was to simply "wait for the engine to stop working or start making a lot of noise." As someone who depends on the car for a daily commute, following this dangerous recommendation is an unacceptable risk.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11692279October 9, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The car will randomly lose acceleration and jerk forward. It will make a beeping noise while the hev system warning flashes on the dash. It also says to turn off engine. While the warning is flashing and engine light is on it goes into a limp mode and you have limited acceleration. It has almost caused multiple wrecks when I go to acceleration from turning or at lights in traffic because I cant go over 20-30 mph. I have turned the car on and off and the hev system and engine light turns off and the car continues to work normal. It eventually comes back on and does the same loss of power/hev warning. It will be random and does not matter on how fast you are going to trigger the warning lights and loss of power.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11692231October 8, 2025
ENGINE
Was driving on the interstate, and took the exit I needed. Upon exiting before coming up to stop light, noticed check engine light flashing, and couldn't accelerate. RPMS were bouncing when I tried to accelerate. Pulled off onto side of road, called mechanically inclined friend who came with an obd2 sensor, and it was showing a P132600 code for Knock signal range performance, with an audible knocking sound, and engine vibration while on in idle. Got the code cleared so we could drive the car the 3 miles I needed to go to get to where I was going, 2 miles in, the engine light came back on and vehicle went back into limp mode. Called AAA and got the car to an in network mechanic shop for Carvana, whom i bought the car through a month prior. Proceeded to do an oil sample test and found it to be full of metal shavings. Said engine would need to be fully replaced. Vehicle is currently still at mechanic until SilverRock gets the claim and will see if the engine replacement is covered under warranty. Certified Automotive Inc. [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
#11690150September 28, 2025
AIR BAGS
I am submitting this complaint as a follow-up to my prior NHTSA complaint regarding the defective passenger seat Occupant Classification Sensor (OCS) in the 2016 Hyundai Sonata. Previous Tracking Number: 11689976 Since my initial submission, I have prepared a detailed technical and comparative report, which I am attaching here. The report documents how Hyundai’s repair policy for the OCS creates excessive repair costs (over $3,600 for a single sensor failure) and forces consumers to operate vehicles with compromised safety systems, in violation of the intent of FMVSS 208. The attached report provides: • Technical analysis of the OCS design and failure mode • Cost comparison with other manufacturers (Toyota, Honda, Ford, BMW, Mercedes-Benz) • Legal and consumer protection implications, including potential violations of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act • Supporting exhibits (service estimate and parts documentation) I respectfully request that NHTSA review this additional evidence in connection with my prior complaint and consider appropriate regulatory or enforcement actions. Thank you for your attention.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11689976September 26, 2025
AIR BAGS
The problem originates from a single faulty passenger seat airbag sensor, but Hyundai requires replacement of the entire seat cushion module, quoted at approximately $3,200 for the part alone and around $4,000 total repair cost. This creates the impression that a single failed sensor affects the entire airbag system. I was not provided with a definitive answer as to whether this fault impacts the driver airbag, which leaves a critical safety uncertainty. By designing the sensor as an inseparable, non-serviceable part of the cushion module, Hyundai forces consumers into an unreasonable expense. This situation puts drivers in the position of either paying thousands of dollars or risking driving with potentially compromised airbag safety. I strongly believe this constitutes a serious safety defect and should be subject to recall.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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