10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
78,654 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2007 Hyundai Sonata:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #40

Mar 242024

Sonata

  • miles
Brake lights on and traction control light on, engine light

- Coshocton, OH, USA

problem #39

May 012022

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 210,075 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the electronic stability control (ESC) warning light illuminated causing the brakes to lock-up and the vehicle to not accelerate as needed. The contact stated that she waited until the vehicle cooled down for the vehicle to operate normally. The contact was then able to drive the vehicle home safely. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that the hydraulic control unit needed to be replaced. Additionally, the dealer stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V122000 (Exterior Lighting) and that she had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair. The contact agreed to the repair but was later informed that the parts were discontinued. The manufacturer was contacted and was working with the contact. The failure mileage was 210,075.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #38

Nov 012019

Sonata

  • 170,000 miles
I was in a car accident in 2019 and my airbags never deployed. Since then, the airbag light has stayed on. I've gone to every mechanic around about my airbag light and they all say I have a recall on the car. I've also been pulled over multiple times over my brake light either not illuminating or staying illuminated while driving.

- Bennington, VT, USA

problem #37

Oct 152020

Sonata

  • miles
Had to hit he brakes hard while doing about 25 to 30 mph and the ABS worked for a millisecond then the petal went down to the floor no brakes at all causing a crash

- Deerfield Beach, FL, USA

problem #36

Oct 042020

Sonata

  • 167,000 miles
All 4 brake lines were corroded and leaking break fluid, which prevented the car from stopping when depressing the brake pedal. Mechanic thinks the plastic cover around the break lines may be trapping water and causing corrosion. This is hazardous and unsafe.

- Union, NJ, USA

problem #35

Jan 032020

Sonata

  • 129,802 miles
My brakes failed in January, and my car hit the garage door. I spent $800 to get them fixed, only to have them fail after five months. Because of this it came to my attention that there was a rear cross member recall for corrosion on my car. To complete the recall, the dealership wants to charge me for all of the rusted parts that will break once they dig to reach the recall. I have been without a car since January, and Hyundai corporate declared my case closed and refuses to assist, after weeks of deliberation, they only addressed the problem of my brakes and not the recall, which they completely left out of their final determination. The dealership cannot proceed and complete the recall because many parts they will have to remove will be unusable, and cannot safely be placed back. Things are at a standstill, and I desperately need my car back and operational!

- Myrtle Beach, SC, USA

problem #34

Mar 202020

Sonata

  • 109,000 miles
This is totally dangerous I could've lost my life period I'm on freeway and my wheels just started sticking and my car was smelling like electricity or electrical fire so I go google of course and youtube low and behold recall on bad fuse boxes on theses particular cars

- Cleveland, OH, USA

problem #33

Jan 042020

Sonata

  • 120,000 miles
I want to create a safety recall on this vehicle if not other makes and models from this manufacturer. This vehicle is a fire hazard due to chronic corrosion on the fuel lines. It is also a safety hazard due to loss of brakes and steering due to chronic corrosion of the brake and power steering lines. Our 2007 Hyundai Sonata needed power steering fluid and brake fluid on a regular basis. Most recently we lost brakes and had the car inspected. The inspection determined that the power steering lines, brake lines and fuel lines are severely corroded and all leaking. The brake lines had the most severe corrosion but the fuel and power steering had corrosion deep enough to cause a leak. These leaks are not in the vicinity of fittings or connections. The worst leaks are in the vicinity of brackets or line retainers. This car has been sold and operated in the northeast snow belt but the corrosion is worse than most vehicles that are much older with higher mileage. Clearly the lines were made of inferior metal causing the components to fail prematurely. Apparently, instead of using a more costly rust resistant metal the manufacturer relied on a plastic coating on the lines to protect them from the elements. This completely failed as some of the lines are completely corroded along the entire length. The plastic coating likely accelerated the corrosion as it retained corrosive materials in contact with the metal. I contacted the Hyundai dealer and they said that there are no recalls on these components and I would be responsible for all part and labor costs. I opened a case with the manufacturer and they said they would look into it but indicated the car was out of warranty and would not likely pursue a safety recall.

- Shrewsbury, MA, USA

problem #32

Jul 102019

Sonata

  • 70,000 miles
The vehicle would randomly accelerated without warning. During the failure, the rpms would increase and the vehicle would lunge forward. The failure occurred on multiple occasions. The contact would have to apply extra force to the brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from accelerating around 70000 on car. It has a jerk when I am accelerating until I get to a faster speed. But it doesn't accelerate on its own.. I was string at a lightor whenever I go to stop it accelerates on its own. Sometimes while I'm driving it seems to pick up speed on its own as well

- Wellsboro, PA, USA

problem #31

Jun 022018

Sonata

  • 113,980 miles
Rear cross member, not good, transmission, and engine oil pan podrido, air conditioner not to good, door handler problem, ,, etc

- Bronx, NY, USA

problem #30

Dec 252017

Sonata

  • 112,000 miles
My Hyundai Sonata has had issues lately with ESC. When I have 2-4 people in my car, ESC automatically turns itself off after 5 minutes while driving it and I'm unable to turn it back on unless I turn the car off and on again. As a result of this, my brake lights do not light up at times, as I have noticed this by parking my car in my garage at night and pushed on my brake pedal. When the breaks are repeatedly pressed, there is a 3-5 second lag time for the lights to turn on. That is enough time to keep a vehicle behind me in the dark and end up rear ending me.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #29

Jan 222018

Sonata

  • 180,000 miles
There have been various problems that were discovered recently mostly based on the rear suspension and shocks. The brake lights have gone out many times and the alignment is frequently incorrect, and so the tires go through a lot of wear. The most recent tires were placed 9 months ago and already have terrible wear from both the suspension and the alignment. Whenever the car is in motion, the car does not drive as smoothly as it should and bounces lightly. There is loud noise whenever driving over speed bumps as if the tire pressure is poor. There is also a grinding noise when the car turns somewhat sharply. Many of these problems have existed for a while but were only diagnosed today at a midas auto in wilmington, nc.

- Wilmington, NC, USA

problem #28

Nov 142017

Sonata

  • 102,000 miles
My daughter was driving on a city street, and lost all brakes, she pulled into a parking lot and parked. I crawled under the vehicle to find brake fluid dripping under the rear passenger area. After further investigation, after removing factory plastic brake line shield, I found both brake lines totally corroded so bad that one was leaking. I then had to replace the brake lines & bleed. I do believe the plastic shield holding the road grime & moisture to be the culprit. Very dangerous situation!!!!

- Haysville, KS, USA

problem #27

Feb 192017

Sonata

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the instrument panel became inoperable and the brake lights failed without warning. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact mentioned that the vehicle was previously serviced per NHTSA campaign numbers: 09V122000 (services brakes, hydraulic) and 09V280000 (exterior lighting). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

- Birmingham, AL, USA

problem #26

Dec 142016

Sonata

  • 90,000 miles
2007 Hyundai Sonatas, brake switch and other recalls listed. Bring some kids locked, ESC lite came on, would not go over 40, could not get in park. Took to big O and they called Hyundai corporation and was given case number and told me to take it to swope Hyundai elizabethtown Kentucky which I did. Swipe ignored case number and additional recalls even though there were additional recalls for this problem. Swipe refused to do anything. Brake rotors, cylinders, and pads ruined and swipe refused to fix even though we could show brakes had been inspected just a few months before this all happened and all was fine.

- Rineyville, KY, USA

problem #25

Sep 012016

Sonata

  • 106,000 miles
The contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. While driving 35 mph, the brake warning indicator illuminated. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the brakes failed to respond. The contact was able to stop the vehicle by applying the emergency brakes. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the brake line was severely corroded. The contact stated that the brakes were previously repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.

- Naperville, IL, USA

problem #24

Dec 022015

Sonata

  • 146,000 miles
ESC off light comes on and the brake lights stop functioning/lighting when brake pedal is pressed.

- Woodstock, GA, USA

problem #23

Sep 172008

Sonata

  • miles
Both of my visors have never stayed up, they are always down in my line of vision this probably started 6 months after I had the car. I took it to the dealer they stated it was not covered. A few years back the drivers side air bag light came on and is still on. The passengers air bag comes on and goes off regularly. My back break lights have had to be replaces several times, something is wrong with them. Again the dealer wanted to charge me to replace them after my husband had just replaced them. There are so many parts that are falling apart. The gear shift has broken and the back handles on the outside of the car are broken. My brakes rotate and the whole care shakes when I press on the breaks on the freeway. Now my back end is making noises. I bought this car new, but will never buy another car from Hyundai again, this is the worst car I have ever had. From the beginning I have had problems and the dealer never wanted to fix anything unless I payed for it. I am not paying for things that I did not break..

- Sacramento, CA, USA

problem #22

Jun 262015

Sonata

  • 61,000 miles
At the tire replacement service at about 61K miles (very gentle, first owner, still had more than 2/32 tread left on the factory tires at 61K miles) I was told by the technician that the rear break pads have to be replaced. With in 2 days I took the car to aamco since there was a $35 brake pad service deal. I was told after inspection that a caliper piston is seized and so the calipers, the damaged rotors and of course the brake pads have to be replaced - preferably for booth rare wheels, in order to have similar braking characteristics. While it is common sense that the front brake pads would wear faster, the aamco folks were surprised to find the rear brake system in such a bad condition while the original front brakes were still good. Per their opinion it is mostly due to a manufacturer defect. I called Hyundai warranty immediately, they provided a case number, but I was told I was out of luck since I am just past 60K miles and also there is no recall specific to rear brakes that will address my concern. With this I thought I lost all my bragging rights about Hyundai - on their reliability and value for the money. Moreover, this is unbelievable since on a 1997 Nissan Altima which I own, I still have 25% left on the rear brakes at 125K miles. Shortly later I found scores of Sonata owners who complained about this issue in the internet forums as well as NHTSA site. I also found complaints about sun visors not staying in place, hanging loosely, a hazard while driving. I have this problem too but never payed much attention to it. Currently I am not in a position to shell out over $600 dollars to get the rear brake issue fixed to be able to take myself and my family safely in the car. I hope my complaint breaches the threshold and NHTSA takes action to have Hyundai fix the issue at Hyundai's cost asap. Thanks for providing me this opportunity to log the complaint.

- Bothell, WA, USA

problem #21

Apr 152015

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 73,000 miles
ESC light comes on indicating the ESC system is inoperable. This is usually preceded by the feeling that the brakes are being applied without my pressing the brake pedal. The vehicle feels sluggish following the illumination of the ESC light. This is an intermittent problem.

- Prattville, AL, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »