10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 18 / 83
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 15 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 72,497 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.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 65 mph and getting ready to exit the highway, all the warning indicators illuminated and the vehicle's speed decreased. The contact engaged the vehicle into neutral and coasted to a gas station. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle, but was unsuccessful. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine seized and needed to be replaced. After receiving a notice from the manufacturer in December of 2016 to have the vehicle evaluated to determine if a new engine was needed, the contact was advised by the mechanic that the vehicle was ok to be driven. The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 167,760.
- Fontana, CA, USA
On March 10 I took my Sonata to get an oil change at superlube. I also took the car on the 11th to the Hyundai dealership to check for a knocking noise I had heard in the car. They ran tests and told me my engine was fine, and I need brakes, an alignment, and tires. So I spent $800 getting these things done on my car including the oil change. Well on the 18th of March in traveling my car stopped in the middle of the highway. I crank up it drive for a minute and cut right back off again. So I had the car towed to my house. They ran tests, could not find anything wrong with the car, thought it was my pulley, but it was all right. So the mechanic said let's try another oil change. Started draining the oil, it was black as tar as if I had not gotten an oil change. Treated the gas and the fuel injection system. Still a knock in acceleration. Went back to superlube to give them a piece of my mind only to find out that the manager had been having problems with gdi engines and the fuel injection system. Told me that they knew about it and-and not saying anything. I was only mad because I had taken my car to Hyundai twice since I had the car in a year for engine inspection and not one time did they tell me this.
- Tallahassee, FL, USA
Takata loud RPM when starting then loud clicking in steering wheel coupler bad now brakes having issues and axles clicking radio goes on and off. Lights keep burning out.
- Big Spring, TX, USA
My engine completely stalled at 141K miles. I had the oil changed just 3 weeks prior and was not due for another 1,000 miles however there was little to no oil on the dipstick after the vehicle stalled. Luckily I was only driving about 30 mph when it just stopped and I was able to get off the roadway. I was not notified of the apparent 5 recalls this vehicle has until I researched it myself. Contacted Hyundai and they are towing it in today to see if my motor falls under the guidelines for the recall. The VIN states it is affected but I'm not certain they will make the repairs.
- Lake Ozark, MO, USA
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While the contact's daughter was driving 45 mph, the vehicle stalled. The contact was unsure if any warning indicators were illuminated. The vehicle was unable to restart and was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed with metal fragments in the motor, and the engine needed replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the repairs would not be covered under an extended warranty recall. The failure mileage was 99,466.
- Inman, SC, USA
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While starting the vehicle, a loud noise could be heard coming from the front of the vehicle and the oil pressure warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 15V568000 (engine), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 123,000.
- Austine, TX, USA
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 65 mph, a loud noise came from the engine and the check engine indicator illuminated. The vehicle was coasted to the side of the road and turned off. Previously, the steering column made a popping noise and the vehicle shook. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that nothing could be done. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the recall was closed and referred the contact to the dealer. The failure was not remedied. The failure mileage was approximately 113,822.
- Ridgetrest, CA, USA
'"engine seized" well I was planning to take a trip in a week to visit family in nm. So I started by taking my car in for some recalls that I saw my 2011 Sonata needed, so I took the car and they did rust preventive and column shaft ECU replaced plus they did a courtesy multi-point inspection and I was told and given my copy and was told to replace cabin filter, drive belt, brake fluid because it is dark, plus I need an alignment -recommended. I got the alignment done and the brake fluid flush done at Firestone the next day after I had my vehicle serviced at Hyundai dealer, everything was good! so now I figured to have my coolant flushed because the car has 97,000 miles and its due for this service, and I had transmission fluid drained and replaced also... well after all work was performed and the car was taken out for final road test the engine just seized stopped, the engine would not even turn over" everything was good on the electrical side battery, starter was clicking and an odor like something burning was given off when I was shown that the engine would not even turn over? the manager just told me to call Hyundai and have it checked out?! %#! so I called aaa and had my car towed to dealer, right away they tell me there is a $125 diagnostics charge and was told that most likely the engine is not covered " because I'm the subsequent owner! I was a bit angry at this point because when I spoke to "M" on the phone and explained my situation, I was told that if it's the short block on the engine I was covered, but once there I was told totally a different line! I am not happy at all! and somehow the warranty doesn't cover subsequent owners up to 100,000 miles! I always serviced my car etc... :( now I wait for the bad news from Hyundai service...
- Baldwin Park, CA, USA
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to a dealer for routine service and the vehicle passed inspection. The contact noticed that there was an abnormal noise progressing. The dealer diagnosed that there were metal particles in the engine crankshaft. The dealer recommended that the engine be replaced. The VIN was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 15V568000 (engine). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no solution other than the contact replacing the part. The approximate failure mileage was 174,000.
- Charlotte, NC, USA
My Sonata could have killed or seriously injured me and every passenger that sat in it. In the first 6 months I had to replace a headlight and a tailight already and the A/C would have to be vacuumed and recharged which was about a $250 job. Fixed. In September I noticed my steering column would make an awful racket when driving over nearly anything on the road. I was shocked when I discovered there were six open recalls dating back to at least 2014. These ranged from faulty door handles to metal shavings in the oil that could cause stalling and/or dangerous sudden shutting off of the vehicle. October 5th I took the car to crain Hyundai of bentonville, in bentonville, ar. After 5 hours, they said I was good to go on the recalls and after $300 the coupler was fixed. Fast forward to December 2nd, 2016. Earlier in the day, while driving, I noticed my dashboard lights getting lighter and darker. At about 6pm that evening my boyfriend noticed the car making a "knocking" noise so he pulled over to check the oil and waited an hour and a half before someone could bring him some, giving the car plenty of time to cool and be good to go. He got going down the road only at about 25mph and got about 500 yards when the car made a "whoosh" sound and the engine shut off. He coasted into a driveway and minutes later the car was in flames. After unloading a fire extinguisher, it took the fire department cutting open the trunk to completely drown out the fire. It is now February 26th, 2017, I called Hyundai claims on December 3rd and have been waiting on the results of their investigation since. They have had the findings from the inspector for 6 weeks now and still no answer. I strongly urge everyone I know to do their research before buying anything with a Hyundai motor America emblem.
- Eureka Springs, AR, USA
Engine died while driving down the highway - would not restart and was not able to jump it - towed 50 + miles back home -
- Ft. Thomas, KY, USA
Driving to the movie theater in my 2011 Sonata 2.4 gls, 113K miles, traveling through 40mph and accelerating on an access road and the engine quit. There were no warning signs, it just stopped. I coasted into a parking lot and tried to restart. It wouldn't turn, so I tried jumping it - no luck. Bought/installed a battery from a walmart that was near the parking lot - no luck. So, I thought it was the starter and had it towed to the nearby autotire repair shop. After some investigation, they called me and stated the engine had seized. Awesome. After doing some research on line, I found out it's a common problem, necessitating a class action settlement. I called the Hyundai customer care line and they towed it to the Hyundai dealer in St charles, mo. So far, I'm in for $180 for the two tows, $165 for the diagnostic check, and $671 for the rental car. Have my lawyer at the ready if Hyundai tries to weasel out of their obligation to fix this known defect. More to follow.
- Chesterfield, MO, USA
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving approximately 30 mph, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate and the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The contact stated that the failure occurred between 4 and 8 times per year. The contact received a recall notification. The vehicle was taken to the dealer replaced the oil measuring stick and the vehicle passed the evaluation. The vehicle was taken to an independent certified mechanic for a second. It was diagnosed that one of the pistons was failing and eventually the engine would fail. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The recall details were not provided. The approximate failure mileage was 82,600.
- Ponce, PR, USA
Car just stalled while driving on the freeway and wouldn't turn over after many attempts to jump start still nothing. Thought it was an electrical problem till the electrical shop I had taken the car to a electrical repair near my home and was informed that the engine was frozen or seized. My car is always well maintained with the necessary lubricants and fluids and had been serviced at the dealership for recall 132 recently but told me that they did not need to replace the engine. A couple months prior I had a valve job done at griffin automotive because the car started to barely even hold an idle because part of a valve had broke off sending a piece of metal thru the turbocharger which than also needed replacement for a grand total of $4,500 for valve job and new turbocharger.
- San Diego, CA, USA
Second time reaching out and I have gotten no kind of help or contact. I keep getting told that because I am stationed overseas that I can't be helped. I am active duty army serving overseas so you would think that the least that could get done is putting my safety as priority. The engine is on recall and I've already almost gotten into an accident because of it!!!!
- Apo Ae, AE, USA
Hyundai recall 132 for metal chips on crankshaft - dealer says car is fine even though it's using a quart of oil every 600-800 miles now, and it keeps getting worse. The car used zero oil until around 77K miles, then the recall came out and it seems the typical response from Hyundai is to deny any responsibility for this problem
- Plantsville, CT, USA
There is a recall on the engine and the manufacturer refuses to have it fixed because I am located overseas. I am active duty army and currently on mission so my car is with me. The car went dead on the highway and I almost lost my life and they still made no effort to fix the problem.
- Apo, AE, USA
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving various speeds, the vehicle began to consume large amounts of oil. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was taken to a different independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the engine failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 15V568000 (engine). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
- Plymouth, MA, USA
On Thursday 1/5/17, upon starting my vehicle, my engine light was illuminated. Today, I had a diagnostic test done and was told the turbo component was not working. My vehicle has approximately 46,000 miles. I read online and this has happened to others with the same mileage. Is there another recall?
- Bronx, NY, USA
- Santa Ana, CA, USA