10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 10 / 58
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 13 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 59,405 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 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The check engine warning light, the battery warning light, and other unknown warnings lights were illuminated. The contact was unable to veer to the side of the road however, he pushed the vehicle to the side of the road with assistance. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the contact's residence. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 102,000.
- North Fort Myers, FL, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the engine was previously replaced under recall after the engine failed while driving at an unknown speed. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where they replaced the engine under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V568000 (Engine). Recently, while driving at various speeds, the check engine and oil warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle would stall as an abnormal, knocking noise would emit from the engine. The contact had taken her vehicle back to the dealer where it remained in their possession. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided the contact with a case number. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
- Louisville, KY, USA
Said vehicle is affected by the Sonata engine connecting rod bearing inspection recall campaign. During the manufacturing of the engine, metal debris may have been generated during factory machining operations. If the debris was not removed from the crankshaft -??s oil passages, it could contaminate the connecting rod oiling passages, restricting oil flow to the connecting rod bearings and increasing the potential of premature bearing wear. A worn connecting rod bearing may result in one or more of the following: 1. A metallic, cyclic knocking noise from the engine which increases in frequency as the engine RPM increases. 2. Illumination of the Check Engine Light in the instrument cluster. However, engine failed, lost all power without any warning. My safety was put at risk without prior warning as I turned onto main thoroughfare. No indicators from instrument panel warnings nor any illumination of check engine light. Vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Was told directly from dealership that vehicle affected by engine recall. Problem was confirmed on October 8, 2021. Dealership states reported problem to Hyundai Automaker and is waiting on a response. There were no warning lights, lamps, messages, or any symptoms of a problem prior to instantaneous engine failure. Vehicle towed to dealership Irving Freeman Hyundai, Irving TX on October 7, 2021 and is still there as of this complaint submission.
- Irving, TX, USA
The cars engine burn oil very quickly and runs improperly. The car jerks when attempting to accelerate normally and deaccelerates when driving at normal speeds which can cause an accident with ongoing traffic.
- Greensboro , NC, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. Due to the failure, the contact had the vehicle towed to her residence and then to a dealer for assistance. Once there, the contact was informed that the engine had seized and that the engine would need to be replaced. The contact stated that she had previously received a recall notification for NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V568000 (Engine) however, she was informed that the recall had expired. The manufacturer was notified about the failure through the dealer and they informed her that since the vehicle was not properly maintained; they declined to repair the failure under recall. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was unknown. I bought a 2012 Hyundai Sonata at an auction in June of 2017. Since buying the car I have moved 3 or 4 times. In late July/ early august 2021, The car turned off while driving. When Trying to turn it back on the engine made a clunking noise and shut off. Then the car would not turn on again. The car engine had a recall on it. When looking into the recall, there was a recall on sonatas stating this was identified and because of this issue, the car had been recalled. The car was towed to Hyundai in Brockton, they would diagnose the car to see what happened, and they said it is indeed engine failure. (They didn-??t even diagnose the issue until 1-1.5 months after giving them the car). The dealership sent a claim to Hyundai corporate stating this and to see if Hyundai corporate would cover the cost of the new engine since this car engine was recalled. Hyundai requested that they take the engine apart and examine the valves to see if the cause was due to the recall issue or if it was us not keeping up with the maintenance. They asked to provide invoices for the car oil change (the 2 recent invoices were provided showing maintenance) When Hyundai corporate responded back they said they denied request to cover the cost o
- Woburn, MA, USA
This morning when i drove the car to Bart station, just before i parked in the parking lot. the showboard showed "Hybrid System Warning, Safely Stop and Do Not Drive". So i stopped and parked the car in the parking space. i'm not sure what the issue is and if i still can drive it after i came back from my work. After i checked the website and found there're a lot of people have this same issue as this case. I did not see any of them have solution for it. So I believed that this is a big issue since it will cuase death if it happens in the high speed high way. please do the investigation and recall for it to save lives! appreciated in advance.
- Mountain House, CA, USA
Check engine light blinking and engine acting erratically. Took it to dealership they said it was a known issue with the Theta 2 engines whereas there is premature wear in the rod bearings and it requires a new engine. This engine is under recall and has a lifetime warranty on this defect. However, when the dealership contacted Hyundai to replace the engine they said because it has a salvage title they will not. The salvage title was from body damage and nothing with the engine. It is my understanding that salvage title does not negate the need to honor the recall. Can you help? The VIN is [XXX]. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
- Waukee, IA, USA
Smoke started coming from the engine and then caught fire
- Jefferson, SC, USA
Every alarm started beeping, engine light and a few other lights came on in the dash, speed was about 45-50, car stalled out, and it's said check charging system, pull over safely and do not drive. This was 10 pm and in a dark area. Could have been very serious had I been on a busy freeway or highway. This is the 5 time in 2 years it has done this. Everytime I take it to the dealership they tell me nothing is wrong with my car.
- Hallsville, TX, USA
I bought a 2012 Hyundai Sonata at an auction in June of 2017. Since buying the car I have moved 3 or 4 times. In late July/ early august 2021, The car turned off while driving. When Trying to turn it back on the engine made a clunking noise and shut off. Then the car would not turn on again. The car engine had a recall on it. When looking into the recall, there was a recall on sonatas stating this was identified and bc of this issue, the car had been recalled. The car was towed to Hyundai in Brockton, they would diagnose the car to see what happened, and they said it is indeed engine failure. (They didn-??t even diagnose the issue until 1-1.5 months after giving them the car). The dealership sent a claim to Hyundai corporate stating this and to see if Hyundai corporate would cover the cost of the new engine since this car was recalled. Hyundai requested that they take the engine apart and examine the valves to see if the cause was due to the recall issue or if it was us not keeping up with the maintenance. They asked to provide invoices for the car oil change (the 2 recent invoices were provided showing maintenance) When Hyundai corporate responded back they said they denied request to cover the cost of a new engine because when they sent the recall notice back in 2018 and the car was never sent to get the engine fixed. The recall would have put in a device to notify the car when/if the engine is failing. Since it-??s 2021, they said recall period is expired and bc it was never brought in, they are not at fault. But, the only notice I had was right before covid where things were shut down and crazy. (As mentioned earlier I have moved 3-4 times)
- Woburn, MA, USA
My engine is making this knocking noise and when I check my oil it has metal shavings in it from the engine
- Alexander City , AL, USA
While I was driving, an error stating "Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do not Drive" popped up on my dash.
- Tustin, CA, USA
My car stopped in December 2020. The dealer replaced the engine under a recall campaign. Eight months later the engine light is still on. The dealership has done countless diagnosis of the issues and still cannot resolve it. The latest error message is engine error code P0076. I am still awaiting the part to fix the engine light being on. However, the fuel consumption has increased. I drive short distances and now the fuel indicator moves each day I drive the car. Won't buy this brand again.
- St Thomas, VI, USA
The Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS) detects vibrations indicating the onset of excessive connecting rod bearing wear on a 2012 Hyundai Sonata that only has 70,000 miles on it.
- Guilderland, NY, USA
The contact's mother owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his mother was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed however, there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. The failure recurred two weeks after the contact's mother received the vehicle back from the dealer. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer and diagnosed with engine failure and that an engine replacement was needed. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 108,073.
- Troy, MO, USA
UNKNOWN: On July 14th, 2021, I was driving approx. 45mph on the Expressway when I felt the car losing a little power, I looked at the speedometer and noticed (no warning lights where on) the speed was going down slowly as I was attempting to accelerate, the car would not go past 20mph. Then all the sudden I lost all controls of the car (the car stalled) I was not able to steer or brake, the car had stalled in the middle of the parkway, it was a very dangerous situation, so many cars came within inches of hitting me. I was able to finally restart the car and get it to the side of the road and then it stalled again. This time when I attempted to restart the car I noticed there was smoke coming from under the hood and the would not start, at that point I called for help. The car was towed to my mechanic and he determined the engine was seized. (see attached pdf) Car is available for inspection.
- Bellmore, NY, USA
I have provided this information already, case number 11424760. I am now submitting further documentation on this safety issue. There was a recall notice from Hyundai, for whatever reason, this was changed to not include our vehicle. We never heard back about the solution & they no longer will replace the engine.
- Little Falls, MN, USA
These are known for engine failure which has already happened to me summer of 2019. The first time Murdock of Murray gave me a hard time replacing the engine even though it was a recall they tried over charging for other repairs that supposedly lead to the seized engine. Murdock also told me the turbo on the vehicle would need time to adjust and kick in with turbo the coils needed to get oil in them for the turbo to work properly. After fixing engine the turbo never was the same but Murdock insisted nothing was wrong. Now 25k miles later again the vehicle is on the verge of seized engine. While in traffic at 5pm ish, I turned left and as I was turning my vehicle would not accelerate, I heard a crackling noise and the check engine light came on but the car was still running all power but would not accelerate over 20mph with the rpm flooring. I immediately thought it-??s happening the engine is seizing. Remind you this was the second time this happened. I almost died twice in this vehicle both times with my children in the car. I called Murdock to ask if they would tow the vehicle they told me no I would need to pay out of pocket, so I did, bc the vehicle would not accelerate. Once I got my car to the dealership already the technician seemed annoyed by my prediction with the engine on the verge of seizing. After a few days of the technicians looking over my car he claims I must pay for repairs and blamed me when these engines have been recalled by Hyundai. I then reached out to Hyundai corporate national consumers for assistance and they were just as bad. I was told there-??s nothing I can do until a case manager calls me but they will let them know about this issue. No one has contacted me. The fact that Hyundai is trying to find ways to not cover their faulty death trap vehicles and the dealership is right behind them on giving customers a hard time replacing the recall without causing all the stress and over charging. Hyundai should be ashamed of themselves.
- West Jordan, UT, USA
While driving the car turn off and I could start it on again. On dashboard I had battery warning, low oil and check engine light on. We towed the car hone and next day we checked the oil and in general what-??s going on. We manage to start the car but the engine was making a knocking sound and won-??t stop. We can-??t drive the car because it will turn off.
- Riverhead, NY, USA
- Indianapolis, IN, USA