10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 1 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 1 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 33,015 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
I purchased the car in Jan 2013 with 40K miles on the vehicle. The car would make a clicking noise when making hard turns. The problem has just escalated over time. I understand this is an axel problem. My car is a 2012 and should not have an axel problem at 40,000 miles.
- Kennesaw, GA, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata with kumho solus KH25 tires, size: P205-65-R16. The contact stated that the tires on the front end of the vehicle were exhibiting an abnormal noise. In addition, the tires became worn prematurely. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer where the cv joint and axle were replaced. The failure recurred a total of three times and the vehicle was taken to the dealer each time, but with no resolution. The vehicle was not further repaired. The failure mileage was 15,366 and the current mileage was 16,000. The dot number was not available.
- Reisterstown, MD, USA
I am the owner of a 2012 Sonata limited turbo. I have been extremely loyal to the Hyundai Sonata brand, this being my fourth Sonata. I purchased 2 of them used (both 2006's) and the other two brand new (2009 & 2012). Until this most recent new vehicle, I have not had a single problem with any of the three others. They are pretty amazing cars, if you ask me. They are a world away from Hyundai"S first imports of the excel in 1986. VIN number is[xxx]. having driven the car a short time, it seemed to me that the car wandered excessively and always felt on the parkway that you were driving on the crest of the road. At 65 mph and above, my impression is that this car is all over the road. I wrote to Hyundai on February 15th, 2012 when the car had 475 miles on it. I was given case number [xxx]. L thought it was alignment problem because of the wandering condition. When picking it up, I asked about what the problem was. They said that it was there was an air pressure problem. No alignment was done. On a winding road, it is all over the road. I wrote again to Hyundai on July 19st. I was given case number [xxx]. they said that they would be contacting the service manager. I have yet to hear back from Hyundai. I'd like a factory rep or zone manager to drive this car and then examine it to determine what needs to be done to this car to either fix it, or replace it. I"D also like to drive an identical 2012 turbo to see if it is perhaps, just my car that is problematic. This car was brought in three different times to two different dealerships. Both say there is nothing wrong with the car, however, independant shops and other people driving this car cornfirm that there is a problem. This car is unsafe to drive on the highways. If you were to lose concentration for even a moment, you would be involved in an accident.
- Commack, NY, USA
Vehicle has been to dealership 5 times for steering issue. Car pulls to right no matter road conditions, type of road, or speed of vehicle. Car showed excessive tire wear around 3500 miles. In total car has been aligned five times, four new tires put on car, new struts and mounts, and new shocks. Had independent mechanic drive vehicle after vehicle "repaired" fifth time and he said there is something definitely wrong with the vehicle's steering. Went to the dealership today to inform them that their last attempt to repair the vehicle failed. They basically blew my husband off and told him the car is fixed. However, car is still pulling to the right and he is experiencing arm fatigue from the pulling of the steering wheel.
- Goshen, IN, USA
One month after purchasing a new 2012 Hyundai Sonata, I noticed a creaking noise coming from rear suspension/sub-frame area when the entering an inclined driveway or non-uniform roadway. This started at around the 700-mile mark on my vehicle odometer. This issue was reported to Hyundai North America corporate approximately 3-months ago, in August 2012. The local dealership I visited in my area has acknowledged the noise exists, but has dismissed it as "normal body creak flex, Sonatas make this noise." I pushed the issue to Hyundai North America corporate and they had originally agreed to have the district parts and service manager examine the vehicle to diagnose the problem. Currently, Hyundai North America corporate has just informed me the local dealership doesn't want to look at my vehicle anymore and to consider bringing my vehicle to another dealer. Additionally, they are now stating that they had no knowledge of ever making an appointment with district parts and service manager. I have been waiting 3-months to meet the district parts and service manager, and the response from Hyundai North America corporate up until now is to be patient and wait to be contacted with an appointment date. The vehicle still makes this noise with no resolution. I am concerned that there is metal to metal contact, and in the long-term future, corrosion or fatigue could occur with the suspect components. Numerous cases of this noise have been documented on Hyundai internet forums, but Hyundai North America has not acknowledged there is an issue.
- Staten Island, NY, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving 40 mph, a loud, abnormal bang was heard from the front passenger side of the vehicle. The vehicle then lost braking and steering abilities as the contact crashed into the rear of another vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy and the contact was injured. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact stated that the loud bang was a result of either a tire blowing or a defective strut that caused the tire blow. The contact called the manufacturer regarding the crash. The manufacturer advised that they would investigate the crash. The failure mileage was 20,000.
- Toluca, IL, USA
My car is one year old. I had perform recall campaign 928 on 7/23/22 and today the mechanic told me that my two front tires are wearing out. How am I going to claim for the damage and get fix with the alignments?
- Garden Grove, CA, USA
2012 Sonata will not drive straight, it pulls to the left mostly but also to the right. Basically the car swerves all over the road, especially at higher speeds. I took it back to the dealership and they told me all foreign cars drive like this. They adjusted the tire pressure but that did not solve the problem. I do not feel safe driving the car. Hyundai issued a service campaign to fix the 2011 Sonatas for this exact problem, why can't they just do the same for the 2012S?
- Nashville, TN, USA
- main symptom. : unstable driving condition. 1. steering won't be perfectely centered after making turn ( both left and right) as much as 1/2 inches at any speed. 2. easely wandered even after manually centered. It has a driver make adjustments constantly. Simply, my car doesn't go straight. In order to keep track, I need to keep making steering adjustments at any speed. I feel like unstable, wandering on highway. I visited dealer, issued case to Hyundai customer center. But dealer said there is no solution (they did their best), customer ctr. Said there is no safety issue.(not sure but seems like they noticed) since my 20 more yrs driving. This is the most ridiculous experience. Whatever they said, this is definitely safety issue. Please check it out.
- Cary, NC, USA
2012 Hyundai Sonata. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle drifting while driving
- Washington, DC, USA
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the steering wheel would move from left to right abnormally when driving at any speed. The steering became hard to control and caused the vehicle to swerve out of the lane in which the contact was traveling. The vehicle was taken to the dealer several times for the failure. The dealer performed an alignment twice but failure was not corrected. The steering continued to pull from side to side. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the vehicle was safe to drive. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 250 and the current mileage was 2,000. Updated 03/21/12 the consumer stated the steering wheel does not move if she holds it straight. However, the vehicle does go to the left and right on its own. While driving, the consumer stated constant corrections are needed to keep the vehicle in right direction. Updated 03/23/12
- Ocracoke , NC, USA
1) the vehicle is purchased on 10/15/2012 at mileage 45. After driving 10 miles felt vomiting sensation and head ache due to vehicle constant vibration. My wife in the passenger seat also felt the same. I have my friends drive the car and they felt the same. 2) reported the problem to the dealer through text message on 10/16/2012 (Sunday) via text message as the dealer ship closed on Sunday 3) taken to the dealership on 10/17/2012 morning to check up. On first attempt dealer says there is wheel balancing problem, so performed wheel balancing and tire rotation and returned the vehicle to me saying it fixes it 4) with in 10 miles of driving, found same issue (head ache and vomiting sensation) due to vibration. 5) taken to the dealership on 10/21/2012, on second attempt, dealer says he needs to replace axle. 6) how can a brand new vehicle is not inspected for axle problem and sold to customer" also how can dealer ship failed to find the axle problem on first attempt"
- Spring, TX, USA
At highway speeds I noticed a slight drift, car seems to be teetering on center and require lots of corrections to go straight. Feels ok at lower speeds.
- Virginia Beach, VA, USA
Have been in dealership 3 times for repair all 3 times car has been out of alignment. The car has a sharp pull to the right that can cause a very serious accident if you do not pay attention. I was by Hyundai dealership that they will not work on it and that they say it is in company specs. They told me not to take my hands off the wheel when I am driving.
- Ocoee, FL, USA
Vehicle pulls to the right all the time. Dealer indicates alignment is ok per their alignment calibration machine but the mechanic acknowledges it is still pulling to the right. The frustrating part of all of this is that the 2011 Sonata we test drove also had the pulling to the right issue and the salesman just told us it needed an alignment.
- Cumberland, RI, USA
- Willoughby , OH, USA