10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 9
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
44,652 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 2013 Hyundai Sonata:

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

problem #172

Jan 062025

Sonata

  • miles
The tail lights won-??t stay on even with new bulbs in it. This was a recall and the recall disappeared. This is not safe for my car to be missing a tail light every night. Please help

- Massillon, OH, USA

problem #171

Nov 252024

Sonata

  • miles
Brake lights become hot enough to melt through housing, hanging loose in the trunk where they can damage wiring and further burn through taillight housing. There was no warning, uncertain how long issue has been ongoing as I only noticed when a light went entirely out. Vehicle has not been inspected since engine replacement under previous recall. Will be available for any inspection on request. This problem has occurred on both the left and right taillight assemblies

- Wasco, CA, USA

problem #170

Oct 242024

Sonata

  • miles
There is no lights at all on the brake lights but the brake light in the back window stays on all the time the dim head light only lets one side work

- Jamestown, TN, USA

problem #169

Sep 092024

Sonata

  • miles
The steering wheel makes clicking and grinding noise. Steering wheel coupling may be broken. And sometimes head and interior lights turn on and off when I make turns

- West Bloomfield, MI, USA

problem #168

Aug 012023

Sonata

  • miles
I bought this car brand new and I-??m the only driver. I have my oil changed every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. Boiling Springs Tire is the place I get it changed but I have had it changed a few times at Hyundai in Spartanburg. About a year or so ago my oil light came on and I was shocked because it hadn-??t been long since I had oil changed. I checked it and it was almost out. I put oil in it and thought maybe boiling springs tire did not put enough in it. Next time i took to Hyundai but kept eye on it. To make a long story short I am having to keep an eye on my oil and adding more about every 200 miles. I know it-??s 10 years old but I-??ve had cars older than this and did not have to add oil. Other cars older than mine are being recalled and I-??m not understanding why 2013 are left out. Please advise as I-??m sure I-??m not the only 2013 owner having issues with our Hyundai Sonata. I park the car in my carport and there is never any oil on the floor so I-??m not sure where the oil is going. I did ask them at the Hyundai place about that and I was informed there were no recalls on mine and it would cost me around $1000 just for them to pull the engine down to check. So I-??m just having to keep checking on the oil.

- Cowpens, SC, USA

problem #167

Mar 012024

Sonata

  • miles
The electrical has been an issue for this vehicle. The head and tail lights continuously go out. Sometimes they work, and other times they do not. Since the lights have been an issue, the electrical issue is also now inside the vehicle. The radio and other controls in the vehicle do not work any longer, as well as the lights in the radio, air conditioning, and other controls inside the vehicle. The steering wheel is also loose now and jiggles when driving the vehicle. There have been no warning lamps about these issues, and I had an auto shop confirm that there are electrical and steering issues. I did receive a letter about a recall for electrical for the year, type, and model of my car, however, the dealership said that my VIN number is not associated with the recall and will not fix the issues.

- Aaronsburg, PA, USA

problem #166

May 012023

Sonata

  • miles
All bulbs in vehicle do not work. No matter how many times I have them replaced they continue to blow or not work. Without headlights I cannot drive, without brake lights other drivers cannot see me. This is a HUGE SAFTY ISSUE. I cannot drive my vehicle because lights are malfunctioning.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #165

Apr 092024

Sonata

  • miles
All of these car have a headlight issuse also breaklight

- Oakland Park, FL, USA

problem #164

Jun 012023

Sonata

  • miles
When headlights are turned on, rear window brakelight stays illuminated but both the right and left rear brake lights do not illuminate when foot brake pedal is depressed.

- North Kingstown, RI, USA

problem #163

Aug 242022

Sonata

  • miles
My electrical system is giving me constant issues and I have to change light bulbs frequently. Also the recall is for the fuel line system which the dealers are not contacting me back about getting repaired which is why I am submitting this report.

- Bristol, CT, USA

problem #162

Aug 272023

Sonata

  • miles
Lights flicker especially at night they turn off and on. You can't see and others can't see you because no lights on and off There was no warning lamps or anything letting me know about the problem. Can't drive my car at night because of this problem don't want to cause an accident. No the vehicle has not been inspected yet.

- Santa Rosa , TX, USA

problem #161

Jul 202023

Sonata

  • miles
Tail lights constantly burn out. I have now replaced the same taillight harness 3 times and each time it is burned. This is a serious fire hazard

- Montgomery Village, MD, USA

problem #160

May 092022

Sonata

  • miles
Car needs to rewired because my break lights keep blowing out & will no longer work. They are burned from the inside. Also when turning on lights to my car the car stalls.

- Haines City , FL, USA

problem #159

Mar 192023

Sonata

  • 235,903 miles
The electrical system of the vehicle malfunctions regularly. When the headlights are on, the brake lights are stuck on and do not turn off, nor do they properly "activate" when braking. If the headlights are off, they work just fine. If the headlights are on, the entire dashboard lighting is prone to going haywire. On several occasions with the headlights on, the electrical system has malfunctioned and turned off all lights, inside and outside. They will not turn back on unless I turn the headlights off and back on. Turning on the high beams has made the lighting malfunction and the entire vehicle will decelerate, even when pressing on the gas. I will gladly allow my vehicle for inspection upon request. This is clearly a hazard to both myself and other vehicles on the road, especially at night. Not only is the lack of functional brake lights a hazard, but so is having rapidly flashing lights on the dashboard to myself as a driver. Moreover, the headlights randomly turning off at night is extremely dangerous, as is the random deceleration. Upon looking into it to see if I could find an answer, I learned it's a common problem with 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonatas and to see that so many have this issue but nothing has been done to correct it is shocking. My local dealership did inspect my car upon an engine seizure a few years ago, but all they reported was an issue with the passenger side brake light bracket and bulb (another common issue it seems). I have never received any sort of warning lamp or message, aside from the traction light randomly coming on from time to time for no reason.

- Grass Valley, CA, USA

problem #158

May 142022

Sonata

  • miles
I bought my car used from a private party in March of 2022 with around 132,000miles. In a year's time I have replaced the rear passenger side tail light bulbs 3 to 4 times, the whole light assembly, and the wiring harness twice due to the bulb getting to hot and the plastic caught on fire the first time and melting the second. Noticed the smoke when I pulled into a gas station that day and opened the trunk quickly and beat the small flame with a small blanket I had in the trunk. My kids sit in the back seat. So I'm constantly worrying while driving when they are in the back. The headlight bulbs go out quicker in this vehicle as well. I've had to replace the headlight bulbs 3 times already. This is also too close to the fuel pump for this sort of thing to happen in my opinion. This needs to be resolved A. S. A. P.

- Erwin, NC, USA

problem #157

Feb 012020

Sonata

  • miles
The brake lights and headlights keep going out within a few month of changing the bulbs

- Maple Shade, NJ, USA

problem #156

Jan 282023

Sonata

  • miles
Brake lights work inconsistently, burn hot, melt sockers, fall out of sockets and melt carpeted covers. Safety and fire concerns. Much info on this problem from other owners on various sites. PLEASE force Hyundai to fix these issues.

- Largo, FL, USA

problem #155

Feb 012022

Sonata

  • miles
The brake lights keep blowing every time I replace them & have read other cases where light casing may melt when the bulb blows

- Philpot, KY, USA

problem #154

Sep 012013

Sonata

  • miles
I have been having problems with the electrical system in this car since I had it. The lighting is so dim that you can even see anything while driving at night. I have gone back and forth with Hyundai and the dealership to get a resolution but they keep telling me that nothing is wrong and that I need to replace all of the housings. I don't feel that I should have to do this because they have even had lighting that has burned out because of how hot they get. I have replaced the harnesses because they told me to replace but the electrical issues are all around the car. My lights are constantly flickering even when they are turned off. There are multiple consumers with the same issues in this model and other model cars in that range. I have made videos of the problems and provided to them and they still do nothing. This is affecting my safety.

- Dolomite , AL, USA

problem #153

Sep 262022

Sonata

  • miles
My back passenger tail light has failed twice. When the bulb gets hot, it melts the plastic housing and falls out. Since the bulb can-??t be replaced, the whole tail light assembly has to be replaced. This is a fire safety hazard, as well as a costly repair to replace the the whole tail light assembly. Consumers should be able to replace a tail light bulb without having to replace the whole tail light assembly at a cost of over $400 (parts & labor)

- Charlotte, NC, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »