10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
20,958 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 2017 Hyundai Sonata:

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

problem #280

May 172024

Sonata

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with starter failure and low engine oil. The vehicle was repaired. The independent mechanic advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for assistance. The contact stated the vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed; however, the dealer made the contact aware of similar issues with excessive oil consumption. The contact was informed that he had to pay out of pocket for an oil consumption test. The oil consumption test was not performed, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Hopewell Junction, NY, USA

problem #279

Jul 032024

Sonata

  • miles
The engine light keeps going on and off and I reported to their dealer a couple times during the warranty but when they checked the car the light got off and they asked me to keep driving it until out of warranty and they ask me to pay for fix the same problem

- Anaheim, CA, USA

problem #278

Aug 312023

Sonata

  • miles
Engine oil is consumption. I went to dealer they send the the request to the Hyundai that my engine oil is consuming. The Hyundai reject to replace the new engine for the following resons. 1. I am not the original owner 2. the car has 129k miles

- Macomb, IL, USA

problem #277

Jun 162024

Sonata

  • miles
Have problem with high oil consumption which caused carbon deposits to burn valves. I was driving on the highway when engine light came on the car lost power and stalled on the road. At highway speeds that could have caused a collision with traffic. The car was bought at a dealer with 35000 miles on it when I started to notice a slight problem. The car now has 88500 miles on it and has gotten worse. The dealer said it needs a new engine which Hyundai has denied. The dealer said too many mile-??s between oil changes but all maintenance has been done when needed at the dealer and Big-O. I have noticed online many complaints with the same problem. I contacted Hyundai have case #23502874 Cost to repair $9743.94 at dealer

- Ogden, UT, USA

problem #276

Jan 312024

Sonata

  • miles
While driving on the highway the car stopped.. it was towed to Hyundai as it is still under warranty and ultimately we were told it suffered "catastrophic engine failure" I was also told that a new engine would not be covered. When I asked why I was instructed to give maintenance records which I did. It was denied BEFORE they asked for records. I have been going back and forth with Hyundai and the reason they have given me is an exact effect of their ongoing issues with the THETA II- GDI engine. I have compiled so much research regarding the defect and Hyundai stopped responding to me when I asked them the difference between my car's engine and those that Hyundai knowing delayed recalling and the thousands of same engines that have determined as defective. This has been going on for months and I am not going to let it go and there is a growing petition for another investigation to be opened. Hyundai deliberately delayed recalling a known defect that has affected thousands of vehicles and it is shameful they are playing games. I have an enormous file of data that would indicate the 2017 Sonata Theta II is just as defective as all the others and that their own mechanics have gone on the record admitting that an oil blockage from metal shavings will ultimately cause a catastrophic failure. I have emails from Hyundai and Texts from dealer on cost. I am checking with my attorney to see if they can be shared.

- Waxhaw, NC, USA

problem #275

May 242024

Sonata

  • miles
I was driving down the freeway when my engine made a loud knocking noise, the noise got worse as the RPMs increased. The check engine light began to flash and I lost power, the vehicle will not exceed 60mph and vibrates when moving down the road. I believe this issue is widely know about and should be addressed and forced into a recall. I have maintained the vehicle and should not be responsible for a manufacturing error.

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #274

May 062024

Sonata

  • miles
My car has cut off in the middle of the highway and street. I feel vibration under my seat and I was unable to start my vehicle. Hyundai repaired my engine and I am still having the same issues. The car feels like it-??s slowing down before is completely stops.

- Mcdough , GA, USA

problem #273

Dec 012017

Sonata

  • miles
Excessive oil consumption. Engine makes knocking sound. Check engine light and/or oil light come off & on. Over heat light & HEV LIGHT. Bought car brand new in Sep2017. December 2017 car was in shop for a month. Ever since that incident, car has been in & out the dealership for same issues. Car has been serviced only by Hyundai dealerships. Currently my car has been in the shop awaiting repairs since end of February 2024. I keep getting the delay in parts excuse. Hyundai claims my car does not fall under their lawsuit for engine replacement nor do they acknowledge faulty engine oil consumption.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #272

Mar 162024

Sonata

  • miles
2017 Hyundai Hybrid Sonata lost power while in the middle lane of [XXX]. Following notice appeared: Check Hybrid system. Turn off engine !HEV. We were able to coast over to side of road (car was going 70mph at time of breakdown). Car towed to McDonough Hyundai dealership. Talked to Service Dept. We explained our situation to him (out of town, spending money on a hotel). They performed an engine electric Diag. which stated: Vehicle had multiple codes for low battery voltage. Test battery and got an instant failure. Cleared codes and test drove after new battery replacement. No codes came back. Approximately 1 hr. later in Jackson, GA we were on [XXX], middle lane & engine stalled (70mph & coasted over to side of highway). Received same code: Check Hybrid Battery System, !HEV, turn off engine. Had car towed to Kennesaw, GA. Rented car to drive home & had car towed to Alexandria, KY our home town. After 2 wks. car was put on diagnostic machine. Said they test drove car multiple times. They said could not duplicate the issue. It was suggested the next time we get code on our dashboard to take a picture of it or video. Took car to Kerry Hyundai, Florence. Test driven car 40 miles & have gotten nothing. No codes. Told them it was imperative that your mechanics find the issue. I will not drive the car as it is now. It is unsafe as it stands now. Breaking down 2x in GA. The first time after driving it 6.5 hrs. and the 2nd time after putting brand new battery in & breaking down exactly 1 hr. after driving. We have been without our car since [XXX]. Hyundai advertises a great warranty on their cars, one reason we purchased it. We wanted a SAFE, RELIABLE car since we are both retired and going to travel. We are out of $1,827.08 & afraid to drive car. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Alexandria, KY, USA

problem #271

Feb 102024

Sonata

  • miles
My car was eating up oil and there was no leak in it. Then the vehicle stopped working. I kept up the maintenance for the vehicle and when I reached out to Hyundai they told me to take it to my local dealership to get fixed and they stated that they could not fix it, but according to the class action suite I was suppose to get it fixed

- Palm Coast, FL, USA

problem #270

May 082024

Sonata

  • miles
Hybrid engine is failing, a week before there was a noticeable clicking under the hood during acceleration but no lights came on indicating any problems.

- Bend, OR, USA

problem #269

May 072024

Sonata

  • miles
My car has been burning excessive amounts of oil for the past 6 months now. It is so bad there is excessive carbin built up in the piston rings that caused my engine to missfire 2 times in less than six months. Today 5-7-2024 to my car back to the dealer for that problem and they told me I need a new engine but unfortunately it was not coverd by the engine extended warranty. Please help me resolve this issue because I cannot afford a new engine or a car.

- Pomona, CA, USA

problem #268

Oct 212023

Sonata

  • miles
When I driving my car dropped 20 mph during engine running. Hyundai car care center repaired with $4825.35. After 10 days after I picked my car, I had same problem. I also paid $1864.67 to take care of car problem. I think this problem has to take care of recall. I requested Hyundai recall campaign center but no answer. I need your help. Hyundai case no is [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Garden Grove, CA, USA

problem #267

Sep 152020

Sonata

  • miles
The engine was the part which failed. While driving the engine stalled and would not go forward. A foul smell was coming from the engine and the engine was rattling. The floor was wet on the passenger side interior. We let it cool down and took it to the dealer. They did not offer any explanation concerning why the car was not operating poorly or why the car smelled bad or why it stalled frequently and lost full power. Steve Taylor Hyundai service department quote "we don't know what's wrong with your car". It had 78383 miles on it. Taylor Hyundai said we can trade it in but you will have negative equity on your new loan. We were not credited for our trade in but we lost 4 or 5 thousand dollars on the trade-in. They did not cover the car with the warranty and did not repair it. The paperwork on the sale is quite confusing and does not make sense, but we know we lost money on the purchase of another car, and they did not honor the warranty. HELP

- Palmyra, MI, USA

problem #266

Feb 182024

Sonata

  • miles
While driving on a highway at ~60 mph, the check engine light came on (plus other indicator lights) and the car immediately dropped to ~45 mph. ~20 seconds later, while trying to pull into a school parking lot, the hybrid system fault warning came on and the car dropped to ~5-10 mph and then became extremely difficult to control. The car was towed ~80 miles to my home dealership and it was diagnosed as a partially blocked EGR tube. ~1 month later, on the next longer drive I had to make (all other drives were short distances), ~70 miles into the drive, the car started making a knocking sound and then suffered the same failure under the same kind of conditions. This was diagnosed as a failed knock sensor. One week later I tried to drive it a long distance to see if the problem would happen again (but closer to home) and while traveling on an interstate highway the same issue occurred. This time it was diagnosed as oil in the wiring assembly for the just replaced knock sensor. The dealership tried to give me the car back but I demanded that they do a long test drive. It took 4 days to get them to do what I asked and then they had it break down on them in the same way. I'm not 3+ weeks after that and still don't have the car back (now they're planning to replace the EGR assembly and intake manifold). Each breakdown has thrown the P1326 trouble code but Hyundai refuses to admit that the issue may be the engine itself (related to the recall). It took until the 3rd breakdown and a lot of demands to get a loaner vehicle. I don't know if this is the known engine issue, something else or new but don't feel that Hyundai is taking it seriously. If nothing else, the programming that was added to put the car in safe mode and prevent fires is too aggressive and in each case has made the car undrivable in less than 1 mile. I have gotten lucky in all cases that a safe place to stop was nearby but it is not safe to drive in many areas due to lack of safe pull off location

- Newport News, VA, USA

problem #265

Apr 032024

Sonata

  • miles
The car started to stall and engine lights were flashing in the middle of interstate and it wouldn-??t go above 60mph almost was about to get hit from the back

- Tucker, GA, USA

problem #264

Apr 092024

Sonata

  • miles
A couple of weeks ago my car seemed to be skipping when I started driving. I had no idea what could be wrong but some kind of intuition made me think to check the oil. I had the oil changed in December 2023 but had only driven about 1000 miles since then. I'm working from home so not driving alot. My oil was VERY low - it didn't even measure up to the first fill line. I started reading info online and realized that many Hyundai Sonata owners were reporting similar issues, so I went to an auto store bought a quart of oil and put that in. After testing, I got another quart of oil and put that in, finally bringing oil level to amount recommended by the lines on the oil stick. A couple days later I took my car to the local dealer, Tuscaloosa Hyundai. As soon as I started describing the problem, they immediately knew what was wrong - another sign that this problem is way too common. They performed some type of combustion chamber cleaning with oil and filter change and charged me $672. I drive a 2017 Hyundai Sonata Sport. When changing oil in December 2023, car had 60780 miles on it. The oil change personnel did say that the car seemed to be using too much oil, which may be why I thought to check it when the car was acting weird. When I took it to the dealer in April 2024, the car had 61816 miles on it. If I had not checked the oil, my engine could have been destroyed and I could have been left stranded on the side of the road. With so many other Hyundai owners claiming the same problem, I can't understand why this vehicle wasn't recalled so that the problem could be fixed, and/or that this problem which could have serious consequences wasn't covered by Hyundai. I am [XXX], don't drive far from home and drive very carefully. There should be no reason a car with 60000 miles on it is consuming oil at this rate. No warning lights were on in my car to indicate that I had an issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Tuscaloosa, AL, USA

problem #263

Mar 022024

Sonata

  • miles
My son was driving the car, and completely out of nowhere it seized to have any compression and steering/accelerating became disabled. I have been given an estimate up to $7,000 for an engine rebuild due to this happening. I have reached out to Hyundai and they denied my claim due to car being out of warranty. This should have never happened when the car has been well maintained, even with the motor burning through oil faster than it should be, which I have always kept a close eye on. This car is defective and unsafe.

- Wooster, OH, USA

problem #262

Apr 052024

Sonata

  • miles
My husband was driving the car on I95 yesterday, no lights on on the dashboard. Suddenly, the engine stalled and he had to pull out before it completely stopped. He could not get the car to start again. The only light on at that moment was a light indicating the key was not inside the car. He went home with a friend to get the other key, but it didn't started as well. The car spent the night at a shoulder on I95. This morning, he called an independent service center and after checking the car, they said the engine stalled because it run out of oil. There was no apparent leak and no lights indicating a problem with the engine oil. It was changed 2,000 miles ago only. The mechanic also mentioned that Hyundai had similar problems with other cars and that we should call them for that. Since there is no recall for the car, they wouldn't help at the dealer, unless we scheduled a service, which is available for April 21 only.

- Deerfield Beach, FL, USA

problem #261

Feb 072023

Sonata

  • miles
I have observed that my Hyundai sonata 2017 randomly lose power while driving. Also, sometimes the car vibrates when I am driving. I went to the mechanics few times for them to check it, and they requested to change the spark plugs as well as the coils, which I did but it continuously do that. I usually go to the Hyundai car dealership for oil change, and they will tell me whatever I need to change in the car, which I always do but still it does that. I believe this is not safe especially when you are driving over 50 miles an hour on a high way, and the car randomly loses power; this can cause a serious accident. I am requesting the intervention of your office in making sure that car company-??s uphold to the safety of everyone plying the road.

- Quincy, MA, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »