Hyundai Sonata / 2018
2018 Hyundai Sonata problems
Owners have filed 548 complaints about the 2018 Hyundai Sonata with NHTSA. Engine accounts for 38% of them — far more than any other system, ahead of electrical system at 10.9%.
Complaints548
Crashes26
Fires19
Injuries28
Deaths1
What owners report breaking
Engine 38.0% · 208
Electrical system 10.9% · 60
Unknown or other 10.6% · 58
Power train 7.3% · 40
Fuel/propulsion system 5.5% · 30
Exterior lighting 4.0% · 22
Vehicle speed control 3.5% · 19
Structure 2.9% · 16
Severity
Of those complaints, 26 describe a crash, 19 describe a fire, 28 report an injury and 1 report a death.
Reading the numbers
Across the 25 model years of the Hyundai Sonata in this data, 2018 sits 12th by complaint volume. 2011 draws the most.
Filings are rising — 243 in the last three years against 157 in the three before. For a vehicle this age that usually points to a wear-related failure owners are hitting now.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 20,000 miles.
In owners' own words
While driving car on an interstate highway engine power suddenly declined and vehicle had no pickup. I was unable to keep up with the highway traffic, I had to tow the car to the dealership for repairs. I was informed by the Hyundai service department that my car required a computer software upgrade to correct the condition. Apparently they are aware of this problem but there are no recalls concerning this problem. Engine · reported at 20,000 miles
January 2019, vehicle to dealer for recall for engine failure. March 2019, went to start vehicle. Flashing engine light. Could not get above 2000 rpm. Dealer advised to tow vehicle. Dealer advised car is in limp mode. Dealer advised possible engine replacement. Two weeks later, car is still not repaired. Now they are possibly replacing 'harness'. Advised that they would have vehicle another two weeks. Engine · reported at 35,000 miles
The vehicle is burning oil at a high rate in a short period of time, a known issue that is affecting thousands of other people, and Hyundai refuses to issue a recall to fix this issue. If I forget to add oil every 500-1000 miles, I risk the engine locking up while driving. Their cars are dangerous to drive and are unsafe to be on the road with other drivers. They put profit over the safety of their customers. Engine
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…