What breaks most · 1990 to 2019 model years
Hyundai Sonata problems by year
Owners have filed 9,328 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Hyundai Sonata across model years 1990 to 2019. Three years stand out: 2011 for steering complaints, 2006 for air bags complaints and 2012 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 1994, 1990 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 2011, 2006, 2012
- Fewest complaints: 1994, 1990, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 93281990 to 2019, all trims
- Worst year
- 20112585 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 535211 fires · 509 injuries · 10 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 67kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 123Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | 0 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (7) | |
| 29 | 3 | 1 | Seat belts (9) | |
| 22 | 1 | 1 | Brakes (hydraulic) (5) | |
| 26 | 1 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (9) | |
| 3 | 0 | 1 | Seats (2) | |
| 66 | 13 | 2 | Air bags (15) | |
| 23 | 0 | 1 | Engine and cooling (6) | |
| 49 | 5 | 2 | Fuel system (16) | |
| 49 | 3 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (12) | |
| 124 | 12 | 4 | Body and structure (36) | |
| 275 | 20 | 4 | Body and structure (109) | |
| 203 | 27 | 3 | Body and structure (68) | |
| 309 | 30 | 7 | Body and structure (88) | |
| 190 | 17 | 6 | Air bags (42) | |
| 173 | 21 | 1 | Body and structure (44) | |
| 145 | 26 | 1 | Air bags (53) | |
| 969 | 41 | 11 | Air bags (409) | |
| 633 | 24 | 7 | Air bags (222) | |
| 384 | 17 | 5 | Air bags (117) | |
| 389 | 17 | 2 | Brakes (55) | |
| 295 | 18 | 2 | Body and structure (149) | |
| 2585 | 90 | 14 | Steering (1063) | |
| 826 | 37 | 8 | Engine (247) | |
| 799 | 62 | 9 | Engine (261) | |
| 230 | 13 | 7 | Engine (84) | |
| 305 | 16 | 9 | Engine (144) | |
| 89 | 3 | 6 | Engine (30) | |
| 67 | 13 | 3 | Engine (17) | |
| 52 | 4 | 1 | Engine (26) | |
| 3 | 1 | 0 | Engine (1) |
What fails on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 41% |
1063 | 16 | Shop steering parts for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 23% |
590 | 11 | Shop engine parts for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 13% |
328 | 6 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata |
| Air bags | 12% |
311 | 38 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 7% |
175 | 0 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
133 | 5 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 5% |
119 | 0 | Shop suspension parts for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata |
| Unknown or other | 4% |
106 | 1 | — |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
The steering column is making clunking sounds when turning right or left and the vehicle has lost steering response. My own reading tells me that it is the bushing in the column, which has been worn down or broken; long story short - this is not a unique problem to me. The vehicle unsafe to drive at this point.
-
While driving, the driver's side sun visor suddenly flopped open. It startled me and almost caused an accident. The sun visor has not stayed up ever since. This creates a safety issue since it blocks my line of vision.
-
Takara recall car rattle or vibrate hard if the car stationed on park and and rpm is on 1500 below or above that number car is ok
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 30, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Hyundai Sonata years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2011, 2006, 2012 carry the most filings on the Hyundai Sonata. The 2011 alone has 2585 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Hyundai Sonata problem?
On the 2011 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 1063 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Hyundai Sonata problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Hyundai Sonata complaints that include mileage is about 67,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.