What breaks most · 1990 to 2026 model years
Hyundai Sonata problems by year
Owners have filed 16,024 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Hyundai Sonata across model years 1990 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2011 for steering complaints, 2013 for engine complaints and 2012 for engine complaints. The quietest years are 1994, 1990 and 1992.
- Years to check closely: 2011, 2013, 2012
- Fewest complaints: 1994, 1990, 1992
- Complaints on file
- 160241990 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 20113376 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 735520 fires · 705 injuries · 15 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 75kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 138Across 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) | |
| 276 | 20 | 4 | Body and structure (109) | |
| 205 | 27 | 3 | Body and structure (69) | |
| 319 | 31 | 7 | Body and structure (88) | |
| 199 | 17 | 6 | Air bags (43) | |
| 202 | 22 | 1 | Suspension (56) | |
| 165 | 26 | 1 | Air bags (55) | |
| 1047 | 43 | 11 | Air bags (435) | |
| 696 | 30 | 7 | Air bags (257) | |
| 425 | 19 | 5 | Air bags (137) | |
| 460 | 21 | 2 | Brakes (64) | |
| 345 | 19 | 2 | Body and structure (164) | |
| 3376 | 116 | 14 | Steering (1171) | |
| 1556 | 51 | 8 | Engine (567) | |
| 1904 | 93 | 9 | Engine (731) | |
| 743 | 29 | 7 | Engine (300) | |
| 1142 | 34 | 9 | Engine (621) | |
| 722 | 19 | 6 | Engine (448) | |
| 761 | 28 | 3 | Engine (382) | |
| 369 | 18 | 1 | Engine (209) | |
| 159 | 8 | 0 | Engine (85) | |
| 177 | 5 | 4 | Fuel system (45) | |
| 130 | 7 | 4 | Engine (34) | |
| 91 | 8 | 3 | Powertrain and transmission (24) | |
| 85 | 5 | 2 | Fuel system (37) | |
| 45 | 1 | 1 | Electrical system (18) | |
| 16 | 0 | 0 | Brakes (5) | |
| 2 | 0 | 1 | Tires (1) |
What fails on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SteeringPower steering pumps, racks and hoses | 35% |
1171 | 21 | Shop steering parts for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 29% |
967 | 19 | Shop engine parts for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 13% |
443 | 14 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata |
| Air bags | 12% |
418 | 51 | Check recalls for air bags on NHTSA.gov |
| Exterior lightingHeadlights, tail lights and bulbs | 7% |
248 | 2 | Shop exterior lighting parts for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata |
| Unknown or other | 6% |
213 | 2 | — |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
173 | 7 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| SuspensionStruts, springs and control arms | 4% |
148 | 1 | Shop suspension parts for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata |
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.
-
I was driving down the road going the speed limit and all of a sudden it felt like I hit a brick wall my car staked out and I was stuck in the middle of the road for about 20 minutes and finally I got it to start and drove home it did it again 2 months later
-
Excessive oil consumption. I lose 3 qt of oil every 1200 miles. I have had the required maintenance on the car and still having excessive oil consumption.
-
While I was driving my car wouldn’t go no higher than 60mph and kept dropping speed but I came to a stop and when I stopped the car was smoking. I heard knocking noise and rumbling noise on the passenger side. It wouldn’t start again
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 6, 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, 2013, 2012 carry the most filings on the Hyundai Sonata. The 2011 alone has 3376 complaints, led by steering.
What is the most common Hyundai Sonata problem?
On the 2011 model year, the most-reported component is steering with 1171 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 75,000 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.