2023 Hyundai Sonata Problems & Owner Complaints

Fuel/Propulsion System 36 1 crash

“Recall 286 my vehicle suffered from this causing heat module failure misfire in cylinder 2 and high pressure in gas tank. Sports Hyundai had previously done a 180 day repair under recall 9b1 for an expanded gas tank after the repair the car suffered from the updated recall 286 . I brang to the dealership 4 times with check engine and misfires and limp mode between 57k and 68k they refused to fix the car under recall 286 and cleared all the codes and continued to make me leave in a unsafe car. On February 14th it sport Hyundais negligence was the direct cause of an auto accident were the car wa…”
NHTSA complaint #11722063, 2026 · crash

“Was driving and stopped at a stoplight. When I went to drive it started sputtering and if I wouldn’t have driven into a gas station, it would’ve given out in the middle of the road. It wouldn’t let me switch to drive or reverse , only neutral or park. It threw a code P0301, cylinder 1 misfire. Had to get it towed. Now I have to get my spark plugs and fuel injectors replaced.”
NHTSA complaint #11737351, 2026

“I am filing this complaint regarding Recall 25V-796 (Hyundai Recall 286). On November 27th, while driving, my vehicle made a loud popping noise twice and then began sounding muffled. About a week later, while on a long-distance drive, I attempted to refuel and the gas would not go into the tank. At another gas station I was able to fuel it, but afterward the vehicle began rapidly leaking fuel while I was driving. The fuel gauge was also malfunctioning. It showed 53 miles remaining and then suddenly jumped to 200 miles. It was not accurately reflecting the fuel level. When I stopped again for g…”
NHTSA complaint #11721116, 2025

Engine 26 1 crash

“Recall 286 my vehicle suffered from this causing heat module failure misfire in cylinder 2 and high pressure in gas tank. Sports Hyundai had previously done a 180 day repair under recall 9b1 for an expanded gas tank after the repair the car suffered from the updated recall 286 . I brang to the dealership 4 times with check engine and misfires and limp mode between 57k and 68k they refused to fix the car under recall 286 and cleared all the codes and continued to make me leave in a unsafe car. On February 14th it sport Hyundais negligence was the direct cause of an auto accident were the car wa…”
NHTSA complaint #11722063, 2026 · crash

“This is an extremely common issue plaguing Hyundai & Kia vehicles with the Theta III 2.5L Turbo engine, Such as Kia K5 GT, Hyundai Sante Fe, Hyundai Santa Cruz, & Hyundai Sonata N-Line. Its a failing ITM (integrated thermal management) unit or otherwise known as an ITMS unit. There is a rod within the ITM that prevents proper control of the flow of cooling the oil and engine coolant of the engine. Results in Cooling issues, such as a cold lower radiator hose while the engine is hot, or 'limp mode' during acceleration, that causes a sudden loss of power while trying to merge on the expressway…”
NHTSA complaint #11737860, 2026

“Battery Management System completely exhausting the 12V battery resulting in the car acting as if it has no power. When this happens, you can't unlock the door or open the trunk. On two separate occasions, I have encountered a complete loss of power in my Sonata Hybrid, preventing me from unlocking the trunk or doors upon returning from extended trips. The first incident occurred after a ten-day absence last Fall, and the most recent was on Saturday, March 14, 2025. During the latest incident, I returned from a seven-day trip and found my vehicle parked at Orlando International Airport. Upo…”
NHTSA complaint #11724724, 2025

Power Train 15 1 crash

“Car was parked, full stop, doors shut, seatbelt on. Foot on brake. Car then seemed to lurch forward by itself forward hitting parking cement block. Put in reverse to back away and car stayed still...then I tapped the gas again to back up and insted vehicle plowed forward.instead.of reverse ...went over the parking block and hit concrete beam in front, when the car should have backed up in reverse. I'm a person who drives speeed limits, and ulta careful when i drive, and parked at this place/spot for years. This has never happened not sure why it did. No injuries or other people involved thank…”
NHTSA complaint #11718993, 2026 · crash

“The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the transmission shifted into neutral(N) and failed to shift into park or drive on three occasions. The vehicle was restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle was shifted into drive, and the contact continued driving. The message that the vehicle could not be shifted into other gears was displayed. The vehicle was originally purchased in another state. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The dealer determined that the battery and fuel injector pump needed to b…”
NHTSA complaint #11744098, 2026

“This is an extremely common issue plaguing Hyundai & Kia vehicles with the Theta III 2.5L Turbo engine, Such as Kia K5 GT, Hyundai Sante Fe, Hyundai Santa Cruz, & Hyundai Sonata N-Line. Its a failing ITM (integrated thermal management) unit or otherwise known as an ITMS unit. There is a rod within the ITM that prevents proper control of the flow of cooling the oil and engine coolant of the engine. Results in Cooling issues, such as a cold lower radiator hose while the engine is hot, or 'limp mode' during acceleration, that causes a sudden loss of power while trying to merge on the expressway…”
NHTSA complaint #11737860, 2026

Electrical System 12 1 crash

“Instrument cluster lighting is too bright even on lowest setting. Combined with poor side visibility from headlamps it is easy to hit object or pedestrians when turning on unlit areas. Have run over a curb three times and damaged two wheels because they can't be seen from the overly bright instrument lighting at night.”
NHTSA complaint #11569686, 2024 · crash

“Battery Management System completely exhausting the 12V battery resulting in the car acting as if it has no power. When this happens, you can't unlock the door or open the trunk. On two separate occasions, I have encountered a complete loss of power in my Sonata Hybrid, preventing me from unlocking the trunk or doors upon returning from extended trips. The first incident occurred after a ten-day absence last Fall, and the most recent was on Saturday, March 14, 2025. During the latest incident, I returned from a seven-day trip and found my vehicle parked at Orlando International Airport. Upo…”
NHTSA complaint #11724724, 2025

“Car stalls and shuts down while shifting to park or reverse and when slowing to turn or stopping. Also the media screen will black out and not work at times.”
NHTSA complaint #11700089, 2025

Forward Collision Avoidance 8 1 crash

“Reported this previously, but more information was gathered, thanks to collision mechanic who guessed immediately when he heard 2023 hybrid Sonata - he said "they're notorious for it." Was at a stand still in a parking space/lot I know well. Cautious driver, watch my speed, very aware of other drivers, quick reaction time. Incident mid day, no pedestrians, distractions, no moving traffic. Vehicle doors shut, seat belt on. Not on incline. Pulled into parking spot I use weekly, spot has parking curb. Was at a full stop. Realized I had not pulled into the spot quite far enough, and attempted to i…”
NHTSA complaint #11724237, 2026 · crash

“I was driving into work on a major road (about 45 mph) when my 2023 Hyundai Sonata stopped accelerating and my engine gave out. Initially I thought I was accidentally pressing on my break pedal but when I realized I wasn’t pressing the break, I had just enough time to turn on my hazards and get out of traffic and onto the shoulder of the road. I was stuck between a main exit and the major road. My battery, oil, and engine lights came on (no service lights had been on prior to this incident) and my car was just very slowly rolling before it automatically engaged my parking break - which makes m…”
NHTSA complaint #11636585, 2025

“During snow and icing conditions the forward collision radar in the logo gets covered up and becomes inoperable. This at the very time that we most need forward collision warning. It would helpful if there was electric deicing in the unit, much like the rear view side mirrors.”
NHTSA complaint #11622850, 2024

Fuel System 7

“The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15-40 MPH, the vehicle was sputtering and shaking abnormally. The failure was a recurring failure. The contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V796000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); but the VIN was not under recall. The dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,500.”
NHTSA complaint #11753540, 2026

“The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V796000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was not contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and informed the contact that parts were still not yet available. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure.”
NHTSA complaint #11712428, 2026

“The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after depressing the START/STOP button, the vehicle failed to start immediately. Additionally, there was smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. There was no warning light illuminated; however, an undisclosed message was displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who replaced the fuel injector; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V796000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was made aware of…”
NHTSA complaint #11720359, 2025

Unknown Or Other 7

“Vehicle WITHOUT WARNING will start to jerk then go into “limp” mode. Pressing on gas pedal makes the revving noise but with not physical movement made. This has happened on MULTIPLE occasions (13 times in 4 months) including in the snow and on the interstate while driving at 70mph where no shoulder is available to pull over. Car was taken to dealership 3 different times with no actual diagnosis, tests were ran all 3 times with nothing. Eventually the 3rd time at the dealership I was told the transmission was being replaced although they were not sure what actually caused the issue (this is wri…”
NHTSA complaint #11721841, 2025

“Filled gas tank up on Friday [XXX] about 10am as leaving Boca Raton, FL to head North to New Port Richey, FL. About 30 minutes later the gas mileage said there was only 90 miles left in the tank. Stopped at the next gas station to make sure nothing was leaking, added a little more until it clicked, basically full again. Got to approximately [XXX] near Morris Bridge in Tampa area, the car started to decelerate and then all the engine lights came on and car was shutting off, was able to pull to the left side of the road and Looked into the back seat noticed the back seat was rising. Looked under…”
NHTSA complaint #11690061, 2025

“On June 4 as son was turning, the car started shaking & went to park. He managed to slip into a nearby parking spot & tried to reverse. The car turned on, put into reverse & then after about 2 seconds it went to park & stopped. This happened several times. It was towed to the dealer who today, June 10, reported it was a transmission flaw. The car was being driven at about 30 mph on a 2 way street. Had it been on the interstate at a higher speed, it may have caused a dangerous situation with a sudden stop.”
NHTSA complaint #11666202, 2025

Structure 4 1 crash

“Recall 286 my vehicle suffered from this causing heat module failure misfire in cylinder 2 and high pressure in gas tank. Sports Hyundai had previously done a 180 day repair under recall 9b1 for an expanded gas tank after the repair the car suffered from the updated recall 286 . I brang to the dealership 4 times with check engine and misfires and limp mode between 57k and 68k they refused to fix the car under recall 286 and cleared all the codes and continued to make me leave in a unsafe car. On February 14th it sport Hyundais negligence was the direct cause of an auto accident were the car wa…”
NHTSA complaint #11722063, 2026 · crash

“MY 2023 HYUNDAI SONATA LIMITED HAS AN ISSUE WHERE WATER ENTERS THE REAR LEFT DOOR AND GETS TRAPPED BETWEEN THE LOWER DOOR SEALS. WATER POURS OUT WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED. A GOOGLE REVIEW OF "SONATA REAR DOOR LEAK" SHOWS THIS IS A WIDE SPREAD ISSUE WITH THIS DOOR AND CAR MODEL. IF THIS WERE TO OCCUR IN A NORTHERN CLIMATE THE DOOR WOULD HAVE ICE COLLECT BETWEEN THE DOOR AND DOOR SILL AND PREVENT THE DOOR FROM OPENING IN AN EMERGENCY. GOOGLE SHOWS NUMEROUS PEOPLE HAVE TRIED TO GET THIS ADDRESSED . MOST WITH NO SUCCESS FROM HYUNDAI. I HAD TAKEN MY CAR TO COCONUT CREEK HYUNDAI IN CO…”
NHTSA complaint #11549364, 2023

“The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear passenger’s and rear driver's side doors were leaking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140.”
NHTSA complaint #11529345, 2022

Vehicle Speed Control 4 2 crash

“Car was parked, full stop, doors shut, seatbelt on. Foot on brake. Car then seemed to lurch forward by itself forward hitting parking cement block. Put in reverse to back away and car stayed still...then I tapped the gas again to back up and insted vehicle plowed forward.instead.of reverse ...went over the parking block and hit concrete beam in front, when the car should have backed up in reverse. I'm a person who drives speeed limits, and ulta careful when i drive, and parked at this place/spot for years. This has never happened not sure why it did. No injuries or other people involved thank…”
NHTSA complaint #11718993, 2026 · crash

“My concern is a potential unintended acceleration forward as. I was. parking vechicle. Sudden burst of speed, went thru shrubbery and off a 2 foot wall. Felt as if we were taking off a runway in a plane. Car went nose up over the wall and then dropped into a neighbor yard digging a divot, ripping rear left fender and bumper with some undercarriage problems. My spouse and I were seatbelted and not injured. I can not recall any safety warning until car stopped and then do recall a message being on dash but cannot presently recall what it said. Vehicle currently being worked on at collision cent…”
NHTSA complaint #11542119, 2023 · crash

“I have had three occasions where the dashboard lights would flash and the car would lose all power. The first occasion occurred on December 29th at around 12:20 pm at a crowded intersection. The dashboard lights lit up and all of a sudden the car had no power at all. I managed to get it through the intersection and pull it off to the side of the road. To start it up I have to TURN OFF THE CAR by putting it in park and start it up again. This is stressful and terrifying to think about if this had happened on the freeway. Additionally, I took the car to get serviced and was charged a $1,800 bil…”
NHTSA complaint #11581001, 2023

Back Over Prevention 3 2 crash

“Reported this previously, but more information was gathered, thanks to collision mechanic who guessed immediately when he heard 2023 hybrid Sonata - he said "they're notorious for it." Was at a stand still in a parking space/lot I know well. Cautious driver, watch my speed, very aware of other drivers, quick reaction time. Incident mid day, no pedestrians, distractions, no moving traffic. Vehicle doors shut, seat belt on. Not on incline. Pulled into parking spot I use weekly, spot has parking curb. Was at a full stop. Realized I had not pulled into the spot quite far enough, and attempted to i…”
NHTSA complaint #11724237, 2026 · crash

“Car was parked, full stop, doors shut, seatbelt on. Foot on brake. Car then seemed to lurch forward by itself forward hitting parking cement block. Put in reverse to back away and car stayed still...then I tapped the gas again to back up and insted vehicle plowed forward.instead.of reverse ...went over the parking block and hit concrete beam in front, when the car should have backed up in reverse. I'm a person who drives speeed limits, and ulta careful when i drive, and parked at this place/spot for years. This has never happened not sure why it did. No injuries or other people involved thank…”
NHTSA complaint #11718993, 2026 · crash

“Forward Collision Warning appeared, vehicle lost power and would not accelerate. Vehicle kept loosing power. Multiple codes appeared. I am an ASE certified mechanic, so I went to my own business to get my scanner and there was a list of codes. Vehicle is currently at dealership and they are tracking down issues. Currently blaming an ECM but unsure. This is the second vehicle I have had this exact issue with. I have video that it won't allow me to upload of all the codes. I have a video of a previous issue, with a different vehicle. It's a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe”
NHTSA complaint #11554215, 2023

Service Brakes 3

“Since I have had the car, I would have to check my invoices for exact mileages, I have changed my brakes 4 times now. I only have 40k miles on the vehicle. This is very bizarre to me since I have owned a 2020 Hyundai sonata SEL convenience prior to this and never once changed the brakes. I have also changed my rotors once, resurfaced them another then, and I am in the process of changing them again. Now to this day, my calibers are shot. They will take 2 months on back order to come in from Korea. Maybe Hyundai needs to look into N lines in specific as I have read many people complaining…”
NHTSA complaint #11622260, 2023

“Forward Collision Warning appeared, vehicle lost power and would not accelerate. Vehicle kept loosing power. Multiple codes appeared. I am an ASE certified mechanic, so I went to my own business to get my scanner and there was a list of codes. Vehicle is currently at dealership and they are tracking down issues. Currently blaming an ECM but unsure. This is the second vehicle I have had this exact issue with. I have video that it won't allow me to upload of all the codes. I have a video of a previous issue, with a different vehicle. It's a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe”
NHTSA complaint #11554215, 2023

“The brake rotors are faulty and become warped at 9k mile I now have 27k and are extremely warped causing braking issues at higher speeds. I have been waiting over two months for new rotors from the dealer with no word as to when they will arrive. If the vehicle is left un-driven for a couple days the rotors will become rusted. Even the brand new vehicles in the Hyundia showroom are covered in rust. The suspension of the rear shock are extremely weak and bottoms out on the smallest rut. Cornering I’m the vehicle is subject to enormous amounts of whee hop which could result in an accident.”
NHTSA complaint #11546207, 2023

Engine And Engine Cooling 2

“The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the message "Engine Overheated" displayed. The contact checked the Hyundai app, but it showed no failure. The contact's wife drove to their son's residence, who inspected and discovered that there was no coolant in the engine. The contact's son added coolant to the engine. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who replaced the coolant valve, exhaust muffler assembly center, clamp assembly exhaust pipe, two gasket exhaust pipes, and added coolant. The contact related the failure to…”
NHTSA complaint #11737251, 2026

Lane Departure 2

“1. All safety features related to the back up camera, EPS, Traction Control, Lane Assist, Active Cruise Control, Automatic High Beam, Forward Collision Avoidance and more. 2. Loss of all safety features and then sudden restoration of EPS would cause swerve into oncoming lanes or into neighboring lanes and/or ditches. 3. Yes the problem has been reproduced, repeatedly in cold weather and while the dealership has had it in for repairs. 4. No, but the dealership has contacted the manufacturer for repair advice. 5. Yes, every time. I have photos of my dash with the indicating lights on. 10/2/23.”
NHTSA complaint #11717413, 2023

“Vehicle’s front collision sensor popped up on dash, vehicle lost all power. Almost was hit by a group a semi trucks hauling a wide load that wouldn’t have been able to stop in time. This is the 3rd time it has happened in a week and a half.”
NHTSA complaint #11554293, 2023

Steering 2

“On two separate occasions, one at @9500 miles and the next at @19,000 miles the car engine started shaking and lost all power while driving. Unable to steer car. Both times towed to dealer and they say it needs new spark plugs and need to clean cylinders. They do not know root cause of problem and have not done any testing of the engine, no leak/compression testing. Dealer refuses to cover cost of repairs saying out of warranty but cannot give any assurances this won’t happen again. I’ve requested they contact Hyundai engineers to find out what’s causing this and, to date, they’ve done noth…”
NHTSA complaint #11594317, 2024

“1. All safety features related to the back up camera, EPS, Traction Control, Lane Assist, Active Cruise Control, Automatic High Beam, Forward Collision Avoidance and more. 2. Loss of all safety features and then sudden restoration of EPS would cause swerve into oncoming lanes or into neighboring lanes and/or ditches. 3. Yes the problem has been reproduced, repeatedly in cold weather and while the dealership has had it in for repairs. 4. No, but the dealership has contacted the manufacturer for repair advice. 5. Yes, every time. I have photos of my dash with the indicating lights on. 10/2/23.”
NHTSA complaint #11717413, 2023

Air Bags 1

“The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the rear passenger’s and rear driver's side doors were leaking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to duplicate the failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140.”
NHTSA complaint #11529345, 2022

Exterior Lighting 1 1 crash

“Instrument cluster lighting is too bright even on lowest setting. Combined with poor side visibility from headlamps it is easy to hit object or pedestrians when turning on unlit areas. Have run over a curb three times and damaged two wheels because they can't be seen from the overly bright instrument lighting at night.”
NHTSA complaint #11569686, 2024 · crash

Seats 1

“Hello, I have Hyundai Sonata 2023. The fuel tank of this car is expanded on [XXX]. I have never heard about this issue to any cars. I took my car to dealership they said they don’t know why this happened and they said they cannot fix it, my car at the dealership more than a month. I have created a case with Hyundai corporate office in CA, it’s been a month since this case was created and I could reach out to my case manager only twice for this period of time. They are keep saying they are working on it, but no results they don’t even look at my car. Today I barely could reach my case manager a…”
NHTSA complaint #11611733, 2024

Suspension 1

“The brake rotors are faulty and become warped at 9k mile I now have 27k and are extremely warped causing braking issues at higher speeds. I have been waiting over two months for new rotors from the dealer with no word as to when they will arrive. If the vehicle is left un-driven for a couple days the rotors will become rusted. Even the brand new vehicles in the Hyundia showroom are covered in rust. The suspension of the rear shock are extremely weak and bottoms out on the smallest rut. Cornering I’m the vehicle is subject to enormous amounts of whee hop which could result in an accident.”
NHTSA complaint #11546207, 2023