2012 Hyundai Sonata Complaint Log

Approximately a month ago I notice that my passenger side low beam head light was not working on my 2012 Hyundai Sonata so I purchased a replacement H7 halogen bulb thinking it was simply a burned out bulb. I replace the bulb with the new bulb only to find the low beam was still not working. I tried the new bulb in the drivers side to rule out a bad new bulb. The bulb worked fine in the drivers side. I also inspected the connector found no obvious problem. So far I have not been able to get the passenger side working so I did some on line research and found that this is not an uncommon problem on Hyundai vehicles and particularly with the Sonata. It appears that this is a wiring or computer issue not easily resolved. I believe this is a significant safety issue that Hyundai should repair at no cost.

I purchased a 2012 Hyundai sonata from Dulles auto in Leesburg VA at the end of Feb. 2023 on June third my husband and I were driving on 395 at 74 miles and hours and lost all power to our car. We were in the middle of the highway around 2:00 pm and we manage to get over to the side with out getting hit as the engine was smoking !!!. We then called a tow truck which took 2 hours because there was another accident behind us that could not move and tow truck was stuck in that. We were in the wedding and missed the ceremony which is devastating. We had the car towed to dealer and they looked at the car and said engine seized and needs to be towed to a Safford brown Hyundai in Leesburg. We did just that. We asked for a loaner car from dealer that we bought car from and from Hyundai and both said they didn't have any loaner. They both told me i can rent a car but no guarantee if i will get reimbursed. I have three drivers in my house and a car i had for 3months and 1 week before it broke down. I still have no car no loaner and no help. Hyundai in Leesburg did everything that Hyundai corp asked and took pictures i showed proof that the dealer did oil change 12-22 before i bought end of Feb. 2023. They then asked for engine cover be removed and then it was diagnosed as sludge on the engine and that is why it has seized and can not be repaired. It would cost $9000 to fix and I bought it for 12,000.00 for my 17 year old. No one will take responsibility or help so we are asked what we can do and what rights we have. During the 3months that we had the car it ran great and no lights ever came on or any warnings that why it was such a shock when this happened. I have lost work time for all the hours i have to put in for this and get no calls back or help. Please contact me at [XXX]/ I can get picture and notes from Hyundai if needed. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had remained illuminated. The contact stated while driving at 40 MPH, the vehicle shut off and failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a dealer. The contact was informed that there were no recalls on the VN. The vehicle was then towed to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that the timing chain had fractured and needed to be replaced. Additionally, the contact stated that the headlight and taillight bulbs would burn out and require frequent replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.

Made a left turn on a busy intersection when all of a sudden the knocks from the engine got loud and and an alarm came up stating to pull over and to stop my car. I had it towed to the dealership where they state that it’s a connecting rod issue that has an extended warranty on it. They recommended that I have the entire engine replaced. I filed a claim with their claims department where they denied it because I was apparently out of warranty with it. I am not because their extended warranty covers up to 150,000 miles and I’m at 104575 miles.

The vehicle has cut off while driving. My check engine light started flashing and the code P1326 was detected when diagnosed. Engine is making a tapping noise.

The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact received notification of 18V137000 (Seat Belt, Air Bags) on October 2019. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and had the recall remedy completed. The contact stated while his wife was driving 35 mph, another vehicle intercepted her lane and crashed into the front driver-side tire. No air bags deployed. The driver sustained injuries on her left leg and her neck but did not seek any medical attention at the moment of the crash. The contact stated the following day, she called her primary doctor and was receiving physical therapy for her injuries. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was towed to a collision shop. A dealer was not contacted nor made aware of the failure. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

My vehicle is experiencing several recall issues. The seat belt in driver seat randomly pops unlocked which is very dangerous while driving, the headlights and brakes lights go out once a month due to some electrical issues with the vehicle, the tire bearing clocks when the vehicle is turning

I bought this car from someone recently and was unaware of the engine recall, I did checking and found that there's a recall on the engine, it's knocking, can't be driven, it has 128,000 miles on odometer, does the recall expire because I read that they never expire, I love the car and would really like to have it repaired.

Car completely shut down suddenly and spontaneously without ANY warning while my husband and I were driving on a very busy major highway at night. We were unable to do ANYTHING to control the car and could have died, been seriously injured, or caused death or injury to other drivers. We were then towed off of the highway after calling for help. We don’t know firsthand exactly what failed. We were aware of our engine burning oil and had been to Huffines Hyundai multiple times previously for an oil consumption test at their recommendation. Upon completion of this test process no solutions for repair were offered, and we were never warned of any danger in driving it. We have found out via our own research that our car has a defective engine. This specific engine has been the subject of at least one class action lawsuit and Hyundai is well aware of its dangers. We have been denied an engine replacement by Hyundai as they are claiming negligence on our part as the reason for failure after we presented a substantial stack of oil change receipts. Not 100% complete, so they make this claim. These cars are death traps and people are dying because this company won’t honor their warranty. Please do something.

The car engine has seized while I was driving. Engine started smoking up and car won’t start

I have a 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid that has a problem with its ABS Module. It is overheating and causes my car to stop its brake and motor functions while driving. I contacted the dealership to get a rental or replacement in the meantime and they told me there is nothing they can do and to drive with caution. I called the manufacturer to get a rental for the meantime and they told me the same thing. I have looked on the recall documents and it says they should give me a vehicle in the meantime if it is unsafe to drive. Please, I don't even want the car at this point because of all the problems with it and with my dissatisfaction with customer service from any Hyundai business. But if I could just get a car that is safe to drive while I wait for the recall to have a remedy , I would take that.

On 04/25/2023 while driving to work my car all of a sudden started flashing “check engine light”. The flashing was continuous and my car lost almost all power and would not go above 2 rpm. It was terrifying. I immediately notified Hyundai and had my car towed to dealership. Now Hyundai is telling me I can’t get rental reimbursement until they approve and engine replacement, which can take up 2 months.

The break light don’t want to turn off Seat belts don’t latch

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic where he was informed that there was a failure with the engine. The contact called a second independent mechanic who informed him that there were recalls on the vehicle related to the knock sensor. The dealer was notified of the failure but informed the contact that the manufacturer had denied the repair. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and denied the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 213,443.

Hello, I am the second owner of this car since 6+ years. I had given the car for fluid flush as part of regular service at a local Firestone. The technician was on a test drive after service and the engine hydrolocked. I have been without a car since last 5 days and no one seems to take the responsibility and help me with replacing the defective engine as it has major known issues with engine. Please review and help. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

The headlights and rear break lights keep going out, we have changed the bulbs multiple times and they keep burning out and not within months it happens within weeks the bulbs completely burn out which has caused us to be stopped by police and given warnings. The headlights look very dim when on which as well have been changed but still give a dim look. The engine has given out, the last time driving the vehicle was a 60 mile road which it lost velocity momentum and the engine light turned on then it completely shut off almost crashing into a light post.

The car quit on road going 40 mph. Won't restart.

There was a complaint on your site that is exactly what happened to my car. While driving with foot on accelerator, acceleration/ current speed will randomly just stop. 1-1- Once i fully release the accelerator and then reengage the accelerator problem goes away. This is very random as to when it happens, and will happen multiple times in a row some times... and other times happens once and doesn't the rest of the trip. Safety is put at risk. There's only 38,000 miles on this vehicle. My mechanic can't find it because it's not doing it. The engine light doesn't come on and neither does a code. It does this on a freeway and the streets. This is extremely scary and dangerous.

Brake light is stuck on

When decelerating, the vehicle will have a hard down shift or it feels like it accelerates with your foot on the brake after a hard downshift. Once you have come to a complete stop and you accelerate into traffic, it bogs down and does not move forward. It is dangerous to merge into traffic on a city street or in the highway. Our mechanic and the dealer cannot find anything. It is not predictable but it is dangerous to drive.

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after turning the vehicle off, the rear brake lights remained illuminated. The contact had to disconnect the battery to turn off the lights. The contact stated that eventually the brake lights became inoperable. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V759000 (Exterior Lighting). The contact stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 111,000.

Oil leak

I was driving my car at approximately 45 MPH when my car began smoking and overheating and making a knocking sound from the engine. I pulled over and checked but had coolant in the vehicle as I had just got my car serviced 3 weeks prior. I was about to get onto the highway when my car decelerated and the oil lamp and engine light started flickering as my car lost power and started smoking profusely.

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle downshifted unintendedly and decelerated. The contact stated that she shifted into neutral(N). The contact pulled over to the side of the road and remained there for several minutes. The contact was able to continue driving; however, the failure recurred while driving. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure recurred while the vehicle was being test-driven; however, the dealer informed the contact that they could not determine the cause of the failure. The dealer informed the contact that the steering wheel needed to be disassembled to inspect the paddle shifters. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,300.

Engine suddenly shutdown while driving in the middle of the road. Luckily, I was not on the highway. Had it towed to my mechanic and he told me that there was a class action lawsuit on these engines and that they were known to fail after 100,000 miles. I never got any notification about this problem. I am checking with the Hyundai dealership about replacing the engine.

I came to a stoplight and then tried to go forward and it got to about 20 miles an hour and this horrible knock happened and when I pushed on the gas it just whines I haven't had the money to get it somewhere to be looked at but I'm thinking it's the transmission but when it made that knocking sound it sounded like the whole engine fell out of it and I was in heavy traffic at the time.. you can drive it no problem up until you get 20 miles an hour and then it makes that horrible knocking sound

My car is burning oil very fast it has a engine campaign running but Hyundai refuses to fix it .. it cuts while driving it at high speeds

3 Months post oil change June 2022, oil plug fell out on highway and motor seized. Dealership advised motor no longer manufactured and recommended used motor supplier. Purchased a used motor with 80K on engine, had it installed in June of 2022. Dealership did oil change in December 2022, in February 2023 noticed oil smell and oil on the ground in driveway. Added 4.25 quarts of oil and started motor, attempted to locate the leak when noticed leak below motor. Turned off motor and found oil dripping from under car near the oil drain plug. Reached under car and touched oil drain plug with finger and plug fell out draining all oil to the ground. Had vehicle towed to the dealership, new oil change completed. Demanded the dealership install new oil drain plug, torque to manufacture specifications and apply lock tight to plug. Dealership stated they no longer remove the oil drain plug due to customer complaints and stated they only pump out the oil. When i asked them if that was a manufacture recommendation or their own they stated they started doing it due to multiple complaints from customers. Two engines 8 months apart, oil drain plug coming lose and falling out not a coincidence.

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 129,476.

This model does not have an engine immobilizer and the rear windows are not connected to the alarm system. My car was stolen in the middle of the day and there are no viable security measures for my car. This is incredibly dangerous and quite frankly ludicrous that Hyundai has not recalled the cars to install the proper security measures. I now have out of pocket expenses related to this incident and am still exposed to future theft because Hyundai failed and is continuing to fail ts consumers.

Daughter was driving her car on interstate, doing 75, in the middle of traffic when the car would jerk and then loose power. The gas petal stopped working and the check engine light would come on. She had to make her way over to the shoulder, without causing an accident. Once car gets shut off and you wait a few minutes, you can start it and drive it home. This has happened about 4 times now. We are lucky that this hasn't caused an accident! This last time (yesterday), the check engine light stayed on and we were able to hook up the dianostic reader and it read the code for the crankshaft positioning sensor A circut. It says online that this is a common problem with that car and is very dangerous. How is this not up for a recall? My daughter is scared to drive her car.

The vehicle have shift control problem, it jerks hard when put into drive or reverse, also when going up a small hill it feels like the vehicle hangs in between changing from electric to gas. Also there is always a warning that comes on saying " Hybrid System Warning Safety Stop and Do not Drive". The car stops when driving, which makes it dangerous. Took it to two dealership in MCkinney and Irving and they could not fix the problem but rather charge me for diagnosis. All they say is buy new transmission. I called Hyundai for help and all they tell me is that there is no recall on 2012 hybrid model. Its frustrating because thats the only vehicle that i used for work. Need help. Thanks

Steering wheel has a clicking clunking sound when turning right and left a mechanic told me it is the yolk in the sterring problem and he was sure there was a recall about this

We have had issues with the tail lights of the car not working properly. The lights have had issues with the daytime running lights not working or the brake lights not working. When we took it in they said that there was an issue with the wiring harness. I also noticed 4 separate hyundai sonata vehicles with they same body style in the last 2 days that appeared to be having the same issues. I think it is something to be checked out to see if there is an issue there because it is a major safety concern.

My check engine light came on when I took my car to certified collision they ran a diagnostic and it came up as the timing in the engine is off. I looked up that there was recalls on 2011 to 2014 on this same problem.

While driving with foot on accelerator, acceleration/ current speed will randomly just stop. 1-1- Once i fully release the accelerator and then reengage the accelerator problem goes away. This is very random as to when it happens, and will happen multiple times in a row some times... and other times happens once and doesn't the rest of the trip. This seems to be more amplified occurrences when it is cold. 2- Safety is put at risk. 3- Not gone to dealer yet. 4- No inspection yet. 5- No warning messages.

The car has been meticulously maintained — I am glad to provide all records of regular service upon request — and lovingly cared for. It came to us in great shape. Until, that is, I drove it for the first time and the brakes failed. I rolled into an intersection. Luckily, there was no traffic and no one was harmed. But I had a very helpless feeling, and I feel incredibly grateful no one was hurt. After taking the vehicle to two mechanics, they independently confirmed that a sensor in the ABS module was failing, leading to a sudden loss of braking. After a cursory internet search, I found that many owners of this model and year of vehicle have encountered this dangerous problem.

Taillight not working. I purchased a bulb for taillight and it’s still out. I got a recall letter in the mail about the lights on sonata but I misplaced it.

When driving to work, the engine just stop without any warning signs. I had to tow my car to the mechanic and he told me that my engine was seized. My oil change is up to date.

gasoline engine. yes, it is available. This vehicle has broken down and left me stranded at the side of the road more than a few times. It has failed on the Interstates , as well as local highways. The dealer refuses to replace the faulty engine. No warning lights have come on with regard to the gasoline engine. Ever since I purchased the vehicle, it sounds like there are marbles in the gas engine when its running at low rpm. The oil leaks are extreme and getting worse. It is smoking badly. I just do not have any more money to pour into this vehicle. I want a new engine from Hyundai.

I recently purchased a Hyundai Sonata hybrid with 132K miles on it and it has been driving fine for at least two weeks until a few days back the car has been displaying a recurring alarm on the dashboard telling " hybrid system warming! Safely Stop and Do Not Drive " now as soon as I turn on the vehicle the alarm comes on immediately. It's been a week since the car is technically inoperable because if I attempt to drive the car it makes this horrible grinding sound which is terrifying considering if I drive like this it would probably cause more damage to the car, and I have look for information on this issue and have found many of these cases over the years that I can relate to but unfortunately there's no a recall of this problem. I'm taking the car to the dealership soon but I don't have any hopes that they will find a permanent fix for this since nobody has apparently. I'm just trying find some help with this issue. So far I just have lots of regrets about this purchase and just hoping I can find some help with this matter.

My car started on fire while being stopped at a signal light

ENGINE FIRE “RECALL” -ENGINE FIRE / ALREADY HAD A FIRE INVESTIGATOR INSPECT MY VEHICLE - MY SAFETY WAS AT RISK , IM NOT HURT PHYSICALLY, BUT IM EMOTIONALLY TRAUMATIZED ,PTSD - THE PROBLEM WAS CONFIRMED BY HYUNDAI . VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY HYUNDAI’s INSPECTOR & MERCURY INSURANCE INSPECTOR. They said there was a leak in my engine which they had replaced the long block of my engine do to an engine recall . They replaced that in 2020. -NO WARNING LIGHTS On 01/03/23 I was at a stop light, I started to smell gas in my car , then I saw white smoke , i then looked at my gauges to see if there was any warning lights were on but there wasn’t . My heat temperature was normal . As I looked up I noticed black smoke started coming from my vehicle . I quickly shut off my car but that didn’t help stop the smoke . I literally got out of my vehicle rite before flames engulfed my vehicle . I immediately called 911 . & then contacted my insurance & Hyundai

Driver's seat belt takes 3 to 5 times for it to engage. A recall was done for the front driver's seat seatbelt. Campaign recall was done in December 2017 at Chapman Hyundai Phoenix.

Seatbelt stopped locking on drivers side, not able to use and wipers now only work on high.

The front dashboard panel that protects the passenger side airbag has cracked in several different places. These cracks have created pieces with sharp and pointed edges that may cause injuries to face, eyes and upper body of the passenger in case of an airbag deployment.

The engine has stalled in middle of the road on several occasions. I have a had an independent service center confirm.

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that after parking in the driveway and turning the vehicle off, the husband exited the vehicle and walked around to the passenger side. After opening the front passenger-side door, the vehicle erroneously rolled backward down the driveway and crashed into a tree. During the incident, the husband was knocked to the ground and dragged 20 feet down the driveway. During the incident, the husband sustained a head bruise and laceration, an injured leg, and an injured arm. The front passenger also sustained bruised ribs, a head and left knee injury from the vehicle crashing into a tree. Both persons required medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V434000(Power Train). The failure mileage was 112,000.

Hybrid System Malfunction. The "Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do Not Drive" appeared on the vehicle dashboard. While traveling on the highway or in town the vehicle will want to slow down then stop. The dealership's (Wyatt Johnson Hyundai) Clarksville, TN, maintenance tech have troubleshot the vehicle. Since my daughter and I have owned the vehicle, it has been seen by the dealer a few times during this time a transmission replacement was completed for the Hybrid System Malfunction, which did not solve the problem and I had to pay out almost $6,000. Still, same issue arises and also, I was told by another tech that the transmission is sealed and should not have been opened. The only thing we heard from the dealer(Wyatt Johnson Hyundai) was to come and pick up the car. When my son-n-law went to pick up the vehicle, the engine was still torn apart. They said they would fix it and then let us know when it is ready to be picked up. We have not heard anything from the dealer (Wyatt Johnson Hyundai) at all, assuming they are still working on it. Until, we received a letter from Express Auto the the vehicle was towed and reported abandoned. So, I drove to Clarksville, TN and trailered the vehicle back to Las Vegas, NV to have the Hyundai techs here diagnose the vehicle.

When I start the vehicle in the morning I leave the neighborhood going around 15mph and the car loses power. I have to let off the gas completely then reapply but it still continues to studder. I applied the slapstick sift mode and noticed it does this in first and fourth gear. In automatic you can’t see it