2017 Hyundai SONATA HYBRID: complaints, problems and recalls

DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY AT APX. 65MPH, THE CAR LOST ENGINE POWER AND DISPLAYED A"STOP VEHICLE AND CHECK BRAKES" MESSAGE. I HAD NO POWER TO THE WHEELS, SO COULD NOT SAFELY MOVE OUT OF TRAFFIC AND WAS STUCK IN THE ACTIVE FREEWAY LANE WITH CARS ZIPPING BY. AFTER THE CAR COASTED TO A STOP, I TURNED IF OFF AND BACK ON. POWER RETURNED AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE NORMALLY. THE ESC, ABS, AND AUTO HOLD LIGHTS WERE ON, BUT WENT OFF AFTER APX. 15 MINUTES OF DRIVING. THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM NOR WERE ANY ERROR CODES RECORDED IN THE VEHICLE. THIS IS…

Owner-reported narrative. 7,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10993312 at NHTSA ↗

WHILE DRIVING ON A 4 LANE STREET THE CAR SUDDENLY GAVE A MESSAGE 'CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM SHUT OFF ENGINE'. I WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT SO I TURNED OFF THE ENGINE. WHEN I TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR IT WOULD NOT START. IT TOOK 4 TRIED TO GET THE CAR RESTARTED. LATER THAT NIGHT THE CAR WOULD NOT START AT ALL AND I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY. THE DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM AND I RETURNED TO GET THE CAR. ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP I HAD SHUT OFF THE CAR TO RETRIEVE SOME ITEMS AND UPON RETURNING TO THE CAR…

Owner-reported narrative. 22,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11039502 at NHTSA ↗

CAR HAS 10000 MILES. CAME TO A STOPLIGHT AND THE CAR DIED. RADIO WAS ON, DASH WAS DARK. TRIED TO RESTART, NO RESPONSE. TRIED 5 TIMES, ON THE 6TH TIME, ENGINE CAME TO LIFE. CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR THE LAST WEEK; NO FAULT CODE DETECTED ACCORDING TO DEALER. THEY ARE IN TOUCH WITH HYUNDAI.

Owner-reported narrative. 10,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11063312 at NHTSA ↗

1: AT THE BEGINNING OF OCTOBER 210, WHEN THE MOTORWAY EXITS FROM EAST TO WEST, SUDDENLY THE ENGINE DOES NOT WORK (PICTURED) AND THE CAR DECELERATES DIRECTLY FROM 70 MILES TO 30 MILES. THE BRAKES CAN NOT WORK FULLY. STEP ON THE GAS PEDAL MUST STEP ON MULTIPLE STEPS TO RELAX THE THROTTLE, DEPRESS THE ACCELERATOR AGAIN, FROM THE SECOND MOVE TO MOST OF THE MOST OUTSIDE HIGH-SPEED, DO NOT KNOW DO NOT KNOW ABOUT THE CRASH ABOVE THE SPEED. SUCH A HIGH SPEED, I GO HOME, STOP THE FLAME, AND THEN OPEN EVERYTHING IS NORMAL. LATER, DEALER REPAIR CAN NOT FI…

Owner-reported narrative. 5,500 miles reported. Look up ODI 11067273 at NHTSA ↗

ABRUPT AND TOTAL LOSS OF ACCELERATION AT FULL THROTTLE AT OR NEAR HIGH RPM SHIFT POINTS. THIS BEHAVIOR CAN BE RELIABLY REPRODUCED BY "FLOORING IT" (ALL THE WAY, INCLUDING KICKDOWN) AND NOT LETTING GO - AS IF ONE IS EXECUTING A PASSING MANEUVER. THE POWER LOSS WILL OCCUR AT THE NEXT SHIFT POINT AFTER KICK DOWN, AND WILL NOT BE CLEARED UNTIL THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED AND RE-APPLIED - OR AFTER APPROXIMATELY 15 TO 20 SECONDS AFTER THE OCCURRENCE IF THE DRIVER DOES NOT RELEASE THE PEDAL. IN CASES WHERE THE PEDAL IS NOT RELEASED AFTER THE POW…

Owner-reported narrative. 20,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11094148 at NHTSA ↗

I WAS INFORMED BY AN AUTO MECHANIC THAT HYBRID VEHICLES INVOLVED IN A COLLISION COULD EXPLODE WHEN THE CAR DOOR IS OPENED. HAVE YOU HEARD ANYTHING ABOUT THIS? COULD IT BE TRUE? [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *PM

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 11111841 at NHTSA ↗

ON THIS PAST LABOR DAY, WHICH WAS 9/3/2018, I PULLED INTO A GAS STATION TO REFUEL MY CAR. SHUT OFF CAR AND HAD KEY FOB WITH ME. PUMPED THE FUEL AND GOT BACK IN THE CAR. NOTHING. CAR WAS INOPERABLE. PRESSED THE START BUTTON, PRESSED THE BRAKES, SHIFTED FROM DRIVE TO NEUTRAL AND BACK, PRESSED THE BRAKE AND THE START BUTTON AGAIN AND NOTHING. DASHBOARD LIT UP LIKE A CHRISTMAS TREE WITH THE KEY FOB LIGHT ON, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON, ETC. CALLED BLUELINK. THEY TRANSFERRED ME TO A "PHONE PROMPT" SWITCHBOARD. PROBLEM IS THE PHONE SCREEN WOU…

Owner-reported narrative. 34,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 11124591 at NHTSA ↗

HEV WARNING LIGHT CAME ON WHEN I STARTED THE CAR IN THE MORNING. I HEARD SOME GRINDING AND A BELT SLIPPING. DIAGNOSED AS GENERATOR PULLEY GRINDING, ALIGNMENT MARKS NOT ALIGNED. IT TOOK FROM 08/31/18 TILL 09/07/18 FOR THE REPAIR TO BE COMPLETED.

Owner-reported narrative. 4,664 miles reported. Look up ODI 11143355 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2021-08-06 (August 6, 2021)

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Sonata, 2016-2018 Sonata Hybrid, 2018-2020 Accent, and 2016-2017 Azera vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."

Consequence: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the trunk latch base, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 208.

Reported: 2021-09-17 (September 17, 2021)

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Tucson and Sonata Hybrid vehicles. The connecting rod bearings inside the engine may wear prematurely, which can result in engine damage.

Consequence: A damaged engine can increase the risk of a fire or it can cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect the engine. If bearing damage is found, the engine will be replaced. Dealers will also install a software update containing a new Knock Sensor Detection System (KSDS). Repairs will be performed free of charge. Owners were notified of the defect on November 16, 2021. Owner notification letters were mailed January 15, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 209.

Reported: 2021-09-24 (September 24, 2021)

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sonata, 2016-2017 Sonata Hybrid, and Sonata Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended.

Consequence: A turn signal that activates in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Dealers will update the SJB software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 210.