2016 Hyundai SONATA: complaints, problems and recalls

I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE AND FELT LIKE THE BRAKES WERE PULLING. IT FELT LIKE THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS ON BUT THERE WAS NO INDICATOR THAT IT WAS ON. THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN AT THIS POINT.

Owner-reported narrative. 75 miles reported. Look up ODI 10820359 at NHTSA ↗

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE REARVIEW MIRRORS FACED THE WHITE LINES ON THE HIGHWAY. THE MIRRORS COULD BE READJUSTED, BUT THEY CHANGED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,955.

Owner-reported narrative. 4,955 miles reported. Look up ODI 10845721 at NHTSA ↗

TPMS INDICATORS CONTINUE TO SAY THERE IS AN ISSUE AND THE TIRE AND TIRE PRESSURE BUT THE CAR SHOWS THE CORRECT TIRE PRESSURE AND THERE IS NO DAMAGE TO THE TIRES.

Owner-reported narrative. 80 miles reported. Look up ODI 10851244 at NHTSA ↗

REAR BRAKES FAILED TO PROPERLY FUNCTION WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN FORWARD MOTION ON A HIGHWAY. BOTH REAR BRAKES LOCKED UP WITHOUT OPERATOR PRESSING ON BRAKE PETAL. BOTH REAR BRAKES AND WHEEL GOT RED HOT CAUSING PASSENGER SIDE REAR BRAKES CAUGHT ON FIRE. NO BRAKE WARNING LIGHTS WAS ACTIVATE. THIS EVENT TOOK PLACE TWICE, ONCE ON 1/27/16 (18 DAYS AFTER PURCHASE) AND 2ND TIME 3/7/16. (30 DAYS AFTER IT WAS ALLEGEDLY REPAIRED.

Owner-reported narrative. 951 miles reported. Look up ODI 10854476 at NHTSA ↗

ON FEBRUARY 19 2019 I WAS DRIVING A CAR RENTAL FROM HERTZ DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY IN SOUTHERN CA DRIVING ONLY 25 MPH I CRASHED TRYING TO AVOID CRASHING INTO CAR IN FRONT OF ME KEPT PUTTING ON MY BREAKS AND THE CAR WOULD NOT STOPPED THE BREAKS MALFUNCTION I TRIED TO CHANGING LANE I STILL CRASHED I WAS GOING 25 MPH THE CAR WAS TOTALED BUMPER WAS PLASTIC OR FIBER GLASS THE AIR BAG "EXPLODED" NOT DEPLOYED. THE PLASTIC COMPARTMENT WHERE THE AIRBAGS IS STORED, EXPLODE PLASTIC BECAME A JAGGED KNIFE.IT PUNCTURED A HOLE ON MY LEGS SLICED OTHER PART OF…

Owner-reported narrative. 25 miles reported. Look up ODI 10870226 at NHTSA ↗

DEER RAN IN FRONT OF MY CAR. AIR BAGS INFLATED AND STAYED SO FOR QUITE A WHILE. WHEN I GOT OUT OF THE CAR I NOTICED MY FOOT WAS BURNT WITH SKIN OFF AND LEGS WERE BURNING FROM THE POWDER IN AIR BAGS. I KNOW THE BAGS SHOULD INFLAT BUT THE SMOKE FROM THIS KEPT UP FOR QUITE A WHILE. I DID NOT THINK THIS POWDER SHOULD HAVE KEPT COMING OUT SO MUCH AND SO DID PASSERBY PEOPLE WHO STOPPED TO HELP. WE HAD THE POWDER IN OUR EYES.

Owner-reported narrative. 500 miles reported. Look up ODI 10870409 at NHTSA ↗

AS I WAS ACCELERATING ONTO A HIGHWAY THE ELECTRONIC EMERGENCY BRAKE SYSTEM ( ATTACHED TO REAR WHEELS OF VEHICLE) WITHOUT WARNING ACTIVATED WHILE VEHICLE WAS ACCELERATING AT SPEEDS OF OVER 55 MPH. BRAKE SYSTEM PULSED VIOLENTLY AND THEN WHEELS COMPLETELY LOCKED UP CAUSE THE CAR TO REAR WHEELS LOCKED UP CAUSING DAMAGE TO ENTIRE REAR BRAKING SYSTEM. HYUNDAI FAILED TO ALERT ME TO THIS DANGER AND ONLY DISCLOSED IT AFTER THE VEHICLE FAILED. AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP, HYUNDAI NOW CLAIMS TO HAVE THIS NOTICE OUT- MANUFACTURER…

Owner-reported narrative. 5,002 miles reported. Look up ODI 10875764 at NHTSA ↗

WHILE DRIVING 65MPH AT 10PM ON A THE INTERSTATE, I HEARD A POUND "THUNK" AND THOUGHT I HAD A TIRE ISSUE, SO BEGAN TO STEER TOWARD THE EMERGENCY LANE. I QUICKLY REALIZED I HAD NO POWER TO ACCELERATE, NO POWER STEERING AND THE DASH WAS BLACKED OUT...CAR WAS DEAD. ONLY EVER THING WORKING WAS RADIO, EMERGENCY FLASHERS AND DOME LIGHT. DOOR LOCKS DID NOT EVEN WORK. CALLED FOR ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND CAR WAS TOWED. I HAVE NO FURTHER INFORMATION ABOUT THE CAR'S DISPOSITION AS IT WAS A RENTAL. IT WAS TERRIFYING AND COULD HAVE ENDED CATASTROPHICALLY IN S…

Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10876620 at NHTSA ↗

Reported: 2015-10-20 (October 20, 2015)

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to August 21, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with an Antilock Braking System (ABS) warning light intended to warn the driver if there is an ABS malfunction. In the event of an ABS malfunction, the Brake System warning light will illuminate, but the ABS warning light will not illuminate. Since the vehicles have ABS malfunction lights that do not illuminate, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

Consequence: If the driver is alerted there is a brake system malfunction, but not specifically with the ABS system, the driver may operate the vehicle unaware that the vehicle's brakes may lock up during hard braking, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control unit software, free of charge. The recall is expected began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 134.

Reported: 2016-04-21 (April 21, 2016)

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016 to February 22, 2016, and one 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicle manufactured October 15, 2015. In these vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag may be missing a chemical enhancer required for the second stage air bag deployment, resulting in the second stage not deploying in certain crashes. The primary stage will deploy as intended.

Consequence: An air bag that does not inflate increases the risk of injury.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on May 5,2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 144.

Reported: 2016-08-24 (August 24, 2016)

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 28, 2016 through April 12, 2016. The affected vehicles have a driver-side frontal air bag that may not adequately protect the driver's neck from injury in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Consequence: A frontal air bag that does not adequately protect the driver's neck may increase their risk of injury in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 148.

Reported: 2016-10-11 (October 11, 2016)

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles manufactured December 8, 2014, to August 18, 2015, and Hyundai Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to March 18, 2016, equipped with the panoramic sunroof option. Due to a bonding issue with the sunroof wind deflector, the sunroof panel on the affected vehicles may detach while driving.

Consequence: If the sunroof detaches from the vehicle it could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair the wind deflector anchor plate, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 152.

Reported: 2017-06-05 (June 5, 2017)

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Sonata and Genesis vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the warning light to indicate that the parking brake is applied may intermittently not illuminate in the dash due to corrosion in the switch.

Consequence: If the parking brake indicator is not illuminated when the parking brake is applied, the driver may operate the vehicle with the parking brake partially engaged, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the parking brake switch, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 164.

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.