2012 Hyundai Sonata
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 1,557 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 3rd highest complaint count among 26 Sonata model years with reports.
Of the 2012 reports, 51 involved a crash and 95 involved a fire. 38 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
EngineDec 28, 2018
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sport vehicles previously repaired under recall numbers 15V-568 and 17V-226. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned, or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, allowing fuel to leak from the pipe.
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 1, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's recall number for this recall is 180.
Campaign 18V934000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat belts, pretensionerFeb 27, 2018
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Sonata and 2011-2012 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. On February 27, 2018, Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) notified NHTSA that they were recalling 154,753 model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. On April 18, 2018, Hyundai expanded the recall to include an additional 425,305 model year 2012-2013 Sonata and 2011-2012 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. In the event of a crash, the air bag control unit (ACU) may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying.
If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install an external wire filter kit, free of charge. The recall began October 15, 2018. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 174.
Campaign 18V137000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat belts, pretensionerOct 4, 2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2011-2015 Sonata Hybrid vehicles previously repaired under recall campaign 17V-152. The seat belt linkages for both front seat belts may detach from the seat belt anchor pretensioners.
If the seat belt linkage detaches from the seat belt anchorage, it can not properly restrain the occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will again verify the connection between the seat belt linkage and the pretensioner and additionally install a warning label to prevent future seat belt linkage detachment, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 169.
Campaign 17V617000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat belts, front, anchorageMar 8, 2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2011-2015 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the seat belt linkages for both front seat belts may detach from the seat belt anchor pretensioners.
In the event of a crash, if the seat belts detach from the anchor pretensioners, it can increase the risk of injury.
Hyundai will notify owners and dealers will inspect the connection between the seat belt linkages and the seat belt anchor pretensioners, repairing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 7, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for the recall is 160.
Campaign 17V152000 on NHTSA.gov
Exterior lighting, brake lights, switchNov 16, 2015
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model 2011-2012 Sonata vehicles. The brake pedal stopper pad can deteriorate allowing the brake light switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released.
If the brake light switch plunger does not retract as it should when the brake pedal is not being pressed, the brake lights may stay illuminated preventing accurate communication to rearward following vehicles that the vehicle is slowing or stopping. Additionally, if the brake switch plunger is not retracted, then the transmission can be shifted out of PARK without depressing the brake pedal. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake pedal stopper pad with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 6, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 136.
Campaign 15V759000 on NHTSA.gov
EngineSep 10, 2015
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Sonata vehicles manufactured December 11, 2009, to April 12, 2012 at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama and equipped with either a 2.0 liter or 2.4 liter Gasoline Direct injection engine. In the affected vehicles, metallic debris may not have been fully removed during manufacturing of the engine crankshaft. If the debris was not completely removed, oil flow may be restricted through the connecting rod bearings, causing connecting rod damage. A worn connecting rod bearing will produce a metallic, cyclic knocking noise from the engine and possible engine failure.
Engine failure would result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace the engine assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Additionally, Hyundai Motor America will increase the warranty for the engine sub-assembly (short block) to 10 years/120,000 miles for both original and subsequent owners of 2011 and 2012 Sonatas manufactured at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama equipped with 2.0 liter and 2.4 liter Gasoline Direct injection engines. Interim notifications were mailed to owners starting on October 8, 2015. A second notification will be mailed when parts are available. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059 or by visiting www.HyundaiUSA.com/Campaign132. Hyundai's number for this recall is 132.
Campaign 15V568000 on NHTSA.gov
Power train, automatic transmissionJul 18, 2014
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Sonata vehicles manufactured December 11, 2009, through May 29, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable may detach from from the shift lever pin.
If the transmission shift cable detaches, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver parks the vehicle, despite selecting the 'PARK' position, the transmission may not be in 'PARK.' If the vehicle is not in the 'PARK' position and the parking brake is not applied, there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, repair the connection between the shift cable and shift lever, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 123.
Campaign 14V434000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, side/windowJul 24, 2012
Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Hyundai Sonata passenger cars, manufactured from January 24, 2012, through June 21, 2012. The curtain side airbags on these vehicles may inflate without deployment command due to an error during manufacturing.
The curtain airbag may inflate without deployment command and increase the risk of injury to occupants of the vehicle. Additionally, an unexpected deployment would be a significant driver distraction and would limit the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hyundai dealers will notify owners, and dealers will replace the curtain side airbags free of charge. This recall began on August 31, 2012. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Campaign 12V352000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: engine
577 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, May 3, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine had seized. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.
Engine, May 3, 2022
The vehicle had the engine replaced under Hyundai recall. What a fiasco. Within 6 months the fuel gauge starts intermittently work. Then the vehicle completely dies, diagnosis calls to have fuel pump replaced. Next 3 months the vehicle while driving losses power having to pull over to the side of the road. Thank God vehicle started and able to drive home, while the vehicle would loose power, then regaining it once took foot off gas pedal and applying pressure to again. That night find the rear brake light illuminated, went out stepped on brake pedal and went off. Another time console light would illuminate while driving no reasoning. The vehicle lastly killed the battery in the driveway. Had AAA tow to mechanic who now states the alternator needs to be replaced. After a few day not hearing back from mechanic, I call. He stating now the vehicle has electrical problems and it takes time. I will keep you posted. Hyundai has many major issues and should be held accountable, its a safety issue to the driver and general public.
Air bags, Service brakes, Engine, May 3, 2022, crash
On March 19th I was involved in wreck where the other driver was at fault. The lady t-boned me on my driver's side. Airbags never deployed so my head smashed Into the window leaving me with a concussionand spinal injury. My usually working horn failed as well. I would also like to mention that I have only had this car a year. I was also told it was never in a wreck and had 1 owner. Nope. A week after I got it, I was driving and my engine seized while I was doing 70mph. The steering stopped working, but somehow managed to pull off to the side. i had to stay in my car because of the busy highway. It was 100+ weather and my windows wouldn't work. I sat there for 2 hours. Took the car to a shop just to find out about the engine recall that I believe my car wasn't apart of, but should have been. Fought with Hyundai for them to fix it then lost my job because I was denied a loaner car while waiting. 2 months later they finally fix it. Now the breaks do a weird grinding thing a lot, my shifter slips out of place, the steering column wobbles, the engine is constantly making a disturbing noise and is sluggish, it has trouble shifting when accelerating. I have had the car rapidly accelerate instead of slow down when stopping at a stop sign or light. I only got it to stop after stomping the breaks repeatedly while throwing it in park and turning the car off all at the same time. Emergency break and traction control light come on a lot. It's throwing a high speed can bus code, but only sometimes. My gas mileage has went down to 16-18 mpg. Oil changes are necessary every month. AND my taillights burn out every 1 to 2 months. Now I have 4 traffic tickets. And that was all BEFORE the wreck. Hyundai refuses to call me back after they reluctantly fixed the first recall.
Engine, May 1, 2022
While driving, the gas pedal was unresponsive to down pressure . The 2012 Sonata Hyndai moved slowly off the road till it stopped. I could start it again,the lights responded, it would not move. Towed to a garage and they said my engine failed! No warning lights observed . After restarting the engine warning light came on.
Engine, Apr 27, 2022
My Hyundai Sonata has the failed engine that was recalled by Hyundai. But because we did not do a software update Hyundai will not replace the engine. We were not aware of either recall. We also didn't know about a class action settlement. My car is sitting at the dealership since December, 2021. I have notified your department once before and nothing was done. This vehicle has been deemed dangerous to drive but I will have no choice. Hyundai needs to step up and replace their horrible mistake. Please help me.
Engine, Apr 12, 2022
There is a recall on my 2012 Hyundai Sonata motor. Which has caused the motor to lock up. Hyundai is refusing to fix the recall issue. Both dealership and customer care have stated that the motor locked up due to the recall but they are refusing to fix the issue, stating it is my fault. My car had 130k miles on it. The dealership has had my car for 2 months and they never contact me regarding the progress on my car, I have had to contact them.
Engine, Apr 12, 2022
The motor just stopped running due to the ECM recall the motor locked up
Engine, Apr 5, 2022
I was driving and DoorDashing for money when all of a sudden there was a weird knocking noise, causing all of the lights on my dash to turn on. I had just taken my car in for an oil change 2 days prior to an independent service center. This was the first time this situation occurred. I had never dealt with it before. I went to make a left to get out of the road and a burning smell started to occur and my entire car died in the turning lane. I was stuck in the lane for about an hour until a tow truck came and towed me to Huffines Hyundai Plano. While there they told me I had a lot of recalls and they would take care of them. About a week later they called me to tell me that my entire engine had seized up and failed and my recall was denied due to a software update campaign back in 2015 that I did not do. I have been to multiple Hyundai Dealerships since 2015 and was never informed of the severity of this recall, nor was I told if I didn't get such a software update that if my engine did indeed fail they would deny fixing their mistake to begin with. I had no idea of the important of this software update and really don't understand how it comes down on me that metal shards potentially were left in the engine, causing to dislodge and ruin my engine. It was incredibly sudden and I have only put 50,000 miles on the car in 7 years since owning it. The dealership also kept bringing up my warranty as if that had anything to do with this recall that is out for the engine.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 27, 2022, fire
As I was driving on the highway, my car engine stalled and all the interior dashboard lights came on. I was unable to accelerate although all other features of my car worked (steering, brakes, radio, bluetooth, etc...). I was barely able to get off the highway safely as the highway I was on had no shoulder that was safely accessible. Luckily, I was in the far right lane already which allowed me to exit the highway. I was just barely able to exit the highway and move to the middle and far right lane of the service road before my car came to a complete stop. I attempted to turn my car off and back on without success. At this point, I could start to smell burning of something and knew I needed to exit the car immediately, however, I was unable to do so due to traffic on the driver side of my car. I noticed smoke coming from my engine which prompted to me to jump out of the car without continuing to pay attention to the traffic that was passing me. I called 911 to alert them of my car impeding traffic, potentially causing another wreck, and the potential that my car may be on fire. After making those statements to dispatch, flames shot forward from my hood and I was able to move away from my car. The fire department arrived on scene but not before the flames had reached 12+ feet as they were taller than the fire truck. The firefighters were able to put out the flames. My car engine was completely melted from the fire. At this point, the dealership, insurance agent or any other representative has determined a cause of the fire or has looked at my car. No warning lights to indicate a malfunction was visible prior to the incident. No noises or engine malfunctions were noted prior to the incident.
Engine, Mar 25, 2022
My 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid has not had any resolution after the motor seized in 2016. The dealership service department said the motor needed to be replaced in 2016 but refused to honor the warranty. I drove the car part way home when the motor seized on the highway. At that time I made multiple attempts for Hyundai to honor the warranty. The Sonata had 58,708 miles on it. It had to be towed has been in storage since that time. Hyundai since has placed a recall on the motor. The Hyundai customer care center is refusing to cover the cost of towing and loaner vehicle while ‘they check it out to see if it covered under the recall’. I would like to know what rights I have? Will I need to initiate a law suit to get resolution? My VIN indicates it is included in the recall. I contacted a Hyundai dealership who stated they would get back with me also. They also have not contacted me to date. Six years has passed and Hyundai has been fined billions according to your website yet they do not respond in any reasonable fashion. Do have have any information about what they are required to do for someone in my position? It has been pointed out to me that many other parts will need replacing such as the hybrid battery, connectors, hoses and so on due to the time lapse which Hyundai purposely created by their refusal to act in a timely manner. I am making a complaint against them for the above reasons.
Engine, Mar 24, 2022
Engine failed per hyundai recall September 2nd 2015 engine should be repaired or replaced. Hyundai is refusing to honor recall.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 20, 2022
Limp mode on the 16th of march, no symptoms prior to entering limp mode. Check engine light was illuminated and blinking & a knocking sound came from under the hood, along with not being able to get over 1800 rpms before having to shift. Drove back home until the next day on march 17th went to try to take it to a manufacturing company and did not make it. While in the middle of driving it had a loud bang under hood and left me on side the road. Could not crank it again.
Engine, Mar 17, 2022
I was driving inner city about 40 mph on 3/16/22. Vehicle lost power while driving. There were no warning signs, no check engine light, nothing. It just died while driving. I was nearly hit in the back by another vehicle with my 2 small grandchildren in the back seat. I was stuck in middle of road with 2 grandchildren at night in the dark around 8pm in the rain. The roads are slippery and wet during rain. Many cars passing had to jump over without warning because my car was just sitting in the middle of road. It was not safe for me and my grandchildren to get out of the car as it was heavily raining. I got out and stood on side the car until a passer by in a car pulled over to help me push the car out of the middle of the street until the tow truck arrived. Tow truck finally arrived 2 hours later. This car always stalls with no warning and did not crank. It had to be towed to nearby repair shop. My grandchildren and I had to find a ride back home.
Engine, Mar 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, she noticed that the vehicle had started decelerating before stalling without warning. The contact was able to pull off the road to a parking lot and park the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and then to a dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine had seized and needed to be repaired or replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 122,000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 7, 2022
I keep getting this error message Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do not Drive with the caution symbol. I have take it to the dealership 5 times and they do not see anything wrong. Usually the message flash for a few seconds and then go away. Today it did something different. The display keep alternating with Check charging system and Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do not Drive along with a beeping sound. I had to pull over and restart the car. I travel in rural areas for work, and I am so afraid my car is going to stop in the middle on nowhere. When I googled the error message it appears so many other Sonata owners from 2011-2014 are experiencing the same problem. I have reported this to Hyundai warranty, but when they contact the dealership, they tell them nothing is wrong with my car. Please advise of what to do.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Engine, Mar 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after fully refilling the gas tank at the gas station, and driving at 40-55 MPH, he smelled a strong gasoline odor inside the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact was able to continue to drive the vehicle. Upon investigating the failure, the contact noticed that each time he fully refilled the gas tank, in addition to the smell, the vehicle would shudder for 3-5 min while driving. Additionally, the contact noticed that gas was leaking onto the driver's side rear wheel well whenever the gas tank was fully refilled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with evap failure. The dealer informed the contact to check his gas cap; however, the contact stated that the fuel cap was new and was a manufacturer-approved gas cap. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V121000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The failure mileage was approximately 94,750.
Engine, Mar 4, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, there was a knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle then lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the engine oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was made aware of the failure but informed the contact that there was no recall associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000. THE CONSUMER STATED THE MANUFACTURER AUTHORIZED A NEW ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED.
Engine, Feb 10, 2022
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that occasionally while driving 66 MPH and other speeds, the vehicle lost power and decelerated. The contact stated that the power steering was still functional during the failure. There was no warning light illuminated. The accelerator pedal was depressed several times and the vehicle operated normally. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was happening more frequently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed; however, the mechanic did not recover any fault codes. The mechanic duplicated the failure and informed the contact that there was a hesitation in the engine instead of a loss of motive power. The fuel injectors were cleaned however, the failure recurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.
Engine, Feb 9, 2022
1. The engine failed due to rod knock - rod bearing wear/damage. This vehicle is in the possession of Killeen Hyundai. 2. This engine failure occurred on the highway while my family and I were traveling. 3. The Killeen dealership has confirmed this information over the phone but we do not have documentation of this. We are unable to contact the dealership for any updates or statuses for 2 months now. 4. unknown 5. No warning lights or indicator appeared prior to the issue. This occurred on 12-16-2021.
Engine, Feb 5, 2022
On January 29th I was driving my 2012 Hyundai Sonata to my dads and the check engine light was on. We used a scanner to see what codes were present and there were none so we cleared the light. On February 1st we were driving back from getting tires put on the car and getting the inspection done and the engine seized up with no warning while driving. We got the car towed to freysinger Hyundai in mechanicsburg pa and when they looked over the car they stated that it failed the bearing test and due to the engine failure recall on my car Hyundai should replace it. Hyundai is denying the engine replacement because of the previous owner didn’t do the ecm update when that has nothing to do with the bearings and oil in the car.
Engine, Jan 28, 2022, crash
2012 HYUNDAI SONATA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINE FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN, IT SHUT OFF CAUSING THE DRIVER TO CRASH INTO A CURB. THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL OF THE VEHICLE WAS BENT. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED INFORMATION PERTAINING TO ANY RECALLS.
Engine, Jan 25, 2022
The contact's son owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her son was driving at various speeds, an abnormal knocking noise would emit from the engine without warning. Upon investigation, her son discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V568000 (Engine) which he linked to the failure. Her son then took the vehicle to a dealer where he was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was also notified, and her son was informed that the recall on the vehicle had expired. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. The VIN was not available.
Engine, Jan 17, 2022
While driving the car started smoking white smoke and locked up. I was unable to get off roadway and almosred caused wreck. Had vehicle towed to dealership they said ut had a recall on it for engine failure. Checked the engine and it was locked up. They submitted the engine replace to hyundai and they denied because I didn't have a software update done prior to engine failure. Had no warning at all.
Electrical system, Vehicle speed control, Engine, Jan 7, 2022
After an oil change, my car started losing power at the gas and suddenly turned off on me while I was driving and never turned back on! When I tried turning my car back on my engine started smoking
Vehicle speed control, Service brakes, Engine, Jan 4, 2022
After the recent recall repairs, the car started to intermittently getting a message on the dashboard saying ‘Hybrid System Warning - Safely stop and do not drive’ and ‘Check brakes’ and the brake lights came on with a loud chiming beep, the car would stop accelerating and would not go beyond 10 mph, also the breaks would fail to apply correctly and made a loud screeching sound when applied. It used to do have this issue without any warning, while driving or stopped at the light, without any distinguishing pattern. However, it used to go away when the car was restarted multiple times. However now the message is on continuously and doesn’t go away with the restarting the car. After taking to the dealership, they said that the repairs would cost $3000 as the Hydraulic Power Assembly unit has failed. After looking for the issue online, I have found that a lot of the 2011-14 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid have this same issue and seems to be a manufacturing defect. This is a huge life risk for the owners of this car since it can happen while on the freeway and pose a life threatening risk to their life. It is also a huge financial burden for the owners for a manufacturing defect. I would like you to investigate these issues and provide us with a appropriate solution.