2013 Hyundai Sonata
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 1,910 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 26 Sonata model years with reports.
Of the 2013 reports, 93 involved a crash and 97 involved a fire. 77 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsMay 6, 2022
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Sonata vehicles. The low pressure fuel hose that connects the low pressure fuel pump to the direct injection fuel pump may crack over time, due to heat generated within the engine compartment.
A cracked fuel hose may leak fuel, which can increase the risk of a fire.
Dealers will replace the low pressure fuel hose, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 10, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 227. This recall replaces NHTSA recall number 20V-121. Vehicles previously repaired under recall 20V-121 that did not receive a replacement fuel hose will need to have this new recall remedy performed.
Campaign 22V312000 on NHTSA.gov
Fuel system, gasoline, delivery, hoses, lines/piping, and fittingsFeb 28, 2020
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Sonata vehicles. The low pressure fuel hose that connects the low pressure fuel pump to the direct injection fuel pump may crack over time due to heat generated within the engine compartment.
If the fuel line cracks, a fuel leak can occur, increasing the risk of a fire.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the low-pressure fuel hose for damage or leaking, replacing it as necessary. If no damage or leaking is found, heat-protective tape will be installed. Repairs will be performed free of charge. The recall began August 10, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 189. This recall has been replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-314.
Campaign 20V121000 on NHTSA.gov
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
Engine and engine cooling, engineMar 31, 2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Sonata and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine.
Bearing wear may result in the engine seizing, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine, replacing the engine short block, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 162.
Campaign 17V226000 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
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: other or unspecified
175 reports, newest first. Show all
Other or unspecified, Jun 29, 2022
The brake lights wont turn off when car is off
Other or unspecified, Jun 25, 2022
Unknown
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Jun 15, 2022
I have reported several times to hyundai that the dashboard has several cracks on the area of the airbag on the passenger side and driver side. I was instructed to take it to dealer which I did and I was informed that it is considered a cosmetic issue. I do not have a custom made dashboard and my concern is that those cracks will be continue to get bigger to the point it will cause the airbag to deploy at any time.
Other or unspecified, Engine, May 12, 2022
Sometimes car won’t start right away, won’t even try to turn over. Burns lots off oil smokes , acts like it’s going to cut off, has no power. It started when I purchased it November 2020 been getting worse tried to take it back, dealership wouldn’t take it back it started getting a lot worse about February 2022
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, May 4, 2022
Vehicle stopped braking and beeping noise and brake light on dash.
Other or unspecified, Apr 28, 2022, fire
UNKNOWN but my engine caught on fire while driving on the highway..
Other or unspecified, Engine, Mar 3, 2022
The car is experiencing major functioning issues including the theta engine class action lawsuits with engine failure and abnormally high oil usage. It has been stranded for weeks and left my children and myself in danger . Hyundai of Auburn refused to diagnose or allow it to sit on the dealership lot until May 2022. I'm stranded without assess to my children, mail or safety resources that have put my family and myself at great risk if either of us need emergency assistance.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jan 6, 2022
engine seized up after 2 weeks of having an oil change...stopped on highway had it towed several times from breakdowns on highway to shop they put in new battery it ran for one day and would not start had it towed to another shop was advised the engine seized up due to gunk in oil pan..had an oil change two weeks prior to incident of vehical stopping was advised the oil change was fine no problems.....contacted hyundia consumer affairs filed a complaint advised them of the situation they had me tow the car to the hyundia dealership they looked at the car told me the engine was seized due to gunk in the oil. i sent them proff of all my oil changes and maintence records.. they denied the claim said i had not enough maintence records i have only had the vehical for three years have had no problembs with the vehicle untill it hit 99.000 miles...the dealership offered to repair the engine for $7500.. i could not pay. so i had to return the vehical to finance company as i still owed a balance now i am without a vehical and in debt to the finance company. for a vehical that had been on recall..can you assist me with this situation.. I believe they should should have accepted the fault of the engine seizing due to recalled parts.....
Other or unspecified, Dec 20, 2021
keep getting random Hybrid system warnings and Check Engine light but when checked, there is no codes to be retrieved. and the dealer couldn't duplicate the problem hence can't fix it. when this message appears on the dashboard, the car will lose power and die. which makes it very dangerous event as the last time it happened i was in the middle of a busy intersection.
Other or unspecified, Dec 20, 2021
Passenger door handle broke and the car is not accessible from outside. It has to be open from inside.
Other or unspecified, Dec 6, 2021, fire
I am the original owner of this vehicle. It has been meticulously maintained. Today on my commute to work the car engine stopped then quickly caught fire. I barely got out in time. Fire department came and put out fire. Vehicle destroyed
Power train, Other or unspecified, Engine, Dec 5, 2021, fire
Ref: NHTA Recall Number: 20V-746 Hyundai REcall Number:198 (2nd recall fix ) After the above recall fix we had informed the Hyundai about engine heating up, we were told this is false alarm and car has monitoring system recall issue, Recall would would be mailed. I have all the dealer bill to prove the engine was heating up, they replaced certain part at our expense ( bill attached ) After above recall Fix by Hyundai Dealer in San Leandro, CA. we had engine overheating and car started engine started vibrating & I could see smoke from the exhaust. it ceased in the middle of the highway. Please note: Our Car has been services by Hyundai dealer. Note: if you look at the second safety recall notice, It does state in safety notice about engine compartments fire while driving for many reason and depending on the severity of the fire. the identification of the cause can be untraceable.. Above incidence happened just after your dealer did 2nd recall fix. IMO - It proves that recall fix was faulty and overheating engine cause the engine blew-up. Car has been with the dealership repair for 3rd recall. since a month Hyundai dealer asking us $9K to fix the car. I have reported the incidence to Hyundai Corporate under the case # 18811202. They are not responding. Dealer did contact Hyundai Corporate to get the engine change request, either the request if denied or gone unanswered.
Steering, Air bags, Other or unspecified, Nov 24, 2021
I have reported issues to local Hyundai and they refuse to look and correct recalls do to mileage. I need recalls repaired immediately.
Other or unspecified, Nov 21, 2021
There is noise coming from the steering column when driving over bumps. The sounds gives the impression that parts in the column is loose. The noise is heard and low and high speeds.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Nov 11, 2021
Sudden "Hyundai Sonata Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do Not Drive" while driving on freeway. I had to tow my car because the engine did not start after the sign. My safety was at danger because it happened suddenly on the freeway and the car slowed down. I had no control over car speed.
Other or unspecified, Oct 28, 2021
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving the vehicle there was a clicking noise and vibration coming from the steering column. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the steering coupler was faulty and had also caused damage to the front passenger’s and driver’s side tie rods. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 123,000.
Other or unspecified, Oct 26, 2021
The car stopped running and started smoking. Took it to Langdale Hyundai in Valdosta, GA and they said it was a rod bearing and there was a recall on it. They then told us after over a month and a half of them having the car that it was declined due to the engine not being updated since 2018??? I've never once heard of updating an engine. But I also thought the recall took place before that time frame so I don't see why that matters.
Other or unspecified, Oct 25, 2021
The car stopped while I was driving twice in the middle of an intersection with no warning lights or anything. My vehicle stopped in the middle of the road while driving and would not start back. Yes my mechanic seen it and said he has seen a lot of Sontas with this problem. No warring lights or anything ever came on.
Other or unspecified, Oct 24, 2021
The night before, a light came on as I got home and when I looked it up it said "not urgent, but take to a dealer to have it inspected." I parked it. The next morning, before I even got out of the driveway, a BIG warning light came on saying "PULL OVER AND PARK CAR. HAVE IT LOOKED IT BY A DEALER AS SOON AS POSSIBLE." I pulled back to the house and turned it off. It would never start again. I had it towed to the dealership, who have tried several parts and so far nothing has worked. They do not know how to fix it. It is at Grayson Hyundai in Knoxville, TN. There were no other warning signs, messages, or symptoms prior to it dying. The whole hybrid system or electric battery component system failed. Since it just died without warning, it would have been extremely dangerous if I had been on a public road instead of my driveway, with no where to go and no recourse.
Other or unspecified, Sep 23, 2021
They failed to fix my recall, they handed my receipt stating it was done. It was a recent recall. I was very upset because they failed to fix my issue and lied to me about it!!! So I have text and emails about their false fixed recalls. Very disappointed in my Patrick Schaumburg Hyundai dealership! Very unsafe and fake fixing mandatory recalls.
Other or unspecified, Sep 23, 2021
Issue with loud popping noise coming from the antenna area of the vehicle, and has occurred when vehicle is not on and the keyless entry has not been used. I have tried for almost 3 years to get this resolved. The dealerships hear the noise but could not fix it. Case open with Hyundai USA.
Air bags, Other or unspecified, Sep 14, 2021
The dashboard is showing major cracking and I am concerned that the air bags may self deploy. I have seen other drivers online with the same issue.
Other or unspecified, Aug 26, 2021
I was replacing my windshield washer fluid and the hydraulic shock on the hood failed without warning and the hood slammed down on my left arm
Other or unspecified, Aug 19, 2021
Trunk latch mechanism is not responding to either manual or sensor key
Other or unspecified, Aug 18, 2021
I purchased a used 2013 Hyundai Sonata and in less than a month it was stolen! The police told me that Hyundai has a huge problem with vehicle theft because the manufacturer has built in design flaws that make it the easiest car in the world to steal. The thieves did not even have to break my window even though they were completely up and the car was locked! From what I see on the internet, Hyundai has never addressed the problem and should have voluntarily recalled the vehicles and fixed them! Why has this been allowed to happen when both the federal/state governments and NTSB are aware of such a gigantic problem that is causing extreme financial burden to Hyundai owners?