2014 Hyundai Sonata
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 747 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 7th highest complaint count among 26 Sonata model years with reports.
Of the 2014 reports, 29 involved a crash and 40 involved a fire. 35 people were injured.
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 This recall has been replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-314.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, 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
Representative owner complaints
747 reports, newest first.
Engine, Jul 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after refueling her vehicle, the vehicle hesitated upon depression of the accelerator pedal without warning. The contact attempted to restart the vehicle but the vehicle failed to restart. She initially towed the vehicle to her home and the next day to her father's home. Her father replaced the starter but that failed to repair the vehicle; the vehicle was then towed to the dealer where they discovered sludge in the engine. The dealer requested oil change service receipts, which the contact provided; however, the dealer declined to repair the vehicle under warranty. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure but sided with the dealer on the decision to not repair the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
Engine, Jul 10, 2022
Two weeks prior to this incident, I had an oil change, fuel flush, and brake flush. I was driving 35mph, my check engine light flashed, and it died in the middle of the road. Pushed it out of way and had to tow it to shop. Shop called to say my engine locked up and that it was under a recall. That they had spoken to the dealership and that my engine should be covered under warranty. I paid to have my car towed to dealership on June 2 and have yet to even have my car diagnosed from the dealership even though the shop already did. They said it locked up due to the engine overheating. I am know paying on my car and a rental without any timeline of when something will happen.
Exterior lighting, Jul 10, 2022
Vehicle headlights turn off / on while driving
Engine, Jun 21, 2022
On 19 June 2022 at approximately 5:30 PM EDT, the engine of my 2014 Hyundai Sonata was electronically shutdown (via vehicle protection mode a.k.a. limp mode) while driving on I20 Westbound heading towards Atlanta, GA; lost all ability to accelerate and a number of warning lights illuminated on the dash. There was zero indication of a potential failure until that very moment on the highway...at which time, I made my way across two lanes of traffic while barely avoiding being struck by multiple vehicles to include semi-trucks traveling at high rates of speed. My husband and I were fortunate not to lose our lives or cause the deaths of others due to this engine failure. After doing some research, I learned that Hyundai has known of these engine failures for years and that there is currently a class action suit against Hyundai Theta Engines. Personally, I've experienced a number of issues mentioned in the suit to include excessive oil consumption. And, I've been diligent about addressing all recalls issued by the manufacturer in a timely manner. After waiting three hours on Interstate 20, our tow truck finely arrived. The very next day, I had a mechanic conduct a diagnostic test and it indicated a camshaft/crankshaft failure. Also, noticed that the engine had burned through an excessive amount of oil and I just had an oil change on 23 May. Feeling unsafe to operate the vehicle any longer, I turned it over to Hyundai of Kennesaw located at 2878 Barrett Lakes Blvd Kennesaw, GA 30144 on 20 June to await an engine replacement. The service technician informed me that it would be three weeks before they could perform diagnostics to see if I even qualify for an engine replacement; then another four months to replace the engine if approved. No rental/service vehicle was provided to me by Hyundai for the loss of use of my property. Though I have rental coverage, my insurer USAA would not make me whole either as I was not involved in an accident.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 20, 2022
In the engine compartment, my car is currently leaking gasoline. it was not taped over or replaced when it was clearly damaged; due there not being a remedy, but there was still steps to do that would help the situation, and vandergriff hyundai arlington, tx, did not do any of that. Car serviced for recalls June 11, 2022, started leaking 06/16/2022
Service brakes, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 13, 2022
April 2,2022 I took my car in for an oil change. Immediately after leaving the car smoked as if it was on fire. I was pulled over by Walls Mississippi police department because they thought the car was on fire. I contacted Hyundai. They have not done anything to fix this situation. I have not been able to drive the car since then. It needed oil a week after the oil change April 2,2022. It smokes very bad. It has lost power. The engine knocks. I had to get a rental car at the rate of $1000 for a 3 week rental. My car note is $578. The car was repossessed today because Hyundai would not fix the car so I could go to work and pay my car note. I have numerous emails and receipts. No one helped me at Hyundai. They are making us pay our carnotes. Pay rental fees out of pocket. They only reimburse you for your rental once your car goes into the shop. All Hyundai dealerships have a 2 month wait time before they will let you bring the car in,otherwise it will sit on the lot for 2 months. I have tried 5 times since 2021 until now to get the recalls done. Hyundai Mt. Mariah Memphis kept the car a week and asked me to come get it because they did not have all the parts to complete the recalls. Hyundai Olive Branch Mississippi stated they have a 2 to 3 month wait time as well. No one has loaner cars. I explained this to the claim person Julia at Hyundai and no one did anything to fix this.
Engine, Jun 8, 2022, fire
Our 2014 Hyundai Sonata engine caught fire while driving. Have been getting the oil change on the regular but still have to put oil in it about 3 weeks later and smokes really, really bad. My son's safety was put at risk because he was the one driving the vehicle at the time. The check engine light stays on even after the mechanic shop turns it off, it comes back on a couple of hours later. I just purchased this car in November of 2021. The motor has already locked up on it and we have done everything we're suppose to do to keep the vehicle running.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Jun 7, 2022, fire
I drove a mile from my house and the vehicle stalled at a turn. The engine shut off. I tried to turn it back on and it did not. I have an electrical push button and it did not work. My passenger and I pushed the car out of the road into the back area of an HEB. We then opened the hood and the engine started smoking. I had called my boyfriend who then arrived. The engine continued to smoke and an HEB driver saw the incident. He came over with a fire extinguisher and sprayed it because they could see flames starting under the car. The fire department and police had been called. The car engine then went up in flames and my boyfriend used the fire extinguisher. The fire department arrived and went over to the car and cut the wires. Nothing on the car works. It has not been assessed because I only had collision insurance and my company would not come to assess it. They did tow it back to my house where it is sitting and not working. I can't even move it into neutral. There was not warning of this and I had driven the car to the airport (an hour away) and back five hours earlier that day and it seemed fine. The fire department said that if they need to be contacted they have a report on the incident.
Exterior lighting, Jun 3, 2022
Brake / parking lights on both sides have burned out more than 2 dozen times. This started when the car was less than 2 years old at about 20,000 miles and continues. Reported to dealer several times. Most recently on 4/22/2022. We were told they have no solution to correcting the problem.
Steering, May 28, 2022
Just recently my 2014 Hyundai Sonata started making a clicking noise when it goes over 35MPH I've had it inspected by two shops and they do not know where it's coming from. Less than a week later my car died while I was driving with my two children and the smell of burnt something was coming from inside the vehicle it seemed. The car only flashed the check engine light before it stalled. I do regular maintenance
Exterior lighting, May 27, 2022
Exterior lighting out (fuses)-- head, brake, tail, signal
Service brakes, May 26, 2022
3 months after purchasing this Vehicle from a notorious car company, I have noticed while driving on the Highway that a hybrid system warning message has popped on my dash board with the check brakes light blinking and beeping. The car then started slowing down with the brakes not functioning anymore. The car is only usable again after you shut it off, wait for few minutes and turn it back on. After several investigations by a Hyundai dealer, it turns out the defective part is a Hybrid Power Unit of HPU.
Engine, May 26, 2022
Engine failed in the middle of driving down highway 89 in Arizona. No warning signs, no engine light, just complete failure in the middle of driving. My safety and my mom's and cat's safety was at risk because there was not a safe place to pull off the highway. An officer happened to be driving by and helped push the car off the highway a few more feet. In his words, we could've been killed how our car was parked because there was no safe place to pull off this particular highway. The car has not yet been inspected by a manufacturor or dealer, as I am in a small town in the middle of Arizona. I will need to rent a uhaul truck that pulls a car on a trailor and tow the car to the nearest hyundai dealer for further inspection. No warning lights, no warning sounds, nothing at all. Just complete failure.
Fuel system, Gasoline, May 25, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V312000 (Fuel system, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Seat belts, May 19, 2022
No accident happened. Seat belt on drivers side will not attach to the cars anchor. Did receive a recall notice several years ago but was not a problem at that time. Will bring the car to the dealer but could not get an appointment until June 7 2022.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, May 14, 2022, fire
We were driving and the engine just quit. We were able to safely get to the median. The minute the car was stopped we smelled something burning. We got the kids out of the car and to the other side of the road. We looked under the hood and could smell the burning but didn't see where it was coming from. Soon we were back on the side of the road waiting for our ride to pick us up. About 20 to 25 min later we saw smoke coming out of the hood. My husband called the fire dept and just as they arrived the whole thing lit on fire under the hood. The fire dept was able to put out the fire. Now we are waiting to have it appraised by our insurance company.
Engine, May 12, 2022
The engine seized while driving. I lost all power and was forced off to the side of the road. Had it taken to dealership, and they said engine block need to be replaced. They won't honor the safety recall despite the fact that it says they will on the company campaign site search. There was no warning lights or messages regarding the catastrophic failure of the engine.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, May 11, 2022
The lights on the vehicle shut off with no warning. All of the lights, front/ rear lights and inside dash and radio.
Engine, May 11, 2022
I was driving home from work one afternoon on a two lane highway. All of a sudden a warning on the dash popped saying "Hybrid system failure pull over immediately" and the car started beeping loudly. I lost engine power, brakes and steering.....I'm lucky to be alive today. No one was on the road so I didn't get rear ended when the car came to a complete stop. I tried to restart the vehicle numerous times, however when I would shift into drive the car simply wouldn't move. I put it in neutral and pushed it to the side of the road and called a tow truck. Dealership maintenance quoted me around 8K to replace some of the hybrid system but it seemed they didn't even know what was wrong with it. The car is 8 years old with around 132,000 miles on it. I expected it to last a longer. I'm amazed reading so many other entries with the same hybrid system failure and surprised Hyundai hasn't killed someone yet with this faulty design. If I had been on the interstate portion of my commute I would be dead. Don't buy these cars if you value your own wellbeing or care about any of your loved ones.
Engine, Apr 24, 2022
I was driving on the highway in 70mph traffic and the car’s dash board alarm sounded with the following warning sign on the dash board: “Hybrid System Warning, Safely Stop. Do Not Drive”. The car seemed to have put itself in neutral without warning. I then pulled over to the side of the highway. I turned the car off and let it rest for about 5 minutes. I attempted to restart the car but the car would not start. All of the lights were on on the dash board and the Hybrid System Warning came back on. I could not let the windows back up or close the sunroof. I called a tow truck attempting to get a jump start but that did not work and I had to eventually get the car towed off the highway after sitting there with my children for 2 hours. This is very dangerous and has never happened before.
Service brakes, Apr 18, 2022
The first time this happened I had just parked in front of my house and put the car into Park when I heard a chiming sound coming from the car, and the message Check Brake followed by Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do Not Drive on the dashboard. I did not drive the car for severals after this. After that, I started the car with no issues and was able to drive it with no issues but 4 days later I got the same message while out driving, I stepped on the brake and heard a grinding noise and the brake pedal went all the way to the floor. I pulled over, stop the engine, turned off the ignition, waited a couple of minutes afterwhich the car started with no issue and I was able to drive home. Today I took it to Hyundai garage for the service dept to take a look at it. I am waiting to hear back.
Service brakes, Mar 24, 2022
I was driving in a school zone going 10 MPH and a warning flashed saying "Check Brake" then "Hybrid System Warning! Safely stop and do not drive" The brakes then locked up and the steering wheel became very stiff. I was able to pull over and turn the car off. I turned it back on and the warning was gone. However, the issue continued a couple weeks later and would not reset to a drivable condition, this prompted my husband to take the vehicle to Sterling Acura of Austin to be maintenance. The Power Brake Booster was replaced but the warning still appears sporadically, just long enough to read and then turns off.
Electrical system, Mar 21, 2022
Hybrid System Warning! This is the second time I have received this issue. It seems like a big issue within these types of cars. The first time I took it to Hyundai and they said replace the transmission. I took it to my transmission guy and he just changed the alternator and it worked. Now today, I am getting the same error message, but all the answers online are completely different things. I called Hyundai again and they once again suggested to replace transmission. They are trying to rip people off. This car is a lemon.
Engine, Mar 18, 2022
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, the vehicle independently and abruptly stopped. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact pulled the vehicle over safely and then drove home. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic. The first mechanic diagnosed the failure as an unknown shutdown. The failure reoccurred and the vehicle was towed back to the same local mechanic; however, it was sent to another dealer due to engine failure. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 124,000.
Engine, Mar 17, 2022
Engine failure causing loss of vehicle mobility, engine stoped no alerts. Vehicle became hard this steer and stop due to loss of these power assisted controls.