2017 Hyundai Sonata
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 764 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 6th highest complaint count among 26 Sonata model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 28 involved a crash and 11 involved a fire. 12 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Exterior lighting, turn signalSep 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.
A turn signal that activates in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 21V749000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, trunk lid, latchAug 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."
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
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.
Campaign 21V619000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator moduleDec 30, 2016
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2017 Hyundai Elantra vehicles manufactured April 15, 2016, to September 13, 2016, and Sonata vehicles manufactured May 27, 2016 to September 16, 2016. In these vehicles, the end seal for the driver's frontal air bag inflator may not have been properly installed, possibly resulting in reduced inflation of the frontal air bag in the event of a crash.
In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not inflate fully increases the risk of injury.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 156.
Campaign 16V956000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints: engine
399 reports, newest first. Show all
Engine, Sep 3, 2024
To whom it may concern, I would like to inform you that I have been experiencing engine power loss and oil evaporation from my Sonata. In fact, I took the vehicle for an oil change in April 26, 2024 and by August 1, 2024, my car was not accelarating and the dashboard was completely illuminated with the engine, air bags and suspension lights. Upon inspection of engine oil dipstick, I was made aware that my oil was missing (evaporated) without any visual undercarriage drips. Therefore, I added 4 qts of synthetic oil to my car recently replaced oil and the car continued without power. Upon connecting a vehicle code reader, it was reported that a spark plug was malfunctioning and I continue with its replacement. To date the vehicle continues to have engine loss of power episodes. Can someone please help as I do not want to die in this vehicle due to a manufacturer's unannounced/undisclosed engine issue. Thank you for your time and consideration.
Power train, Engine, Sep 2, 2024
I was driving the vehicle and it of no where the hybrid warming triangle comes up and I had to pull over. The car went in creep mode and then rpm and sped was capped.
Engine, Sep 1, 2024
Me along with thousands of others are experiencing the “excessive oil consumption” issue. Hyundai is doing nothing except making us pay tons of money for testing when they already know what the issue is and is refusing to do anything. Enough is enough. I can’t afford a new car nor should I be forced into buying one. The dealerships have been instructed by Hyundai USA not to admit negligence or helping g the car owners.
Engine, Aug 25, 2024
I had the engine replaced in Feb of 2024 which was covered by the engine replacement recall. In May of 2024 I started having issues with my check engine light flashing on then off. The engine will lose power briefly during this time and the engine shakes. It feels like you are going to lose control of the vehicle when this happens. This has happened approximately 3 times at freeway speeds and a total of approximately 15 times total. I have taken it to the dealership 3 times for this issue. They made us pay for spark plugs that were fine when the engine was replaced (3800 miles was driven between the engine replacement and this issue starting). The dealership has now had the vehicle since the middle of May said they can’t recreate the problem but are saying it is a fuel pump. This was also fine when the checked it when the engine was replaced.
Engine, Aug 24, 2024
Apparently there has been a leak in the engine and was not retaining any oil. We’ve tried to fixed it but it wasn’t fixed properly. My safety and others were at risk by the car shutting down at any moment. I have not taken it to the dealer yet. I am willing to do an inspection at a dealership for a better understanding on the issue.Check engine light came on about a month ago and I kept trying to fix it but check engine light is still there.
Engine, Aug 23, 2024, fire
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and turned off, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated the engine compartment had caught on fire. The contact’s spouse extinguished the vehicle. The local fire department was not contacted, and a report was not filed. however, a cause for the failure was not yet determined. A Police report was not filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
Engine, Aug 16, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the dealer; however, the cause of the failure was not determined. The contact was informed by the dealer that there was an unstated recall on the vehicle; however, the recall campaign had expired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle remained in the possession of the dealer and was not yet repaired. The failure mileage was 107,084.
Engine, Aug 15, 2024
Without warning my car started consuming oil while still under manufacturer warranty. Hyundai had me do 2 oil consumption tests and they did there so called engine cleaning which they said should fix the problem on 2 different occasions and not even 3 months apart, well the engine was still consuming oil and now the oil is messing up my spark plugs and Hyundai refused to fix it. There is enough evidence out there that shows Hyundai knows their piston rings in the engines were no good for years and still keeps selling these engines without warning the customer. Hyundai refused to honor their warranty on the engine cleaning solution that the dealership is required to use by Hyundai itself. My car's engine went in less than 7 months after they first started doing the oil consumption test on my car and now refuse to fix or replace the engine. When my car's engine went luckily I was on a side street when it went, because if I was on the highway who knows what could have happened. Hyundai omitted in lawsuits outside the country for knowing these were bad piston rings. Which also led to fires in these cars engines. There is a Facebook page with thousands of people having the same issue and Hyundai not even trying to fix the problem, and there our to many to count around the world with the same engines and cars having the same issue so it not just a small isolated event.
Engine, Aug 9, 2024
The motor in this vehicle consumes oil like a drunken sailor consumes alcohol. I have the oil changed, and before the next scheduled oil change, the car had The oil indicator light come on. I immediately went to the nearest AutoZone and purchased oil and put in the car. I took it to the dealership and they told me they were aware of the issue surrounding the motor in this make and model of vehicle however, my Vin number was not included on the recall. So they could do nothing to help me. This is a safety issue because the motor should go at least 3000 miles with without having to have, a full 5 quarts of oil put back in because it’s sitting on empty. I have been dealing with this for over a year with the local dealership and with Hyundai USA to no avail
Engine, Jul 30, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle suddenly lost motive power with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken back to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or local dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 104,000.
Engine, Jul 8, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed with starter failure and low engine oil. The vehicle was repaired. The independent mechanic advised the contact to take the vehicle to a dealer for assistance. The contact stated the vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed; however, the dealer made the contact aware of similar issues with excessive oil consumption. The contact was informed that he had to pay out of pocket for an oil consumption test. The oil consumption test was not performed, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
Suspension, Electrical system, Engine, Jul 6, 2024
The engine light keeps going on and off and I reported to their dealer a couple times during the warranty but when they checked the car the light got off and they asked me to keep driving it until out of warranty and they ask me to pay for fix the same problem
Engine, Jun 29, 2024
Engine oil is consumption. I went to dealer they send the the request to the Hyundai that my engine oil is consuming. The Hyundai reject to replace the new engine for the following resons. 1. I am not the original owner 2. the car has 129k miles
Engine, Jun 25, 2024
Have problem with high oil consumption which caused carbon deposits to burn valves. I was driving on the highway when engine light came on the car lost power and stalled on the road. At highway speeds that could have caused a collision with traffic. The car was bought at a dealer with 35000 miles on it when I started to notice a slight problem. The car now has 88500 miles on it and has gotten worse. The dealer said it needs a new engine which Hyundai has denied. The dealer said too many mile’s between oil changes but all maintenance has been done when needed at the dealer and Big-O. I have noticed online many complaints with the same problem. I contacted Hyundai have case #23502874 Cost to repair $9743.94 at dealer
Engine, Jun 23, 2024
While driving on the highway the car stopped .. it was towed to Hyundai as it is still under warranty and ultimately we were told it suffered "catastrophic engine failure" I was also told that a new engine would not be covered. When I asked why I was instructed to give maintenance records which I did. It was denied BEFORE they asked for records. I have been going back and forth with Hyundai and the reason they have given me is an exact effect of their ongoing issues with the THETA II- GDI engine. I have compiled so much research regarding the defect and Hyundai stopped responding to me when I asked them the difference between my car's engine and those that Hyundai knowing delayed recalling and the thousands of same engines that have determined as defective. This has been going on for months and I am not going to let it go and there is a growing petition for another investigation to be opened. Hyundai deliberately delayed recalling a known defect that has affected thousands of vehicles and it is shameful they are playing games. I have an enormous file of data that would indicate the 2017 Sonata Theta II is just as defective as all the others and that their own mechanics have gone on the record admitting that an oil blockage from metal shavings will ultimately cause a catastrophic failure. I have emails from Hyundai and Texts from dealer on cost. I am checking with my attorney to see if they can be shared.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Jun 10, 2024
I was driving down the freeway when my engine made a loud knocking noise, the noise got worse as the RPMs increased. The check engine light began to flash and I lost power, the vehicle will not exceed 60mph and vibrates when moving down the road. I believe this issue is widely know about and should be addressed and forced into a recall. I have maintained the vehicle and should not be responsible for a manufacturing error.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jun 9, 2024
My car has cut off in the middle of the highway and street. I feel vibration under my seat and I was unable to start my vehicle. Hyundai repaired my engine and I am still having the same issues. The car feels like it’s slowing down before is completely stops.
Engine and engine cooling, May 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was able to be restarted and was taken to an independent mechanic and the local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in a recall campaign. The failure mileage was unknown. The VIN was not available.
Engine, May 16, 2024
My car was eating up oil and there was no leak in it. Then the vehicle stopped working. I kept up the maintenance for the vehicle and when I reached out to Hyundai they told me to take it to my local dealership to get fixed and they stated that they could not fix it, but according to the class action suite I was suppose to get it fixed
Engine, May 7, 2024
My car has been burning excessive amounts of oil for the past 6 months now. It is so bad there is excessive carbin built up in the piston rings that caused my engine to missfire 2 times in less than six months. Today 5-7-2024 to my car back to the dealer for that problem and they told me I need a new engine but unfortunately it was not coverd by the engine extended warranty. Please help me resolve this issue because I cannot afford a new engine or a car.
Engine, May 7, 2024
WHEN I DRIVING MY CAR DROPPED 20 MPH DURING ENGINE RUNNING. HYUNDAI CAR CARE CENTER REPAIRED WITH $4825.35. AFTER 10 DAYS AFTER I PICKED MY CAR, I HAD SAME PROBLEM. I ALSO PAID $1864.67 TO TAKE CARE OF CAR PROBLEM. I THINK THIS PROBLEM HAS TO TAKE CARE OF RECALL. I REQUESTED HYUNDAI RECALL CAMPAIGN CENTER BUT NO ANSWER. I NEED YOUR HELP. HYUNDAI CASE NO IS [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Engine, Apr 29, 2024
The engine was the part which failed. While driving the engine stalled and would not go forward. A foul smell was coming from the engine and the engine was rattling. The floor was wet on the passenger side interior. We let it cool down and took it to the dealer. They did not offer any explanation concerning why the car was not operating poorly or why the car smelled bad or why it stalled frequently and lost full power. Steve Taylor Hyundai service department quote "we don't know what's wrong with your car". It had 78383 miles on it. Taylor Hyundai said we can trade it in but you will have negative equity on your new loan. We were not credited for our trade in but we lost 4 or 5 thousand dollars on the trade-in. They did not cover the car with the warranty and did not repair it. The paperwork on the sale is quite confusing and does not make sense, but we know we lost money on the purchase of another car, and they did not honor the warranty. HELP
Power train, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Apr 28, 2024
While driving on a highway at ~60 mph, the check engine light came on (plus other indicator lights) and the car immediately dropped to ~45 mph. ~20 seconds later, while trying to pull into a school parking lot, the hybrid system fault warning came on and the car dropped to ~5-10 mph and then became extremely difficult to control. The car was towed ~80 miles to my home dealership and it was diagnosed as a partially blocked EGR tube. ~1 month later, on the next longer drive I had to make (all other drives were short distances), ~70 miles into the drive, the car started making a knocking sound and then suffered the same failure under the same kind of conditions. This was diagnosed as a failed knock sensor. One week later I tried to drive it a long distance to see if the problem would happen again (but closer to home) and while traveling on an interstate highway the same issue occurred. This time it was diagnosed as oil in the wiring assembly for the just replaced knock sensor. The dealership tried to give me the car back but I demanded that they do a long test drive. It took 4 days to get them to do what I asked and then they had it break down on them in the same way. I'm not 3+ weeks after that and still don't have the car back (now they're planning to replace the EGR assembly and intake manifold). Each breakdown has thrown the P1326 trouble code but Hyundai refuses to admit that the issue may be the engine itself (related to the recall). It took until the 3rd breakdown and a lot of demands to get a loaner vehicle. I don't know if this is the known engine issue, something else or new but don't feel that Hyundai is taking it seriously. If nothing else, the programming that was added to put the car in safe mode and prevent fires is too aggressive and in each case has made the car undrivable in less than 1 mile. I have gotten lucky in all cases that a safe place to stop was nearby but it is not safe to drive in many areas due to lack of safe pull off location
Engine, Apr 25, 2024
The car started to stall and engine lights were flashing in the middle of interstate and it wouldn’t go above 60mph almost was about to get hit from the back
Engine, Apr 23, 2024
A couple of weeks ago my car seemed to be skipping when I started driving. I had no idea what could be wrong but some kind of intuition made me think to check the oil. I had the oil changed in December 2023 but had only driven about 1000 miles since then. I'm working from home so not driving alot. My oil was VERY low - it didn't even measure up to the first fill line. I started reading info online and realized that many Hyundai Sonata owners were reporting similar issues, so I went to an auto store bought a quart of oil and put that in. After testing, I got another quart of oil and put that in, finally bringing oil level to amount recommended by the lines on the oil stick. A couple days later I took my car to the local dealer, Tuscaloosa Hyundai. As soon as I started describing the problem, they immediately knew what was wrong - another sign that this problem is way too common. They performed some type of combustion chamber cleaning with oil and filter change and charged me $672. I drive a 2017 Hyundai Sonata Sport. When changing oil in December 2023, car had 60780 miles on it. The oil change personnel did say that the car seemed to be using too much oil, which may be why I thought to check it when the car was acting weird. When I took it to the dealer in April 2024, the car had 61816 miles on it. If I had not checked the oil, my engine could have been destroyed and I could have been left stranded on the side of the road. With so many other Hyundai owners claiming the same problem, I can't understand why this vehicle wasn't recalled so that the problem could be fixed, and/or that this problem which could have serious consequences wasn't covered by Hyundai. I am [XXX], don't drive far from home and drive very carefully. There should be no reason a car with 60000 miles on it is consuming oil at this rate. No warning lights were on in my car to indicate that I had an issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)