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
764 reports, newest first.
Engine, Feb 14, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while her husband was driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal noise before the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The driver was able to restart the vehicle and continue driving to the residence. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with needing the engine to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 136,000.
Steering, Feb 11, 2023
In October 2022 my power steering failed as I turned into the drop off circle at my child's school. The traction light and another hazard light came on and function did not return until vehicle was restarted. I know experience clicking sounds coming from steering system when ever I turn 90 degrees or more. My vehicle barely has 44000 miles and clearly is experiencing the same manufacturing defect that hundreds of owners have reported here. There need to be an emergency recall to prevent anyone from getting hurt or even worse. Steering is a necessary function when you have such a massive piece of machinery to control. If Hyundai ignores this issue it is clear they are ok with having weapons out on the road that were supposed to be quality vehicles. Once you can't control a vehicle it becomes a weapon and since this issue seems to correct itself although it leaves defects afterwards people can't determine when it will happen again. I need my car and have children. Hyundai be the company you advertise as, this is showing you have no concern for your customers safety.
Steering, Feb 10, 2023
Power Steering failed on 4-lane highway. Is available for inspection. I was able to slow down and hard-steer to shoulder of road with cars whizzing by. Problem has not been confirmed by dealer or service center because it just happened a few hours ago. All shops are closed. No, the problem has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or any others. Warning light came on with steering wheel icon before it failed. I had no idea what icon meant until I came home and googled it to learn it is "Electric Power Steering (EPS) Warning Light". Also the warning light icon of car on wavy lines came on (Electronic Stability Control (ESC) Indicator".) Meanwhile I'm terrified, this has never happened before. After a few minutes I cranked the car, turned steering wheel back and forth. Warning lights turned off. I slowly drove it on home, keeping to far right in case I had to leave road again. After I got home, I did thorough research to find out what had happened and I see there have been numerous reports of 2017 Hyundai Sonata EPS cases reported. Why hasn't Hyundai issued Recalls on the 2017 EPS problems? This is a serious safety issue. People could die. There needs to be a Recall on this car and Manufacturer should pay to have this issue remedied as soon as possible in order to prevent death or serious injury in these cars.
Structure, Feb 2, 2023
Car has 41,019 miles. The paint is peeling off the car. This issue seems to be widespread and effects both Kia & Hyundai. Mine 1st appeared Jan. 31, 2023 on the driver's side hood above the headlight. Paint color is W8, Quartz White Pearl (this color seems to have the most problems). Hyundai was notified immediately, 02-01-2023, but have gotten no response. There is a Facebook page concerning the issue (KIA and Hyundai Defective Paint Class Action Group) and you can see how widespread the problem is. The paint is obviously defective or Hyundai did something wrong in applying it. This simply is not a coincidence and Hyundai should be accountable!
Engine, Feb 2, 2023
My engine is consuming oil at a high rate of more than a quart per 1000 miles. I went 3k between oil changes had 2 quarts added at about 1500 miles and was still low at the end of the 3k. Hyundai claims this is normal. I had previously completed the oil consumption test and Hyundai claims there is no issue. The oil pressure light started going on around July of 2021. Between the oil consumption tests and then additional driving it is 18 months later and not resolved.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 27, 2023
Car completely lost all power train systems while in motion after repair at dealership for HSG. Car was able to be restarted after shifting into park after complete stop. All instructions in user manual for restarting vehicle while in motion were followed but not successful. The vehicle died again pulling into dealership and the tech began diagnosis.
Engine, Jan 25, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the engine stalled without warning. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact also stated that he was then made aware of an unknown recall pertaining to the engine. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was advised to take the vehicle to the dealer; however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.
Steering, Jan 24, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver. The traction control and an unknown warning light was illuminated. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a number to another dealer. The contact was informed to have the vehicle towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 71,000.
Steering, Electrical system, Jan 23, 2023
Electric power steering failure, have taken to the dealer and they told me I need a new battery. I bought one and the problem is still happening. Used to reset after I restart the car but now it won’t.
Power train, Other or unspecified, Jan 23, 2023
Total loss of power while driving occurred on 2 separate occasions driving the Hyundai Sonata. The dashboard lit up with multiple failures with no warning, and car lost all power. Both times were in peak traffic conditions and on one of the two instances, a very dangerous mountain road with very little time to react. Towed on 2 occasions to 2 different dealers with no clear cut fix for the car. These were very scary and dangerous incidents and I am afraid to drive this car to be honest. Hyundai has not done much to contact or reassure me that they were dealing with the situation.
Other or unspecified, Jan 21, 2023
My Hyundai sonata hybrid has always experienced issues with a loss of power as well as warnings illuminating on the dashboard which also would result in a check engine light and occasionally a complete shutdown of the car. When this issue was experienced a simple restart of the car would make it run normal again-even the trouble codes would clear out of the system after the 3rd reset (also completely wiping the code history)I was lucky and the car began to “limp” and throw the check hybrid system warning within 5 minutes of a local dealership. They found that the HSG “hybrid starter generator” was faulty via a voltage test. They explained that the HSG would cause the complete shutdown and poor performance of my vehicle due to incorrect voltage. This issue existed for many years and the dealership was unable to identify the source of the issue. This is extremely dangerous and seems to be a common occurrence. I complained about this issue directly to the dealer’s maintenance managers as well as escalated the issue to Hyundai Corp they also were unable to determine the part was faulty over many years and even told me to just “reset and keep driving”. Please investigate this issue it can be found all over the internet with a simple google search. I have even met a gentleman in the dealership with the same year Hyundai sonata hybrid limited and he also was experiencing the same issue-they were unable to identify or replicate the issue when the car was left with the dealer.
Steering, Jan 20, 2023
Power Steering, on two occasions the power steering malfunctioned. One while starting to leave a parking lot, the other happened while driving. This can cause an extremely safety hazard driving in traffic. As far as know there has been no recalls addressing this problem. I did some research and found this same incident has happened with others with this vehicle. It seems that a safety recall should be initiated to correct this malfunction.
Steering, Jan 19, 2023
The steering wheel became stiff and I had to jerk it a little just to coast with the curves in the road. Took it to Hyundai and they said nothing was wrong and recalibrated the steering. The problem remained. A few months later there was a mechanical griding sound coming from the steering column while car was idle on several occasions. It eventually stopped and then the steering wheel was not in sync with turning the wheels causing a knocking sound. The plastic gear in the motor was bad and replaced by a mechanic. Vehicle now has additional sounds coming from the steering column and they suspect the power steering motor itself is bad. Sound/problem more noticeable when driving on a bumpy road.
Power train, Jan 16, 2023
Driving this passed saturday and my car was jumping when i would slow it down to decrease my speed. Once my car got to 5mph it’ll jump forward then it would stop. When i went to accelerate it would pick up no speed until 40mph then the engine light came on. I went to get a diagnostic from autozone and it was my power train system having an issue. I have no clue what that was. Went to make an appointment for hyundai NO appointments for a month! What happens if the car shuts down on me? or doesn’t brake when i press on it?
Steering, Jan 15, 2023
Electric power steering light has come on… when this happens the stirring wheel almost feels locked and when merging off the freeway this was a scary thing. Not sure how something like this can go out already and the car is only a little over 5 years old.
Steering, Jan 13, 2023
When driving the vehicle, the power steering stops working causing the steering to become very difficult to operate. It has created very hazardous situations. I’m very nervous when driving the vehicle due to the seriousness of the situation.
Engine, Jan 13, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving from a stationary position, the vehicle sputtered and vibrated while attempting to accelerate. Additionally, it was discovered that the engine was consuming 1-quart of engine oil per 1,000 miles. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who performed an oil consumption test. The cause of the failure was not yet identified. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was unknown.
Steering, Jan 11, 2023
I had just come off the interstate and was driving down a side road when my steering wheel became locked ( very hard to steer) and warning lights on the dashboard came on. It has happened two separate times.
Engine, Jan 10, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 60-65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
Engine, Jan 10, 2023, fire
The contact owned a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 30-30 MPH, he saw smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon opening the hood, he saw fire. The contact stated that the fire burned the front end and interior of the vehicle. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of the fire department. There were no injuries sustained. A fire department report was filed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot yard where it was totaled. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
Engine, Jan 9, 2023
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her friend was driving 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled with white and black smoke coming from under the hood. The contact stated that an abnormal thumping sound was coming from the vehicle. There were several unknown warning lights flashing on the instrument panel. The contact exited the vehicle and called for a tow truck. Upon arrival, the tow truck driver inspected the vehicle and informed her that a piston had blown a hole through the engine block. The tow truck driver informed her that there was an engine recall for similar vehicles. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact called the dealer and was informed that due to the vehicle having a Salvage Title the recall would not be honored. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 116,000.
Engine, Jan 7, 2023
Check engine light came on had it check out it the motor. I always maintain me car. The place that fixes my car said the Hyundai have issue with their engine. They engine has to be replaced.
Fuel/propulsion system, Jan 4, 2023
Complete loss of power. Car shut down at freeway speeds. Dealership runs codes and they cannot find out what specifically is causing issue. Issue cannot be replicated as it only happens a few times a year and has existed since shortly after purchase of the car brand new. There is articles all over the internet people having similar experiences. This car is NOT safe. Hyundai does not communicate hybrid system codes through their telematics system so there is no paper trail. The car also clears the codes out after 3 reboots following the check hybrid system codes. Dealer has reported car shut down due to voltage issues-not able to determine the reason since after reboot the car drives normally.
Steering, Electrical system, Service brakes, Jan 1, 2023
I took my car to a shop due to my car having a loud knocking noise coming from the engine bay and lack of acceleration as well as the oil light flickering on and off and once the mechanic inspected my vehicle he said metal particles were being deposited into my oil due to internal engine parts. After picking my car up all the lights on the dash cut on and the car completely had no steering, no brakes, no power but the radio still worked. I barely could turn the steering wheel nor could stop the vehicle due to this and thankfully could coast into an upgrade leveled hill and stop the car. Car would barely recrank or hold power nor would go above 40 mph. Only drove 5 miles to get the car back home safely. Drove back around 3:00 a.m. so there wouldn't be much traffic out in case of something like this happening. Could've been catastrophic!
Engine, Dec 29, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the RPMs revved up however, the vehicle failed to respond. The contact stated that the vehicle decelerated, lost motive power and stalled in the middle of the road. The contact's newborn and two other young children were occupying the rear seats at the time the failure occurred. The vehicle failed to restart. Another driver assisted the contact with hauling the vehicle to her residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The contact was also informed that other unknown repairs also needed to be completed. The dealer informed the contact that the engine could not be replaced under an unknown recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.