2018 Hyundai Sonata
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 373 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 12th highest complaint count among 26 Sonata model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 18 involved a crash and 13 involved a fire. 20 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
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
Representative owner complaints
373 reports, newest first.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Mar 18, 2023
Knocking of the engine , engine light continues flashing , lack of acceleration finally feb of this year the turbo blew up an the car stop running all symptoms of knock sensor problems . I’m Taking it to Hyundai on Dixie on Monday in two days an I hope they don’t deny the federal recall an I will have to have a loaner car . They have told me the last 5 years my title was flawed last month they denied saying that an told me my warranty was voided with 41,000 on my car
Engine, Mar 13, 2023
The Engine Failed. It is currently sitting at the local Hyundai Dealership. As it pertains to my safety, the Engine failed while traveling on a Major Expressway in the morning on my way to work. Upon towing the vehicle to the dealership, it was effectively confirmed to me I am not the only person suffering from this problem. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership and determined to be an engine failure. No warning, no other symptoms prior to this incident.
Other or unspecified, Mar 3, 2023
Hyundai boosted about their emergency response system included with my vehicle and charged extra. They failed to tell me that they were discontinuing the system. If I crash and need assistance bc I'm unconscious, I won't get it.
Service brakes, Engine, Mar 3, 2023
As soon as I start to press on my brakes the vehicle starts violently pulsating and locks up. Took the dealership they said my rotors and brakes were fine and we're unable to give any reason for this. Without brakes I cannot stop my vehicle and it seems like a faulty ABS but no light on dashboard. The engine consumes nearly 5.2 qts of oil in 1000 miles. Being this is not normal I have no idea I was running out of oil as soon as I was changing it which could have led to my entire engine stalling out and causing me to wreck. It's putting my life as well as other people's on the roads and danger
Service brakes, Hydraulic, Feb 28, 2023, crash
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal would depress to the floorboard with the maintenance message displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. One day while driving the vehicle, there was an abnormal tapping sound coming from the brake pedal while being depressed. The failure persisted while the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle drove through a concrete post and a fence, causing damages to the post and the fence. The contact stated that the air bags deployed upon impact. Medical attention was not sought at the scene. The contact sustained bruising all over her body. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was driven back to her residence by a neighbor. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.
Engine, Feb 23, 2023
Hairline crack in engine oil pan possibly resulting in engine failure
Engine, Feb 23, 2023
This car engine has failed on multiple occasions. About 12 months ago, I observed a great loss of coolant. The car would frequently overheat even when I added coolant. Eventually, I was able to have the engine replaced at the dealership where I purchased the car, but this was right at the end of the vehicle's warranty. Even with a new engine installed, I still lose coolant all the time. It does not appear to leak anywhere, but the reservoir is consistently empty.
Engine, Feb 8, 2023
There is a rod barring warranty on my car for my engine. My engine has completely faulted. Hyundai has informed me that they are going to take at least 3 months to fix it and will not give me a vehicle for the time they have mine. I took my car to the shop to check it out, a week before it went out and Hyundai was fighting it, so I wasn’t able to get it there until it completely went out after trying to figure it out for a week prior
Steering, Electrical system, Engine, Feb 6, 2023
I was driving on freeway and all dashboard warning started to flicker on and off simultaneously then my steering wheel locked in place. I was unable to stop or turn wheel and had to maneuver car until it came to a stop. I had to get it towed home. I spoke with dealership and asked me to tow it to them so they can look at it and gave me a report that mention nothing about what I originally told them it did while I was driving but pointed out everything else that was wrong with it that added up to more than $4,500.00 in repairs. Dealership guy got upset that I asked him to email rather than phone calls and didn’t want to answer anything through email only phone calls he was refusing service and kept pushing us to approve all the other expenses without telling me anything about why the car did what it did. He then told me that it was my fault since car was just passed over 100,000 miles and I should’ve known that was going to happen. Luckily nobody got hurt during this. My wife was pregnant at the time and thank goodness nothing bad happened and dealership guy was so unprofessional and rude and just wanted our money rather than help by giving us any answers.
Other or unspecified, Feb 4, 2023
The White paint is peeling off the vehicle.
Other or unspecified, Jan 24, 2023
2018 Sonata has white paint peeling on hood of car - only 29,930 miles on car
Structure, Jan 21, 2023
White paint peeling off vehicle body in large sections
Engine, Jan 17, 2023
I own a 2018 Hyundai Sonata SE. The car now has 60,000 miles on it. I first reported to the Hyundai Dealership that my valves are "chattering" with acceleration up to 35 mph. I was advised my engine was low on oil. I completed a oil change and valves are still chattering. I was advised that the engine is dirty and I would have to pay for an engine cleaning at $350.00 After the cleaning the valves stopped chattering for about 1000 miles then the noise came back. I was then told to complete an oil consumption test. Part 1 of the test my car burned 2 quarts in 1000 miles. Part 2 with a cleaning my car burned .5 quarts after a cleaning, so it passed the oil consumption test. I was told by the dealership that after a couple of oil changes or around 6000 miles the car will burn oil again at the rate of over 1 quart per 1000 miles. The also told me that I would have to do the oil consumption test again. The dealership stated that the engine is faulty and and engine replacement is what needs to happen to correct the problem versus this band aid fix. I was also advised if I wanted to speed up the process don't check the oil between oil changes because it will burn 5 quarts of oil before the next oil change. This will cause the engine to lock up. THE ENGINE IS FAULTY IT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED.
Engine, Jan 12, 2023
My vehicle is unable to accelerate past 65mph. I had it towed to a local repair shop whom ran a diagnostic and they are advising there is a hyundai/kia recall on engine. To my knowledge, I was not advise by Hyundai of any recall when my spouse reached out to Hyundai directly. I was on the highway with family traveling back from Christmas vacation when the incident occurred. There was a crash ahead due to the rain so traffic had slowed down. Once I drove passed the accident and attempted to accelerate the engine light appeared I could no longer accelerate. Very scary when your on a 4 lane highway hours away from home. I was able to pull off to the nearest exit for safety as it rained.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Jan 5, 2023
2018 Hyundai Sonata Sport+ with 23K miles that has White Pearl exterior paint. The paint (W8 or WW8) is peeling off from several locations (Hood and Roof). This has been a know issue with this type of paint on Hyundai vehicles but manufacturer is not taking any responsibility that paint or paint job is defective. One can google this issue and thousands of user complaints are there of different forums and messaging boards. Example: https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-hyundai-sonata-paint-peeling/185473/7 https://www.reddit.com/r/Hyundai/comments/zt5lsk/warranty_extension_for_1718_elantrasonata_white/
Power train, Jan 4, 2023
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, he heard an abnormal noise, and the vehicle began to vibrate. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park the vehicle at a nearby parking lot. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
Air bags, Jan 2, 2023, crash
Hello im jesus ochoa on December 2 of 2022 i had a car accident i went underneath a simi truck and my air bags didnt deployed on my 2018 hyundia sonata and im worry of the new car i have from hyundai if the air bag didnt deployed on my 2018 hyundia
Other or unspecified, Dec 19, 2022
This car will not start when it is cold. I have only had this car for over one year and four months. The car ran perfect up until we began to have extreme cold weather. This is so dangerous because it could be an emergency and my car will not start. I have done my research and discovered that this is an ongoing issue with Hyundai. And nothing has been done about it.
Other or unspecified, Dec 8, 2022
For the past 3 Oil changes, I find myself having to add 5 quarts of oil to my car after driving over 1,000 miles from getting my oil change. This third oil change I have added 15 quarts of oil to my car due the check oil light comes on. When I first purchased this car in March 2021, I didn’t experience this issue. I’ve never had to add oil to my vehicle before an scheduled oil change. Whalen the oil is checked due to the light coming on, it’s boned dry.
Engine and engine cooling, Dec 5, 2022
My car started leaking oil from the oil drain bolt area. I took it to the dealer and they said the oil pan had a defect, they called it a “weld crack”. A quick internet search shows that this is a very widespread issue.
Electrical system, Structure, Nov 17, 2022
My car was serviced at Hyundai dealer for other problems while my car was being serviced the service department said they fixed a recalled latch on trunk I never had problems with trunk before the so called recall was fixed Now my trunk is stuck close and pops open and is very hard to close once open you have to slam it shut once shut it will not open I had a tail light out I press the button to open the trunk and after riding around for Three Days it popped open and I fixed the tail light within 3 weeks the tail light is out again and my trunk is still stuck shut I called the dealership and it’s seems as though it’s not important and been giving appointments so far away
Electrical system, Engine, Nov 10, 2022
Loss of power on highway or during normal driving possibly due to oil pan assembly according to odi 11481745. This has cause near-miss accidents on highway on ramps a number of times. Separate issue, when the outside temp is at our below 30°F the starter can fail to turn over resulting in a car that won't start even with jumper cables applied.
Engine, Nov 9, 2022
Purchased Certified Used 2018 Hyundai Sonata in March of 2021. Engine oil light came on at 36,863 miles in July of 2021, and I took car to repair shop. I was told that these cars (2018 Hyundai Sonata) excessively burn oil -- though under 60K miles was "early" -- and that it would need to be constantly monitored. Car went through four quarts of oil before next oil change at 42,437 miles. Took car to local Hyundai dealership and was told there was a "crack in my oil pan" (though there were no oil spots in my driveway or garage that would point to an oil leak from a pan). Pan was replaced. Engine oil light came on again (despite problem being "solved") TWO MONTHS LATER AT 44,129 miles. I put a minimum amount of oil into the engine and drove over to dealership to have issue resolved. They told me it was sparkplugs, which they replaced. Checked oil level at each gas fill up. Car went through FIVE quarts of oil before oil change at 47,432 miles!!!! Five quarts in 3,000 miles. Dealership now states I must get approval from Hyundai to do an oil consumption test.
Structure, Nov 1, 2022
White paint has started to peel off the body. Vehicle is past warranty (>3 years, >36,000 miles) and Hyundai refused to deal with it. It has been a known problem that their pearl white paint easily peels off the body down to the steel but they refuse to issue a recall for it.
Engine, Oct 31, 2022, fire
The contact's son owned a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while her son was driving at 68 MPH with a passenger in the front passenger seat, he noticed a burning odor and he noticed smoke coming inside the cabin through the AC vents. There was no further information provided. The contact's son pulled into a gas station and saw fire underneath the hood. The contact's son and the passenger immediately exited the vehicle. The contact's son was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of bystanders who used fire extinguishers. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was then repossessed by the auto financing bank. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the failure was caused by a missing oil cap. The failure mileage was unknown.