10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,172 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Hyundai Sonata brakes problems

brakes problem

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2010 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #28

Apr 262023

Sonata

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I am contacting the NHTSA regarding a manufacturer's failure to comply with a NHTSA recall campaign. The campaign in question is #13V113000 for a 2010 Hyundai Sonata. The certified Hyundai service center claimed, verbally and on the customer invoice, to have replaced the stop lamp switch with a new OEM part, number 93810-4DR0A-QQH, per the recall's order. After supposedly replacing the defective part, the vehicle is still able to be shifted out of Park without first depressing the brake pedal. This happens with the key in the 'ON' position, 'Accessory' position, and even without the key in the ignition at all. No depression of the brake pedal is currently required to shift the vehicle, in any form, violating the recall's correction order. After contacting Hyundai Motor Company, they informed me via phone and email that because the car is "so old" and "out of warranty", I would remain financially liable for diagnosing and repair of any problems related to NHTSA Campaign #13V113000. Based on the fact my vehicle's current and ongoing issue is EXPLICITLY clarified in the details of Campaign #13V113000, I believe it remains Hyundai's responsibility to ensure the vehicle is safe to operate. Furthermore, Hyundai has seemingly, knowingly and willfully threatened my safety, safety of passengers, and that of the general public by refusing to thoroughly comply with a NHTSA Campaign. This subsequently places the person(s) listed above at risk of injury or even death due to Hyundai Motor Company's negligence. I hope that by reaching out to the NHTSA about this ongoing issue, the problem can be resolved respectfully, as the next course of action and final recourse, with regards to Hyundai Motor Company, may result in legal escalation. Thank you.

- Corning, NY, USA

problem #27

Aug 152018

Sonata

  • miles
Car had unsolicited acceleration when backing up. Car went flying back in full acceleration. Hit railing/stairs.I put car in park. Thought I must have hit acceleration by mistake so I went to put car in drive to pull into parking space, when I took for of brake the car careened out of control full acceleration. I tried brake foot pressing pedal down car wouldn't stop. I steered into low cement parking space bumper and bushes to stop car. - $1024 to replace throttle body that Hyundai checked out and said it was sticking. Hyundai charged me for the throttle body replacement - I am waiting on estimate of property damage I did when I attempted to back out of parking space at my doctor's office.

- West Babylon, NY, USA

problem #26

Oct 102017

Sonata

  • 90,000 miles
The right rear brake burned up three times now had the calipers changed two times on right side once on left side in 90000 miles there must be a problem in system that's interment I have a non contact infrared thermometer in my car that I ck temps of brakes when I drive I ck them when I stop in parking lots rest stops trying to catch the problem before the brakes burn up some times I can drive over 150 miles no problem some times just 10 miles brakes heat up to 315 degrees or more last repair the rear pads on right side where burnt up left where still good the dealer shop checked out brakes could not find any reason the right was sticking or dragging the date of repair was Oct 10- 2017. That was the most resent.

- Shelbyville, IL, USA

problem #25

May 012017

Sonata

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Takata recall needs to issue a recall on air bags, the light stays on and wont go off. What if im involved in a car crash" a recall needs to be issued on tag lights and break lights the bulb keeps blowing out, why is this">

- Scranton, SC, USA

problem #24

Feb 012017

Sonata

  • 19,000 miles
My car has accelerated at least 10 times in the last 3 years when you put your foot on the brake the car bolts forward and keep going. It is a intermit problem and last time I almost got seriously hurt. The car won't stop when you hit the brakes. It happens driving and parking.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #23

Aug 152016

Sonata

  • 75,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Sonata. While driving 60 mph, the brake pedal was depressed, but failed to respond. The contact placed the vehicle in neutral to slow it down before coming to a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, but was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 75,000.

- Milwaukee, WI, USA

problem #22

Mar 112016

Sonata

  • 87,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

After driving on highway and then slowing for traffic which became stop and go traffic - the brake pedal started slowly fading all the way to the floor. After coming to a stop and pumping the pedal - the brakes seemed to respond but then the same issue repeated - had to have the car towed and discovered that the calipers had frozen on both rear wheels (wheels would not turn freely by hand when car was on lift) and the front right caliper was becoming tight as well. Repair involves new calipers, rotors and pads for all 4 wheels.

- Glen Burnie, MD, USA

problem #21

Dec 282015

Sonata

  • 67,950 miles
Back rear brakes have needed constant replacing since the first replacement in 2013 at 41,658 miles---rear pads and rotars. Eight mos. Later at 48,900, replaced the rear rotars and pads again. Two weeks later at 49,247, replaced rear left flex brake hose and caliper, and deglazed pads and rotars. Six months later at 56,199, the right rear brake was metal to metal and binding--replaced right rear caliper, rotar, and pads. Today, Dec. 29, 2015, with mileage at 67,950, had to fix the back left brakes which emitted a terrible burning smell when used. The mechanic replaced, under warranty, the whole back set of brakes (rotars, calipers, pads). The lug nuts and studs were all seized up from the heat of the left rear brake failure and had to be forcibly removed and replaced by the mechanic. There is something very wrong with the back rear brakes of this car, and these brake failures should not be happening with so little mileage put on the brakes between repairs.

- Natick, MA, USA

problem #20

Nov 022015

Sonata

  • 100,000 miles
When my car is being sitting for long periods of time like more than two hours and when I start driving and I have to break or reduce speed feels kind of rough or hard to break but after a while driving start braking like normal I think is a safety issue because it start doing it after I took the car to universal Hyundai in orlando they recommended new brake pad in rear and tires I replace them but car still doing it also the dealer said thats not in the recall I do have the documents when I took the car to be inspected. I would like to know what I have to do to correct this problem.

- Kissimmee, FL, USA

problem #19

Oct 172015

Sonata

  • 39,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Sonata. While driving 55 mph, the brake system failed to engage when the brake pedal was depressed. As a result, the the contact crashed into the preceding vehicle. The front driver side air bag failed to deploy. The contact sustained injuries to the legs, knees, lower back, and shoulders that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 39,000.

- Florham Park, NJ, USA

problem #18

Feb 192015

Sonata

  • 100,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving 25 mph, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle failed to stop. As a result, the contact crashed into a hill and the air bags deployed. The contact sustained unknown injuries that required medical attention. The vehicle was deemed destroyed and towed to a salvage yard. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Prattville, AL, USA

problem #17

May 112015

Sonata

  • 92,500 miles
Rear caliper frozen/sticking

- Salem, MA, USA

problem #16

Feb 092015

Sonata 6-cyl

  • 87,357 miles
I have had to replace the brake pads three times. Replaced rotors front and rear. Replaced calipers on rear and repaired the fronts. 87000 highway miles. Transmission hard shift from new. Dealer states that they have never heard of any trouble like this.

- Tell City, IN, USA

problem #15

Dec 072012

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 50,000 miles
The electronic stability control (ESC) turns off randomly by its self while the car engine is on. Pressing the ESC button to turn ESC back on does not work. Turning off the engine and then turning it back on sometimes takes care of the problem. When the ESC is off, the breaking system is severely affected where even with a relatively light press on the brakes can result in the locking of the tires.

- Grapevine, TX, USA

problem #14

Oct 152014

Sonata

  • 73,500 miles
Caliper locked up on driver side rear causing rotor and pads to experience severe damage and needed to be replaced. Second time this happened. Previous incident was rear passenger side brakes in March 2013 in which all rear brake pads, rotors and that caliper needed to be replaced. This incident also caused premature wear on front brakes and those needed replacement months later. Dealer would not repair as it was out of warranty mileage.

- Westerly, RI, USA

problem #13

Sep 062014

Sonata

  • 36,000 miles
Sometime w/in the past 2 years, I checked your website for "any" mechanical complaints that had been filed about the 2010 Hyundai Sonata gls. There were 44 (filed nationally) for broken door handles and sticking brake calipers. Well, yesterday (9-6-2014) as I was entering my vehicle in the afternoon, the driver's side door handle "broke completely off." I'm retired, single and very rarely have passengers in my vehicle, thereby little use of the other door handles......just 4 years of using my driver's side door. I'm elderly, not aggressive or rough on equipment, nor in a hurry. It was just a normal pull on my door handle and it snapped completely off. I've even been more cautious about opening my door since I read about prior complaints in the past on your website. Well, I just thought I'd add my "two cents" since doors handles seem to be one of two common problems w/ my model. Overall, when I last checked your website and saw only 44 complaints for the 2010 model, I was impressed......but never expected it to ever happen to me. Bad luck I guess. Hope the dealership honors the warranty when I call them tomorrow. I bought the car new and really like it. It has performed well and I'm very proactive when it comes to maintenance.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #12

Aug 022013

Sonata

  • 34,659 miles
Defective rear brakes. One rear brake pad was down to metal. Grinding and smoking. Pads and rotors were replaced by Hyundai dealer. Now at 38,000 miles car is in local shop for same work. One of three pads are down to metal. Diagnosed as defective brake caliper. Claim will be made to Hyundai but many others have been denied per internet and N.Y. class action lawsuit. This is considered to be a possible safety issue.

- Watertown, WI, USA

problem #11

Dec 302013

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 83,000 miles
The rear driver side brake was making a grinding noise. Took to the shop and they say the caliper is working uneven and causing the pad to brake down faster than normal, it was on bare medal. Could this be the crossbar recall causing this to get uneven or an unrelated item? the other side still had 40% pad on it. This seems like a problem to me.

- St Charles, MO, USA

problem #10

Dec 202013

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 64,950 miles
We had to replace the rear brake pads in August 2013 and now in December 2013 having an issue with the rear driver side pad sticking. After hearing the grinding noise again I took it to the repair shop. They are replacing the rotor, pads and calipers for failure to function at a cost of $400. The front pads were still in good condition. These are Hyundai oem brakes. I have been reading numerous complaints about rear brake issues on other 2010 Hyundai vehicles. I have also read that there is a class action law suite in New York over this same issue. I wanted to make a report and possibly find out if there are any plans for an investigation. Hyundai does not seem to have any plans to recall since the issue seems to have existed along time. This is far from normal wear and tear and at the cost of the purposed (by Hyundai service) periodic removal, cleaning, and lubing of the brake pads. This is not normal on any other car and I cannot see this a non issue. That is not to mention the danger of possible brake failure. Is Hyundai waiting for someone to die first?

- Sheboygan, WI, USA

problem #9

Oct 122013

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 56,660 miles
Vehicle started to make a heavy grinding noise from passenger side rear wheel. Closer inspection revealed a fresh gouge in the rotor. Took the car to the dealer where the vehicle was purchased and was informed that this was a normal wear and tear item, and not covered under warranty (even though a "gold" warranty had been purchased with caliper replacement plainly included). This indianapolis dealership wanted to charge $380 to replace the rear brake pads and rotors. An independent repair shop found that the drivers side of the rear had approximately 40% of the life left on the brake pads and only normal wear to the rotor, while the passenger side was worn down to the metal on the pads and had rendered the rotor unserviceable. It was also noted that the wear indicator on the passenger side was broken, and did not give the normal audio warning of excessive wear. When asked why the rear should wear out faster than the front (which is what all local brake shops told me would happen), the Hyundai service manager did not have any reply. It should be noted that there are several instances of similar failures, and even a class action lawsuit filed in New York state for the exact same issue. A sticking brake caliper is suspected, but could not be confirmed. Rear brake pads, rotors, and hardware were replaced at my expense. The brake caliper was cleaned, lubed, and reinstalled. Dealership would not honor any warranty obligation for this defect. Front brakes also showed at least 40% of their life remaining on the pads.

- Indianapolis, IN, USA

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