CarComplaints.com Notes: The 2011 Sonata has a seriously defective engine that seizes without warning. It was awarded the dubious honor of being the first CarTalk / CarComplaints Turd of the Week in late September 2015.

A class action lawsuit was filed in May 2015 against Hyundai that claims the 2.4L Sonata engine is defective. More info here.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
15 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
56,987 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.

2011 Hyundai Sonata brakes problems

brakes problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2011 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 8 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #1

Jun 232012

Sonata

  • 15,100 miles

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

Car will randomly not start after parking it. Depress brake pedal through the floor, press start button, yet it says "press down brake pedal to start". this is the third time in three weeks. The first time I got it started after ~30 minutes. Second time, within ~ 5 - 10 minutes. This third time, I couldn't get it started. Had to call for a ride. Went back next day, tried again unsuccessfully for ~ 30 minutes. Called roadside assistance. They never came. After ~1:45 minutes, I tried one more time and got it to start. Each time, the steering wheel was turned strongly to the left and it felt locked. Each time I was eventually able to yank the steering wheel to the right and was able to get it to release. Felt like the hydraulics kicked in. Then, it would start each time. This didn't happen the first time I messed with the steering wheel....but each time I was able to eventually make it do it. Until then, it had that locked feeling of no hydraulics. Other than this, no brake issues, no steering issues, no lights on dash, etc. One exception, first time coming down a hill, I had the ESC (brake) light come on briefly. Very similar to other reports on this website.

- San Diego, CA, USA

Not what you are looking for?