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:
6 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
53,140 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 drivetrain problems

drivetrain 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 3 of 8)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #105

Sep 122018

Sonata

  • 120,000 miles

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

Reconnecting the battery after servicing the car the vehicle gets a check engine light P0106 code (P0106 manifold absolute pressure/barometric pressure circuit range/performance). The engine runs normal. Driving the vehicle at highway speeds on cruise control at intermittent times I experience a cruise control disconnect and total loss of throttle while engine is still running. I have to coast the vehicle over to the side of the road and turn the vehicle off and restart to get throttle control back through the pedal. When that happens the vehicle also gets a P2110 (throttle actuator control system - forced limited RPM limp home mode) and P0605 code (P0605 = internal control module read memory (rom) error). I have reported this to Hyundai. They recommended I take it in for service. I reported it to the dealer. They could not duplicate or see history in the computer. This has happened several times over the years. The car loses all throttle control and I am forced to coast to the shoulder.

- Clermont, FL, USA

problem #104

May 152018

Sonata

  • 118,000 miles
Vehicle will when gear selector put into drive or reverse will jerk violently. Then car when driving down the road will drive in & out losing power or transmission slipping between gears?

- Mount Dora, FL, USA

problem #103

Jul 182018

Sonata

  • 32,000 miles
My car has had numerous recalls. Most recently it was my steering wheel that was clicking and felt unstable... so I took it into the dealership. That is how I found out it was an issue with enough cars in this yr/model that the warranty was extended. I also was getting jolted when I shifted gears. Even if I was going from park to drive, I could be spontaneously jarred very violently. I had that repaired at a out of pocket expense at the dealership. Today I saw evidence online that it may have been a recall and should have been repaired for no fee. Another recall notice I received 2 days ago, so I called the dealership who said they see no necessary recalls for my vehicle. Yet, online it shows 1 recall on my car VIN# that is outstanding but had "no remedy yet" it is a very dangerous notice that affects the airbags on front and side plus seat belt restraining system in the event of a collision. So I am essentially driving a very pretty coffin.

- Orangevale, CA, USA

problem #102

Jul 072018

Sonata

  • 70,000 miles

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

Driving car and lost all power diagnosis showed nothing by my mechanic after Hyundai told me car VIN not on recall during on vacation engine died had to have it towed back to my from Maryland was garage said engine bearing broke will cost me 7000 to my mechanic

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #101

Jun 222018

Sonata

  • 117,900 miles
Transmission is not going into gear, the shift gear is slipping and the what the display shows as the gear is not the actual gear the car is in or the gear display is blank and the car does not go into gear.

- Davie, FL, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #100

Feb 272017

Sonata

  • miles
My car will not go into gear, the shifter light won't light. I have to shut my car off and turn it back on. This doesn't happen every time I start my car just occasionally.

- Rockford, MI, USA

problem #99

Mar 242018

Sonata

  • 200,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving, the vehicle stalled. All the warning lights on the instrument panel illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The dealer gossett Hyundai South (2660 mt moriah rd, memphis, tn 38115) was contacted and informed the contact that the warranty had expired. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

- Horn Lake, MS, USA

problem #98

Mar 252018

Sonata

  • 99,000 miles
I went to the nearest Hyundai dealership to get some open recalls that I had done and I had like 5 or 6, many of which were very critical. I got a call next day asking me to come and pick up my car, which I was very skeptical about. They asked me to sign a paper indicating that everything is done. I asked if I can speak to someone to explain why this happened so quickly and if there's anything to worry about and they couldn't connect me with anyone neither did they ask for my information to contact me when that expert is available. Now about a month since taking the car to the dealership, I check my VIN online and to my surprise 4 of the most critical open recalls are still not closed or remedied. They involve problems with the engine, transmission, seatbelt, and brake pedal. There are all issues that could result in a fatal accident. I don't really know what to do because this is a matter of honesty. I should not have had to check for them to begin with. This Hyundai dealer is sunbury motors Hyundai.

- Lewisburg, PA, USA

problem #97

Jan 192018

Sonata

  • 154,800 miles
Over the last month or so, my car has been losing power while driving. It started happening randomly on the highway and I decided to take into dealership to disables the issue. After a diagnostic test, it was determined to be the PCM. After replacing the PCM, I now have been experiencing this loss of power even while driving on side streets and off highway. I have since been back to this same dealership located in new london ct and have been given another possible cause for this issue and that is the motor. I am extremely frustrated and upset bc not only did I spend 1500 to fix the problem, the problem is not fixed and is actually worse. I have read several forums that indicate a safety recall on my motor however it seems as though my car is outside of the parameters that cover my motor. Please get back to me with any advice or suggestions in going about resolving this safety issue.

- New Bedford, MA, USA

problem #96

Dec 012017

Sonata

  • 89,300 miles
I was driving on the highway and as soon as I got off I heard a knocking noise coming from the engine so I looked it up on the internet and it said their is a recall on the engine for that very problem

- St.Peters, MO, USA

problem #95

Oct 122016

Sonata

  • 90,043 miles

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

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While the contact's daughter was driving 20 mph, the vehicle sputtered, made a knocking noise, and lost power. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to southern states Subaru of raleigh (2511 wake forest rd, raleigh, nc 27608 (888) 439-5154) where it was diagnosed with a faulty engine that needed replacement. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 15V568000 (engine). Upon retrieving the vehicle from the dealer, a clicking sound was heard coming from the steering column and underneath the vehicle. The dealer informed the contact of a recall for the steering coupler, but the vehicle was over the mileage and could not be repaired per the manufacturer recall. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16V190000 (steering), but was unsure if the recall was serviced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and reffered the contact to Hyundai awards to repair the vehicle. The contact stated that the manufacturer inquired of an estimate of the repairs. Without an estimate, the contact quoated $500. The vehicle was then taken to johnson Hyundai of cary (5000 old raleigh rd, cary, nc 27511(919) 439-2059) where it was diagnosed with a steering coupler and axle failure. The technician stated that the axle damage occurred at the time of the engine replacement. The contact called the manufacturer again with a more accurate repair cost of $800, and was informed that they would only pay $500 towards the repair. The failure mileage was 90,043.

- Coats, NC, USA

problem #94

Feb 032017

Sonata

  • 106,000 miles
Hard shifting into drive and hardshifting into reverse, when vehicle is stationary and shifting it into drive or reverse. Transmission has been replaced 2 times and proplem persists.

- Riverside, CA, USA

problem #93

Sep 042017

Sonata

  • 108,800 miles
Took car to dealership for engine recall check in 2016, was told my car was fine only to have the engine seize 12 months later while driving. Engine was replaced by northtowne Hyundai in kc, mo and car was returned after 7 weeks. Within a few days of driving with the new engine I heard a distinct whining at about 2500 RPM and noticed a steady leak due to spots on my driveway. I returned the car to the dealership who said that the leak was from the transmission and that they have no liability since the engine replacement did not cause them to have to actually touch the transmission since the two systems are completely independent of one another. Corporate Hyundai says that the powertrain (I.e. transmission) is not covered under their extended 120,000 mile warranty and the cost of the repair is going to be an out of pocket expense to me.

- Independence, MO, USA

problem #92

Aug 252017

Sonata

  • 61,000 miles
Recall campaign #14V434000 was repaired in 2014. The identical problem is occurring now in 2017. I have no idea it the vehicle is actually in park because the indicator lights do not light up, so I always have to use the emergency brake. When I am in drive, I now have to ensure the doors are locked manually because the vehicle does not realize I am in drive and keeps the doors unlocked. On 8/28/17 I requested a service appointment and was told I have to drive this unsafe vehicle until 09/19/17 before I can bring it in to see if they can fix the problem. Also, on 8/15/17 I had a one-time incident where my brakes slipped. Luckily, the brakes have not slipped again.

- Raleigh, NC, USA

problem #91

Jul 172017

Sonata

  • 80,000 miles
When parking, the vehicle did not always go in park when shift lever was moved to "park". shift lever position indicator on dashboard shows blank. When returning to vehicle, car would not start. Took vehicle to dealer, there was previous recall on Hyundai Sonata for shift lever problem but was told my vehicle has different problem. Dealer replaced "inhibitor switch" to try and correct problem. Looks like original recall did not correctly address the problem.

- Huntersville, NC, USA

problem #90

Jun 132017

Sonata

  • 86,000 miles
Car stallled while driving. Was able to restart it and continue driving. Happened again. 3rd time could not restart and engine started smoking. Mechanic says that the engine in seized and smoking was the starter.

- Glen Ellyn, IL, USA

problem #89

May 212017

Sonata

  • 55,600 miles
Start the car and gear appears on the shifter and the dash. While reversing from parking space, gear either slips or lurches, then gear indicator in the shifter disappears, as well as gear indicator on the dash. The car is hesitant to accelerate, as if it is in neutral. Shutting off the car and restarting, everything returns to normal. This happens intermittently, and has occurred four times in the past week. Attached picture of dash indicator and gear shifter shows that the car is traveling at approximately 18 mph, but gear is not indicated on the dash or gear shifter.

- Bradenton, FL, USA

problem #88

Mar 272017

Sonata

  • 108,000 miles
I have taken my vehicle in recently because my car stalled a week ago while on the highway driving 55 miles an hour. After the inspection completed at Hyundai dealership, I was advised everything is okay to drive the car and we would like to complete an oil consumption test because they wanted to test out the engines consumption for what they think could be a safety recall incident. I drove the car for the first time on the interstate highway for about 85 miles since it was last in the shop, for what was said that everything was safe to drive, and I noticed today that my car started to rattle at a 65 miles an hour on I95 North in Maryland- went I had to exit the highway because my car had caught on fire underneath the hood and engine of car and the scar stalled. Smooth entered cabin of car and fire department was called. Car was not able to be driven and was very unsafe after I was told I was okay to drive it.

- Springfield, VA, USA

problem #87

Jan 032017

Sonata

  • 100,923 miles
Engine is bad 100,923, engine siezed like all the others

- Dubois, PA, USA

problem #86

Jan 112017

Sonata 4-cyl

  • 89,000 miles
Second time reaching out and I have gotten no kind of help or contact. I keep getting told that because I am stationed overseas that I can't be helped. I am active duty army serving overseas so you would think that the least that could get done is putting my safety as priority. The engine is on recall and I've already almost gotten into an accident because of it!!!!

- Apo Ae, AE, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?