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:
18 / 84
Injuries / Deaths:
15 / 0
Average Mileage:
71,895 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 3 of 46)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #877

Dec 242018

Sonata

  • 61,000 miles

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

The contact's daughter owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 40 MPH, the engine seized. The contact's daughter was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the engine. The dealer informed the contact that the engine was replaced with a rebuilt engine. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 50 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, and the engine seized a second time at 96,000 miles. The contact's daughter was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that there was no oil in the vehicle. The dealer performed an oil change on the vehicle, and the vehicle restarted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure recurred a week later and there was no oil in the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the oil. Additionally, the mechanic informed the contact that the engine was not replaced but was rebuilt by the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened; however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

- Overland Park, KS, USA

problem #876

Oct 102023

Sonata

  • miles
I started to get engine knocking noises about 6 months after the purchase of the used car. This knocking noise began to increase in frequency as I pressed my foot on the accelerator and the car would not accelerate when I pressed my foot on the gas pedal. Then the car would shut down in the middle of traffic. After waiting about 30 -45 mins, I would try to start the car again and would start and initially run as long as I drove less than 20 miles/hour the knocking noise level would decrease but if I went above 15 - 20 mph the car would shut down. The check engine light and engine oil light would come on. So I would check the engine oil level oil using the dip stick and it showed oil levels were ok. On October 10 2023 while driving to Walmart the engine turned off and would not start after waiting over 1 hour and I was stuck in the mall entrance road. A concerned driver with his passengers pushed the car to a Walmart parking spot where it is currently at. In addition, the traction light kept coming on and I paid the Hyundai dealership $2,800 to repair to keep the car from drifting to the left and to get the light off.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #875

Aug 152023

Sonata

  • miles
The contact owned a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, both her and her passenger smelled a burning odor inside the vehicle's cabin. The contact then noticed that flames were coming from the front end of the vehicle. The contact immediately pulled over and both her and her passenger exited the vehicle. As the contact waited for a fire truck, the vehicle burned to the ground. No injuries were reported and a police report was filed. The vehicle's remains were towed to an independent tow yard. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that her vehicle was apart of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V934000(Engine, Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Lithonia, GA, USA

problem #874

Sep 272023

Sonata

  • miles

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

My car had engine seized while driving on the road with no warning light prior nor other mechanical issues. When the engine seized, all mechanical powers are have lost power including brakes and power steering in which have almost caused a near accident at an early morning rushed hours. The vehicle's odometer reading at 120,836 and was up to date on all normal tune up performances. Other issues that have arise after purchasing the car are: warning light came on for airbag, real loud clunking sound on roof when hitting a bump on the road and engine will not start because of fuel line system issues. Cruise control had also stopped working after a year of purchased.

- Apache Junction, AZ, USA

problem #873

Mar 302023

Sonata

  • miles
We bought this 2011 Hyundai Sonata from a local dealer in August 2021. The engine failed in March of 2022 (smoking and then died while my daughter was driving the car). We paid a local mechanic to replace the engine with another used engine, not knowing the engine issues associated with Hyundai Sonata models, specifically the 2011 year. The replaced engine died in July 2023, about 5 months later. The warranty we had on the replaced engine was denied to due to a heat tab melting. The first engine (to us, we do not know if was replaced during the 2016 recall) and now the replaced GDI engine have both died. The engine should not be on the market and we contacted the local Hyundai dealer to see if they could help us out. They denied service because we replaced the engine ourselves with another mechanic. This is a critical safety issue and Hyundai should be held responsible to get these engines off the market and reimburse customers for all expenses related to the repair or replacement of the engines regardless of where it was fixed. Now there is a new recall related to these engines https://apnews.com/article/hyundai-kia-engine-fire-recall-park-outside-93d012a52e7b884889cdaf2e6c22a458, where customers are being told to not park in structures due to fire hazard/risk. And I read recently that Hyundai has been slow to recall cars and fined by NHTSA for this very reason. Our model is not currently in an open recall, but it doesn't make sense that both engines failed...both GDI engines. This should be addressed by Hyundai and we should be reimbursed for the expenses paid by us to fix their poor engine design and the safety issues associated with this make/model/year.

- Bradenton, FL, USA

problem #872

Jun 122023

Sonata

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle had been consuming an abnormal amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The failure was not duplicated and only noted as consuming unusual amounts of engine oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Waterbury, CT, USA

problem #871

Jun 062023

Sonata

  • miles

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

Engine failed while on interstate at 65 miles per hour. Was almost rearended before I could coast it to the side of the road. Tried restarting it and engine began to smoke. Had it towed to a mechanic and then home. Mechanic stated that engine had seized. Received no warning lights before failure.

- Animas, NM, USA

problem #870

Apr 012023

Sonata

  • 98,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light was flashing off and on with a knocking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who installed a knock sensor to the engine, but the failure persisted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 98,000.

- Manchester, NH, USA

problem #869

Sep 052023

Sonata

  • 140,000 miles
The contact owned a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that he sold the vehicle to a lady yesterday, and while the lady was driving with her daughter at an undisclosed speed at around 9:00 p.m., the vehicle stalled and the engine caught fire. No warning lights were illuminated. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not towed. There were no injuries. No police report was filed. The vehicle was not deemed totaled by the insurance company. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- Madison, TN, USA

problem #868

Jul 312023

Sonata

  • 175,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #867

Jul 162023

Sonata

  • miles

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

My engine is stalling out. It shuts off while driving. And the engine oil lamp light keeps flicking on and off. Definitely something wrong with the engine.

- Hermitage , TN, USA

problem #866

Jul 192023

Sonata

  • miles
- Code P0304 Engine- Metallic debris have been detected upon inspection and it was declared that the debris have not been completely removed near the engine crankshaft this caused oil flow to be restricted through the connecting rod bearings, causing connecting rod damage, also there is a worn out connecting rod bearing causing this vehicle to have a loud knocking noise possible engine failure. Due to this Malfunction it caused the following Code - Code P0304- Vibrations indicating excessive connecting rod bearing wear.

- Ballston Spa, NY, USA

problem #865

Jun 282023

Sonata

  • miles
On June 28th 2023, while driving on Route80-West near Parsippany, NJ my 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS seized on the highway. I was forced to veer to the shoulder as the oil light flashed on, followed by multiple lights flashing on with immediate engine failure. I waited almost 3 hours for a tow to arrive late night, where many vehicles continued to speed past dangeriously close to my seized car. Even with my hazard lights on, this is not a safe situation a driver should be in. Having an engine stall is especially dangerous when traveling highway speeds. I assumed my engine stalled due to the widely known recall issue that Hyundai Theta-2 are susceptible to. After having my Sonata towed to Towne Hyundai at Denville, NJ- they informed me that it was not a valid engine recall but that my oil completely drained, destroying my engine in the process. They said quote "the oil pan cap was not properly torqued, resulting in it falling off mid-drive. Your last mechanic probably did not tighten it, and after months of vehicle vibrations, it fell off". After speaking to my regular mechanic and gathering opinions of many others, nobody has seen an oil drain plug fall off on its own. My last oil change had been almost 2 months prior to the incident, only 1,400 miles driven since then. I also had my same mechanic fix a check engine light issue 2 weeks before the incident, where they again saw no oil leakage or notifiable issues. I did not hit any potholes or damage the underside, my dash cam footage can confirm this. Towne Hyundai quoted me nearly $13,000 for a new rebuilt engine, and refused to front any cost. They denied it to be apart of their engine recall program. They returned back saying they can install a junkyard find engine and fix the car for around $6,400 that I have to pay out of pocket. After escalating my issue with Hyundai Corporate and building a case, they said they would speak to Towne Hyundai-Denville to confirm the incident.

- Rockaway, NJ, USA

problem #864

Jun 272023

Sonata

  • 143,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pushed the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway and attempted to jumpstart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to Service Campaign Number: 953 (Engine) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 143,000.

- Oakdale, CA, USA

problem #863

May 232023

Sonata

  • miles
I received a code through my ECM reading P1326 or a knock sensor code. They -??diagnosed-?? my vehicle and gave it back to me after just replacing the knock sensor. After driving it for a week, the code came back and said it just needed an update. Then, the same thing happened, so they rediagnosed the vehicle and turns out there-??s a hole in my engine but didn-??t mark it under the recall warranty because the hole in my piston wasn-??t due to a rod bearing issue. My problem is the Hyundai dealership giving me back a vehicle that is very unsafe to drive not once, but three separate times. For all I know, my engine could have seized any moment and the dealership wouldn-??t have taken accountability for anything in regards to having to transport back and forth to their offices.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #862

Jul 042023

Sonata

  • miles
On June 17, 2023, while during this car suddenly it started losing speed, pressing accelerator did not help. I stopped the car and restarted, it drove for another 400 yards and stopped again. I checked with my obd2 and it gave a code of misfiring third cylinder. Car had a recent replacement of engine under warranty by Parks Hyundai of Gainesville as previous engine had started smoking in 2011. My recent calls to the dealership did not result in any return call from them. Car is standing at my house for the past two weeks. I am really SCARED to drive this car. Also fed up with the dealership which does not care even to return my calls.

- Gainesville, FL, USA

problem #861

Jun 182023

Sonata

  • miles
My car caught on fire while I was driving it. I was put at risk of burning, and being struck by other vehicles as I exited the burning car. Warning lamps came on just as another motorist alerted me to flames coming out of my car. Fire Department and Highway Patrol responded. Police report was filed. Insurance has looked at the car and declared it a total loss. Engine was replaced 7 months ago, under a recall for the Theta II 2.4 engine

- Clearwater, FL, USA

problem #860

Mar 282023

Sonata

  • miles
Took vehicle in for recall due to check engine light flashing on March 26,2023.Received a call from dealership that car was ready March 28,2023 upon driving home car overheats. Call dealership to relay problem was advised to bring vehicle back. Had vehicle towed back to dealership at my own expense. Two weeks later I get a call stating that it was the radiator and that they would fix it and get it back to me. Two weeks after not hearing from dealership I called do an update to my surprise now it the engine is bad. So I ask the service manager where do we go from here. He proceeds to tell me that it-??s one of those things where the recall didn-??t help but hurt my engine. Then he proceeds to say I would have to give the dealership $2,000 dollars to fix the problem they caused. So here we are 4 months in and I still do not have a vehicle nor do I know who is responsible for fixing it.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #859

Jun 152023

Sonata

  • miles
as i was drivim back home from engine started a smoke green, smelling like burn wires electricity ect. the shut off, i ran out the car. in the middle of traffic. i contacted mechanic, has inform me that the engine has siezed.will no longer turn on. and maybe some ECM or electrical but dat the engine is locked.oil looks very clean radiator fluid clean aswell. what could have caused this no idea. im scare to try to start the car

- Summit Argo, IL, USA

problem #858

Jun 062023

Sonata

  • miles
Engine stalled while merging onto interstate. Mechanic friend looked at motor and believed the motor seized even after motor recall was ok'ed, repaired.

- Animas, NM, USA

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