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:
72,220 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 1 of 46)

problem #909

Sep 172024

Sonata

  • miles

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

Car is overheating. Took it to a mechanic They replaced the thermostat but car is still overheating, jerking and so much more. The mechanic wants to charge more to fix it. I got a second opinion from another mechanic and after he reviewed the paperwork from the first mechanic. He searched my vin number and told me to contact this number because my vehicle is on a recall list. So I need someone to contact me about where and how we can get my vehicle fixed.

- Daphne, AL, USA

problem #908

Aug 162024

Sonata

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated while attempting to make a right turn, the steering wheel seized, and the electrical system became inoperable. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The VIN was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine) nor 18V137000 (Seat Belts, Air Bags). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.

- Kensington, MD, USA

problem #907

Jan 012023

Sonata

  • 83,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing excessive oil consumption. Additionally, the contact stated while driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to pull onto the median. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The dealer informed the contact that the repair was not covered under warranty because the oil change service records were not available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

- Matteson, IL, USA

problem #906

Sep 172024

Sonata

  • miles

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

Car spontaneously caught fire while turned on. First smoke started coming from under the hood. Within three - five minutes, the car erupted in flames followed by a minor explosion that burned more than half of the car causing a total loss.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #905

Sep 102024

Sonata

  • miles
Oil keeps drying out and keep smelling antifreeze

- Mishawaka, IN, USA

problem #904

Jul 192024

Sonata

  • miles
On July 19 I started my car and there was a loud knocking noise coming from underneath my hood when I lifted the hood the knocking sound was coming from my engine I-??ve had this car for 3 years never had any problems or issues at all with my car not sure what-??s going on or if there are any recalls on parts for my car

- Salisbury, MD, USA

problem #903

Jun 162024

Sonata

  • miles

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

The car has throw a rod in the engine. The safety of my dog and I was okay. And the safety of other drivers were good also. Yes it was inspected and there were no lights on when the car went down.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #902

May 292024

Sonata

  • 174,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and while attempting to turn, the vehicle hesitated. The vehicle was restarted but made the abnormal sound and stalled. The contact smelled smoke upon veering to the shoulder of the roadway. The contact exited the vehicle and discovered a liquid substance coming from the under carriage. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the engine was cracked, and the contact was informed to take the vehicle to the dealer for service. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 174,000.

- Antioch, IL, USA

problem #901

Apr 222024

Sonata

  • miles
Driving from home to a shopping center, approximately 25 miles, I did not observe any unusual noises nor smoke nor dashboard warning lights. Once I parked and shut off the engine in the shopping center parking lot, I observed a small amount of thick, white smoke coming from the hood on the front passenger side of my car, and then the smoke abruptly stopped. I was concerned enough that I decided I should probably move my car to a parking space a bit further away from the store I planned to go into in order to be further away from other vehicles. I started the engine again, and once again, no smoke nor unusual noises nor warning lights. I drove around to the next parking aisle and parked in a different parking space. Once I turned off the engine again, the smoke then immediately started from the right side of the hood again and quickly smoke started coming from the left side of the hood. I was quickly trying to grab my things to get out of the car as I saw the paint starting to peel off of the hood of my car. I was barely able to get out of my car as fire flames and very thick white smoke were then emerging from the hood. A person in the parking lot called 911 for me, and the local fire department arrived and put the fire out that destroyed my car. I am in the process of securing the Fire Marshall's lengthy report. At the present time, my vehicle is at our home where we paid to have it towed.

- Springtown , TX, USA

problem #900

May 092024

Sonata

  • 120,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at approximately 80 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but was stiff and difficult to depress. The contact stated that her daughter accelerated to steer the vehicle away from slower traffic. The contact stated that her daughter depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond and started losing motive power. The contact stated that her daughter was able to steer the vehicle to the side of the road and stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine check brake and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

- Algonquin, IL, USA

problem #899

Apr 252024

Sonata

  • miles

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

My vehicle has the flashing engine light on. The code that comes up is the P1326, causing it to go into -??limp mode-?? making it unsafe to drive. My local Hyundai dealership in Vandalia, Ohio and they only reset the code, giving me the impression they actually FIXED the issue. Five days later, it is doing the same thing. I have asked multiple times for a loaner vehicle while they work on mine, I have been told that is not possible due to the fact they have not found out if my vehicle has a warranted covered issue. I had the engine replaced before in 2019, now I-??m having more issues. More assistance should be provided

- Dayton , OH, USA

problem #898

Jan 082024

Sonata

  • miles
The engine locked up on the highway My daughter got over to the breakdown lane. We had it towed to a garage and was told the engine locked up -?" we called Hyundai and got the run around. So we moved on and paid for an engine and got it installed. Then I have been reaching out to see if we could get some type of reimbursement for motor and labor ( something -?" 91,000 miles when it locked up engine no good) But know I finally got through to a few different people and now they are telling me, because we didn-??t go to a Hyundai dealer they won-??t do anything. We bought a engine that was from Hyundai [XXX] And my first claim # from you is 11566045 this is HORRIBLE JUST LOOK FOR SOME HELP ON THIS THANKS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Lawrence, MA, USA

problem #897

Sep 082023

Sonata

  • miles
Prior to my trip I checked all fluids, and all was good levels. Car was traveling on improved interstate at posted highway speed. As I was passing another vehicle my vehicle lost power and I was forced to cross lanes in traffic to get to shoulder. There were no prior warnings or lights before my vehicle lost power. I opened my hood and saw the radiator coolant boiling over in reservoir and the top hose was collapsed. Had the vehicle towed home. I checked and replaced the thermostat however found that the engine would not turn over and the starter failed.

- Navarre, FL, USA

problem #896

Jun 062023

Sonata

  • miles
Engine seized at 82000 miles stranding me in the passing lane of Interstate 10. Was nearly hit by a truck.

- Animas, NM, USA

problem #895

Feb 072024

Sonata

  • miles
Hyundai Theta II engine has known defects with excessive engine oil consumption. Numerous consumers have complained of this issue as it appears widespread to the entire line of Theta II engines. A recent class action has limited the scope of the recall but an easy search can see it impacts (or has the potential to impact) nearly all Theta II (six gen) engines from Hyundai. The issue is that the scope of the recall needs to be widened to cover others who are impacted who currently have no recourse. Many are facing the same situation, which can easily be found with a brief search online. [XXX] At this time the issue is the car stalling at unknown times, fire from oil being displaced in other areas and various other issues due to improper and unusual oil consumption. The best situation would be to force Hyundai to review and expand the scope of their recall immediately. I found that I had excessive oil consumption which was causing my car to grind and shift heavily sometimes jerking on the highway. While I didn't crash, that possibility did exist when my car continually grinded heavy between shifting. I took my car to the dealer where they confirmed this issue. However, Hyundai declined to remediate. There are no warning lights and this could easily result in a crash, or fire. Hyundai has records of my maintenance, as my car is only serviced by the dealership where the car was purchased and I am the original owner. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Durham, NC, USA

problem #894

Jan 012022

Sonata

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact was informed of NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V568000 (Engine), and the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair; however, the dealer informed the contact that the knock sensor detection system (KSDS) software update and the recall repair had already been performed on the vehicle. The contact stated that a failure related to the recall recurred while driving. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to get the vehicle to the shoulder of the highway. The vehicle was towed to the residence, where the contact was able to drive the vehicle again; however, the failure recurred several times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a fuel pump failure, and an oil leak. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- Tulsa, OK, USA

problem #893

Mar 182024

Sonata

  • miles
I changed my oil on Saturday and it now has no oil. The engine light started flashing and my engine seized up. Now it does not run at all. It turns on halfway where the dashboard turns on but the motor/engine does not turn. It appears to be white smoke coming out of the car after trying to turn it back on.

- Bothell, WA, USA

problem #892

Mar 172024

Sonata

  • miles
Vehicle stalled while driving

- Allentown , PA, USA

problem #891

Nov 152021

Sonata 4-cyl

  • miles
November 2021 I was coming home from work when the engine started making a horrible noise. I limped the vehicle home and contacted Hyundai and was told to bring the vehicle in to the dealership. It was stated that Hyundai had closed the campaign on the knock sensor the week before bringing it in, but they would try. About a month later the dealership called and said that I needed to come get the car due to they were selling the dealership lot. I towed it there and towed it home and have continued to peruse actions to correct the lifetime warranty that is offered due to shavings left in the engine when manufactured. Found another recall that said my vehicle is affected by this recall and to scheduled a service appointment. When delivering the car back off yesterday at the new dealership that took over, I was informed that the recall would probably fail due to another recall that had never been preformed, which is a recall that I had never been presented with by mail or communication of any sort. This was in the middle of the global pandemic when the world was shut down, and I have never been presented with any recalls from Hyundai. They may have sent notification through the US POSTAL SERVICE, but never came in to my possession, knowledge or mailbox. The contact stated Hyundai refused to proceed with the recall on the vehicle due to the fact that contact had done his own oil changes. The contact is requesting assistance to get Hyundai to honor their obligation.

- Athens, WV, USA

problem #890

Jan 282024

Sonata

  • 150,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while the vehicle was idling, the vehicle shuddered and then lost motive power. The contact shifted the transmission into neutral(N) while stopping or reversing to prevent the vehicle from shutting off. The check engine, air bag, and fuel level warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the engine was faulty and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V568000 (Engine). The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle had previously been repaired in 2015 under NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V568000 (Engine); however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that he did not own the vehicle at the time of the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

- North Miami, FL, USA

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