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.
My Sonata is rated for 33MPG and until this date I usually got well above 33MPG on the highway. We started the car drove to the end of the driveway and turned off the car. After the school bus came I went to start the car. The engine turned over but never started. We had to have the car towed. The tow driver tried to start the car but could not. He towed the car to the dealer. When I called the dealer they said nothing was wrong with the car just the battery was bad and I needed to buy 1. I said no the car would not start. Ever since then my MPG are down 20%. Dealer says no problems found. I would get 38MPG on the highway. Now I get 29MPG. Today I took my Sonata in for the engine recall hoping they would find something but they say my car is running perfectly. No additional steps needed. With the known engine problems I was sure they would finally find something. No, Hyundai says there's nothing wrong but my MPG are still consistently 20% lower. Does not matter if in regular or ECONOMY mode. I can't get the MPG I got before the day the car would not start and had to be towed.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
My Sonata is rated for 33MPG and until this date I usually got well above 33MPG on the highway. We started the car drove to the end of the driveway and turned off the car. After the school bus came I went to start the car. The engine turned over but never started. We had to have the car towed. The tow driver tried to start the car but could not. He towed the car to the dealer. When I called the dealer they said nothing was wrong with the car just the battery was bad and I needed to buy 1. I said no the car would not start. Ever since then my MPG are down 20%. Dealer says no problems found. I would get 38MPG on the highway. Now I get 29MPG. Today I took my Sonata in for the engine recall hoping they would find something but they say my car is running perfectly. No additional steps needed. With the known engine problems I was sure they would finally find something. No, Hyundai says there's nothing wrong but my MPG are still consistently 20% lower. Does not matter if in regular or ECONOMY mode. I can't get the MPG I got before the day the car would not start and had to be towed.
- map0824, Oak Ridge, NC, US