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:
50 / 5
Injuries / Deaths:
53 / 2
Average Mileage:
74,310 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.
Air bag light is constantly on and car has not been in any accidents. Concerned that airbag will not properly function if needed. Hyundai wants between $ 400 and $ 900 to fix issue. This is a major safety issue and several other 2011 Hyundai Sonata owners have the same problem.
When I accelerate on the freeway, engine stalls. Goes from 55 to zero and when I pump vigoursly in the gas to make it go faster, it will not. I almost was slammed in the rear from other cars in the freeway. Plus air bag light will not go off. Plus knock knock noise heard in the engine.
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator remained illuminated. The dealer was notified and provided no specific diagnosis. In addition, the contact heard an abnormal noise, the key was difficult to turn in the ignition, the low beams shorted, and the dealer replaced the housing for the brake lights. There were additional repairs due to the multiple failures. The manufacturer was notified of the failures and provided no solution. The VIN was also included in NHTSA campaign numbers: 16V190000 (steering), 15V759000 (service brakes, hydraulic), and 15V568000 (engine). The approximate failure mileage was 77,786.
I brought my car in for this recall and now months later the airbag light indicates a problem. I was told that seat would need to be replaced for $1200. This car has been nothing but problems
My air bag light illuminates every time I turn my car on and will not go off! this happened right after it had repairs on all the other recalls on this vehicle including having my engine totally replaced. I see so many other complaints about the air bag lights not going off why has this issue not been recalled yet??
On multiple occasions my vehicle has been serviced by a Hyundai dealership in South Florida. After "repairing" the air bag signal, it has reappeared on at least four trips to the dealer. After multiple repair (including the replacement of the cables) the following issues still occur; 1) the oil indicator lights and the tachometer lights go on and off periodically, 2) the air conditioner goes off, the comes back again in few minutes, 3) the low air light comes for my tires, 4) engine light, and 5) speedometer indicator went up and down with the vehicle traveling at the same speed. The vehicle is close to 76,000 miles. The above indicated events occurred primarily while driving in city streets. However, some of them were experienced in highway traffic.
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator remained illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 46,000. Updated 01/05/17 the consumer stated the dealer repaired the air bag on December 13, 2016. The consumer had to pay for the repairs. Updated 01/12/17.
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the air bag indicator illuminated following a recall repair for the steering column. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the illumination was due to a disconnected part. The technician stated that there would be a charge to reconnect the part. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.
Takata recall. I'm having the same issue as everyone else. The sound of something loose in the steering column and clunking noise has become horrible. Regardless of whether the car is in motion or at a stand still, I can move the steering wheel and hear the noise. I checked the year of production of my vehicle and it doesn't fall under the current recall; however, it seems a little irresponsible of Hyundai to not recall all vehicles that are experiencing the same issue. It is a safety hazard not just a nuisance. This has been happening for a few months now and has only become worse with time. I will be contacting Hyundai to see what can be done. In the instance they refuse to service the vehicle under the current warranty I will be contacting an attorney. Safety hazards cannot be ignored.
Airbag light suddenly came on and will not go off, stays on continuslely. Car is up for inspection in a few months and will not pass a safety inspection. Have researched this online and found over 100 complaints for this problem. This is a major safety issue as if I am in an accident the airbag will not deploy.(or worse may happen)
Airbag light on dash board turned on few months ago, the car has never involved in any kind of accident. It is 2011 Sonata and has never been in an accident. The dash board light turned on few months ago after 5 1/2 years of owning the car. I took to the dealer and they ask for $160 for diagnostic and that amount will apply to the cost of fixing the problem if I decides to go ahead of fixing the airbag lighting problem, the dealer gave a rough estimate between $900 to $1200 to fix this airbag issues. They also said the the airbag only warranty for 6 years or 60,000 miles. I though the airbag should be 10 years and 100,000 miles as Hyundai always advertised that. I searched on the web and there are a recall on airbag for elantra but not Sonata. It is definitely a manufacture defected because this is the original airbag and the car has never been in any kind of accident as I mentioned above. I seemed like the 10/100,000 warranty is just for advertisement purpose and they are not really stand behind their product or quality. Btw - I exchanged some email with Hyundai corporation but it did not go anywhere.
Airbag light will not turn off once the vehicle is started. This issue caused me to fail my car inspection because it is a hazard if I was to get in an accident and the airbag does not deploy. The could lead to fatal results.
Air bag light illuminated for no reason and car has not been in any accidents. Took it in to dealer and paid &100. For them to diagnose code B1346 driver airbag resistance too high. Monitor current data and resistance on driver airbag is at 10 ohms and when moving steering wheel it goes into fail mode. Recommend new clock spring a's step one of repair. To complete step one will cost and additional $331. I have read about hundreds of clock spring being faulty on this model and would appreciate an investigation.
Steering wheel started to make a small "clunk" noise, which has now progressed to a large "clunk" noise and rattling of the wheel. This began some time ago, perhaps 4 months, and has just gotten worse. I took it in to a certified Hyundai dealership to get it looked at and review for recalls. Well, after having to pay them $100 without previously having agreed to, they tell me the part costs about $3, but with labor would total $310!!!! this should fall under a recall. I have seen so many people post online about the issue. I see where some people got it fixed for free, and others who had to pay! I emailed Hyundai too, prior to taking it in to the shop, and they told me that I had to go to the shop to have it looked at. No help at all. I continue to drive my car, which I paid full price for, with the constant clunking! mind you, I have children in the car and am terrified I will eventually loose control of the wheel and crash.
The airbag light went on somehow and never goes off. I have had any accidents before. This is a huge safety concern as the airbag may fail to work when a accident happens.
The airbag light illuminated one day and not turn off when the car is on. The light just stays on and will not turn off - the code that came bak was faulty dba, faulty clock spring, faulty srscm - there appears to be over 100 complaints about this online and apparently this means that the airbag will not deploy if a vehicle accident occurs which is a huge safety concern. See: www.carcomplaints.com/Hyundai/Sonata/2011/seat_belts_air_bags/air_bags.shtml
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Davie, FL, USA