My daughter has a 2012 Hyundai Sonata/4dr 2.0T engine. She had the engine replaced already back Feb/Mar of 2021 and now 17 months later the engine went out again and it’s only running on 3 cylinders with no power and stalling, almost ran like the last engine?

She can’t afford to keep repairing this vehicle; there were other problems that needed repaired since she bought this car.

First time buying a Hyundai and it will be her last. Disappointed!

We took the car back to the same dealer that did the engine last year. And now they have to re-inspect the engine again to see IF it will be under the replacement recall failure?

Just receive a call from the dealership and they told us it will not be cover under warranty, because they are stating it have to be a crank bearing issue to cover for warranty. To me, when the company are stating a bad engine (nothing about crank bearing issue) it should be under recall engine issue. Again, this shows me what type of quality vehicle Hyundai is putting out there. Not even 45,000 miles on this engine before the engine broke down again. A typical passenger car should last 200,000 miles or more.

There are many problems with my Hyundai Sonata 2012. Since I first bought it brand-new zero mile in 201, the radio stop working after one week. I bought back to dealership in Mi, they change the new one for me. After that a few months, there was something wrong with the engine, the light was on, I had it tow to the dealership in Colorado. After that, the batteries were dead, I changed the new batteries, the card had a hard time every time I turn the engine on. I spent like $2000 to fix this part that part.

Recently, the engine was dead. I have it towed to Fitzgerald Hyundai dealership in Clearwater Fl. They put the new engine to this car. I just picked it up yesterday 11/02/2020. The key does not work. It cannot lock the door with the control. I can not lock the other door with the key neither. I brought it back to this dealership. They told me I have to pay $1784 to fix the lock. I told them when I drop the car to them, the key worked fine.

I do not want to pay for this amount. They told me to call Hyundai. I called Hyundai, the girl at customer service said the dealership should give me a new key with no charge. I think that is a release. Then I let the dealership know that I should not pay for the key. They told me they are working with Hyundai. I call Hyundai again to report them that is also a problem with the front hook lock, this time I talk to a guy, and he said I have to pay for the hook lock and the key problem is the matter between me and the dealership, Hyundai have nothing to with it. And he also said there was no record from their record that the dealership should not charge me for the key. I am in the middle of do not know what to do now.

Update from Nov 5, 2020: The locks of 3 doors is broken. Hyundai does not cover it. Dealership damaged them and never admit that they did it. I have nobody to help me. I just want to get rid of this car. My advice to you is never buy a car from Hyundai. They have 120000-mile warranty now, but think about it, when they cover the parts are still under the warranty, the other parts that are not covered starting get damaged. And you have to pay out of your pocket a lot of money. I better pay a little more money in the beginning for a better quality car than dealing with a bunch of stress later. NEVER BUY CARS FROM HYUNDAI.

I purchased this car brand new in late 2011 after my 2004 Hyundai Sonata died. I commute 60 miles each way for work, so I take maintaining my car seriously. I service it properly and keep it tuned up as recommended by the manufacturer with all major work done by the dealer. Not the lame stuff like air filters and cabin filters, I do those myself.

I took it in for every major recall including the "inspection" to determine if my engine was faulty. Obviously it was. Driving down the road at 180k and the motor just stopped. No knocking, no lights, no nothing.....it just quit. Had it towed to the same dealership I purchased it from. After a few days the service manager contacted me to let me know that it would be replaced free of charge. I was provided a rental car and in about a month the motor was replaced and I was on my way.

Well 30k miles later my check engine light comes on but engine is running fine and doesn't seem like it's hesitating or anything, just the light. I stop by my local auto parts store to have them give me the code to determine if I should drive it to the dealership or have it towed. The code says it's a "cam shaft sensor" error. Cool. I take it in and pay about $400 to have both cam shaft sensors replaced. Again, I'm on my way.

200 miles later the light comes back on and I take it back in. They "clean" the sensor and reset the light. You see the pattern coming, right? 200 miles later the light comes back on. I take it back in. They determine they'll have to open the engine up to see what's wrong with it. Maybe the timing chain is stretched? 30k miles into a "new" motor? doubtful but I'm a chick and couldn't possibly know so whatever.... They determine it's a "oil flow control valve" that needs to be replaced. Cool. I break out the credit card to pay another $1588.00 that I can't afford ($1100 is labor) and go on my way again.

But wait! 200 miles is the magic number after all and the check engine light comes back on. I go back to my dealership and my service writer sees me coming. We're on a first name basis after six years. I bake him cookies and make him homemade jam because he's a nice guy and we're friends. Said nice guy sees me coming and literally says "what the H3LL is it now?" I couldn't have said it better myself. They take my car but don't give me a loaner because let's be real, both my factory warranty and my extended warranty are so far gone that it's ridiculous at this point. He says he'll figure it out and I tell him to take his time I'm going on vacation anyway.

Well I travel halfway across the world to Ireland and Scotland while they have my car in the shop. I get back from vacation and they still don't know what the problem is. I'm putting miles on the hubby's car while he rides the bus to work and waiting patiently. They call me and say they've finally figured out what's wrong with my car. Hyundai shipped my replacement motor with the wrong cam installed. Yes, the wrong freaking cam. So they got approval to replace the motor yet again and now they can get me approved for a rental (three weeks later) and tell me Hyundai will reimburse me for the nearly $2000 in repairs I made. You'd think this is a happy ending, right? I mean who gets their motor replaced well after the vehicle is paid off and has in excess of 200k miles on it?!

Not so fast....the freaking NIGHTMARE that it has been to get reimbursed has only just begun. I submitted the receipts, paperwork and extensive information and case number from my dealer. Seems simple, right? No. Not so much. We're now two months and four phone calls in and I have yet to see a dime. First I had to email them a copy of my credit card statement showing the charge because the credit card receipt and documentation from the dealer wasn't enough. So I send them copies of my credit card statement showing the charges and wait two weeks. I call back. "We're sorry ma'am, you must've sent that to the wrong email address. We don't have it." Cool....I'll forward it while we're on the phone. Miraculously they got it this time. They assure me that sooner or later, I may be approved for reimbursement and someone will call me. Maybe.

I have owned four Hyundai vehicles and I say this with every bit of conviction I can muster... I WILL NEVER, EVER BUY ANOTHER ONE. All of that being said, DON'T GIVE UP. They will replace your motor. A good dealership and service writer makes all the difference. Good luck to you!! I'll be back for an update if I get my money before I die of old age.

I had taken an out of state trip and checked the oil levels before leaving. When I drove the car to work the next day the engine died while driving. Thankfully I was able to coast into a parking lot. When I got it to my mechanic he said they couldn't turn over the engine manually and that the oil was low. He advised I call the local dealership to ask if it was under warranty. The dealership service department said there have so many engine issues with the 2012-2013 Sonata and Santa Fe that the manufacturer has been covering engine replacements to compensate.

On August 2nd, I was at a red light a block from work and my car's dash lit up like a Christmas tree!! As the light turned green, I stepped on the gas and went nowhere. Car wouldn't move. I put it in park, back to drive and still nothing. I turned the car off and back on and it finally started back up and drove through the light, but making my right turn into my parking lot was pretty rough as my car slowly went down to one mile an hour. Got into my parking spot ok. Had to call Hyundai Dealership and they had it towed to their location. This was on a Friday morning. By Monday afternoon I got the call that my car needed a new engine and everything would be covered under the warranty. Only took them a week for the new engine. I picked up the car yesterday on 8.12.19 and it ran great. Got it home and looked around to the back bumper and it has lots of scratches. Now I will need to take it back up there tomorrow morning for someone scratching my car whether it be someone in the shop or the tow truck driver. I hope this is resolved and they take full responsibility!

Have been driving this 2012 Hyundai Sonata for about 2 years now and currently have approximately 72,000 miles. One evening going from work on a freeway the car just loses power and starts slowing down with all lights coming on. After stopping on the shoulder, multiple attempts to restart do not help and jump starting does nothing. Checked all the fuses and everything is good. Oil was at a good level and clean since I've changed oil about 1000 before this. No warnings and nothing wrong prior to this to give any kind of hints of the upcoming problem.I tow it to Lee Johnson Hyundai of Everett, WA, and after diagnostics they tell me the engine is indeed locked up and did qualify to be replaced.

After engine has been replaced within about 2 weeks I started driving it like usual and about 5 days later the car starts jerking when switching gears on cold stars. I've never had this issue prior to dropping it off for an engine replacement so my guess is that they must have not connected something right or screwed up something while installing a new engine. I called them and dropped off a vehicle and was told that it was a pressure sensor which will cost 800 to replace. I asked if it could have been damaged while engine has been installed and they completely denied any possibility of them causing the issue. I have no choice but to pay the price for them to fix this although I strongly believe that they were the ones that screwed up the transmission sensor during install of the engine as it drove perfectly fine and only a few days after I picked it up from them it started having issue. WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER HYUNDAI IN MY LIFE!!!!

Brought my 2012 Sonata for a recall for an engine problem last year. Took it to Balise Hyundai where they checked it out and said it was fine. Even though the check engine light was on and I was hearing a knocking noise. When I got the car back the light was off and only made the knocking noise every now and then.

Fast forward to last week when I was driving 40 mph and the car made a really loud knocking noise and then as I went to pull over the engine seized. I got to the side of the road and called a tow truck. Got it towed to my mechanic and when he looked at it the next day he said the engine was blown.

I called Balise and asked about the recall and if there was a warranty, he said it was out of warranty (126000 miles) but to get it towed there and they will check into the recall issue. He said it will take a few days for them to inspect it and send pictures to Hyundai to see if it will be covered. I'm hoping that something can be done because who has $4000 to get this replaced??

Funny thing is that today in the mail I received a letter from the dealership saying how much they want my 2012 Sonata and they will pay me $4000 over book value for it! I will update when I find out what the result it.

Update from Apr 4, 2019: After 2 weeks I heard from Balise Hyundai and they said it was going to be covered completely. They set me up with a 2018 Hyundai Elantra as a loaner car and when I asked how long it would be until I get my car back he said "You should get comfortable in the rental car"

I am totally ok with putting the miles on the rental car because they are paying for it. I will update when I get my car back. I am very happy with Balise right now.

Hyundai is aware of this problem and is going to replace my engine. We were absolutely blessed not to have an accident, as I had just come back from driving about 50 miles and was on a side road a couple of miles from my home. Was able to get the car to the side of the road and not have an accident. The car started smoking and it smelled like we were having an electrical fire. Dealership has indicated the issue is the one that was the recall. I had the car checked previously when I first got the recall information (few years ago) and the dealership indicated the problem was not occurring (yet).

Just thought I'd add my story to the list. Waiting for authorization from Hyundai. They will give me a loaner car and said it would be 3-6 weeks as they are having problems finding engines.

Engine just stopped working. I change the oil every 3K miles. I take the car in for any recall and suggested maintenance. The result was the engine threw a rod. The dealership has had the vehicle for a week now. I had to show records that I change the oil regularly. They had an inspector come to the dealership to check the car out, that was completed on day three at the dealership. I call the dealership every day and I am told they are waiting on Hyundai to approve the warranty. When my wife and I both purchased cars from the same dealership on the same day they continually talked about the 100K mile warranty. That apparently only applies to the original owner? What does that even mean? You are putting a warranty on the driver and not the car? That makes no sense to me. Anyway, one week later, still nothing. At this point I am assuming Hyundai is trying to find a reason to deny the warranty replacement of the engine even though they know the issue exists.

A letter to Hyundai:

On the morning of March 19, 2018 while on my way to work, something, presumably a rod bearing, gave out causing our 2012 Hyundai Sonata to decrease operating speed and make terrible metal on metal noises. I was able to drive the car about one mile until I found a safe space to pull off the main road. The moment I stopped the car, the oil light flickered, the engine light came on, and the engine immediately quit running. I had it towed to Broadway Auto Clinic in Menands, NY, where my husband Scott Carlone is the manager. Scott proceeded to order a replacement engine for the Sonata. The engine he ordered is out of a 2013 Sonata. It has 35,000 miles on it and comes with a six-month part warranty.

Prior to installing this motor, Scott decided to call Haddad Hyundai in Pittsfield. He spoke with a woman named “Marissa” in the service department. Marissa told him to bring the car to the dealership before doing any work as there were presently eight other Sonata’s on the lot with a similar problem. Scott spoke of the Sonata having 159,557 miles on it and asked if there was still the potential for something to be covered. She assured him it would be beneficial to have it brought there to be torn down, photos taken and sent out to see if Hyundai would cover anything toward repairs.

Friday, March 23, 2018, the Sonata was towed to Haddad Hyundai. “Bryan,” presumably a service manager, called me to discuss what was going on. I explained to him what the problem was. I was rather irritated by Bryan’s minimization of my concern. My understanding is that engine failure on 2011-2012 Sonatas is fairly common and the majority are happening outside of the extended warranty period. Perhaps what I found most frustrating is that Bryan made it seem that 159,000 was a ton of miles and that I should not be surprised it had suffered significant mechanical failure. In turn, I explained that I have purchased several used vehicles with 150,000 or more miles on them and they have all lasted me well above and beyond the 200,000 miles mark. To me, a vehicle with 159,000 miles on it in this day and age is in its infancy and when well-maintained, as our particular Sonata was, should last at least another 100,000 beyond that point. I expressed to Bryan that Marissa said there were eight other Sonata’s on the lot with a similar issue and that it bothered me he was presenting as if my problem was acceptable considering the car’s mileage and that it was 40,000 miles over the extended factory warranty of 120,000.

Our Sonata was inspected when the recall was issued for engine concern. The inspection was done at Carbone Hyundai in Bennington, VT. The Sonata had just shy of 100,000 miles on the odometer. The car passed. Bryan minimized this as well, saying “well that was what, 80,000 miles ago?” (I did not tell him it had 100,000 on it. He guessed and assumed it was done at approximately 80,000 miles). What disturbs me most about his statement is that there are likely hundreds of Hyundai Sonatas, model year 2012, sitting on lots of small car dealers or even maybe more nationally known ones, with 70,000-90,000 miles on them for sale somewhere between $8,000 and $10,000 that may or may not have already passed the inspection. The average person will take out a loan for a vehicle from three to five years. If a person were to take out a four-year loan on a 2012 Hyundai Sonata costing $9,500 and drives 15,000 miles a year, there is a chance that this car will suffer significant engine failure while the person still owes money on the car, as is my case and the case of many others in America. I fail to understand why this is acceptable or why this is a problem being minimized by Hyundai employees.

As this is corporate America, I hardly expect Hyundai to give back a penny toward repair to those of us who trusted that Hyundai would build a reliable piece of machinery that would outlast the life of a consumer loan. I expect that myself, along with several thousand other Americans will be forced to junk our vehicles or replace our mechanical failures with other mechanical failures waiting to happen. This is impractical for many Americans as we must continue to pay loans on vehicles that are no longer in existence or that are inoperable for many months while funds for the cost of a replacement engine and the labor to install one is saved.

In conclusion, I would like to thank you for your time. If there is nothing Hyundai is willing to do for its customers while knowing full well the responsibility for these engine failures lies in the majority with them I feel Hyundai will be losing many loyal and potential loyal customers. This was my first experience with a foreign manufacturer’s car. I am trying to keep the faith, based on Hyundai’s response to this letter, it will not be my last.

We were at the beginning of a week long family vacation, driving from CT to Ohio when my Sonata died on Route 90, entering NY state. We were 134 miles from home with 5 people in the car, luggage and 3 bikes on a rack. This was Friday afternoon before the 4th of July. After 45 minutes on the side of the road, we were towed to a Hyundai dealer, at my request, in Albany NY. It could not be evaluated at 3PM on Friday afternoon but had to be left in Albany. Locating a rental vehicle to transport the number of people and the bikes was difficult, given the holiday weekend. My car has a hitch and I could have moved the bike rack to a vehicle with a hitch but car rental folks don't think that way. They kept telling me that towing is not permitted.

Eventually, our only solution was a large pickup truck. Since it was raining, our first additional expense was at Home Depot in Albany for a tarp, bungee straps and a step stool so that my sister and I could navigate the step up into the vehicle. Since we had reserved cabins and paid entrance fees for a bike ride in Ohio, we rented the truck for the week (cheaper than two one way rentals) and proceeded the 430 miles to our destination.

On Wed, July 5th, I contacted the Hyundai dealer in Albany who informed me that my engine had seized but that it was part of a recall and would be replaced by Hyundai but would take 30 days. At the end of our vacation week, we returned to Albany with the rental truck. The total cost for that was $873. My husband drove the 134 miles from CT to NY to pick us up because the dealer could not give us a loaner to go out of state.

Once I was back at home, I then rented a car locally for the remaining days. On July 18th, we returned to Albany in my husband's vehicle to retrieve my car. On the way home, a check engine light came on. My local dealer evaluated that the following day. I was charged $125 for an ECU update which was supposedly coincidental and not related to the engine replacement. The car has been running fine since then and I now have a five year old vehicle with 900 miles on the engine. I'm not really clear yet on the warranty for the new engine but I believe I have one year.

I have been trying to connect with Hyundai customer service regarding reimbursement for total expenses paid out of pocket. I received a phone call and a message from a woman but have been trying to get back to her for the past week, unsuccessfully. I will submit my receipts but would like to speak to a representative first because I am well over the $25/day rental figure I have heard mentioned.

I received a recall notice in the mail last year. Finally, in February 2016, Hyundai had a fix for the manufacturer's alleged metal debris that was getting into the engine.

The car was serviced and determined all was well.

Today, June 21, 2016, the car stalled while leaving for work. I restarted the car successfully; however, milliseconds later, the engine shut off. This kept happening every time I restarted the car.

The car had to be towed to the dealership. After a few quotes, ranging from $500 to $1600+, and the Hyundai dealer advising that the oil control valve needed to be replaced -- that "it had an extra hole in it that was not from the manufacturer".

I inquired if it had to do anything with the recent recall (mentioned above). She advised , 'no'. I find it VERY hard to believe that these two incidents or issues are unrelated.

After reading about the MANY Sonata owners that have had engine trouble, I'm afraid to even drive this car anymore.

My experience was similar to others reported. I was on my way to work, turned off the highway onto a side street and car stalled out, no warning lights in advance. I coasted my vehicle to a safe spot, turned it off and then tried starting it again. It started but each time I went to accelerate it stalled out so I had it towed to the dealer. Also whenever I started it there were no warning lights on then either. Then started to research once I was at work and found this page.

The dealer told me the oil was low and had sludge and I will need to provide receipts of last oil change, mind you there were no oil lights on. My husband changes our oil and I am not sure if we have the last receipts as we had a basement flood that ruined some documents. The dealer is stating that they do not think it is the engine recall issue but I beg to differ.

My vehicle has only 73000 miles on it so I didn't expect to have to buy a new engine, guess I should have bought Toyota! They are changing the oil and then they will go from there. Hopefully I don't have to contact my lawyer over this, if that's the case Hyundai will never get my business again and I will make sure to post as much as I can about it on the internet. It's a shame because otherwise I love my car.

Power to the People!

I will update when I find out more.

Update from Jun 27, 2016: After the dealer changed the oil and says the car was running fine they let me drive it off the lot. I got about .10 of a mile and it did the same thing again!! They made me sign to have a $125 test done because they still didn't think it was the engine. After 2 more days in the shop they finally admitted it was the engine and it would be covered under the recall. The service guy said his manager went to bat for me, WTF! Hyundai replaced my engine and starter(it was fine when I drove it last they must have burned it up testing it). I am happy that Hyundai stood behind their product. I will be changing dealers though, it was dangerous for them to let me drive it like that. Good Luck to you if this happens to you.

My car engine locked up on my son while he was driving on South Shore Drive, US41, in Chicago, Ill on a Saturday Nov. 14.2015 after 5pm. I had it towed to one location that was open and then on the weekday to the Roger Dealership. The dealership did not have a loner available to allow me to use while they dealt with my engine problem therefor I used my Care Share Account with Enterprise in order to have transportation. I did not received a loner from the dealership until Nov. 29, 2015.

At first I was informed that the dealership would request my rental bill from the Hyundai Manufacturer once my car was repaired. I turned in my rental documentation after I received the loaner from Roger Dealership. My car with the new engine was returned to me towards the end of January. In February I contacted my dealership about the rental reimbursement but the person who originally handled my recall had left and the new person could not find my request nor receipts therefor I had to resubmit the information. When I did submit my request and receipts to the new person, Frank, I was admonished about the rental car cost and informed that they could have gotten a car with Enterprise at a lower cost, that was never offered at the time I needed a car. I was then informed that he would submit the refund request but doubted the Hyundai manufacture would grant the full amount..

When I recently contacted Frank about the refund his response was that he left a message for me to contact the Hyundai Manufacturer to request the reimbursement. I have been on travel and never received his message where ever he left it. So I am now submitting to Hyundai Manufacturer to be reimbursed for the lost of the use of my car starting 5:30 pm Saturday November 14, 2015 renting with Enterprise Car Share through 5:30pm Monday November 30, 2015 for the total amount of $870.31.

I except your company to take into consideration these factors that were out of my control in order to accommodate the need for transportation: the engine suddenly locking up on busy US 41 at 5:30 pm on a Saturday; immediate need for transportation to work; lack of communication for any other option of transportation while waiting for loaner; Thanksgiving Holiday plans for the family; communicating and submitting documentation to two different people without any closure; the amount of time to get a financial resolution.

Thank you for resolving this financial matter as soon as possible. I can email the Enterprise Car Share invoices to the appropriate personnel for your review.

09/13/2015 While driving home from a trip to Ft. Worth Tx.I noticed the check engine lite come on .I pulled off the freeway to the service road and stopped. I shut the motor off, got out and raised the hood. I checked the oil, checked the antifreez bottle and looked under the car. All levels of fluids were correct.

I re-started the car and checked the gauges. All were normal. I drove back on the freeway and the check engine lite came back on. I had this engine lite problem at the end of July 2015 and called the service dept of Absolute Hyundai of Mesquite to see if I needed to have the car towed in. They told me it was all right to drive it in as long as the engine lite was not blinking.

I drove it in and they replaced the valve body harness equipped with oil temperature sensor {transmission}. Having been told a month earlier that I could still drive it if the lite stayed on I continued to drive home. About 5 minutes later the check engine lite started to blink and the motor started miss, knock and slow down to 10 mph. I continued to the next exit in the break down lane at 10mph and got to the service road where the engine died. It would not restart.

I called the Hyundai roadside assistance# to be towed. Ten minutes later we noticed smoke coming from under the hood. We were lucky to get out. I called the fire dept and they put the fire out. But not before the whole front of the car including the front tires, and front 1/3 of both front doors. THE CAR ONLY HAD 34,795 MILES ON IT.

I called Hyundai Motor America in Cal. They sent me a list of documents to send them including pictures which I sent them by certified mail. After numerous phone calls to Hyundai in Cal. I was given a case # and then told the investigation would take 6 to 8 weeks. That was on 10/14/2015. Hyundai has made an offer to settle if I can get the original sales receipts for my personal property. I have already filed a complaint with the NHTSA.

I purchased this car a few months before my lease was up because I was trending way over my miles. I did my homework prior to and it seemed like a good, reliable car. When I purchased it, the dealership offered me a "warranty for life" through their sister Hyundai property (I went through a Honda dealership). Ever since I took the car of the lot, everyone has been really unhelpful. I never received paperwork for the warranty forever, which after reading reviews makes me nervous because once you have a "unapproved" oil change it voids the warranty. I have had 1 oil change so far with this vehicle. I have called both dealerships and even talked with them face-to-face during my oil change and still nothing.

5 months later and I am pretty happy with the car. I have noticed a couple things that I have just chalked up as "normal" for this car. Higher RPMs, a trippy transmission at times, and feeling like it may stall. All seemed well on Carfax and at the first oil change so I wasn't too worried--however I continuously tried to get that warranty forever activated in the event of "what if."

Now, I get a notice in the mail about a recall (Campaign 132) about possible engine failure. My car is effected (built in Alabama). Do I wait until I receive the final notice of what to do? Or do I try and call the unhelpful people at the dealership again? I assume since they are extending the warranty on the short block that the "warranty forever" isn't necessary, but what other parts of the car can be effected from metal debris in the engine? Could transmission potentially go some day from this (hence the transmission scares I've felt?)

I am just really nervous about this. What rights do I have? I am already underwater on the loan because of the previous lease. I wasn't able to haggle any money down on the price because of what the dealership had in the car so they threw in this "warranty forever" that is not even there.

What do I do?? Sit and wait until something catastrophic happens like Beth D.? Or do I call the dealership before Hyundai has a remedy?