10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
7 / 20
Injuries / Deaths:
8 / 0
Average Mileage:
45,969 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.

2013 Hyundai Sonata electrical problems

electrical problem

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2013 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 2 of 12)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #208

Mar 212022

Sonata

  • miles

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

Last year March 2022, took my car in because of the recall made an appointment for them to tell me on my appointment day they do not have the solution/part so I would get a call back when they have it and it-??s been over a year. Now my car is experiencing sensor and electrical issues

- Ontario, CA, USA

problem #207

Apr 022023

Sonata

  • miles
My 2013 Hyundai sonata caught fire yesterday after the car stalled at a red light - car is totalled - i am just hearing about this now that numerous car like mine have gone up in flames. I am devastated

- Jacksonvile, FL, USA

problem #206

Nov 012022

Sonata

  • miles
I have been contacting Hyundai since before November 2022 on an issue with the engine. At this point, the engine was spuddering, hard to acclerate, lags, shuts off yet no warning lights were on. I was told about the engine recall which is why I went there. Set an appt and when I got in, he said it does not SOUND like a rod knock and sent me home even though there is an active recall on the car that is IMPORTANT to fix, the fuel line. He did not care to fix that. I wrote Hyundai and they sent me another dealer and that was that. No cares in the world at how we were treated. Its been now 3 months and the car has been sitting because Hyundai refuses to help. The car only has 105,000 miles on a 2013. I have a case manager assigned that is avoiding my calls and finance company yelling at me for maintenance receipts of the car. Maintenance receipts are not listed anywhere. I have barely had the car a year! The fact that they sent my family home in an unsafe car is not cool! Then on my travels, the car starts knocking loudly and the check engine AND oil light both come on but the check engine light was flashing. NOONE IS HELPING US. My fiance lost his job because we had to rely on uber or lyft for him to get to work and he was late a few times due to those services not being reliable. There is a recall on the engine with the same specifications that I am having AND an OPEN recall for the very very hazardous fuel line on the car to be replaced. I am tired of the run around. I need help! I have seen the numerous complaints on this car so why is it so hard to get help? When I start my car it sounds like a helicopter but with metal, not air so LOUD and is a rod knock. Another call to the case manager made today and again ignored. I cannot post a video

- Litchfield Park , AZ, USA

problem #205

Mar 162023

Sonata

  • miles

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

First off there was no lights on other than the low tire pressure symbol that shows up, so I decided to go have my tire replaced, got it done, I drove off after having a tire replaced and within a minute or 2 of being back on the road my car just shuts off. I pulls over to see or access the car, don-??t know what happened. I ended up having to have the car towed home.

- Conway , SC, USA

problem #204

Mar 192023

Sonata

  • 235,903 miles
The electrical system of the vehicle malfunctions regularly. When the headlights are on, the brake lights are stuck on and do not turn off, nor do they properly "activate" when braking. If the headlights are off, they work just fine. If the headlights are on, the entire dashboard lighting is prone to going haywire. On several occasions with the headlights on, the electrical system has malfunctioned and turned off all lights, inside and outside. They will not turn back on unless I turn the headlights off and back on. Turning on the high beams has made the lighting malfunction and the entire vehicle will decelerate, even when pressing on the gas. I will gladly allow my vehicle for inspection upon request. This is clearly a hazard to both myself and other vehicles on the road, especially at night. Not only is the lack of functional brake lights a hazard, but so is having rapidly flashing lights on the dashboard to myself as a driver. Moreover, the headlights randomly turning off at night is extremely dangerous, as is the random deceleration. Upon looking into it to see if I could find an answer, I learned it's a common problem with 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonatas and to see that so many have this issue but nothing has been done to correct it is shocking. My local dealership did inspect my car upon an engine seizure a few years ago, but all they reported was an issue with the passenger side brake light bracket and bulb (another common issue it seems). I have never received any sort of warning lamp or message, aside from the traction light randomly coming on from time to time for no reason.

- Grass Valley, CA, USA

problem #203

May 142022

Sonata

  • miles
I bought my car used from a private party in March of 2022 with around 132,000miles. In a year's time I have replaced the rear passenger side tail light bulbs 3 to 4 times, the whole light assembly, and the wiring harness twice due to the bulb getting to hot and the plastic caught on fire the first time and melting the second. Noticed the smoke when I pulled into a gas station that day and opened the trunk quickly and beat the small flame with a small blanket I had in the trunk. My kids sit in the back seat. So I'm constantly worrying while driving when they are in the back. The headlight bulbs go out quicker in this vehicle as well. I've had to replace the headlight bulbs 3 times already. This is also too close to the fuel pump for this sort of thing to happen in my opinion. This needs to be resolved A. S. A. P.

- Erwin, NC, USA

problem #202

Mar 012023

Sonata

  • miles

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

ENGINE running is problem

- Little Rock, AR, USA

problem #201

Feb 102023

Sonata

  • miles
The Engine Light is on and when you first take off, you can-??t press the gas pedal as much as the engine start shaking

- Santa Ana, CA, USA

problem #200

Feb 042023

Sonata

  • miles
Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do not Drive message appears on dash display. Not sure what is causing message. Code reader does not register a code to reference issue. A yellow triangle with an exclamation mark is present. Car decelerates and is in operable. Check engine light remains on display. This is the 3rd time in the last 6 months this has occurred.

- Portsmouth, VA, USA

problem #199

Nov 012021

Sonata

  • miles
Since November 2021, my 2013 Hyundai Sonata is found to have a dead battery on multiple random occasions. I replaced the battery with a brand new battery twice before bringing it in for inspection at a Hyundai dealer on September 1, 2022. The dealer diagnosed the problem as an electrical short circuit within the rear view mirror console and replaced said part for $711. The vehicle has had a dead battery twice since that repair, indicating there is still an electrical draw/short circuit somewhere within the vehicle. Each instance of a dead battery was preceded by rainy humid weather. I brought the vehicle back to the Hyundai dealer on November 14, 2022. I explained that I suspected moisture was getting in somewhere that it shouldn-??t be and causing the electrical short circuit thus draining the battery. The Hyundai dealer found no electrical short and documented that the electrical system was performing to specifications (no electrical draw found that exceeds 50MA). There have been no dashboard warning lights or messages indicating the issue. Hyundai has no solution. I have replaced the battery three times within one year. I am concerned that the undiagnosed electrical problem may lead to a fire while parked and off and/or a dangerous failure while driving. Vehicle is available for further inspection upon request.

- Hastings, MN, USA

problem #198

Nov 122022

Sonata

  • miles

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

Low beam headlight bulbs and brake bulbs burn out way before they should.

- Pierpont, OH, USA

problem #197

Sep 012013

Sonata

  • miles
I have been having problems with the electrical system in this car since I had it. The lighting is so dim that you can even see anything while driving at night. I have gone back and forth with Hyundai and the dealership to get a resolution but they keep telling me that nothing is wrong and that I need to replace all of the housings. I don't feel that I should have to do this because they have even had lighting that has burned out because of how hot they get. I have replaced the harnesses because they told me to replace but the electrical issues are all around the car. My lights are constantly flickering even when they are turned off. There are multiple consumers with the same issues in this model and other model cars in that range. I have made videos of the problems and provided to them and they still do nothing. This is affecting my safety.

- Dolomite , AL, USA

problem #196

Sep 172022

Sonata

  • miles
My car will not come on. I purchased a new starter, thinking that was the problem. My car has push button to turn the car on. The car will not start. I thought it maybe a recall item, when the reason why the car will not start.

- St. Petersburg , FL, USA

problem #195

Jun 012022

Sonata

  • miles
I have been having this problem with the car since May 2022. I was driving normally and the car gave the warning: Hybrid System stop and do not drive - check brakes, well I took the car to the mechanic near where I live zip code 90017 (Pep Boys) I have the note of the service that was done the first was on 11 June/22 and the brakes were changed since I thought this would be the problem and more fluid. The problem continued even with new brakes. I went there again and they check the brake system and they said everything looks fine on 20 June/22. So, I decided to scheduled an inspection at Hyundai in Van Nuys zip code 91404 (29 July/22) and I reported my problem that I was having with warnings check brake all the time while I-??m driving every day, but I don't have another car and I need to go to work. Hyundai also couldn't solve the problem of warnings check brakes and I still having this problem, I get the free way every day to go to work and I'm scared because I never know when a warning will appear and the car practically stops in the middle of the free way ( it happened every day) which is making me feel very insecure with this car because it is dangerous but I-??m tired of this car and this problem I can-??t even go to super market without stop the car because of the warning check brakes.. I will include the photos of the recipes of the services that were made. I would really like to be able to solve this problem and feel safe to drive the car. Thank you.

- Los Angeles , CA, USA

problem #194

Sep 262022

Sonata

  • miles
My back passenger tail light has failed twice. When the bulb gets hot, it melts the plastic housing and falls out. Since the bulb can-??t be replaced, the whole tail light assembly has to be replaced. This is a fire safety hazard, as well as a costly repair to replace the the whole tail light assembly. Consumers should be able to replace a tail light bulb without having to replace the whole tail light assembly at a cost of over $400 (parts & labor)

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #193

Nov 012020

Sonata

  • 0 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the instrument panel warning lights were blank. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact called the local dealer but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Cooling). The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Shallotte, NC, USA

problem #192

Nov 142020

Sonata

  • miles
When using the turn signal the headlights turn off. A search of the internet shows this is a common occurrence for the car as multiple people have posted on boards that this is the result of the multifunction switch. This is a highly dangerous situation for both the driver and/or other cars on the road as if you attempt to signal a turn or try to place the high beams on you will lose loss of sight due to the headlights shutting off. This should be listed as a recall item for the car.

- Short Hills, NJ, USA

problem #191

Jan 012020

Sonata

  • miles
I have contacted the Hyundai headquarters several times, about what I believe to be an electrical problem in my vehicle. The lights (break and drive) in my vehicle continue to blow out, even after being replaced numerous times. My break light casing has melted, as a result of what I believe to be associated with a previous recall. This recall, caused break lights to remain on, which caused overheating and burning. I took my car to the dealership to service this problem after being instructed to do so be a representative. However, I was informed that there was no issue, that needed to be serviced. However, I continue to experience this issue. I have witnessed countless Hyundai-??s being driven by other drivers and they too, seem to experiencing malfunctioning break lights. I even paid to have a diagnostic test completed at the Hyundai dealership, in an attempt to rectify the problem. However, I was informed the there was no electrical issue present. This is a huge safety concern, because driving without properly working lights, is illegal and I have received traffic violations for doing so. It is extremely unsafe, due to having the ability to cause accidents on the road. If other drivers are not aware of my vehicle stopping or even being on the road, due to improperly displayed lights. It creates a huge safety concern. Recently, I-??ve begun to smell gas coming from my vehicle and then I received the recall notice associated with the fuel pump. Since then, I have received a second notice regarding this recall. Neither letter, addresses when my vehicle will be serviced. I am extremely nervous to drive my vehicle, due to the fuel leakage and the ability that it can cause a fire in my engine. I am extremely displeased with Hyundai, and I no longer want this vehicle. Since purchasing this car, there have been several recalls. Additionally, I have attempted to speak with Hyundai directly, and they have refused to assist me further.

- Milwaukee , WI, USA

problem #190

Jun 032022

Sonata

  • 155,000 miles
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving 45 MPH, she saw flames coming from under the instrument panel on the passenger-??s side. The contact stated that his daughter pulled over immediately and exited the vehicle. The contact stated that soon after his daughter went away from the vehicle, the vehicle caught on fire. The contact stated that no warning light was illuminated. The fire department was able to extinguish the flames. The contact stated that a police report was filed. There was no injury. The contact stated that the insurance company deemed the vehicle totaled. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The VIN was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 155,000.

- Gastonia, NC, USA

problem #189

Jun 182022

Sonata

  • miles
I was driving one afternoon on my way from the nail shop with my sister my boyfriend & his friend when my call stalled in the middle in the street after managing to get the car out of the street it burst into flames. Due to not having the funds to move it it was towed. It did not have any lights on the dashboard which is why this was very weird for me. After not knowing what caused this stalling or fire I received a recall for my car in the mail.

- Houma, LA, USA

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