10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 9
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
46,266 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 lights problems

lights problem

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2013 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 1 of 9)

problem #166

May 012023

Sonata

  • miles

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

All bulbs in vehicle do not work. No matter how many times I have them replaced they continue to blow or not work. Without headlights I cannot drive, without brake lights other drivers cannot see me. This is a HUGE SAFTY ISSUE. I cannot drive my vehicle because lights are malfunctioning.

- St. Louis, MO, USA

problem #165

Apr 092024

Sonata

  • miles
All of these car have a headlight issuse also breaklight

- Oakland Park, FL, USA

problem #164

Jun 012023

Sonata

  • miles
When headlights are turned on, rear window brakelight stays illuminated but both the right and left rear brake lights do not illuminate when foot brake pedal is depressed.

- North Kingstown, RI, USA

problem #163

Aug 242022

Sonata

  • miles

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

My electrical system is giving me constant issues and I have to change light bulbs frequently. Also the recall is for the fuel line system which the dealers are not contacting me back about getting repaired which is why I am submitting this report.

- Bristol, CT, USA

problem #162

Aug 272023

Sonata

  • miles
Lights flicker especially at night they turn off and on. You can't see and others can't see you because no lights on and off There was no warning lamps or anything letting me know about the problem. Can't drive my car at night because of this problem don't want to cause an accident. No the vehicle has not been inspected yet.

- Santa Rosa , TX, USA

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problem #161

Jul 202023

Sonata

  • miles
Tail lights constantly burn out. I have now replaced the same taillight harness 3 times and each time it is burned. This is a serious fire hazard

- Montgomery Village, MD, USA

problem #160

May 092022

Sonata

  • miles

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

Car needs to rewired because my break lights keep blowing out & will no longer work. They are burned from the inside. Also when turning on lights to my car the car stalls.

- Haines City , FL, USA

problem #159

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 #158

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 #157

Feb 012020

Sonata

  • miles
The brake lights and headlights keep going out within a few month of changing the bulbs

- Maple Shade, NJ, USA

problem #156

Jan 282023

Sonata

  • miles

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

Brake lights work inconsistently, burn hot, melt sockers, fall out of sockets and melt carpeted covers. Safety and fire concerns. Much info on this problem from other owners on various sites. PLEASE force Hyundai to fix these issues.

- Largo, FL, USA

problem #155

Feb 012022

Sonata

  • miles
The brake lights keep blowing every time I replace them & have read other cases where light casing may melt when the bulb blows

- Philpot, KY, USA

problem #154

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 #153

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 #152

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 #151

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 #150

Aug 232022

Sonata

  • miles
The vehicle will not accelerate when pressing the gas the traction light is on and the tailights stay on even when the car is off found brake lights staying on due to failed brake pedal stopper. Replaced brake pedal stopper per tsb 18-be-010

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #149

May 102022

Sonata

  • miles
My rear tail lights on both sides keep burning holes through the plastic then burning out this takes place all with in a week I-??ve had to replace the light harness 3 times on both sides already and I-??ve wen down on the voltage on the lights. Neither worked. This is a safety concern as I e read on multiple post that there trunks have caught fire because of this. In which I-??ve smelled smoke on multiple occasions and then noticed the harness to be burnet out and the light to be blown. I have children that ride in the back seat that require help. This problem needs to be fixed before someone-??s life is taken.

- Denver , CO, USA

problem #148

Sep 012019

Sonata

  • 135,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the low and high beam headlights failed to illuminate and was replaced on several occasions. Additionally, the driver-??s and passenger-??s side taillights were inoperable. The local dealer and manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 135,000.

- Rhine, GA, USA

problem #147

Oct 182021

Sonata

  • 62,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact was informed that the taillights were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the taillight assemblies replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.

- Peachtree City, GA, USA

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