10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 17
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
29,300 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.

2016 Hyundai Sonata engine problems

engine problem

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2016 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 7 of 19)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #255

Mar 172023

Sonata

  • miles

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

I have 81345 miles on my car and I was driving on a long trip on a turnpike after 3 hours and approximately 150 miles of driving, the blinking check engine light came in my car and the engine lost power, I was unable to go past 50MPH in the posted speed limit of 70MPH. I had other 4 passengers in my car including 2 minors. had to tow it to Stoltz Hyundai of PA and the dealership told me it was low on oil and my car had 2 quarts of oil left which was unbelievable to me because I just had an oil change at 79123 Miles. I also had them replace my spark plugs at 79K miles. I was told by the dealership to perform an oil consumption test at a cost of approx. $400 and I was not covered under any kind of warranty as I am the second owner of the car. I have read online that there is a problem with the 2.4L Hyundai GDI engine of excessive oil consumption and nothing is done. the dealership is not helping either Hyundai. it's a clear problem with the Engine and I have proof of receipts for every recommended service performed on my car.

- Macedonia, OH, USA

problem #254

Feb 012023

Sonata

  • 131,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormal sound. The contact veered to the side of the road before the vehicle ceased. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving to his residence at low speed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that?the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 131,000.

- Oak Forest, IL, USA

problem #253

Mar 242023

Sonata

  • 107,525 miles
Car was leaking oil I reported to Hyundai and service repair shop had to take it back 3 times due to them neglecting to listen to me oil got into other parts and I had to get 7 things fix also after having back for 1 day the brakes and electric is not working properly engine also fails to accelerate correctly

- Owensboro, KY, USA

problem #252

Mar 212023

Sonata

  • 1,000 miles

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

The contact owned a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 2 mph, the vehicle seized and multiple warning lights were illuminated. The contact saw fire exiting from under the hood and under the vehicle. The contact was able to exit the vehicle safely before it was engulfed in fire. The fire department extinguished the fire but no fire report was filed. A police report was filed. The contact stated no one was injured nor sought medical attention. The vehicle was not drivable. The police officer deemed the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle was towed to the police department lot. The vehicle was not diagnosed. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #251

Mar 202023

Sonata

  • miles
Purchased car with just under 97000 miles. Was working terrific. Time for the first oil change and 2 miles after the change the car froze and went limp. Traveling 45 miles per hour it recorded a trouble code on my monitoring device. P0605 - ROM error and the car was dead. All lights had lit up on the panel and then it was off. Luckily was able to recover to the side and turn into a parking lot. Oil was low the night before and refiled before oil change. An additional code was recorded on Feb 12 P0128 Coolant Thermostat Malfunction. The selling dealer cleared the code and said the car was fine. I think there may be an additional issue here and why the oil was low.

- Henderson , NV, USA

problem #250

Mar 052023

Sonata

  • miles
Oil consumption issue. Car was driving funny and oil light blinked and then stopped. Checked the oil immediately and it was empty. Changed the oil and it was low within less than 100 miles. Could have blown up if I hadn-??t noticed the light blink once and car acting funny. No warning and using way too much oil.

- West Liberty , KY, USA

problem #249

Feb 172023

Sonata

  • miles

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

Check engine light came on, difficulty accelerating from a dead stop or going up an incline. I had it at to 2 different locations to be placed on a computer, code P0010 for intake (A) camshaft position actuator circuit. I had that replaced only to drive the car for a week and a half for the check engine light to come back on when accelerating up an incline and have the car almost come to a stop. New code, P0302 misfire #2 cylinder. All four spark plugs were replaced, a compression test was performed to confirm low compression on cylinder #2. Car is drivable, however check engine light will continue to come on because of the low compression but was told to baby the car as the engine should probably be replaced sooner than later and I don't have thousands of dollars for this fix. And last be not least, excessive oil usage.

- Saltsburg, PA, USA

problem #248

Dec 072022

Sonata

  • miles
I just drove up a small hill and then I had to accelerate to get onto the on-ramp to match the speeds of highway traffic. The engine shut off. no lights from the cluster gauge illuminated. had to really use my leg muscles to step on the brakes really hard to avoid a front collision. had to really use the muscles in my arms and hands to steer the steering wheel hard too. it felt like the loss of brakes and steering capabilities turned off and were really hard to use when the engine turned off for no apparent reason.

- Honolulu, HI, USA

problem #247

Feb 252023

Sonata

  • miles
engine is running out of oil after driving 200 to 300 miles. Dealer cannt find any oil leakage. I need help with this problem

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #246

Apr 142022

Sonata

  • miles
My 2016 Hyundai Sonata (sport) with the 2.4 GDI theta II seized on me WHILE DRIVING down the interstate on April 14, 2022, no engine light, no warnings, nothing. It was extremely dangerous & also very scary. The car did this at 135,000 miles. I had my Sonata towed to a Hyundai service center after this happened. They did a diagnosis, confirming it needs an engine replacement due to connecting rod bearing failure. They sent in a Prior Approval request to Hyundai and Hyundai DENIED the engine replacement, due to not having Campaign 953 (knock sensor detection software) completed prior to bearing failure. (EVEN WITH having this sensor update done, it would NOT prevent the motor from failing, just tell you when it happened.) That software update wasn't going to save my engine, it was only designed so Hyundai had a LOOPHOLE to deny as many engine replacements as possible and not process these warranties the right and ethical way. They put a faulty engine in my car and it seized and failed at NO fault of my own. But the fault of Hyundai for allowing these vehicles with bad engines to be sold to innocent people who had no idea these engines were made to fail. Hyundai knew the Theta 2 engines were going to fail and STILL allowed these vehicles to be sold and NOT RECALLED knowing the dangers. That is wrong and unethical. It is crucial that these vehicles be RECALLED. Any engine liable to seize while driving 70+ mph on the interstate warrants a RECALL. They needed to be recalled long ago, but instead Hyundai created a loophole by issuing Campaign 953 (knock sensor detection software). It never fixed these dangerous, faulty engines. It's only put more people at risk by not issuing a RECALL on all THETA 2 engines.

- Saint Clair, MO, USA

problem #245

Feb 202023

Sonata

  • miles

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

Burning oil at an alarming rate. No oil leaks. Had oil changed and 3 weeks later checked and it had about 2 quarts in it.

- Centerville , TN, USA

problem #244

Feb 182023

Sonata

  • miles
While driving home on my way from work, the car started to stall on the highway and slow down. A knocking sound began to come from under the hood and would speed up when I stepped on the gas. From the sound of it, it seemed like the engine was malfunctioning and yes it is available for inspection. My safety was put at risk because if the car was to stop in the middle of the highway, not only am I at risk of being in an accident but other people as well as we are all driving at high speeds. This problem has not yet been confirmed by a dealer but when I took it to a mechanic, I was told that it was a rod that's what's causing this, and though there are no recalls on this specific model (2016 Sonata Limited) there are other recalls on the hybrid model for a rod in the engine wearing out prematurely which is very similar to what is happening with my car. A check engine light turned on a few minutes prior to the incident but then turned off.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #243

Feb 162023

Sonata

  • miles
Pulled in driveway and putted out and wouldn't start. It is an internal engine issue. Possibly a rod issue

- East Meredith, NY, USA

problem #242

Dec 222022

Sonata

  • 67,156 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated four days after purchasing the vehicle, he needed to add oil to the engine. The contact stated that the low oil pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing an oil consumption test performed. The contact stated after 1,000 miles the vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that oil needed to be added to the engine. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,156.

- Shirley, AR, USA

problem #241

Dec 222022

Sonata

  • 87,156 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was constantly topping off the engine oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where an oil consumption test was performed, and the dealer determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 87,156. The VIN was unavailable.

- Shirley, AR, USA

problem #240

Jan 312023

Sonata

  • miles
My car idles very rough at times, and sometimes when idling, it dies out. At times it is difficult to even start as if it's not getting the electrical signal to the engine. Hyundai replaced the fuel pump, but that did not fix the problem, but cost $1,200. No warning messages. Two other automotive companies also did a diagnostic tests, but couldn't find the problem as it seems it has to be tested WHEN IT IS ACTING UP. It died on me far from home a week ago, but eventually restarted. I'm afraid to drive it especially at night as it died when idling at a light and almost didn't restart.

- Naples, FL, USA

problem #239

Feb 052023

Sonata

  • miles
While driving the vehicle within the city the engine turned off in the middle of the intersection causing near miss in the middle of the intersection as other vehicle were trying to pass me because my vehicle stalled. After having to towed the vehicle it was found that the engine has seized which is why the vehicle stopped.

- Madison, WI, USA

problem #238

Jan 142023

Sonata

  • miles
While driving on the highway my vehicle started making a very loud ticking noise and all of a suddenly my car stopped working. Due to being on the highway everybody was going high speeds which almost caused a serious accident. There were cars swerving everywhere. I truly thought I was going to be involved in a high-speed accident which would most likely cost me my life. The check engine light came on and smoke was coming out and the dash started throwing errors. One of the drivers came to my car and started yelling to get out because these cars have been catching on fire. I had to call a tow truck to tow my car over an hour back home which cost me quite a bit of money. After I got home I researched my vehicle and placed to VIN to find out there were 3 safety recalls, one that could cost my family their lives and I was never ever notified. When I called the customer care they didnt even have my information and had to input it all to create a case. They also could not give me a reason as to why I was not notified. They then made an appointment with the Hyundai nearest to me which by the way is an hour and twenty minutes. After disconnecting the call I received an email from that dealership stating my appointment was canceled. I called the dealership to figure out what was going on I've spoken to two different people before finally speaking with the manager of the department. Finally when I spoke with the manager he tried to inform me that my car was not under the recall and that they wouldnt be fixing my car. They also tried to tell me that customer service placed the wrong appointment that they put it in for an oil change when clearly the email stated three recalls and one being my engine needed to be replaced. I was informed that the earliest that they could Even put their eyes on my vehicle would be the end of March and if I wanted to pay out of pocket for the engine it wouldn't be completed until the end of June. One person after another has lied to me.

- Winchester, TN, USA

problem #237

Jan 122023

Sonata

  • 65,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 25 MPH downhill, the vehicle stalled. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to coast to the side of the road and had the vehicle towed by AAA. The dealer diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired with a rebuilt engine. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 65,000.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #236

Dec 302021

Sonata

  • miles
Burns oil at an extraordinary rate. Takes about 1-2 quarts every week. No leaks, I-??m unsure what the cause is for the oil burning so fast but it-??s not leaking because I-??ve gotten it checked for leaks and there is not oil stains or puddles when the vehicle is parked.

- Hesperia, CA, USA

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