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:
2 / 11
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
61,536 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.

2011 Hyundai Sonata miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2011 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 1 of 10)

problem #188

Jan 142024

Sonata

  • miles

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

My car won-??t start idk what-??s cost that-??s

- Snellville, GA, USA

problem #187

Dec 132023

Sonata

  • miles
My 2011 Hyundai sonata Engine failed in April 2023. Was towed and the engine was replaced due to the recall. Got car back November 4th 2023. Fuel gauge never went out and after driving about 3 miles the engine light came on. Dec 13th was driving on highway and felt like the car was going to fall apart. Able to get off highway only for the car to die. Every light including some I have never seen came on. Was stuck on the side of the road with my ESA dog in 28?. Temp. For over an hour with no power and hazards starting to dim. I'm disabled and had no help. Local PD towed vehicle and drove me home. Car sat at tow yard collecting fees as I was waiting for the dealership to call me back. Finally got help with paying the tow yard company only to be stuck once again for over an hour in the cold and then denied a tow to the dealership since they decided to cancel my appointment by text while I was on with Hyundai roadside assistance. They denied any help. Luckily the tow yard felt bad and made a call for me and a friend came and paid the $160 tow truck to get the car back to my house. They have now not returned my calls and the case manager has not responded as well. This is unacceptable. I don't have any money and I have no idea how they can get away with treating a disabled person in the winter days before Christmas by letting me be stranded twice on the side of the road with an engine that has less than 10 miles on it.

- Lynn, MA, USA

problem #186

Aug 302023

Sonata

  • miles
My Hyundai Sonata started messing up 3 months ago. My check engine light came on I took it to autozone to get it checked and it was my knock sensor wire harness I dont have a warranty on my car and I dont know what else to

- Byhalia, MS, USA

problem #185

Jun 132023

Sonata

  • miles

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

My 2011 Hyundai Sonata was stolen on June 13th in Minneapolis in broad daylight on a busy street. When I got it back at the Mpls Police impound lot they said it was stolen (most likely by kids) because of the security defect the Hyundais and Kias are known to have: the lack of an interceptor that other cars have. That security defect has been well publicized and apparently widely featured on TikTok. The week before the theft I received the Hyundai recall notice for a software solution to be installed to solve the security defect, but when I contacted area dealerships they either didn't have it yet or were booked out several months. I've seen it reported that Hyundai (and Kia) companies have known about the defect for years, so it's especially frustrating!

- Saint Paul, MN, USA

problem #184

May 122023

Sonata

  • miles
Picked up my car after getting my recalls done on May 10, 2023. Drove it for 2 days. As I was on my way home on the 2nd day, my car started giving me trouble. As I accelerate, the car will stall out and I will have to turn it off and back on just to get it out of the middle of the street. It won't go over 1000 RPMs. The EPS light, battery light, and engine light all lit up.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

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problem #183

Jun 292023

Sonata

  • miles
Starting 6 months ago air bag light is on constantly. Horn stopped working, speed control doesn't work. The whole steering wheel and buttons with horn doesn't work.

- Granite Falls, NC, USA

problem #182

Jun 152023

Sonata

  • miles

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

as i was drivim back home from engine started a smoke green, smelling like burn wires electricity ect. the shut off, i ran out the car. in the middle of traffic. i contacted mechanic, has inform me that the engine has siezed.will no longer turn on. and maybe some ECM or electrical but dat the engine is locked.oil looks very clean radiator fluid clean aswell. what could have caused this no idea. im scare to try to start the car

- Summit Argo, IL, USA

problem #181

May 022023

Sonata

  • miles
The alternator and battery of this vehicle has been switched at least 3 times. Purchased new and all, yet the car keeps getting drained and left powerless. Something is draining the energy of the vehicle and the root to the problem is not known.

- Hialeah, FL, USA

problem #180

Feb 232023

Sonata

  • miles
I'm smelling has from under the car and it's got a ticking sound and burning oil it looks like

- Deer Lodge, TN, USA

problem #179

Jan 202023

Sonata

  • miles
Engine stalled and shut off and wouldn-€™t start again

- Columbia , SC, USA

problem #178

Feb 012023

Sonata

  • miles

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

The car suddenly stopped idling while driving at around 40-45 mph and everything seemed normal until it would not drive but the car was on and then the steering was difficult to pull over to a safe area and the brakes were hard to brake and stop but when it came to a full stop the vehicle dash warning lights were flickering and shut off. When I tried to attempt and start the vehicle it would not start but everything turns on ike normal al the lights except the engine was not on. Also it started smelling like some sort of electrical components were burning or something but I couldn't see any smoke or anything coming from the engine area but it seemed like electrical burn somewhere in the car. The vehicle is very unsafe to drive since there was no kind of warning lights or sounds and just stopped working while driving. The vehicle is well maintained and up to date with maintenance services. It became inoperable and had to be towed home since I ended up stuck in a unsafe spot in the middle of a busy street and waited hours for someone to tow it back to my house because it was already about 1 or 2 in the morning. The next day had hired a mechanic to come and do the diagnostics and repairs and still doesn't start or drive and I had to hire another mechanic to diagnose the problem again and was told that the motor is seized and I would need a new engine and other work done on it as well and so me and my family are stuck without a car which is our only car and no more money to fix the car and have no way to bring my child to school and also take my wife to work and etc etc since this problem and don't know what's wrong with it after spending so much money trying to have it fixed so possibly a lemon car.

- Vallejo, CA, USA

problem #177

Sep 112020

Sonata

  • miles
I was driving my 2011 Hyundai Sonota and it felt like a truck had slammed into the back of my vehicle but it didn-€™t, the car was knocking and finally stopped and wouldn-€™t accelerate when pushing the pedal. I had to have it towed and the shop didn-€™t know what to do and I had it sent to Rick Case Hyundai and I explained the situation about the debris being washed out of the engine and they asked for $1700 just to look at the engine. I had a few recalls and they should have looked at the engine with no problems and no charges. They had my vehicle towed and it took me a few months to figure out what happened to my car? I have been denied EVERYTHING BY HYUNDAI CORPORATE AND TAMMY OFFERED TO LOOK AT THE ENGINE AFTER SENDING THE INFORMATION TO BBB AND SHE SAID SHE WOULD DO IT FREE OF CHARGE BECAUSE THERE IS A RECALL ON THE END

- Social Circle , GA, USA

problem #176

Sep 202022

Sonata

  • miles
Hyundai has refused to get back to me about my car it's been months they don't return my phone calls or emails or anything. The motor recall had caused me and my children to be stranded in the busy highway after just shutting down 2 times. Amongst other things this is unacceptable

- Sharpsburg , GA, USA

problem #175

Oct 102022

Sonata

  • miles
Air conditioning drain drips onto front sub frame, which holds the engine and transmission. It also holds the suspension bolts. Dripping from air conditioning drain is causing sub frame to rust, rot out and weaken prematurely. This will cause the engine and transmission to drop out of the vehicle when the sub frame collapses.

- Franklin, MA, USA

problem #174

Sep 012022

Sonata

  • miles
Rear brake light bulb socket melted. Brake light will not work it melted the bulb in the wire harness.

- Ozark, AL, USA

problem #173

Sep 052022

Sonata

  • miles
Car accelerates randomly. Makes a sort of "vroom" sound and lurches forward. Causing my vehicle to run into my friends garage door. Also noticed acceleration at various times while moving.

- Huntley, IL, USA

problem #172

Apr 202022

Sonata

  • miles
Even on a perfectly dry road, the cruise control can't be set and the traction control light comes on. The nearest dealer (75 miles away) said it was likely in need of a new brake light switch. That didn't solve the problem. Now, it is beyond the fact that the brake lights stay on whether the car is running or not. The brake light switch is clearly impacting various other functions and makes the car unsafe to drive, because vehicles following it conclude (incorrectly) that the driver is engaging the brakes. Additionally, if someone doesn't detach the battery cables when spending some time at a destination, they can be stranded as the result of a dead battery. If the manufacturer had integrity, they would replace whatever related parts are needed to make the car drive safely, They know there's a problem in such vehicles, and even the head of the nearest service department is currently stumped. And, today I was told by the manufacturer that I have to drive it to that distant dealer to see what kind of offer they might give for the car "as is". There should be a recall.

- Plevna, KS, USA

problem #171

Aug 182022

Sonata

  • miles
I know for a fact that one of the recalls I was told by Green Hyundai they could not do because they did not have a solution for the recall I know in 2019 I had the recall for my seatbelt done and it still comes on buckled I also know because I have one with blue Drive that if you hold the battery for the electric out without turning off blue drive it affects it I did not do this but somebody breaking into my car dead And I-€™m not sure all of the effects it had but I have had motor problems because the same dealer who told me they had no resolution for Yoru fact that there is no recalls that were undone even though are not done even though I was told that one they had no solution for and couldn-€™t do so I know at least one has not been done, also forgot to connect the coolant line resulting in motor damage..

- Rock Island, IL, USA

problem #170

Sep 302021

Sonata 4-cyl

  • miles
My vehicle has an excessive oil consumption issue that started approximately in September 2021 after I got an oil change and had to put more oil in it after about 2 months when the oil change light went off. I have taken the vehicle to 2 different mechanics and they are unable to find an oil leak. There has been no oil leaking on the ground, no burning smell, no smoke showing, but the oil is somehow being consumed rapidly. The check oil light has not gone off since. I literally have to check the oil level every 2-3 weeks to check the levels. I got another oil change in February 2022 and have had to put 12 quarts in since that time. In July 2022 my car started driving funny with low power issues and the check engine light came on. I had the spark plugs and coil packs replaced. Now I'm dealing with low power on inclines and the catalytic converter now needs to be replaced. The mechanic believes it's due to the excessive oil consumption issue. It's my understanding that several Hyundais have been recalled due to excessive oil consumption issues. The contact has stated that during one incident, the vehicle lost power going up an incline. The oil levels were checked and were normal. A tow truck mechanic was able to get the vehicle started back up so that the contact could drive it home. The contact took the vehicle to a mechanic and was told the catalytic converter was bad. Unfortunately, the part is on back order and the vehicle is unable to be repaired. Aside from the catalytic converter, the vehicle has an oil consumption issue.

- Pearl City, HI, USA

problem #169

Aug 062022

Sonata

  • miles
While driving the vehicle on the interstate, crossing the expansion joint on an overpass, the check engine light illuminated. Immediately following, smoke began coming from under the hood. Pulled off the side of the road to check, and flames were coming out of the car. Quickly removed what personal items that were possible while the car started becoming engulfed in flames. The car burned until the fire department arrived and put the vehicle out. While we cannot be certain, it is believed that the high voltage wiring chafed and arced leading to the fire. If it wouldn't have been possible to immediately pull to the shoulder, the car would have been engulfed while rolling and could have lead to death. The car is a total loss.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

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