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:
18 / 81
Injuries / Deaths:
15 / 0
Average Mileage:
72,975 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2011 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 8 of 45)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #751

Oct 032021

Sonata

  • miles

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

My daughter and a passenger were driving our car at night October 3, 2021and the entire car suddenly and without notice began shaking and convulsing, became non responsive and all the electrical components and the engine went dead including inside lights, brakes, power steering and lighting system. It was nighttime and the traffic was medium but she was able to ease the vehicle onto the shoulder without incident but had a few close calls as drivers eased around her. They could have been severely injured by the traffic as it attempted to get past her on this narrow two lane road. The vehicle was towed to a mechanic who diagnosed that the engine had blown, was seized and locked up. He also mentioned that there is a recall for the 2011 Sonata and numerous problems such as this have been reported. We had no idea there was a recall on this vehicle. We are very concerned and upset that this incident could have caused severe injury to our daughter, her friend and other drivers around her. There were no prior notifications or signals with the car having any problems prior to this incident.

- Concord, NC, USA

problem #750

Sep 282021

Sonata

  • miles
My daughter was headed to work this morning. She said that the car started making a noise and it got worse on the interstate. The warning lights came on and the acceleration was lost. Thank God she was able to pull off the interstate without getting hit. The car stalled and wouldn-€™t move. I called Geico to get the car towed. The mechanic said that the car shook when he started it. He inspected the car and said that it-€™s a rod in the engine. My daughter could have been seriously hurt. I didn-€™t realize that this was a recall

- North Augusta , SC, USA

problem #749

Sep 242021

Sonata

  • miles
all of a sudden heard engine knock, engine light came on and entire engine seized as i was pulling over to park because i was concerned for safety.

- North Providence, RI, USA

problem #748

May 052021

Sonata

  • miles

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

My car stopped working it-€™s been done for about 6 months it just sitting in my driveway it won-€™t turn on I haven-€™t had a car in about 6 months because my car won-€™t turn

- Erie, PA, USA

problem #747

Sep 132021

Sonata

  • miles
My engine keeps making a knocking sound. When I am driving it will reduce speed, and begins to idle while already driving. Which concerns me that these same issues occurred on my same year, make and model on my vehicle and some how Hyundai dealership will tell me that my car does not have a recall. 470,000 cars of the same year make, and model went in for exactly what my car is doing.

- Providence, RI, USA

problem #746

Sep 092021

Sonata

  • miles
2011 Hyundai Sonata. Consumer writes in regards to engine safety recall.

- Albany, GA, USA

problem #745

Jun 272021

Sonata

  • 140,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his wife was driving 50 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power without warning. The vehicle was towed to two different independent mechanics on two separate occasions, and the mechanics informed the contact that there were recalls associated with the failure. Upon researching, the contact saw that there were five recalls associated with the VIN; NHTSA Campaign Number: 17V152000 (Seat Belts), 15V568000 (Engine), 18V137000 (Seat Belts, Air Bags), 15V759000 (Exterior Lighting), and 16V190000 (Steering). The vehicle was then towed to the dealer, but the dealer informed the contact that they would not perform the recall repairs since the vehicle was supposed to have the recall repairs performed in 2018 when the recall notifications were mailed. The contact stated that he purchased the vehicle three years ago and never received the recall notifications. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

- El Paso, TX, USA

problem #744

Aug 242021

Sonata

  • miles
Start losing speed cutting back overheating AC stop function then smoke from good and cut out Had it towed and seek what the problem is This occur on 08/24/2021 just purchase on July 7,2021 from dealer in Auto Land of Thornburg paid cash

- Charlottesville , VA, USA

problem #743

Aug 212021

Sonata

  • 187,479 miles
The contact owned a 2011 Hyundai Sonata The contact stated that while driving, the accelerator pedal locked up and the transmission was slipping. Smoke was detected and fire emerging from the engine. The check engine warning indicator light was illuminated. There were no reported injuries. A Police report was filed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to an unknown location. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total loss. The failure mileage was 187,479. The VIN was not available.

- Irving, TX, USA

problem #742

Jul 312021

Sonata

  • miles
2011 sonata limited This car engine was recalled on year 2016 and I visit Hyundai dealer to get recall service on April 27, 2016 (campaign 132). The dealer said this car did not any problem. I visited Hyundai dealers 18 times since the recall service, Campaign132 for related problems. Each visit, I request to check engine condition, and the dealer said it is O.K. One of issues was heavy oil consumption. My car consumed 1 Q for every 1500 miles. So I requested oil consumption test, and the dealer said "No problem and normal condition-€ I drove the 2011 sonata limited on freeway on Jul, 31 2021. Driving speed was around 70 miles/H. The car engine suddenly stopped without any unusual sign. When Engine stop, all type of warning lights on and I cannot fully control its steering wheel because it was very stiff to control and even it against my will. I was lucky because other drivers recognized the situation let me move off from high way 101. I towed this car to local mechanic and they diagnose as -€œengine seized and will not turn-€ I towed the car to local Hyundai dealer and wait 5 business days for their own diagnostic. The dealers have chance to know the problem. I do not know already they know but did not say to me or realty they did not know. One thing is very sure that this car originally designed to use conventional oil, but Hyundai USA order to each dealer put synthetic motor oil when they performed campaign 132 and 162. I found out this situation from -€œRecall 132 Dealer Best Practice Guide-€ issued June 23, 2017. I put conventional oil several for several oil changes after the recall service because they did not mention that synthetic oil was recommended after recall 132. Already Hyundai admitted the engine has problem, but they hide the way to best maintenance to its consumer.

- Camarillo, CA, USA

problem #741

Jul 272021

Sonata

  • miles

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

I wash driving my car to work I was running approximately 40 mph when I went to turn a corner all of a sudden my car shut down. I do work as a mechanic but due to my car being still under warranty I elected to have it taken to a dealership. I do know there is an active class action lawsuit going on for the rod bearing going out in these models and years. I currently do not have any recalls on my car. Before my engine locked up I was having a small ticking noise in my motor that started two days prior. When the car seized up I checked all fluids and did find that my oil has a burnt smell to it which means in technical terms it has thrown a rod and bent valves. I am getting no answers and am now being left with no vehicle.

- Terre Haute, IN, USA

problem #740

Jun 192021

Sonata

  • miles
Engine locked up and is to be replaced under theta lawsuit. 12month warranty rebuilt engine is all they offer. Not happy. Car worth 8k and now I can't get 2k. Went to pick it up and it won't start. CALLED customer service for options and no response just delays for 5 was. Can't find a lawyer to help. Please help.

- Macon, GA, USA

problem #739

Jul 222021

Sonata

  • miles
I almost got into an accident on the highway with my family when returning home with my family my car started to sputter and the check engine light started blinking the car wouldnt accelerate on the highway almost got into an accident with a truck. my family and i was terrified. i took it to autozone they notified me its an problem with my engine, rod bearings, the representative, informed me alot of sonatas have came in with the same issue. that occurance reminded me on the letter i received few months back informing me on a national recall. I truly need assistance fixing my car ive lost days from work due to my transportation not working properly. Please help

- Winter Haven, FL, USA

problem #738

Jul 222021

Sonata

  • miles
Without warning, the Sonata stalls while in motion: - the brake pedal goes close to the floor, - the CHECK BRAKE light goes on, - the emergency brake audio alarm and light go on, - the READY light between the fuel and temperature gauges blinks. I have to pull over and turn the car off / on in order to get the car functional again. The speed of the car doesn't seem to matter. This has occurred 11 times over the past year, including 6 times today (7/22/2021) within a span of 15 min, while at speeds between 30- 60 mph. I took the car to the dealer (initially on 6/22/2021). There were no diagnostic error codes and they could not reproduce the problem. I called Hyundai, both on 6/22/2021 and today, to file a report. Hyundai did not provide any insights into the issue. Online, I have read of others having this same issue with Sonatas. Some believe a faulty power brake booster to be the cause.

- Bel Air, MD, USA

problem #737

Jun 252021

Sonata

  • miles
Was driving on city streets, stopped in traffic for red light. The engine caught on fire. No warning, everything seemed fine up to that point.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #736

Apr 012021

Sonata

  • 112,000 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 55 mph, the loss motive power and failed to accelerate. The contact stated that there was no warning light illuminated. The contact continued driving to his destination. The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and it was diagnosed with needing the water pump and belt tensioner to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

- Mendota, CA, USA

problem #735

Jun 292021

Sonata

  • 120,315 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 35 mph, there was an abnormal knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled into a service station, checked the engine oil level, and topped off the engine oil. Later that day the contact started the vehicle and drove to his brother-€™s residence and heard the loud knocking sound coming from the vehicle. The vehicle shuddered. The vehicle remained parked at his brother-€™s residence. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacture was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,315.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #734

Jun 142021

Sonata

  • miles
motor ticking. car gets hot. car runs rough

- Mendota, CA, USA

problem #733

Aug 072019

Sonata

  • 85,500 miles
The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact stated that the oil level warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed but not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact was awaiting a response. The failure mileage was approximately 85,500.

- Philadelphia, PA, USA

problem #732

Jun 012021

Sonata

  • 132,000 miles
The contact-€™s daughter owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 65 mph, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed but was not yet repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V568000 (Engine) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 132,000.

- North Salt Lake, UT, USA

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