10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
10 / 4
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
44,510 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.

2012 Hyundai Sonata brakes problems

brakes problem

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2012 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 2 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #105

Dec 142022

Sonata

  • miles

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

Driving on freeway and traction control light came on and stays on. Then my car stalls. Additionally, I awakened at 6 am to find my breaks light had been on most the night at no fault of mine. I checked my vin# and being told my 2012 sonata is not part of the recall campaign 136. This is a danger to my life and Hyundai is refusing to correct the problem at their cost.

- Aberdeen, WA, USA

problem #104

Dec 052022

Sonata

  • miles
Break lights don-€™t go off.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #103

Nov 122022

Sonata

  • miles
Driving on a freeway when check brake warning appeared. Car speed dropped down to drastically. Alarm was chirping and brakes made a bad grinding noise

- Houston , TX, USA

problem #102

Nov 072022

Sonata

  • miles

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

The car starts alarming out of nowhere while driving at 70 mph on the interstate and the Hybrid System Warning - Safely Stop and Do Not Drive along with the wrench, battery light and engine light all appearing on the dashboard to pull over and do not drive when this occurred I lost total control of the vehicle. The brake peddle goes all the way to the floor enabling me to stop and I lost the ability to steer the vehicle as the power steering went out as well while this was happening. I almost got killed as I was on the highway driving at 70 mph. I immediately put on my hazards lights to signal to other drivers that I was having mechanical problems. Thank GOD I was able to pull over without anyone hitting me from behind. I have had major major issues with this car since I purchased it the engine seized up on me in the same manner back in 2020 and the engine was replaced. Then there was an issue with the transmission and that was also replaced. Then the brake booster also failed and had to be replaced as well. Hyundai aught to be ashamed of the production of this vehicle as it is truly a severe risk to the lives of the consumers not just the person who is driving this vehicle but also to those who may be behind someone driving as this could cause a major accident and people could be killed. These cars need to be recalled and they need to get down to what is causing these issues in order to fix the problem. I pray that you all make Hyundai do a recall on this vehicle as I have googled and see that there has been many others that have encountered these same issues. I am filing this complaint in hopes of you all getting involved to do something about this. Any help with this will be greatly appreciated.

- Lithonia, GA, USA

problem #101

Aug 222022

Sonata

  • miles
My "Hyundai system warning safely stop and don't drive". light went off with my brake light on also, we were driving on the freeway going around 60 mph I was I'm the middle lane causing me to have to hurry and pull over as Car came to complete stop.i went to brake check to see if the breaks needed to be replaced and after inspection they said everything was fine, brakes, rotors and brake fluid was fine it's been doing this more often now..

- Spring, TX, USA

problem #100

Aug 292022

Sonata

  • miles
Brake lights stay on when the car is turned off. It is draining the battery and I cannot drive the car. No Hyundai dealers near me have availability until October or after.

- Glenside, PA, USA

problem #99

Jul 012022

Sonata

  • miles

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

My 2012 Hyundai Sonata, build date 10/31/2011, experienced the exact issue as described in NHTSA campaign number 15V759000. Note that the campaign covers Sonatas built before my vehicle's build date. The brake pedal stopper pad deteriorated and resulted in the brake lights falsely illuminating at random times. Furthermore, the condition - when occurring - resulted in the car overriding any throttle inputs, making for random inability to provide throttle inputs.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

problem #98

Aug 012022

Sonata

  • miles
"Hybrid system warning, stop safely and do not drive" and "check brake" alarm. Car immediately went into limp mode (15mph top speed). Luckily, I was not on the highway, but on residential street. Alarm was not recoverable by restarting car. Dealer says its the hydraulic brake booster and will cost $3250 to fix. Vehicle at 80,000 miles.

- Ormond Beach , FL, USA

problem #97

Jun 012021

Sonata

  • miles
AHB Hydraulic Break Module Failure car only has 60k miles.

- Forney, TX, USA

problem #96

Jul 042022

Sonata

  • miles
The brakes lights (all three) wont shut off even when the vehicle is not on.

- Gaithersburg, MD, USA

problem #95

Jan 112022

Sonata 4-cyl

  • miles

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

About 1 month after I bought this vehicle, late December 2021, a warning light came on the hybrid screen, it read "Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop And Do Not Drive!" The accelerator was not working I pulled over and turned the vehicle off. I waited a couple minutes and restarted it up again and went on my merry way. About a month later it happened again!! It's happened about every 5 weeks until June 16th at about 5pm, it now permanently chimes and beeps with the Hybrid screen warning me of the same, my foot brake goes to the bottom and makes a grinding noise. I am not able to drive it more than 100 yards or so then the accelerator fails again. I owned a mechanic shop and I know my brakes are fine, there has to be something wrong with the brake pumps/master cylinder, the brake fluid reservoir is full and the brakes electrical components make a horrible noise when I depress the foot pedal, I've read on Hyundai Forum on-line, that this has happened to various others, its happened on the freeway while I was going about 70mph!! It's happened on busy city streets with 45mph speed limits. Hyundai doesn't want to take any responsibility for it! What can I do? The dealer wants $200 to have it checked with no guarantee that they'll find the problem. Thank you [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Tracy, CA, USA

problem #94

May 032022

Sonata

  • miles
The brake pedal stopper pad deteriorated, allowing the brake light switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal was released. This kept my break lights on even when the car was turned off, which lead to issues with my accelerator randomly giving out while I was on the road, and my traction control forced off.

- Lafayette, LA, USA

problem #93

Mar 192022

Sonata

  • miles
On March 19th I was involved in wreck where the other driver was at fault. The lady t-boned me on my driver's side. Airbags never deployed so my head smashed Into the window leaving me with a concussionand spinal injury. My usually working horn failed as well. I would also like to mention that I have only had this car a year. I was also told it was never in a wreck and had 1 owner. Nope. A week after I got it, I was driving and my engine seized while I was doing 70mph. The steering stopped working, but somehow managed to pull off to the side. i had to stay in my car because of the busy highway. It was 100+ weather and my windows wouldn't work. I sat there for 2 hours. Took the car to a shop just to find out about the engine recall that I believe my car wasn't apart of, but should have been. Fought with Hyundai for them to fix it then lost my job because I was denied a loaner car while waiting. 2 months later they finally fix it. Now the breaks do a weird grinding thing a lot, my shifter slips out of place, the steering column wobbles, the engine is constantly making a disturbing noise and is sluggish, it has trouble shifting when accelerating. I have had the car rapidly accelerate instead of slow down when stopping at a stop sign or light. I only got it to stop after stomping the breaks repeatedly while throwing it in park and turning the car off all at the same time. Emergency break and traction control light come on a lot. It's throwing a high speed can bus code, but only sometimes. My gas mileage has went down to 16-18 mpg. Oil changes are necessary every month. AND my taillights burn out every 1 to 2 months. Now I have 4 traffic tickets. And that was all BEFORE the wreck. Hyundai refuses to call me back after they reluctantly fixed the first recall.

- Tyler, TX, USA

problem #92

Dec 312021

Sonata

  • miles
After the recent recall repairs, the car started to intermittently getting a message on the dashboard saying -€˜Hybrid System Warning - Safely stop and do not drive-€™ and -€˜Check brakes-€™ and the brake lights came on with a loud chiming beep, the car would stop accelerating and would not go beyond 10 mph, also the breaks would fail to apply correctly and made a loud screeching sound when applied. It used to do have this issue without any warning, while driving or stopped at the light, without any distinguishing pattern. However, it used to go away when the car was restarted multiple times. However now the message is on continuously and doesn-€™t go away with the restarting the car. After taking to the dealership, they said that the repairs would cost $3000 as the Hydraulic Power Assembly unit has failed. After looking for the issue online, I have found that a lot of the 2011-14 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid have this same issue and seems to be a manufacturing defect. This is a huge life risk for the owners of this car since it can happen while on the freeway and pose a life threatening risk to their life. It is also a huge financial burden for the owners for a manufacturing defect. I would like you to investigate these issues and provide us with a appropriate solution.

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #91

Nov 012015

Sonata

  • 35,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that upon depression of the brake pedal, an abnormal grinding noise would emit from the brake pedal without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where they found no fault with the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the dealer on multiple occasions where software updates were performed and rotors were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact had also taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic and the driver-€™s side rear brake caliper piston was replaced; however, the repair did not correct the failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.

- Ware, MA, USA

problem #90

Oct 262021

Sonata

  • miles
I am experiencing the exact same issues described in a previous recall of 2006 to 2007 model affecting the brake lamp switch. My brake lamps remain illuminated after release of the brake pedal, and the ESC light illuminates on the dash

- Redlands, CA, USA

problem #89

Oct 062021

Sonata

  • miles
At 28,000 miles the ABH pressure sensor failed c1237 Hydraulic Power Unit. Dealership charged $2947.95 for the repair. $2141.55 just for the part. The brakes completely failed and the car required towing.

- Ponte Vedra Beach , FL, USA

problem #88

Sep 102021

Sonata

  • 56,000 miles
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the brake warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the brake lights were continually illuminated. The contact called the local dealer but, vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was concerned about a possible fire. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 56,000.

- Lumberton, TX, USA

problem #87

Sep 092021

Sonata

  • miles
The rear brake lights burned out can't replace the light because the wiring harness melted and y'all no longer sell replacement wiring harness at the store or dealership for my vehicle make and model I was told I would have to make a out of pocket costly repair to install a new model wiring harness. I keep getting pulled over by the cops cause I don't have break lights. Worse case someone could run into the back of me. This issue is a Hyundai issue. It's so many Hyundai sonata riding around without break lights. Please fix this issue.

- Owings Mills, MD, USA

problem #86

Aug 072021

Sonata

  • miles
After driving one day, I noticed the brake lights on without anybody in the car, they would not turn off whatever I tried. The next symptom was the traction control turned off and would not function via dashboard button. the next symptom was, while driving, cruise control turned on without myself doing so, set it's speed and maintained, I was approaching a 4 way stop and depressed the brake expecting cruise control to disengage, it did not, I pressed the brake again this time holding it down while the car continued to revv, the engine continuing to attempt to speed up while pressing the brake. The only thing stopping the car was the on and off button on the steering wheel. I finally came to a screeching halt half way into the intersection, the brakes were locked up and vehicle would not move, the dealership claims no responsibility in anything and blames it in fact on myself putting the wrong brake fluid into the vehicle. I had not put anything into the vehicle, the dealership was the last to touch it when they did a complete engine replacement in Jan 2021. Vehicle is currently in their possession and available for inspection. No warning lights came on and vehicle began to function normally after, and I have not driven it since. I do not feel safe any longer in the vehicle. Dealership wants me to pay for all new brakes, rotors, brake light switch and brake flush, all which I feel is dancing around the real issue of the brakes and the cruise control. This is a real serious safety issue to anyone with this same vehicle and the potential for a serious possibly fatal accident, dealership doesn't seem to think it's a serious issue, and instructed me to drive the vehicle home, I did not!!!!!

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

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