10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
10 / 56
Injuries / Deaths:
13 / 0
Average Mileage:
59,875 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2012 Hyundai Sonata Owner Comments (Page 9 of 26)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #341

Dec 202020

Sonata

  • 83,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 30 mph, the vehicle stalled without warning. The vehicle was not drivable. The vehicle was towed to his residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not informed of failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000. The VIN was not available.

- Whitefish, MT, USA

problem #340

Dec 182020

Sonata

  • 82,500 miles
I had a very scary incident Friday night, 12/18/20 about 8:30pm. I was about to merge onto the 5 fwy North to go home, and as I am coming out of the turn, and accelerating to anticipate the flow of traffic, I see a big rig in my rear view mirror in the distance. Naturally, I step on the gas to punch it, to give myself and the rig plenty of distance as to not collide. My car revved up and decelerates to about 2mph. I panicked and managed to coast the car to the shoulder as far right as I could and the rig barrels down past me. I was afraid to completely stop on the shoulder of the fwy, and the car lasted long enough to coast to the next exit. I am able to continue steering my car close to the shoulder at a crawling pace, and turned on my hazard lights. I had people mad behind me, but I could not speed up. I managed to coast to the nearest exit, come down the ramp, and stop briefly with just enough momentum to steer left onto telegraph in commerce, and my car completely dies in the first lane. This is the second time my car just dies on me while I am driving! first time was three years ago in December 2017. The car had initially died while making a left turn. However, after turning the car off and waiting a few minutes, I was able to turn the car on and drive no more than 30 mph to the same downey Hyundai. The issue was under full warranty and repaired, but now a second time? worse yet, this happened while excelerating onto the freeway. I don't want to drive around in a car that has repeated recalls for various issues. I also don't want to worry of my car dying on me a third time. My Sonata is currently at downey Hyundai and they have started diagnostics and will have a better reading as to what happened. I have lost all confidence in this vehicle and worried for my safety and that of any passengers I may have with me.

- Los Angeles, CA, USA

problem #339

Nov 012019

Sonata

  • 84,750 miles
My engine threw a rod at approx. 85000 miles (10/2019). Hyundai replaced the short block but since then I continue to have issues with my car. After they replaced the short block and I picked my car up, the car seemed to be running like it is not getting consistent fuel like it is supposed to. I have had it in the shop 4 times because the check engine light has come on. While I am driving, the car seems to lurch at random times and this issue has gotten so bad that this (what I call lurching) makes the cruise control shut off. One time I was using the cruise control to accelerate onto the freeway and the warning bells and whistles went off, the car stalled, then restarted itself with no check engine light on. The most recent time (10/26/20 - 11/10/20), they had my car for 6 weeks, they did not fix it. They put 337 miles on my car while they had it and I experienced the same issues I have been complaining about to them since the beginning, after I drove it 38 miles. They cannot seem to find what is wrong with my car or fix it. 10/2019 threw rod - replaced short block see attached 1/3/2020 replaced hsg belt - did not fix issue see attached date unknown - check engine light went off before they could run codes.unable to find issues - did nothing no paperwork 7/3/2020 - unable to duplicate concerns, provided software updates. 8/20/2020 I called san tan Hyundai and told them I continued to have the same issues. I told them I needed a loaner car as I have no other means of transportation. I was advised they did not have one available but would call me when they did. They never called. The check engine light came on again on 10/25 while I was out of town so I took it to them 10/26. I have paid for 2 rental cars now while trying to get this issue resolved. 10/26/20 trans reset recycle cleared codes - did not fix issue see attached

- Florence, AZ, USA

problem #338

Dec 122020

Sonata

  • 65,000 miles

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

12/12/2020 at 7:00am less than a mile from home my car stalled on a country road. As I was going up the hill I heard a knocking noise. When I reached to the top of the hill the car lost power and all of the lights/symbols on the dashboard came on. The car coasted and then I applied the brakes. I tried to restart the car, tested the battery and check the oil dip stick. There was no oil on the dip stick. Soon after someone said the could see smoke and smell an acrid odor. The vehicle was towed to the authorized Hyundai dealer. This dealer does my vehicle maintenance and oil changes.they told me the vehicle needs a new engine. Nothing was mentioned about the recall or giving me a loaner/rental car. I was told it could take weeks or months for a new engine to come from pr, usa or Korea. The authorized dealer has not told me how the process works. Only that the repair will be covered at no cost to me.

- St Thomas, VI, USA

problem #337

May 022020

Sonata

  • 100,000 miles
I have had nothing but issues with the vehicle also the Hyundai dealership. I have taken my car in 5 or more times because of issues. The most recent because of a continuous incident of loss of power during commute. My car lost power from the turbo. Sounds like its dying out and struggles to stay on.. dealerships number one stated because of turbo failed so its not covered because it is not part of the engine. Then the second dealer told me its the waste gate so its not covered because it is not apart of the internal engine. Said that is would cost more than 2,000 to fix and my car barely 9 years old...... so I don't have the money to fix the car the dealership allowed me to drive away in a dangerous death trap and nothing fixed. Thats just one issue amongst a ton of recalls that apparently do not affect my car.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #336

Dec 052020

Sonata

  • 141,062 miles
My car stalls all of the sudden out the blue during driving sometimes it kills causing me to almost get hit a couple times because it just goes out during driving. It has a misfire and a strong scent of exhaust coming from the car. I have take it to mike morgan hyuandi in Louisiana where the mechanic clearly tells me they feel the misfire and smell the exhaust but no engine lights are on so no codes can be read and they cant do anything. He even told me if I'm driving and the car stalls try to get a video of the rpms of what the car is doing and reading during that time so he can have something to go off of, boy how unsafe was that advice. I have taken this car to gateway as well as a local mechanic all who has put it on the diagnostic machine yet still noone can find the issue because again it has no check engine lights on so what do I do. I dont have money to just buy parts and hope that fixes it. The car drinks oil but there is no visible oil leaks. No droppings in my drive way. Some one told me the PCV valve may needs to be changed but again I dont have money to keep changing out parts hoping thats it. This is a known issue with these cars and I feel hyuandi needs to do something because it's nothing that all consumers are doing wrong the motors are just no good

- Shreveport, LA, USA

problem #335

Aug 082018

Sonata

  • miles

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

Had back light issues for two yrs now lights going out harness burning up had one recall for wiring harness. Lights still burning out different side I believe I fixed the other side now having to replace bulbs on and off now it's a melted bulb socket they replaced the bulbs with your bulbs been going on for 2 yrs: Was told that my mechanic can hear a rod knocking when I was getting it serviced wrote it should be fixed took to your dealership told not loud enough and check engine light not on to wait till it goes on or it throws a rod!!!!!! hmm that's safe for 18 yr old, , then who will pay for the towing I live over 60 miles from dealer hope it doesn't catch on fire while I'm in it or cause a accident and really hurt someone! can't believe we can't do preventative care this to me is so unsafe !!! want to know can I get my money back on the light repairs that I had to fix ?

- Redding, CA, USA

problem #334

Nov 102020

Sonata

  • 150,000 miles
The engine stop working. When I attempt to start the car, the engine turns, but doesn't start while, sitting at the traffic light the engine stalled and would not restart.

- Montgomery, AL, USA

problem #333

Jun 232020

Sonata

  • 75,000 miles
My car broke down on a busy highway during a lunch rush due to an engine rod knocking in the engine. It was a terrifying experience and even sitting still on the side of the road I was scared my car would be hit by any of the 70-80mph cars exiting the ramp behind me. I tried joining the class action suit but for some reason, even though it's the same engine with the same problem, hybrids aren't a part of the suit.

- Hillsboro, OR, USA

problem #332

Oct 182020

Sonata

  • 153,000 miles
Engine failure due to connecting rod coming lose and causing a loud knocking noise. This happened when I was driving the vehicle.

- Brea, CA, USA

problem #331

Jan 312020

Sonata

  • 130,000 miles

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

My car stalls, lags and shuts off while driving and has a strong scent of exhaust and uses an awful amount of oil but there are no visible oil leaks. There are no check engine lights on. I have taken it to the muffler shop who states no exhaust leaks are found. My local gateway and mike morgan hyuandi says it throws no codes when put on the diagnostic machine so I cant find out the issue. From research I see this is a common issue with this model cars and I feel this should be looked into because it is a hazard especially when it kills in the midst of traffic

- Shreveport, LA, USA

problem #330

Oct 082020

Sonata

  • 150,000 miles
For an unknown reason my 2012 Sonata loses power at random causing us to have to pull over or it powers back up and it will continue. This is extremely dangerous and we have taken it to the dealer and it keeps happening. Life threatening.

- Columbia, SC, USA

problem #329

Jul 122020

Sonata

  • 160,000 miles
I was driving down the street at approximately 25 mph when the car said "hybrid system failure." I pulled over as I noticed the car wouldn't switch to the gas engine as I went up the hill. I pulled over and noticed the hybrid battery level was going down and not switching to the gas engine. I called for a tow and had the car towed to the Hyundai dealership. They informed us that the engine was shot and had to be replaced for $6,500 and that engine would have no warranty on it. I asked if it was the same issue as the 2013 Sonata that we own that did the same behavior. The answer was yes it is similar, but the hybrid is not covered by the recall. I find it weird that both cars have the same engine with the same issue, but the hybrids were not recalled.

- Powder Springs, GA, USA

problem #328

Sep 262020

Sonata

  • 78,000 miles
While driving on a busy interstate at speed (approx 65mph) on 9/26/20, the engine abruptly shut down. There was no warning, the vehicle was traveling straight. The vehicle was taken to the only Hyundai dealership in the area and inspected/ diagnosed 9/29/20. The dealer stated that the engine had seized and must be replaced. The estimated cost to replace (with a used engine with 40% more miles) was 25% higher than the replacement value for the vehicle. The dealer representative said the vehicle was not covered by safety recall 15V-568 relating to 2012 Hyundai Sonata's with the 2.4L engine. The recall does not reference any specific model and only discusses the failure of the engine which is common across hybrid and non-hybrid models. The vehicle has only 78,000 miles at the time of the engine failure. Engines should not fail this early, unless there is a manufacturing defect. Which it seems there is a very well known defect to this very engine that results in this very outcome. Except for some unknown reason the known failure with the same engine in a hybrid model is not covered by the recall.

- Charleston, SC, USA

problem #327

Sep 142020

Sonata

  • miles
Recalled engine replaced in late 2017 car continues to have problems every since. Had to replaced water pump, thermostat and 3 radiators and was told that the head gasket is blown. Hyundai dealer and service refuse to correct the issue and I have spend over $2,000 in repairs.

- Mooresville, NC, USA

problem #326

Sep 112020

Sonata

  • 154,000 miles
My car is randomly shutting itself off. It has happened 3 times now. As I am driving the whole car just dies. I have to physically turn the car off and then it cranks back up.

- Haworth, OK, USA

problem #325

Aug 282020

Sonata

  • 102,000 miles
I had a recall done on my Hyundai Sonata 2012 for the fuel pipe. I took it in to the Hyundai dealership in richland hills about a year ago, before covid19 I believe because I don't recall wearing a mask. They were extremely rude to me at the Hyundai dealership so I left there without knowing if there was a problem or not with my car. Now a few months ago I received another recall for the same issue an they said my fuel pipe needs to be replaced but aren't honoring the recall and are saying I must pay for the fuel pipe myself.

- Fort Worth, TX, USA

problem #324

Aug 252020

Sonata

  • 115,000 miles
Hybrid system warning, shut off don't drive!!! light came on car shut down while in reverse, it was fine in drive! took it to the Hyundai in mesquite tx where I've had numerous issues in the past but had to go somewhere close! they couldn't find a diagnosis went through all the codes, said it wasn't shutting down for them and it was an oil pump and oil assembly $1,904.49 minus the $150 diagnostic to not even tell me why it shuts down in reverse giving a whole other issue with the car that isn't a part of the reason I took it in! never again will I buy a Hyundai!

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #323

Aug 252020

Sonata

  • 115,000 miles
So many issues my cars had...1 owner and several issues sadly could only pick 3: seat belt won't click on driver side sometimes it gets stuck, had the steering buttons fixed due to getting stuck, front passenger wheel has been checked several times due to the wheel vibrating when you hit a bump, hybrid battery went bad before 50,000, reading all the engine issues around 160, I'm thinking I need to back away from Hyundai forever!!! most recent hybrid warning do not drive & after researching there's been several issues with this, I'm thinking we could start a small class action suit against Hyundai!!!! car shut down and wouldn't go anywhere

- Dallas, TX, USA

problem #322

Aug 032020

Sonata

  • 162,000 miles
Bought this car from a private seller. 2 days later driving 80mph on a 4 lane freeway the car loses all power and stops. I limp car off busy freeway (mind you with an Arizona hwy patrol officer in the median didn't ask me if I needed help). Found out that my engine block had metal in that was left in it when the engines were made in Alabama. Hyundai knew about this issue and told the NHTSA that they didn't feel it was a safety issue" not a safety issue to lose power at 80mph??? [xxx]? take it to the dealership jim click Mazda/Hyundai tucson AZ and they have it back to me in 2 days? a new engine block with all the old parts put on it? [xxx]??? car is making a noise when I pick it up that it wasn't making before the engine went out. I call the dealership say hey car's making a funny noise when I accelerate kinda like it was before the motor went out. Which by the way was under safety recall.so today I am diving and lose all my ac no ac it's 110 degrees outside I call a friend to look at it he pops the hood and right away notices 2 bolts/brackets that hold the ac high pressure line to the car missing! wait bolts are missing??? yes when the dealership put the car back together they forgot to bolt the thing down?? I tell my service advisor at Hyundai about it and show him when I get the car there. Like ummm hello???? where are these bolts. He downplays it and acts like I am stupid. It's their fault. So then he calls me to tell me the issue is the cooloing fan and resisitor for the engine. The wires are melted!!! [xxx] again?? like are U serious" I feel like they did a [xxx] job to begin with putting the new engine block in and probably the same guy who didn't put the bolts in is most likely responsible for the issue with the cooling fan!!!! parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Tucson, AZ, USA

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