Page 3 of 3 · complaints 101–108 of 108

2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2013 record →

Electrical System
Filed Jul 1, 2014707 milesTX

FIRST REPAIR DONE AT THE DEALERSHIP ON 2/21/14 FOR DRIVERS DOOR LOCK NOT WORKING THE CAR HAD 707 MILES ON IT. I WAS GIVEN A RENTAL CAR FROM ENTERPRISE FOR THE DURATION OF THE REPAIR. THE REPAIR TOOK ONE DAY WHICH THEY REPAIRED THE "LEFT FRONT DOOR LOCK ACTUATOR LATCH ASSEMBLY". I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL STATING MY CAR WAS READY AT 5PM, BUT AS I DID NOT WANT TO DRIVE IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC I PICKED THE CAR UP THE NEXT DAY. SECOND REPAIR FOR THE SAME PROBLEM WAS ON 6/18/2014 AND THE CAR NOW HAD 5,117 MILES ON IT. I WAS GIVEN A GENESIS TO DRIVE WHILE MY CAR WAS BEING TAKEN CARE OF. I WAS PHONED TWICE THAT DAY TO SAY THEY WERE STILL LOOKING INTO MY CAR AND THEY WOULD GET BACK TO ME. AT 6PM THAT DAY THEY SAID THEY WERE STILL WORKING ON IT. THIS SERVICE INVOICE NOW SAYS THE FOLLOWING "FOUND LOOSE TERMINAL AT DOOR LATCH LOCK/UNLOCK PIN. TWEAKED (?) DOOR LATCH CONNECTOR TERMINALS AND REASSEMBLED DOOR LOCKS. DOORS WORKING NORMALLY." I PICKED MY CAR UP ON 6/20/2014. ON 6/28/2014 AT WORK WITH THE CAR NOW SHOWING 5406 MILES ON THE CLOCK IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN. I HAVE PHONED THE SAME DEALERSHIP AND INFORMED THEM I WILL BE THERE MONDAY (6/30/14) WHEN THEY OPEN AT 7AM TO HAVE THIS CAR REPAIRED AGAIN. THEY HAVE NOW HAD THE CAR FOR TWO DAYS AND I HAVE NOT HEARD ANYTHING BACK FROM THEM. I AM NOW SUING HYUNDAI. *TR

Electrical System
Filed Jun 18, 20145,000 milesNJ

ENGINE SHUT OFF AND BATTERY ONLY LETS YOU GO 1/4 MILE PULLED INTO PARKING LOT TURNED CAR OFF WAITED 5 MINUTES AND CAR STARTED BACK UP. TOOK CAR TO DEALER BUT COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG TOLD ME TO DRIVE IT. IT HAPPENED AGAIN IN APRIL THEY HAD CAR FOR 7 DAYS BUT COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING. TOLD ME TO DRIVE IT. IT STARTED AGAIN ON JUNE17TH THEY SAY THERE IS NOTHING WRONG. *TR

Hybrid Propulsion System › Inverter
Filed Feb 17, 20143,650 milesAL

27 DEC 2013: HYBRID BATTERY DRAINED WITHOUT ANY WARNING AND CAR COULD NOT BE ACCELERATED MORE THAN 20 MILES/HR WHILE DRIVING. EVENTUALLY THE CAR STOPPED ON THE ROAD. DASHBOARD SHOWED "PARK SAFELY AND DO NOT DRIVE" WITH LOUD BEEPING WARNING SOUND. TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED THE CAR, THE ENGINE WOULDN'T CHARGE THE BATTERY. AFTER TOWING TO THE SERVICE, THE CAR STARTED AS NORMAL; THE TECH COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM SO NOTHING WAS DONE. 16 JAN 2014: THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING. AFTER I PARKED THE CAR ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, THE HYBRID BATTERY STARTED TO RECHARGE TO A QUARTER STRENGTH ON THE DASHBOARD; STARTED TO DRIVE AGAIN AND CAR JERKED TWICE WITHOUT BEING ABLE TO ACCELERATE MORE THAN 30 MILES/HR AND EVENTUALLY HAD TO STOP THE CAR ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE ENGINE WOULD NOT START AGAIN AND SAME WARNING ON MY DASH. AFTER BEING TOWED TO THE DEALER AGAIN, THE TECH COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE CASE; SUSPECTED THE COMPUTER SYSTEM PROBLEM AND CHANGED BMS CONTROL MODULE.4 FEB 2014: SIMILAR SITUATION. HYBRID BATTERY WOULD NOT CHARGE MORE THAN 1-QUARTER AND THE CAR WOULD NOT ACCELERATE MORE THAN 35 M/HR OBTAINED A CASE NUMBER FROM HYUNDAI AND IDENTIFIED A POSSIBLE PROBLEM OF THE HYBRID BATTERY BY THE ENGINEER. NEW HYBRID BATTERY WAS INSTALLED.14 FEB 2014: STARTED THE CAR, THE MAIN SCREEN SHOWED DISCHARGE WARNING FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN THE CAR RUNS NORMAL. TURNED OFF THE CAR AND TRIED TO RESTART, THE ENGINE WOULDN'T START. AFTER A COUPLE HOURS, THE CAR SEEMS TO RUNNING NORMAL

Structure › Body
Filed Feb 1, 20144,033 milesGA

I WAS TRAVELING HOME RETURNING FROM A DOCTORS VISIT AND PULLED INTO A RESTAURANT. WHEN BACKING OUT OF THE PARKING LOT I HEARD A SCRAPE OR DRAG UNDER THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL. I STRAIGHTENED THE WHEELS AND LEFT THE PARKING LOT. I TRAVELED A SHORT DISTANCE AND HEARD THE NOISE AGAIN. I STOPPED AND LOOKED AT THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL AND UNDER THE FENDER. I FOUND THAT A PIECE OF THE PLASTIC UNDERCOVER UNDER THE WHEEL WELL HAD COME LOOSE AND WAS DRAGGING AND PULLED LOOSE. I LOOKED AGAIN AND THE COMPLETE UNDERSIDE PLASTIC MATERIAL OF THE FENDER WELL WAS LOOSE AND THE FENDER HAD SEPARATED FROM THE BUMPER. I ALIGNED THE PIECES UP AND DROVE TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER IN MCDONOUGH, GEORGIA. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT TOLD ME THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THEY SAID HYUNDAI WOULD NOT COVER THIS UNDER THEIR WARRANTY. I QUESTIONED THIS BECAUSE MY WIFE AND I DRIVE THE VEHICLE AND IT HAD NOT BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT. THEIR ONE (1) MECHANIC TOLD THE SERVICE MANAGER THAT IT HAD TO GO TO THE BODY SHOP AS HE COULD NOT REPAIR IT. THE SERVICE MANAGER ALSO SAID THE CAR HAD BEEN HIT IN THE RIGHT FRONT. I QUESTIONED THIS AND HE SAID EVEN A SHOPPING CART IN A PARKING LOT COULD HIT THE FENDER AND CAUSE THE DAMAGE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE BODY SHOP AND THE SUPERVISOR SAID THE VEHICLE WAS NOT IN AN ACCIDENT. THE FENDER AND BUMPER HAD NO SCRATCHES OR ANY OUTWARD SIGNS OF WHERE IT HAD BEEN HIT. HE SAID THE VEHICLE FENDER AND BUMPER CLIPS THAT HOLD THE FENDER TO THE BUMPER TOGETHER HAD SEPARATED AND BROKE AND LET TH

Service BrakesCrash
Filed Dec 31, 20139,000 milesNJ

I WAS PARKING THE CAR (AFTER TURNING AROUND AND REVERSING) AND AS I APPLIED THE BRAKES TO EASE INTO THE PARKING SPOT THE BRAKES AND CAR JUST STOPPED FUNCTIONING. I DEPRESSED THE BRAKES FURTHER AND ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSE. THE CAR MOVED FORWARD AT A SLOW SPEED AND WENT UP THE CURB, TOPPLED A SMALL TREE AND KNOCKED A PARKING KIOSK OVER ON THE SIDEWALK. FORTUNATELY IT WAS 8:10 AM SO NOBODY WAS WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK. AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. SOME DAMAGE FROM THE METAL KIOSK AND TIE ROD BROKEN FROM CURB. VERY DISCONCERTING THAT I LOST COMPLETE BRAKE POWER. COULD DO NOTHING AS THE CAR JUST CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD UNTIL AN OBJECT CAUSED IT TO STOP. NO CONFIDENCE IN THE CAR..... *TR

Electrical System › Instrument Cluster/Panel
Filed Nov 11, 201330 milesOR

THE 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID'S SPEEDOMETER REPORTS 5 MPH LESSER THAN THE ACTUAL SPEED. I HAVE TESTED THE SPEEDOMETER AGAINST 3 DIFFERENT RADARS THAT ARE PART OF SOME OF THE SPEED SIGNS IN OREGON. I FIRST REALIZED THIS WHEN I FELT I WAS TRAVELING FASTER THAN WHAT THE SPEEDOMETER REPORTED. *TR

Steering
Filed Nov 5, 201350 milesTX

VEHICLE DRIFTS FROM ONE SIDE TO THE OTHER. WILL NOT DRIVE STRAIGHT, IT PULLS TO THE RIGHT OR LEFT NEEDING CONSTANT ADJUSTMENT OF THE STEERING WHEEL. TWO ATTEMPTS HAVE BEEN MADE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BY THE DEALER WITH NO DEFINITIVE RESULTS. THIS MAKES FOR TIRESOME AND HAZARDOUS DRIVING. *TR

Vehicle Speed Control
Filed Oct 29, 2013300 milesFL

WHEN STOPPING AT A RED LIGHT OR A STOP SIGN OR GOING UP A SLIGHT DRIVEWAY THERE IS A LOSS OF POWER WHEN YOU APPLY THE GAS FOR A FEW SECONDS, AND THEN THE CAR SURGES. WE WERE STOPPED BEHIND A CAR AND WHEN WE WENT TO DRIVE AROUND THEM THE CAR WOULD ONLY GO APPROX 1 MPH WITH THE GAS PEDAL FLAT ON THE FLOOR, THEN THE CAR SURGES. THEN AT OTHER TIMES THERE ARE NO PROBLEMS. THE DEALERSHIP IS TRYING TO TELL ME WE ARE DRIVING WITH ONE FOOT ON THE BRAKE AND ONE FOOT ON THE GAS. I DO NOT USE MY LEFT FOOT FOR THE BRAKE. I TRIED TAKING THE CAR OUT OF BLUE MODE BUT STILL HAD THE PROBLEM. *TR

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

Full record for the 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid → · Every Sonata Hybrid year → · How the figures are calculated →