2011 Hyundai Sonata complaints

The ABS system has had a recall due to the potential for an engine fire. The initial recall was set on 9/22/23. Up until today (12/6/23) no action has been taken by the manufacturer but we are left without a car.

The contact owned a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH the battery warning light illuminated. The contact stated that white smoke was issuing from under the hood. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle, however, the pedal depressed to the floorboard, and the vehicle did not slow. The contact stated that he was able to stop after the engine had stalled. The contact exited the vehicle and observed that flames were issuing from under the front end. The contact stated that the fire department was called and when they arrived the fire had spread to the passenger compartment. The contact stated that the fire department extinguished the fire with water. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and the contact stated it was later declared a total loss by his insurance provider. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

My car is at the Hyundai dealership now for almost 3 months to get 14 recalls done and also there was a lawsuit a few years ago that the engine was getting still an oil into the engine. My car was affected by that I just bought the car in 2021 I did not know about it. I’m needing them to swap out the engine as well and it’s been almost 3 months And it’s all recalls that are supposed to be done with my car 14 of them including the engine and the engine is part of the settlement that was done a few years ago Number was ran and it was a part of it, and it had me select the dealership I and that’s where I chose for it to go and it was supposed to be switched out for free

Came completely apart and came out by the chest area

I was driving in the middle lane of the NJ parkway going 50mph and the car stalled. I was able to coast to the shoulder and have the car towed to my mechanic. Today I was information the engine is dead and I should contact the dealer. This a replacement engine as the first engine died while driving when the car had 70,000 miles. Hyundai replaced the engine but at 90,000 miles the replacement engine died. I'm wondering if you have reports of this happening. unfortunately the class action suit will not cover my 2011 Hyundai Sonata with 160,000 as it is over the years and mileage of the warranty. The warranty did not start at the time and mileage of the replacement engine but at the time of orginal purchase.

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 do

10/31/23 Car lost power on freeway. Dash lit up and stalled, I took picture brought to dealership. Could not find any issues or codes. 11/12/23 Driving on Pacific Coast Highway car started making knocking/ticking noise. Pull off to a side street and car hesitated and check engine light came on. Had it towed to dealership. Still waiting on assessment. Was told will take 2-3 days due to backlog. Clearly a known Engine issue dating back to recall campaign 132 Engine/inspection/replace. (I brought into dealership on 2/9/16 to perform checks on the 132 campaign - shows completed).

When I have my headlights turned on, and am driving my headlights flicker on and off. It mostly happens when I use the turn signal, but not always. sometimes it happens when I hit bumps. The headlights and the dash lights all go out when this happens, it usually lasts from 1 to 20 seconds at a time. I have taken it to my local garage(straight and clear) and they tested all electrical components and replaced the alternator and I still have the issue. They looked it up and determined that this is a known issue with the Hyundai Sonata, and one of the modules needs replaced in the steering column. This is a major safety issue because my headlights go out when driving and could cause and accident, and depending on the exact issue of the module it could cause a fire. There are no warning lights, just the lights go on and off. I will be getting the car repaired around November 9th 2023, because I need my car to be safe, and can submit my invoice at that time if this becomes a recall.

The contact's daughter owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 40 MPH, the engine seized. The contact's daughter was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the engine. The dealer informed the contact that the engine was replaced with a rebuilt engine. The contact stated while his daughter was driving 50 MPH, the vehicle shuddered, and the engine seized a second time at 96,000 miles. The contact's daughter was able to pull to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who informed the contact that there was no oil in the vehicle. The dealer performed an oil change on the vehicle, and the vehicle restarted. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The failure recurred a week later and there was no oil in the engine. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that there were metal shavings in the oil. Additionally, the mechanic informed the contact that the engine was not replaced but was rebuilt by the dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened; however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 61,000.

I started to get engine knocking noises about 6 months after the purchase of the used car. This knocking noise began to increase in frequency as I pressed my foot on the accelerator and the car would not accelerate when I pressed my foot on the gas pedal. Then the car would shut down in the middle of traffic. After waiting about 30 -45 mins, I would try to start the car again and would start and initially run as long as I drove less than 20 miles/hour the knocking noise level would decrease but if I went above 15 - 20 mph the car would shut down. The check engine light and engine oil light would come on. So I would check the engine oil level oil using the dip stick and it showed oil levels were ok. On October 10 2023 while driving to Walmart the engine turned off and would not start after waiting over 1 hour and I was stuck in the mall entrance road. A concerned driver with his passengers pushed the car to a Walmart parking spot where it is currently at. In addition, the traction light kept coming on and I paid the Hyundai dealership $2,800 to repair to keep the car from drifting to the left and to get the light off.

The contact owned a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, both her and her passenger smelled a burning odor inside the vehicle's cabin. The contact then noticed that flames were coming from the front end of the vehicle. The contact immediately pulled over and both her and her passenger exited the vehicle. As the contact waited for a fire truck, the vehicle burned to the ground. No injuries were reported and a police report was filed. The vehicle's remains were towed to an independent tow yard. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that her vehicle was apart of NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V934000(Engine, Fuel System, Gasoline). The vehicle was destroyed. The failure mileage was unknown.

My car had engine seized while driving on the road with no warning light prior nor other mechanical issues. When the engine seized, all mechanical powers are have lost power including brakes and power steering in which have almost caused a near accident at an early morning rushed hours. The vehicle's odometer reading at 120,836 and was up to date on all normal tune up performances. Other issues that have arise after purchasing the car are: warning light came on for airbag, real loud clunking sound on roof when hitting a bump on the road and engine will not start because of fuel line system issues. Cruise control had also stopped working after a year of purchased.

We bought this 2011 Hyundai Sonata from a local dealer in August 2021. The engine failed in March of 2022 (smoking and then died while my daughter was driving the car). We paid a local mechanic to replace the engine with another used engine, not knowing the engine issues associated with Hyundai Sonata models, specifically the 2011 year. The replaced engine died in July 2023, about 5 months later. The warranty we had on the replaced engine was denied to due to a heat tab melting. The first engine (to us, we do not know if was replaced during the 2016 recall) and now the replaced GDI engine have both died. The engine should not be on the market and we contacted the local Hyundai dealer to see if they could help us out. They denied service because we replaced the engine ourselves with another mechanic. This is a critical safety issue and Hyundai should be held responsible to get these engines off the market and reimburse customers for all expenses related to the repair or replacement of the engines regardless of where it was fixed. Now there is a new recall related to these engines https://apnews.com/article/hyundai-kia-engine-fire-recall-park-outside-93d012a52e7b884889cdaf2e6c22a458, where customers are being told to not park in structures due to fire hazard/risk. And I read recently that Hyundai has been slow to recall cars and fined by NHTSA for this very reason. Our model is not currently in an open recall, but it doesn't make sense that both engines failed...both GDI engine

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-40 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that cylinder #4 had failed causing the engine to seize. The engine was replaced with a used engine. The engine was replaced at approximately 109,000 miles. The contact stated that while driving for approximately 45 minutes, the contact noticed that the vehicle would not exceed 60 MPH. The check engine warning light started flashing. The contact continued to drive the vehicle to a rest stop. After being parked for a while and then restarting the vehicle, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle then failed to exceed 45 MPH. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine had seized due to a lack of engine oil. The contact stated that the engine oil had been changed approximately 2 weeks prior to the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000.

In July of 2022 the buttons on the steering wheel like cruise control trip/reset button as well as radio controls eventually all quit working did not become fully aware of this until I was on the interstate and was driving with the cruise control set and when I needed to turn off cruise control it wouldn't turn off by the steering wheel thankfully I know can hit the brakes and the car will shut it off however after this all happened the air bag light came on and stayed illuminated I called my dealer and they insisted that there was no recall on the CLOCK Spring in the steering wheel of my car and wanted me to pay out of pocket for an issue that they claim was non existint as well them also telling me all the recalls were taken care of when I purchased the vehicle in novemember of 2020 and im only the second owner had the car for 3 months and Hyundai stated that my vehicle had the knock sensor update and then a week later the motor went

Coupler in steering. Making loud clicking sounds and I was scared to drive car. I've contacted recalls I have a case number but get different answers. I just had it repaired a few days ago. Paid over $313. The service dept said they think it is the coupler because they had several complaints that week and sure enough they said it was the same thing . I believe it was a safety problem. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle had been consuming an abnormal amount of engine oil. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The failure was not duplicated and only noted as consuming unusual amounts of engine oil. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the check engine warning light was flashing off and on with a knocking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who installed a knock sensor to the engine, but the failure persisted. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 98,000.

Engine failed while on interstate at 65 miles per hour. Was almost rearended before I could coast it to the side of the road. Tried restarting it and engine began to smoke. Had it towed to a mechanic and then home. Mechanic stated that engine had seized. Received no warning lights before failure.

The contact owned a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that he sold the vehicle to a lady yesterday, and while the lady was driving with her daughter at an undisclosed speed at around 9:00 p.m., the vehicle stalled and the engine caught fire. No warning lights were illuminated. The fire department extinguished the fire. The vehicle was not towed. There were no injuries. No police report was filed. The vehicle was not deemed totaled by the insurance company. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.

2011 sonata se 2.0t door lock’s acting up won’t open or lock fuel smell in the car really strong and not measuring the gas keeps going up and down and at times I don’t even know if I have gas or not and when filling gas at the gas tank entrance where you fill up at won’t let me fill up gas keeps getting spit out when I’m filling and I have to keep clicking the gas gun and not put pressure have to fill it very slow

The brake lights stay on all the time, thus preventing vehicles behind mine from knowing if I'm actually stopping. Hence, they may stop without reason, and endanger drivers behind them. The manufacturer has likely known of this being an issue in Sonatas from, at least, 2007 through 2013 models. The manufacturer is putting the task of solving the problem (if that's even possible), upon a dealer. And, my trip to that (nearest) dealership (75 miles away) creates its own danger. The danger is added to by a pre-existing unsolved issue of the horn not functioning. As per the brake light issue, I've been to the dealership about it twice, and they weren't even aware that the brake light switch they think attaches to my car doesn't. So, I wonder if the manufacturer tried to address the issue in the middle of the 2011 model year, installed a different model switch and wiring on more newly built cars in that model year, and decided to ignore the owners of vehicles sold earlier in that model year. As for an additional related issue, unless I disconnect my battery when not in the car. the lights stay on and run down the battery. That can contribute to its own safety issue.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after the manufacturer performed Service Campaign 993 (Inspect & Anti-Theft Software Upgrade) the vehicle failed to shutoff as needed. Additionally, the alarm was activated while starting the vehicle. The contact disconnected the battery to shutoff the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where pliers were used to remove the key fob and a second key was used to restart the vehicle; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

My right brake light has melted my housing due to the bulb getting too hot and my cruise control suddenly stopped working one day the light comes on but when I go to hit the set button it doesn't set or activate

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine had seized and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

My brake lights constantly go out new bulbs don't work either...it sems to be a malfunction in the wiring for the lights. The seatbelt on driver side will not latch no matter what. All electrical has issues, dash will go in and out as well as radio and heating/ac lights.

Knocking from steering column indicating internal damage to electronic steering components of the steering column. Recommend replacing steering column. Reviewed by independent mechanic.

- Code P0304 Engine- Metallic debris have been detected upon inspection and it was declared that the debris have not been completely removed near the engine crankshaft this caused oil flow to be restricted through the connecting rod bearings, causing connecting rod damage, also there is a worn out connecting rod bearing causing this vehicle to have a loud knocking noise possible engine failure. Due to this Malfunction it caused the following Code - Code P0304- Vibrations indicating excessive connecting rod bearing wear.

My engine is stalling out. It shuts off while driving. And the engine oil lamp light keeps flicking on and off. Definitely something wrong with the engine.

On June 28th 2023, while driving on Route80-West near Parsippany, NJ my 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS seized on the highway. I was forced to veer to the shoulder as the oil light flashed on, followed by multiple lights flashing on with immediate engine failure. I waited almost 3 hours for a tow to arrive late night, where many vehicles continued to speed past dangeriously close to my seized car. Even with my hazard lights on, this is not a safe situation a driver should be in. Having an engine stall is especially dangerous when traveling highway speeds. I assumed my engine stalled due to the widely known recall issue that Hyundai Theta-2 are susceptible to. After having my Sonata towed to Towne Hyundai at Denville, NJ- they informed me that it was not a valid engine recall but that my oil completely drained, destroying my engine in the process. They said quote "the oil pan cap was not properly torqued, resulting in it falling off mid-drive. Your last mechanic probably did not tighten it, and after months of vehicle vibrations, it fell off". After speaking to my regular mechanic and gathering opinions of many others, nobody has seen an oil drain plug fall off on its own. My last oil change had been almost 2 months prior to the incident, only 1,400 miles driven since then. I also had my same mechanic fix a check engine light issue 2 weeks before the incident, where they again saw no oil leakage or notifiable issues. I did not hit any potholes or damage the underside, my dash cam foot

Power steering suddenly stopped working . Tried turning off engine and restarting with no success. No warning lights to indicate anything wrong. Took vehicle to repair garage to investigate. Still waiting for report.

EPS sensor indicator light comes on intermittently causes vehicle to lose power steering capabilities. independant repair shop can clear the code to restore, but remains a problem. we took vehicle to Hyndai dealership and was advised this vin number is not covered by recall 143. i believe this is a seroius safety issue. Dealership now wants $3108 to replace column and housing assembly and torque angle sensor harness not covered. vehicle was purchased 5/30/18 from another dealership and was told all recalls were addressed.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the power steering assist intermittently failed to operate as needed with the EPS (Electronic Power Steering) warning light illuminated. The vehicle was initially taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V190000 (Steering). The contact was referred to the dealer and was informed that the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The contact pushed the vehicle to the shoulder of the roadway and attempted to jumpstart the vehicle however, the vehicle failed to start. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to Service Campaign Number: 953 (Engine) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 143,000.

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!

I received a code through my ECM reading P1326 or a knock sensor code. They “diagnosed” my vehicle and gave it back to me after just replacing the knock sensor. After driving it for a week, the code came back and said it just needed an update. Then, the same thing happened, so they rediagnosed the vehicle and turns out there’s a hole in my engine but didn’t mark it under the recall warranty because the hole in my piston wasn’t due to a rod bearing issue. My problem is the Hyundai dealership giving me back a vehicle that is very unsafe to drive not once, but three separate times. For all I know, my engine could have seized any moment and the dealership wouldn’t have taken accountability for anything in regards to having to transport back and forth to their offices.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while his wife was driving 10-15 MPH, the vehicle jolted, and the transmission slipped into 1st and 2nd gear. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that his wife veered to the side of the road, shifted into neutral(N), and then shifted back into drive(D), and the vehicle responded as needed. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to tow the vehicle to their location because the vehicle was unsafe to drive. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

My Hyundai keeps jumping out of gear it's like the tray is sliding but it don't have one

On June 17, 2023, while during this car suddenly it started losing speed, pressing accelerator did not help. I stopped the car and restarted, it drove for another 400 yards and stopped again. I checked with my obd2 and it gave a code of misfiring third cylinder. Car had a recent replacement of engine under warranty by Parks Hyundai of Gainesville as previous engine had started smoking in 2011. My recent calls to the dealership did not result in any return call from them. Car is standing at my house for the past two weeks. I am really SCARED to drive this car. Also fed up with the dealership which does not care even to return my calls.

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.

My car caught on fire while I was driving it. I was put at risk of burning, and being struck by other vehicles as I exited the burning car. Warning lamps came on just as another motorist alerted me to flames coming out of my car. Fire Department and Highway Patrol responded. Police report was filed. Insurance has looked at the car and declared it a total loss. Engine was replaced 7 months ago, under a recall for the Theta II 2.4 engine

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.

Steering column rattles and shakes. Steering wheel makes slight clicking sounds when turning. Concerned that steering may fail. Many steering problems reported on this make and year but I see no recalls for my VIN.

Took vehicle in for recall due to check engine light flashing on March 26,2023 .Received a call from dealership that car was ready March 28,2023 upon driving home car overheats. Call dealership to relay problem was advised to bring vehicle back. Had vehicle towed back to dealership at my own expense. Two weeks later I get a call stating that it was the radiator and that they would fix it and get it back to me . Two weeks after not hearing from dealership I called do an update to my surprise now it the engine is bad. So I ask the service manager where do we go from here. He proceeds to tell me that it’s one of those things where the recall didn’t help but hurt my engine. Then he proceeds to say I would have to give the dealership $2,000 dollars to fix the problem they caused. So here we are 4 months in and I still do not have a vehicle nor do I know who is responsible for fixing it.

1) Fuel gauge readings are erratic, empty one minute then full the next then back to empty or in between regardless on actual fuel level. 2) Safety at risk if fuel pump malfunctions and gas gauge readings erratic. 3) Problem has been noted in numerous blogs, internet sites. 4) No open recalls yet this is a serious problem. 5) The only warning lights are fuel gauge flashes empty, but then goes away then comes back. 6) Cause per blogs is defective fuel sending gauge on fuel pump. Mileage at approximately 128k recurring issue, fuel pump failure possibly at high speeds could cause deaths if vehicle out of drivers control.

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

Engine stalled while merging onto interstate. Mechanic friend looked at motor and believed the motor seized even after motor recall was ok'ed, repaired.

My engine stop suddently and it wont start it seems like its stuck

Engine seized at 87337 miles today. Fuel gauge wrong. Left us stranded on the interstate for 3 hours. Couldn't get it off highyway without pushing. No warning or lights before engine blew. All fluid levels correct. Silver Rock and Carvana refuse repair.

My engine is knocking/tapping