25 of the
1,169 complaints filed about the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
are about the driver-assist systems —
100% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2021.
25
Complaints
100%
Share of all complaints
9
Crashes
0
Fires
Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance complaints by model year
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
I was driving through a high school pick-up line where traffic was moving slowly. My vehicle was operating on adaptive cruise control, and I had my foot resting on the brake in case I needed to stop. A woman was about to cross the street, so I tapped the brakes. The vehicle did not slow down as it should have and instead began accelerating. I immediately pressed down on the brakes as hard as I could, but the vehicle continued accelerating and did not respond to my braking. There were vehicles stopped in front of me, so I attempted to steer around the vehicle directly in front of me to avoid a direct collision. The vehicle continued forward and collided with two other vehicles before coming to a stop after striking a wall. Based on what I experienced, both the adaptive/assistive cruise control and the vehicle’s braking response failed during this incident. Prior to the incident, the vehicle had been operating normally, with no warning lights, error messages, or other symptoms indicating a problem. Police and paramedics responded to the scene. I was not issued a citation. A police report was completed, and my insurance company, dealership, and lien holder have been notified. There were multiple witnesses to the incident. The vehicle remains available for inspection at the tow yard listed above.
NHTSA complaint #11760790 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving through a high school pick-up line where traffic was moving slowly. My vehicle was operating on adaptive cruise control, and I had my foot resting on the brake in case I needed to stop. A woman was about to cross the street, so I tapped the brakes. The vehicle did not slow down as it should have and instead began accelerating. I immediately pressed down on the brakes as hard as I could, but the vehicle continued accelerating and did not respond to my braking. There were vehicles stopped in front of me, so I attempted to steer around the vehicle directly in front of me to avoid a direct collision. The vehicle continued forward and collided with two other vehicles before coming to a stop after striking a wall. Based on what I experienced, both the adaptive/assistive cruise control and the vehicle’s braking response failed during this incident. Prior to the incident, the vehicle had been operating normally, with no warning lights, error messages, or other symptoms indicating a problem. Police and paramedics responded to the scene. I was not issued a citation. A police report was completed, and my insurance company, dealership, and lien holder have been notified. There were multiple witnesses to the incident. The vehicle remains available for inspection at the tow yard listed above.
NHTSA complaint #11760790 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle’s ABS system is engaging autonomously, causing the car to brake without any driver input. The dealer stated it was: BRAKE ACTUATION UNIT AND HYDRAULIC POWER UNIT BLEEDING AND PROGRAMING
NHTSA complaint #11744888 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On [XXX] while entering 2 car garage with no other cars in garage, the subject vehicle which is a HEV, changed from the electric drive mode to gasoline mode at the garage door and driveway apex. Immediately, the vehicle uncommandedly surged forward from approximately 1mph. The vehicle impacted a large refrigerator and small table causing severe front end damage. No airbags deployed and I was not injured. Although, my neck is sore from whiplash. Seatbelts were employed and vehicle was being operated at less than 1mph, standard for entering a two car garage. There were no warnings, lights, or sounds from the multi function display or any system emergency braking applied immediately before the collision.Just a violent surge forward that I could not quickly apply the brakes to avoid this collision. It is my feeling something electronic failed to operate or was unable to understand the driving environment at the time of impact. The change in driving mode from electric to gasoline was very abrupt and instantly resulted in the surge forward with no concern for what was a potential collision hazard ahead. Severe damage was done to front end only. Resulting in a very high repair cost and may likely result in the vehicle being considered a "total loss". This is currently ongoing with insurance and collision repair facility. Unresolved currently. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11707734 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On [XXX] while entering 2 car garage with no other cars in garage, the subject vehicle which is a HEV, changed from the electric drive mode to gasoline mode at the garage door and driveway apex. Immediately, the vehicle uncommandedly surged forward from approximately 1mph. The vehicle impacted a large refrigerator and small table causing severe front end damage. No airbags deployed and I was not injured. Although, my neck is sore from whiplash. Seatbelts were employed and vehicle was being operated at less than 1mph, standard for entering a two car garage. There were no warnings, lights, or sounds from the multi function display or any system emergency braking applied immediately before the collision.Just a violent surge forward that I could not quickly apply the brakes to avoid this collision. It is my feeling something electronic failed to operate or was unable to understand the driving environment at the time of impact. The change in driving mode from electric to gasoline was very abrupt and instantly resulted in the surge forward with no concern for what was a potential collision hazard ahead. Severe damage was done to front end only. Resulting in a very high repair cost and may likely result in the vehicle being considered a "total loss". This is currently ongoing with insurance and collision repair facility. Unresolved currently. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11707734 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On [XXX] while entering 2 car garage with no other cars in garage, the subject vehicle which is a HEV, changed from the electric drive mode to gasoline mode at the garage door and driveway apex. Immediately, the vehicle uncommandedly surged forward from approximately 1mph. The vehicle impacted a large refrigerator and small table causing severe front end damage. No airbags deployed and I was not injured. Although, my neck is sore from whiplash. Seatbelts were employed and vehicle was being operated at less than 1mph, standard for entering a two car garage. There were no warnings, lights, or sounds from the multi function display or any system emergency braking applied immediately before the collision.Just a violent surge forward that I could not quickly apply the brakes to avoid this collision. It is my feeling something electronic failed to operate or was unable to understand the driving environment at the time of impact. The change in driving mode from electric to gasoline was very abrupt and instantly resulted in the surge forward with no concern for what was a potential collision hazard ahead. Severe damage was done to front end only. Resulting in a very high repair cost and may likely result in the vehicle being considered a "total loss". This is currently ongoing with insurance and collision repair facility. Unresolved currently. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11707734 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The emergency rear collision detection system is able to be turned off, but automatically turns on when the car starts. There are situations where the car detects an object and it prevents me from reversing. I disabled this because I use my eyes and have accepted the risk of running into something. I had to move in a hurry two days ago, I tried to reverse out of the way, but the car prevented this when I thought I had already shut it off. Meanwhile I'm getting screamed at to move while I fumble through menus just so I can drive the car I bought. This is dangerous to have automatically on everytime the car starts.
NHTSA complaint #11689140 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The dash warning "Consider Taking A Break" fires off randomly. This is a distraction as when I'm in traffic, driving well within my lane, no sudden changes, it will alert and I look down as I assume there may be a more serious problem. It takes my attention from the road often. This feature cannot be disabled. I've contacted the manufacturer and the local dealership. The local dealership suggested that there is a way to do it but they cannot tell me as it could be a liability. I don't see how it would be a liability as it is me doing the disabling. If anything that could be corrected with a statement I'd need to click stating I know the added risk of disabling this or something. It's annoying and at worst, may cause an accident as it pulls the driver's attention from the road. I'm hesitant to let anyone else drive the vehicle as they may be less prepared for the warning and may cause confusion as they try to determine what it is.
NHTSA complaint #11666576 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
On three separate occasions, while going very fast (60-78 mph), the automatic emergency braking system turns on. The warning lights flash and there is some type of warning noise. I don't even know if it starts to break because it scares me so much, I just press the gas. It turns off within a couple of seconds, but that is not the point. If I didn't react so fast, I am unsure of what could actually happen.
NHTSA complaint #11627928 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving on the highway, the car loss. The dashboard noted the Blindspot Detention System failed and the dash noted "Hybrid System Warning. Turn off Engine." The vehicle was towed to the dealership. They confirmed a Knock System Sensor had to be replaced. Less than a month after the repair, the same issue occurred on the highway again and the vehicle was towed to the dealership. Vehicle has been at the dealership for over 2 weeks and dealership has confirmed they haven't been able to accurately diagnosis the problem yet. Both incidents have occurred after the dealership addressed the recall campaign related to the engine.
NHTSA complaint #11607700 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My car randomly engaged emergency brakes while driving 70+ mph on the highway with no cars nearby. It almost came to a complete stop but i was able to accelerate again. it was not acting as a safety features because there was not a car close to my front. I am concerned if it happens again i could get in a crash and rear ended. The dealership does not seem concerned
NHTSA complaint #11591510 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The Hyundai Sonata was brought to a stop in a parking lot. When the driver went to put it in park, the vehicle accelerated across the parking lot and smashed into a solid wall. The driver broke her right ankle from standing on the brake pedal. The brakes were ineffective at stopping the vehicle. The collision avoidance system failed to activate or warn of the impending collision. The driver and passenger were severely injured and the car is considered a total loss. There were numerous other injuries sustained. No one outside of the vehicle was injured.
NHTSA complaint #11575678 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving on the freeway and my car lost all power. My indicator dash board flashed lights and a loud beeping sound. The warning lights flashed to check my hybrid system and turn engine off, HEV. My car immediately lost power and turned off. I was on the freeway, I almost got into an accident, cars were honking at me. My vehicle was towed by my insurance company. I receieved a phone call from the service advisor today, he informed me that I need an electical water pump and the cost quoted to me is $1908.00. When I complained to the advisor he told me that water pumps only last 3-5 years. I told him that my previous car was a 2013 Sonata and sold it with 100,000 miles and I never had water pump issues. My online research discovered that this has been a recurrent issue with 2018 Sonata's.
NHTSA complaint #11564994 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle has been turning completely off after use for over a year now. At first it would happen every now and then at the beginning and all you'd have to do was restart the car manually. Now every time the car is turned off it needs to be restarted manually now. The car will also shut itself off while you are driving. It will tell you something is wrong and then won't let you get over 15-20 MPH. If you are on a neighborhood, it's less dangerous for this to happen where you can pull over and turn off the car and restart it. But I have seen other post that they've started to malfunction on the freeway and highways before. My car is a 2021, but recently I've seen 2023 models are doing this as well. I know some people on the internet have gotten their car fixed by replacing a back logged battery. It took some people over a year to get it diagnosed correctly and 6 more months to get a new battery. I assume this is also what is wrong with my vehicle. It is in the shop right now, but we have not gotten an answer back even htough it's been there for 10 days. The car app has also indicated that the car has not been turned on since we left it there.
NHTSA complaint #11560873 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
HEV WARNING TURN OFF ENGINE SIGN WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE MY CAR LOST POWER AND THE CAR BEHIND ME HAD TO SUDDENLY MOVE OVER THIS IS VERY UNSAFE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE
NHTSA complaint #11551358 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
As I was driving my dashboard lit up with warning lights and audible alarms indicating that I should inspect my regen brake. Safety features such as lane departure, lane assist, blind spot indicator stopped functioning and my speedometer did not work. I stopped the car and looked behind the front wheels and nothing looked “unusual”. I restarted the car and all of the alarms went off again, leaving me without a speedometer or the safety features mentioned above. I scheduled an appointment with my dealership explaining what had happened. They did a diagnostic test and determined that it was a faulty E Brake Module that needed to be replaced but is on back order with no parts available in the US to order. Furthermore they do not know when a replacement is available. They reset the sensors so that my safety features were restored. This is the second time within a 14 months of purchasing the brand new vehicle that electrical systems have needed to be replaced. The first time was a faulty wiring harness located in the trunk area that the dealership had said “must have been damaged during installation at the factory”. Again-when I driving at highway speeds suddenly the alarms and warning lights were triggered-leaving me without the same safety features, speedometer and power steering/brakes. The dealership was able to replace the wiring harness and the problem seemed to be resolved until this latest incident.
NHTSA complaint #11551216 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
As I was driving my dashboard lit up with warning lights and audible alarms indicating that I should inspect my regen brake. Safety features such as lane departure, lane assist, blind spot indicator stopped functioning and my speedometer did not work. I stopped the car and looked behind the front wheels and nothing looked “unusual”. I restarted the car and all of the alarms went off again, leaving me without a speedometer or the safety features mentioned above. I scheduled an appointment with my dealership explaining what had happened. They did a diagnostic test and determined that it was a faulty E Brake Module that needed to be replaced but is on back order with no parts available in the US to order. Furthermore they do not know when a replacement is available. They reset the sensors so that my safety features were restored. This is the second time within a 14 months of purchasing the brand new vehicle that electrical systems have needed to be replaced. The first time was a faulty wiring harness located in the trunk area that the dealership had said “must have been damaged during installation at the factory”. Again-when I driving at highway speeds suddenly the alarms and warning lights were triggered-leaving me without the same safety features, speedometer and power steering/brakes. The dealership was able to replace the wiring harness and the problem seemed to be resolved until this latest incident.
NHTSA complaint #11551216 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control failed as the first 2 activated when there were no oncoming collisions in front of me and the nearest cars around me were 1/4 of a mile away. The cruise control failed as it turned back on after the vehicle veered off the highway and into the rest stop. My safety and the safety of a lot of other people in the rest stop were put at risk because the system malfunction and tripped when no other cars were present that would have led to a collision. The vehicle led me off the highway into the rest stop where others could have been fatally hurt. I ended up with a shattered left foot that required a major reconstructive surgery to mend but the break will affect me the rest of my life, with more problems developing later on in life as well. No one inspected the vehicle or listened to what I had to say. No investigations were launched by insurance, the manufacturer or the police. If anything, insurance and the manufacturer seemed like they were in a hurry to dispose of the vehicle, urging me to release vehicle where it was sent to after the crash to one of insurance centers. The collision warning light came on and the vehicle responded by hard braking and veering to the right, then the cruise control turned back on and accelerated into the rest stop, first bouncing up the curb and onto the dirt, hitting a sign on the passenger side then bouncing off a tree on the driver side and finally T-boned a parked boat on a trailer head on. The vehicle was a total loss
NHTSA complaint #11508517 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control failed as the first 2 activated when there were no oncoming collisions in front of me and the nearest cars around me were 1/4 of a mile away. The cruise control failed as it turned back on after the vehicle veered off the highway and into the rest stop. My safety and the safety of a lot of other people in the rest stop were put at risk because the system malfunction and tripped when no other cars were present that would have led to a collision. The vehicle led me off the highway into the rest stop where others could have been fatally hurt. I ended up with a shattered left foot that required a major reconstructive surgery to mend but the break will affect me the rest of my life, with more problems developing later on in life as well. No one inspected the vehicle or listened to what I had to say. No investigations were launched by insurance, the manufacturer or the police. If anything, insurance and the manufacturer seemed like they were in a hurry to dispose of the vehicle, urging me to release vehicle where it was sent to after the crash to one of insurance centers. The collision warning light came on and the vehicle responded by hard braking and veering to the right, then the cruise control turned back on and accelerated into the rest stop, first bouncing up the curb and onto the dirt, hitting a sign on the passenger side then bouncing off a tree on the driver side and finally T-boned a parked boat on a trailer head on. The vehicle was a total loss
NHTSA complaint #11508517 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.