2011 Hyundai Sonata problems

ENGINE

The vehicle suffered an internal connecting rod bearing failure, a known manufacturing defect affecting the Theta II GDI engine. The failure was explicitly diagnosed via the manufacturer - specific OBD-II fault code p1326 Knock Sensor Detector System. This defect causes sudden engine stalling poses an immediate risk of catastrophic engine failure or fire while driving. Hyundai Motor America has denied financial reimbursement for the required engine repair because the work was completed by an independent shop and third-party arbitration deadline (BBB Auto Line) communicated to me. The manufacturer is actively refusing to remedy an acknowledged safety defect.

NHTSA complaint #11757692 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

On the freeway at night when headlights and back lights quit working. Got off freeway and were able to temporarily fix it. A few months later while parked in driveway and not in use for a couple of days, lights came on without our knowledge and drained our battery. Neighbor alerted us to the situation.

NHTSA complaint #11756748 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On the freeway at night when headlights and back lights quit working. Got off freeway and were able to temporarily fix it. A few months later while parked in driveway and not in use for a couple of days, lights came on without our knowledge and drained our battery. Neighbor alerted us to the situation.

NHTSA complaint #11756748 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

Intermittent and sudden loss of power steering nearly caused an accident for both of sons when each one was driving on two separate occasions this past week. "EPS" and traction control warning lights both illuminate on the dash when steering goes out. Sometimes the codes will clear themselves out after restarting the vehicle, but not always. Had it inspected by an independent service center and they cleared out the codes with their scanner. Steering worked fine for a few days afterwards, but then suddenly lost power steering again yesterday. It is very dangerous to drive and it is very unpredictable. I see that there was a recall for this issue for certain manufacture dates for 2011 Hyundai Sonata, but mine was not part of the recall. I believe that it should be part of that recall before someone dies or is injured.

NHTSA complaint #11755879 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

I test drove the vehicle at an auction, watched several other people test drive the vehicle. Before the auction I test drove it one more time and put my obd scan tool on it to make sure there were no hidden codes or problems. I won the bid,and picked up the vehicle. I drove it approximately 6 miles from the auction and the falshing engine light popped on. I immediately pulled over in heavy freeway traffic. Put my scan tool on it and found out the knock sensor had triggered. The vehicle was shaking and making a terrible racket. It was inoperable in the worst possible spot on Highway 51 during rush hour traffic. I managed to slowing coast down the offramp and roll into a parking lot. I then called Purdy Hyundai and spoke with a service advisor and provided the VIN#. He (Vue Kue) informed me that the vehicle qualified for the recall and warranty work based on exactly that issue. I had the vehicle towed to the Purdy dealership on July 8th 2026. I was told today that it was unlikely that Hyundai would honor the recall because I did not have service records of a vehicle I had owned for 6 miles of driving. I filed a complaint with Hyundai corporate. Claim#43010067 and awaiting the reconciliation of this situation. Of which they appear to to be avoiding.

NHTSA complaint #11752063 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

I test drove the vehicle at an auction, watched several other people test drive the vehicle. Before the auction I test drove it one more time and put my obd scan tool on it to make sure there were no hidden codes or problems. I won the bid,and picked up the vehicle. I drove it approximately 6 miles from the auction and the falshing engine light popped on. I immediately pulled over in heavy freeway traffic. Put my scan tool on it and found out the knock sensor had triggered. The vehicle was shaking and making a terrible racket. It was inoperable in the worst possible spot on Highway 51 during rush hour traffic. I managed to slowing coast down the offramp and roll into a parking lot. I then called Purdy Hyundai and spoke with a service advisor and provided the VIN#. He (Vue Kue) informed me that the vehicle qualified for the recall and warranty work based on exactly that issue. I had the vehicle towed to the Purdy dealership on July 8th 2026. I was told today that it was unlikely that Hyundai would honor the recall because I did not have service records of a vehicle I had owned for 6 miles of driving. I filed a complaint with Hyundai corporate. Claim#43010067 and awaiting the reconciliation of this situation. Of which they appear to to be avoiding.

NHTSA complaint #11752063 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

AIR BAGS

I purchased fgis car from a used car dealership, for over $6,000.00 , which is not a ton of money, but plenty enough to not have instant issues. Since my purchase in june 30, 2026, i have already had all of these issues occur. There is white smoke coming from the left tail pipe, it is sluggish when you push on the gas, there is black soot constantly on my rims that is extreamly hard to remove, the high pressure fuel pump jas failed, I can tell because the oil is higher then it was when o had the oil freshly changed, and it smells of gasoline.inside the oil. The exhaust has stron smell of gasoline. My steering wheel has a loud clinking noise everytime I go over a speed bump on pull into my driveway. Just so many items consistently needing repair or replacement, even though I just had the fuel system cleaned, the oil changed, and filters, and.oil filter too. I checked to see if any of my issues are covered by a recall warranty, because they all are recalled items for my car year, make, and model, but apparently Hyunfai is only covering these dangerous recall items for ul to 10 years. These items shkuld be covered longer, because my carfax states that at least one of these recalled items had already been changed in 2018, and is already broken again!! Hyundai should have covered these extreamly high wear out car parts for a longer period of time, or for the life of the vehicle, if every 5 years your replacing a $1000.00 part, not including labor, like the (HPFP) I was quoted by auto zone for over that price point!! "Ridiculous"! Another item is the air bag cover on the driver side windows area, of the body frame it is loose and keeps un-clipping, i am afraid that it is going to possibly just go off and kill me or something!! Very disappointed right now, that i cannot get any of these recalled items replaced by the manufacturer!!

NHTSA complaint #11751926 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

STEERING

I purchased fgis car from a used car dealership, for over $6,000.00 , which is not a ton of money, but plenty enough to not have instant issues. Since my purchase in june 30, 2026, i have already had all of these issues occur. There is white smoke coming from the left tail pipe, it is sluggish when you push on the gas, there is black soot constantly on my rims that is extreamly hard to remove, the high pressure fuel pump jas failed, I can tell because the oil is higher then it was when o had the oil freshly changed, and it smells of gasoline.inside the oil. The exhaust has stron smell of gasoline. My steering wheel has a loud clinking noise everytime I go over a speed bump on pull into my driveway. Just so many items consistently needing repair or replacement, even though I just had the fuel system cleaned, the oil changed, and filters, and.oil filter too. I checked to see if any of my issues are covered by a recall warranty, because they all are recalled items for my car year, make, and model, but apparently Hyunfai is only covering these dangerous recall items for ul to 10 years. These items shkuld be covered longer, because my carfax states that at least one of these recalled items had already been changed in 2018, and is already broken again!! Hyundai should have covered these extreamly high wear out car parts for a longer period of time, or for the life of the vehicle, if every 5 years your replacing a $1000.00 part, not including labor, like the (HPFP) I was quoted by auto zone for over that price point!! "Ridiculous"! Another item is the air bag cover on the driver side windows area, of the body frame it is loose and keeps un-clipping, i am afraid that it is going to possibly just go off and kill me or something!! Very disappointed right now, that i cannot get any of these recalled items replaced by the manufacturer!!

NHTSA complaint #11751926 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

I purchased fgis car from a used car dealership, for over $6,000.00 , which is not a ton of money, but plenty enough to not have instant issues. Since my purchase in june 30, 2026, i have already had all of these issues occur. There is white smoke coming from the left tail pipe, it is sluggish when you push on the gas, there is black soot constantly on my rims that is extreamly hard to remove, the high pressure fuel pump jas failed, I can tell because the oil is higher then it was when o had the oil freshly changed, and it smells of gasoline.inside the oil. The exhaust has stron smell of gasoline. My steering wheel has a loud clinking noise everytime I go over a speed bump on pull into my driveway. Just so many items consistently needing repair or replacement, even though I just had the fuel system cleaned, the oil changed, and filters, and.oil filter too. I checked to see if any of my issues are covered by a recall warranty, because they all are recalled items for my car year, make, and model, but apparently Hyunfai is only covering these dangerous recall items for ul to 10 years. These items shkuld be covered longer, because my carfax states that at least one of these recalled items had already been changed in 2018, and is already broken again!! Hyundai should have covered these extreamly high wear out car parts for a longer period of time, or for the life of the vehicle, if every 5 years your replacing a $1000.00 part, not including labor, like the (HPFP) I was quoted by auto zone for over that price point!! "Ridiculous"! Another item is the air bag cover on the driver side windows area, of the body frame it is loose and keeps un-clipping, i am afraid that it is going to possibly just go off and kill me or something!! Very disappointed right now, that i cannot get any of these recalled items replaced by the manufacturer!!

NHTSA complaint #11751926 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

Rod bearing issue due to particles in engine causing engine to not accelerate as normal and jerk when goes over 10 MPH can’t exceed 50 miles causing safety issues and knocking/clicking noise took it to Hyundai and was informed it is apart of the recall but wont replace engine my vehicle has ALL the same issues as the Hyundai recall but my VIN isn’t registered on the site for recall on carfax it shows a pattern of the previous owners being car in for maintenance and engine issues but engine never being replace under recall

NHTSA complaint #11747821 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Once again I am having to replace a bulb for my vehicle. This will be the second time in 3 months I have had to replace my rear blinker bulb. Not including the 4-5 times per year I have to replace headlight bulbs. This time the wiring has melted and the bulb has nearly melted the lens cover. I only buy the exact OEM recommended bulb every time. Nothing fancy. Just the basic old school bulbs. Every year model around mine has been recalled for this exact issue.

NHTSA complaint #11746555 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Randomly all controls on my steering wheel (I.e. cruise control, volume for sound, Bluetooth phone controls etc) just stopped working. Now I cannot control the radio, phone or even toggle to see mpg, mileage driven, use cruise control etc. I read there was an extended warranty regarding this issue and my vehicle was or is affected. However it has since expired and upon contacting local dealership they did not even have the parts for that recall.

NHTSA complaint #11746557 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

Randomly all controls on my steering wheel (I.e. cruise control, volume for sound, Bluetooth phone controls etc) just stopped working. Now I cannot control the radio, phone or even toggle to see mpg, mileage driven, use cruise control etc. I read there was an extended warranty regarding this issue and my vehicle was or is affected. However it has since expired and upon contacting local dealership they did not even have the parts for that recall.

NHTSA complaint #11746557 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

AIR BAGS

The clock spring went bad causing failure of horn and all buttons on the steering wheel including cruise control. It also caused the airbag light to illuminate.

NHTSA complaint #11745397 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

The clock spring went bad causing failure of horn and all buttons on the steering wheel including cruise control. It also caused the airbag light to illuminate.

NHTSA complaint #11745397 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

The clock spring went bad causing failure of horn and all buttons on the steering wheel including cruise control. It also caused the airbag light to illuminate.

NHTSA complaint #11745397 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

My 2011 Hyundai Sonata (VIN [XXX] ) was brought to Gateway Hyundai in [XXX] for the mandatory P1326/KSDS engine recall inspection. I had a confirmed appointment on XXX at 7:30 AM. The dealership acknowledged the P1326 code and that the KSDS test was required.Instead of performing the recall, the dealership refused to inspect the vehicle. They contacted a third party who was not in possession of the vehicle and released the vehicle to that person without my authorization. The plates were removed and the vehicle was later sold without my consent. The recall was never performed and the engine defect was never inspected.This is a failure to perform a required safety recall and a violation of chain-of-custody procedures. A vehicle with a known engine failure risk was put back into public circulation without inspection. This creates a safety hazard for the public.I also suffered financial harm including $1,500 in towing, parts, labor, and storage fees. I have a signed tow invoice showing the VIN and the total amount paid.I am requesting that NHTSA investigate Gateway Hyundai’s handling of recall vehicles, review their authorization and release procedures, and take enforcement action if violations are found. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11740786 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

On my 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS, both rear tail lights have melted to the point that the lightbulbs cannot be extracted and the brake and tail lights no longer work. When I looked into this, I found out this is a common issue on 2011 Hyundai Sonatas. It is almost always caused by excessive heat from the standard incandescent bulbs, which damages the wiring harness and deforms the plastic housing. When I called the closest Hyundai dealer (in Chico, California), they told me the warranty had expired last year and that I should have received a notice about it after I obtained ownership of the car in March 2025 (a little over a year ago). However, I did not receive a notice about this. Since the tail lights do not work properly as a result of this problem, it is a safety issue as it could cause an accident. It should be a recall repair instead of a warranty that expires. My car is still well under the 200,000 mile limit that was set on the extended warranty, but they're refusing to honor that because of the warranty being expired.

NHTSA complaint #11738903 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

EXTERIOR LIGHTING

On my 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS, both rear tail lights have melted to the point that the lightbulbs cannot be extracted and the brake and tail lights no longer work. When I looked into this, I found out this is a common issue on 2011 Hyundai Sonatas. It is almost always caused by excessive heat from the standard incandescent bulbs, which damages the wiring harness and deforms the plastic housing. When I called the closest Hyundai dealer (in Chico, California), they told me the warranty had expired last year and that I should have received a notice about it after I obtained ownership of the car in March 2025 (a little over a year ago). However, I did not receive a notice about this. Since the tail lights do not work properly as a result of this problem, it is a safety issue as it could cause an accident. It should be a recall repair instead of a warranty that expires. My car is still well under the 200,000 mile limit that was set on the extended warranty, but they're refusing to honor that because of the warranty being expired.

NHTSA complaint #11738903 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On my 2011 Hyundai Sonata GLS, both rear tail lights have melted to the point that the lightbulbs cannot be extracted and the brake and tail lights no longer work. When I looked into this, I found out this is a common issue on 2011 Hyundai Sonatas. It is almost always caused by excessive heat from the standard incandescent bulbs, which damages the wiring harness and deforms the plastic housing. When I called the closest Hyundai dealer (in Chico, California), they told me the warranty had expired last year and that I should have received a notice about it after I obtained ownership of the car in March 2025 (a little over a year ago). However, I did not receive a notice about this. Since the tail lights do not work properly as a result of this problem, it is a safety issue as it could cause an accident. It should be a recall repair instead of a warranty that expires. My car is still well under the 200,000 mile limit that was set on the extended warranty, but they're refusing to honor that because of the warranty being expired.

NHTSA complaint #11738903 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

My 2013 Hyundai Sonata suffered engine failure consistent with Hyundai Theta II engine defects. The vehicle became inoperable/unsafe. Hyundai denied warranty coverage despite my maintenance records and documentation.

NHTSA complaint #11738819 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, the vehicle lost automotive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle failed to restart and had to be towed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 190,000.

NHTSA complaint #11734124 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.