FaultScore

2023 Hyundai Sonata driver assist problems

14 of the 140 complaints about the 2023 Hyundai Sonata are about the driver-assist systems — 10% of everything reported for this model year.

F

14

Complaints

4

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

Exactly what failed

Automatic Emergency Braking 4 28.6%
Warnings 3 21.4%
Adaptive Cruise Control 2 14.3%
Warnings 2 14.3%
Blind Spot Detection 1 7.1%
Rearview System Braking 1 7.1%
Warning 1 7.1%

Driver Assist & Collision Avoidance across every Hyundai Sonata year

2012 11 8.3%
2015 21 15.8%
2016 12 9.0%
2018 14 10.5%
2020 21 15.8%
2021 11 8.3%
2022 15 11.3%
2023 14 10.5%
2024 14 10.5%

What owners said

Filed with NHTSA, in their own words.

Oro Valley, AZ Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

Reported this previously, but more information was gathered, thanks to collision mechanic who guessed immediately when he heard 2023 hybrid Sonata - he said "they're notorious for it." Was at a stand still in a parking space/lot I know well. Cautious driver, watch my speed, very aware of other drivers, quick reaction time. Incident mid day, no pedestrians, distractions, no moving traffic. Vehicle doors shut, seat belt on. Not on incline. Pulled into parking spot I use weekly, spot has parking curb. Was at a full stop. Realized I had not pulled into the spot quite far enough, and attempted to inch vehicle forward. (Do not recall any warning lights, but this car usually alerts at literally anything - even shadows.) Very lightly applied gas to inch forward, slowly. Felt slight "scrape" of undercarriage on the parking curb. Put car in reverse, lightly applied gas to inch back. Car did not rev, no screeching tires, it was at a standstill previously. Was in Eco mode. All seemed normal, until vehicle suddenly launched UP the parking curb, full force, and into a building pillar directly ahead. The car never moves with that much force, I'm not a pedal-to-the metal driver. Eco mode on. No airbag deployment, injuries, etc. Sheriff took report for the building, simple incident. I couldn't make sense of it. I know how overly cautious I am while parking, what I do, and don't do. Took responsibility, but was still analyzing a week later, and explained what I remembered to the mechanic. He guessed right away. Said Sonatas were notorious for it. He said they're known for randomly applying the ebrake unexpectedly - and also randomly releasing the ebrake - and aggressively (and silently) switching from electric to gas when met with resistance, aka the parking curb. Insurance totalled the car. 2.5 years old, 17k miles. This was my 3rd Hyundai in 20 years, others were great. Discovered 40,000 Elantra hybrids, same year as my Sonata, were recalled due to "unintended acceleration."

NHTSA complaint #11724237 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Oro Valley, AZ Crash

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Reported this previously, but more information was gathered, thanks to collision mechanic who guessed immediately when he heard 2023 hybrid Sonata - he said "they're notorious for it." Was at a stand still in a parking space/lot I know well. Cautious driver, watch my speed, very aware of other drivers, quick reaction time. Incident mid day, no pedestrians, distractions, no moving traffic. Vehicle doors shut, seat belt on. Not on incline. Pulled into parking spot I use weekly, spot has parking curb. Was at a full stop. Realized I had not pulled into the spot quite far enough, and attempted to inch vehicle forward. (Do not recall any warning lights, but this car usually alerts at literally anything - even shadows.) Very lightly applied gas to inch forward, slowly. Felt slight "scrape" of undercarriage on the parking curb. Put car in reverse, lightly applied gas to inch back. Car did not rev, no screeching tires, it was at a standstill previously. Was in Eco mode. All seemed normal, until vehicle suddenly launched UP the parking curb, full force, and into a building pillar directly ahead. The car never moves with that much force, I'm not a pedal-to-the metal driver. Eco mode on. No airbag deployment, injuries, etc. Sheriff took report for the building, simple incident. I couldn't make sense of it. I know how overly cautious I am while parking, what I do, and don't do. Took responsibility, but was still analyzing a week later, and explained what I remembered to the mechanic. He guessed right away. Said Sonatas were notorious for it. He said they're known for randomly applying the ebrake unexpectedly - and also randomly releasing the ebrake - and aggressively (and silently) switching from electric to gas when met with resistance, aka the parking curb. Insurance totalled the car. 2.5 years old, 17k miles. This was my 3rd Hyundai in 20 years, others were great. Discovered 40,000 Elantra hybrids, same year as my Sonata, were recalled due to "unintended acceleration."

NHTSA complaint #11724237 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Oro Valley, AZ Crash

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

Reported this previously, but more information was gathered, thanks to collision mechanic who guessed immediately when he heard 2023 hybrid Sonata - he said "they're notorious for it." Was at a stand still in a parking space/lot I know well. Cautious driver, watch my speed, very aware of other drivers, quick reaction time. Incident mid day, no pedestrians, distractions, no moving traffic. Vehicle doors shut, seat belt on. Not on incline. Pulled into parking spot I use weekly, spot has parking curb. Was at a full stop. Realized I had not pulled into the spot quite far enough, and attempted to inch vehicle forward. (Do not recall any warning lights, but this car usually alerts at literally anything - even shadows.) Very lightly applied gas to inch forward, slowly. Felt slight "scrape" of undercarriage on the parking curb. Put car in reverse, lightly applied gas to inch back. Car did not rev, no screeching tires, it was at a standstill previously. Was in Eco mode. All seemed normal, until vehicle suddenly launched UP the parking curb, full force, and into a building pillar directly ahead. The car never moves with that much force, I'm not a pedal-to-the metal driver. Eco mode on. No airbag deployment, injuries, etc. Sheriff took report for the building, simple incident. I couldn't make sense of it. I know how overly cautious I am while parking, what I do, and don't do. Took responsibility, but was still analyzing a week later, and explained what I remembered to the mechanic. He guessed right away. Said Sonatas were notorious for it. He said they're known for randomly applying the ebrake unexpectedly - and also randomly releasing the ebrake - and aggressively (and silently) switching from electric to gas when met with resistance, aka the parking curb. Insurance totalled the car. 2.5 years old, 17k miles. This was my 3rd Hyundai in 20 years, others were great. Discovered 40,000 Elantra hybrids, same year as my Sonata, were recalled due to "unintended acceleration."

NHTSA complaint #11724237 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

oro Valley, AZ Crash

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

Car was parked, full stop, doors shut, seatbelt on. Foot on brake. Car then seemed to lurch forward by itself forward hitting parking cement block. Put in reverse to back away and car stayed still...then I tapped the gas again to back up and insted vehicle plowed forward.instead.of reverse ...went over the parking block and hit concrete beam in front, when the car should have backed up in reverse. I'm a person who drives speeed limits, and ulta careful when i drive, and parked at this place/spot for years. This has never happened not sure why it did. No injuries or other people involved thank god, but scared the heck out of me. Wracking my brain, my recalls and software and service appts are up ro date.Nothing out of ordinary that day. I'm confused and shaken, why the first lurch forward and why did going in reverse move it forward? ugh. It drove home fine. Commute to work daily for years, no issues. All I can guess is gear didn't click to reverse and was somehow in drive? Ive been going over the possibilities in my head for human error but they dont make sense - again I've been driving for 40 years. If it happens to other models, would love to know! Car will go to repair tomorrow as "my fault" via insurance, hoping they can see more if any error codes, to at least say if Reverse didn't engage or something else happened. May have been human error but it's so out of the ordinary for me. Thanks!

NHTSA complaint #11718993 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Snohomish, WA

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING

1. All safety features related to the back up camera, EPS, Traction Control, Lane Assist, Active Cruise Control, Automatic High Beam, Forward Collision Avoidance and more. 2. Loss of all safety features and then sudden restoration of EPS would cause swerve into oncoming lanes or into neighboring lanes and/or ditches. 3. Yes the problem has been reproduced, repeatedly in cold weather and while the dealership has had it in for repairs. 4. No, but the dealership has contacted the manufacturer for repair advice. 5. Yes, every time. I have photos of my dash with the indicating lights on. 10/2/23.

NHTSA complaint #11717413 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Falls Church, VA

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

I was driving into work on a major road (about 45 mph) when my 2023 Hyundai Sonata stopped accelerating and my engine gave out. Initially I thought I was accidentally pressing on my break pedal but when I realized I wasn’t pressing the break, I had just enough time to turn on my hazards and get out of traffic and onto the shoulder of the road. I was stuck between a main exit and the major road. My battery, oil, and engine lights came on (no service lights had been on prior to this incident) and my car was just very slowly rolling before it automatically engaged my parking break - which makes me fearful of what would have happened if I had still been in busy traffic. I could gotten very badly rear-ended. My car only has just over 5600 miles and I never had any issues with it before and kept up with the general maintenance. I attempted to restart my car to no avail and about 30 minutes later I was able to restart my car but there was a very strong vapor smell in the cabin of my car. I got my car towed to a dealership and was informed one of my fuel injectors was misfiring/gone bad - similar to many other incidents on this site. I asked the dealership if they were able to view the state of my other fuel injectors and was told they were unable to do that, so I am unsure if other fuel injectors will go bad in the future.

NHTSA complaint #11636585 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Colorado Springs, CO

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

During snow and icing conditions the forward collision radar in the logo gets covered up and becomes inoperable. This at the very time that we most need forward collision warning. It would helpful if there was electric deicing in the unit, much like the rear view side mirrors.

NHTSA complaint #11622850 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Pinson, AL

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

On 4 occasions in the last 4 months when I push the gas my cars rpm will go up but the car does not accelerate. This has happened twice on the interstate when trying to merge with trsffic and twice in city traffic, once when making a lefthand turn across oncoming traffic and once just driving down the road. I have taken the car to 2 separate dealerships for a total of 3 times and they drive it a few miles and tell me they can't duplicate the issue. I just picked my car up today after leaving it for 6 days. On my way home the emergency breaking system activated for no reason slowing my car down on the interstate. Both of these issues could get me or someone elas killed. I have not even had this car for 2 years and I am afraid to drive it. Please help. I know I am not the only person with this issue because I can see others on the internet who also have been told that the dealership can't dupe the problem. Even the dealership I just picked it up from said they had another car there with the same problem that they can't duplicate so there is nothing they can do.

NHTSA complaint #11619305 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Columbus, OH

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING

This is the 3rd time it happened to me. I was driving on the highway at speed 60-70 and a flash came across my dash that said emergency brake warning and my car started slowing down. I panicked and pulled over the road. The warning came on so fast and not even a min it stood on. It went off within 5 seconds. This is a safety hazard and can cause death when this happens. Please issue a recall for this to be fixed because this is dangerous to me and other drivers. I want my money back because this is the manufacturer defect or issue. They need to correct this before fatalities happen.

NHTSA complaint #11574876 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Jonesborough, TN

LANE DEPARTURE: BLIND SPOT DETECTION

Vehicle’s front collision sensor popped up on dash, vehicle lost all power. Almost was hit by a group a semi trucks hauling a wide load that wouldn’t have been able to stop in time. This is the 3rd time it has happened in a week and a half.

NHTSA complaint #11554293 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Jonesborough, TN

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

Vehicle’s front collision sensor popped up on dash, vehicle lost all power. Almost was hit by a group a semi trucks hauling a wide load that wouldn’t have been able to stop in time. This is the 3rd time it has happened in a week and a half.

NHTSA complaint #11554293 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Jonesborough, TN

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS

Forward Collision Warning appeared, vehicle lost power and would not accelerate. Vehicle kept loosing power. Multiple codes appeared. I am an ASE certified mechanic, so I went to my own business to get my scanner and there was a list of codes. Vehicle is currently at dealership and they are tracking down issues. Currently blaming an ECM but unsure. This is the second vehicle I have had this exact issue with. I have video that it won't allow me to upload of all the codes. I have a video of a previous issue, with a different vehicle. It's a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

NHTSA complaint #11554215 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Jonesborough, TN

BACK OVER PREVENTION: REARVIEW SYSTEM BRAKING

Forward Collision Warning appeared, vehicle lost power and would not accelerate. Vehicle kept loosing power. Multiple codes appeared. I am an ASE certified mechanic, so I went to my own business to get my scanner and there was a list of codes. Vehicle is currently at dealership and they are tracking down issues. Currently blaming an ECM but unsure. This is the second vehicle I have had this exact issue with. I have video that it won't allow me to upload of all the codes. I have a video of a previous issue, with a different vehicle. It's a 2023 Hyundai Santa Fe

NHTSA complaint #11554215 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Canyon Lake, TX

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

On a highway cruising at 70mph with the ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control ) on and following distance set at max a car from another lane turned into my lane and then continued to an off ramp. My car initially braked and then downshifted from 8th to maybe 4th and accelerated hard - scaring me and my passengers. I did add to the actions of the car by pressing the following distance button on the steering wheel a few times. I had owned a 2016 Sonata with ACC and drove over 100K miles with ACC operating. That is why i pressed the following distance button - to lessen the actions of the car when the car entered my lane. The 2016 also had a ACC setting of Fast, Normal, & Slow (I used normal). The 2023 has no ACC setting. I did complain to my dealer and he said this was normal and nothing happened. I feel this is dangerous so reported it to Hyundai Customer Service. They told me to go to my dealer.

NHTSA complaint #11497956 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

Other 2023 Hyundai Sonata problems

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