126 of the
22,259 complaints filed about the Hyundai Sonata
are about the seats —
1% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2007.
The driver's power seat track master assembly (Part#88500-L0030) on my 2020 Hyundai Sonata suffered a catastrophic structural failure while operating. The black plastic bracket housing and aligning the electric drive motor fractured. This caused the motor to pull out of alignment, twisting the driver's seat violently sideways and permanently jamming the tracking rails. This is a chronic, repeat safety component failure on this specific VIN. The original factory seat track assembly suffered an identical mechanical failure and was replaced by warranty on 10/3/2023 at 46,369 miles. This second factory replacement unit failed in exactly the same manner on 8/13/2026 at 82,271 miles-lasting only 35,902 miles under normal operating conditions. I weigh 95 pounds. A driver's seat structurally shifting sideways dynamically presents an immediate, severe crash hazard. It instantly alters driver ergonomics, compromises the structural crash-anchoring performance of the seat frame, and potentially restricts pedal access to the brake and accelerator. The manufacturer is actively denying product liability by classifying internal structural breakages of shielded components beneath the cushion as user "damage" rather than an engineering or climate-related material defect. This tracking component must be formally investigated for systemic failure patterns to prevent accidents.
NHTSA complaint #11758369 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Car was taken to dealership for inspection. Upon inspection, it was determined that the fuel tank had expanded and pushed towards the heat shield, and expanded upward pushing up the back seats of vehicle. It was determined to not safe to drive. Manufacturer contacted me and offered a buyback. Upon their offer of a buyback, it was determined that I would owe the manufacturer approximately $2,000. I have requested that they fix it, and they have refused to give me the paperwork I requested about the car's condition and fixability. I am in the process of negotiating and am filing this complaint for the record.
NHTSA complaint #11753819 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The driver's power seat drive cable on the left-hand track rail snapped internally. The motor only advances the right side, causing the seat to twist violently to the left and jam. This mechanical failure occurred prematurely at 9,000 miles. Because the seat framework is structurally compromised and twisting out of alignment, it poses a severe occupant safety hazard in a collision. And interferes with positioning the seat to operate the vehicle safely. The dealer has inspected the complaint and was able to reproduce the complaint. But did not cover it under warranty. There where no warning signs before the premature failure.
NHTSA complaint #11753307 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving and all of a sudden the traction lights turned on and the sterring wheel is hard to turn. Almost go in a car accident. The windows just stopped working and the brakes light constantly keep getting burned out.
NHTSA complaint #11752817 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The vehicle’s fuel tank system failed catastrophically. The vehicle is currently grounded and has been inspected at the Hyundai dealership service center where it was towed. My safety and the safety of everyone on the road was put at extreme risk due to a severe fire and explosion hazard. Additionally, the defect caused the vehicle to suddenly lose power, sputter, and threaten to stall out while driving on a major interstate, creating an immediate risk of a high-speed rear-end collision. When attempting to add fuel, the pressurized tank forcefully spit gasoline back out of the filler neck, creating an active chemical and fire hazard at a public gas station. I was able to drive it home and called via Hyundai Roadside Assistance to have it towed to an authorized Hyundai dealership service department. On June 15th, 2026, the dealership service technicians officially confirmed the failure, stating that the fuel tank had expanded, the back floor base of the car was melting, and the vehicle was on the verge of exploding.
NHTSA complaint #11744661 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the fuel failed to go into the tank. The seat failed to move. The engine light illuminated. The vehicle stalled. While driving, the fuel gauge went from full to empty. The contact received the NHTSA Campaign Number: 25V796000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) after the failure. The vehicle was towed to the local where it was diagnosed that the fuel tank had expanded. The vehicle was repaired approximately eight months later. The contact called another local dealer. Ourisman Hyundai Bowie, 2404 Crain Hwy A, Bowie, MD 20716, who was unable to schedule an appointment. The manufacturer instructed the dealer to keep the vehicle due to it being a fire risk. The manufacturer was contacted regarding a buyback. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
NHTSA complaint #11736639 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The driver’s seat / passenger seat assembly, including seat rails, mounting brackets, and Smart Junction Box (SJB) connections if electrical adjustment was involved, completely failed during a crash. The seat lifted off the floor anchors and almost entirely came apart, including both the seat cushion (where you sit) and the backrest, leaving the occupant crushed within the collapsed seat structure, resulting in catastrophic injuries. During the crash, the seat collapsed and disassembled, exposing the occupant to extreme trauma. This caused: •Pelvic fracture •Broken femur, hip, and back •Collapsed lung and punctured liver •Foreign object from the seat mechanism punctured pelvic bone The failure directly contributed to life-threatening injuries that would not have occurred if the seat had remained securely anchored. The malfunction posed an immediate risk of death and permanent disability. Not yet reproduced under controlled conditions. The incident has been documented by police and medical personnel. The vehicle is currently in a tow yard, and we have not had access to it, but it remains available for inspection by Hyundai, NHTSA, or a qualified service center Police: Yes, crash scene documented. •Insurance: We are unsure whether the insurance company has inspected the seat. The vehicle remains in the tow yard and has not been repaired or altered. •Manufacturer (Hyundai): Not yet inspected; formal inspection requested. The vehicle and seat are preserved and ready for inspection by Hyundai, NHTSA, or other qualified representatives. There were no warning lamps, messages, or prior symptoms of seat failure. The seat functioned normally prior to the crash, and the malfunction occurred only during the impact, demonstrating a sudden and catastrophic failure under crash conditions.
NHTSA complaint #11712545 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My 202 Hyundai Sonata is involved in the current hyundai fuel system recall. on 10/26/25 the fuel tank expanded and caused three explosive "boom" sounds inside the vehicle while I was driving with passengers. The backseat began heating and rising upward due to fuel tank swelling. The tank became pressurized, hissing, bubbling, and would not accept fuel. The vehicle became inoperable. The car has now been at hyundai of camelback since 10/27/25 (30 days). Hyndai Corporate has repeatedly delayed providing a remedy and keeps telling me they "need another week". I have received no repair plan, and no decision. This violates the requirement for a timely recall remedy. The defect caused structural damage and created a serious safety hazard. "
NHTSA complaint #11702255 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The driver seat motor malfunctioned when pennies got jammed iin the unprotected/exposed seat tracks. Hyundai would not cover the warranty and charged me $2000.00 for repair. After complaining to the Hyundai National customer service they would not consider my point of contention that the unproteted/exposed tracks contributed to the failure. A professional mechanic stated that a fuse should have failed before the motor malfunctioned.
NHTSA complaint #11699648 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In early May 2025 while driving around 40mph, I heard a very loud pop which startled me. Pulled over and looked back and noticed my backseats were push up out of place. I attempted to put the seat back into place but it wouldn’t fit into the latch anymore. The framing underneath the seats looked pretty damaged so I took it to a local mechanic. After doing some research, he found information for a check valve/fuel tank recall (Service Campaign 9B1) and then advised me to go a Hyundai dealership. I attempted to take it to the dealership, whom sent me away after I advised them of what happened. I came back the next day asking them to take a look at while informing them about the recall that could be related. Later that evening, they called and said the issue was directly related to the recall and the repairs would be covered. My car was in their possession for from 5.12.25 to 7.25.25 without any updates or instructions on what is happening. I was told they’re waiting to hear back from Hyundai Manufacturer on how to proceed. They returned my car to me on 7.25.25 stating everything was repaired. On 7.31.25 they called me back stating my tank needs to be replaced and bring the car back asap. My car was again being repaired and was returned to me on 8.25.25. Now my vehicle will not start randomly sometimes. At this point, I’m under the impression my vehicle is no longer safe as all the issues I’ve been facing are fuel related.
NHTSA complaint #11684797 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The electrical in the entire car is malfunctioning. Sometimes the brake lights don’t work due to wiring, other times the seats control don’t work and the cables to battery is not connected/firing correctly. Has an entire electrical issue
NHTSA complaint #11676058 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the contact became aware that the frame on the front driver's seat was cracked. The contact inspected the seat. The contact lifted the cushion and became aware that the bolts were cracked. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 34,458.
NHTSA complaint #11653279 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
My wife and son experienced a terrible situation on the way home from training. They had to stop at the nearest gas station due to the vehicle showing extremely low gas in the tank during a short drive home. The fuel gauge initially showed about half a tank but drastically dropped on the way home. They stopped at a gas station to add fuel but during the process, fuel starting spewing out of the tank. The vehicle was scheduled to be dropped off at a later date for an open recall (service campaign 9B1). I called the dealership and told them I needed to get the vehicle in right away due to the incident. After bringing the vehicle to hyundai, they told me that the fuel tank exploded causing the tank to swell all the way around. Because the tank is located under the rear seat, we constantly heard air coming in due to the rear seat not seating properly. The check engine also was on and we smelled fuel while driving the vehicle. Hyundai representatives has been avoiding my calls to the point where I had to go in person for an update. Apparently, a district manager had to come inspect the vehicle to advise the dealership how to write up the request to send to corporate.
NHTSA complaint #11653291 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I had the check engine light come on about 4 times in my 2020 Hyundai Sonata 1.6L this year in 2024. I took the car to a technician to get looked at each time it came on. The codes and bulletins kept pointing to fuel system issues. Each time, every service tech said it was a small issue and claimed to fix the issues. The final time a tech seen it lifted the rear seat and found out that the gas tank expanded and the back seat buckled up. The backseat metal frame is bent and messed up. I was flagged down by several drivers ?that noticed gasoline leaking from my driverside rear. My child and I were in dang? er and had to pull on the side of a major highway and stay several hours until someone picked us up. The problem has been confirmed by the hyuandi service center. They said another vehicle experienced this same issue. I was in fear for my life and my child's life because it could have caught fire and/or exploded.
NHTSA complaint #11616071 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Hello, I have Hyundai Sonata 2023. The fuel tank of this car is expanded on [XXX]. I have never heard about this issue to any cars. I took my car to dealership they said they don’t know why this happened and they said they cannot fix it, my car at the dealership more than a month. I have created a case with Hyundai corporate office in CA, it’s been a month since this case was created and I could reach out to my case manager only twice for this period of time. They are keep saying they are working on it, but no results they don’t even look at my car. Today I barely could reach my case manager and she told me that this is not under warranty and I will need to fix it out of my pocket. When I bring the car to the dealership they told me this not under warranty since warranty was up to 60k miles, I have 90k I asked them to fix it and I will pay but they said they don’t know how to fix it. Today I have researched and found that this issue is really common among Kia K5 and Hyundai Sonata’s 2021 2024, I will provide a link here: [XXX] Please check this link and you can see that most of the cars fuel tanks are expanded and back seats popped up. I have same exact problem. Kia asked drivers to inspect the cars with this issue and they said they will fix it for free since this is fuel tank defect. But what should I do with my Hyundai Sonata. I have same exact issue as you see at the link I have provided. I had powertrain DTC PO451 since march of this year dealership said just check if gas cap is on properly, but this caused this issue I see Hyundai will not help me it will almost 2 month I don’t have my car and I am still paying for it, please let me know what I can do Thank you! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA complaint #11611733 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Took a trip to Nashville so I left Memphis Saturday morning hole on the road heading to Nashville I was at least 30 minutes fork the city my car began to jerk very bad suddenly my file light came on so I stopped at a gas station the file light came on telling me I needed gas the had was on the E but my mileage to e said 117miles. So I was like ok that’s weird after I put gas in my car I got back on the road my gas hand went from full to half way and I was not even on the road for 40 minutes so as we get closer to Nashville my car starts jerking very bad I hear a noise that sounded like a bag or a piece of paper being crumbled up I turn around to find my rear seat up in the air I knew it was not normal at all looks like it was a lot of pressure for the frame of a car to stand up like that I definitely knew something was wrong when that happened I instantly started to smell gas very loud smell of gas I then start to do my research and I see Kia’s and Hyundais are dealing with gas tank expansions so at this point I am scared for my life I’m in my car and I’m dealing with a issue like this. I instantly call my dealership and schedule to have my car towed to the dealership out in Nashville. They called me that Monday confirming the gas take had expanded and caused a significant amount of floor damage to my vehicle I am currently waiting trying to see what is Hyundai going to do about this issue that is my only transportation and having to deal with this then find another way back home has been very stressful and just to know that I could have lost my life in that car is even more traumatic
NHTSA complaint #11609395 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Fuel tank has expanded to the point that my vehicle is deemed not safe to drive. As pressure in the tank is unable to be stabilized. Only had the car for about 70 days since the date of purchase. Repairs are about $3900. In short as told by the dealership service department, my car could blow up at any time. This is not safe, at all.
NHTSA complaint #11607405 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
A week before my gas tank expanding I heard a loud popping noise. When driving from NC to DC, my gas tank refused to take gas and my car immediately went to empty. I was stranding on the highway and has my 2020 Hyundai towed to the Hyundai dealership in Chesterfield, VA. They told me that my gas tank expanded and my back seats had popped out of place.
NHTSA complaint #11597161 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.