Body problems of the 2009 Hyundai Sonata

22 problems related to body have been reported for the 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2009 Hyundai Sonata based on all problems reported for the 2009 Sonata.

1 Body problem

Failure Date: 02/18/2024

Vehicle sat in driveway for one week while on cruise. The day of return the Sonata caught on fire without any person touching the car for one week. Brother who’s house it was at was woken by neighbors at 7sm. Home had minor damage, but it could of been bad if it was in someone’s garage. Fire started in engine and console. Fire department could not find out a reason. Car was totaled. Had to rent a car to get home that was 2 hours away. Never had an issue with this vehicle in the 12 years I owned it.

2 Body problem

Failure Date: 08/23/2022

Passenger outside door handle fell off a couple years ago. Today the internal mechanism for the driver's side door broke so door will not open from the inside.

3 Body problem

Failure Date: 02/04/2021

Tl-the contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his son was attempting to park at the car wash, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated causing the vehicle to jump the parking barrier hitting the vacuum machine. No injuries were sustained however the vacuum machine was damaged along with the front bumper was cracked and scratched. The manufacture was notified and the vehicle was inspected at rick case (180 satellite blvd duluth GA, 30096) where no failure was determined. The failure mileage was142,000. Ac.

4 Body problem

Failure Date: 08/31/2020

As I tried to open my passenger front side door this morning I pulled the handle off. The portion of the handle that connects into the latch mechanism had snapped off in the door. I would just take it in and get it fixed, but this is the third time I have had this exact problem, having lost the passenger rear handle earlier this summer and the driver's front about a year and a half ago. I can only conclude there must be a distinct defect with the construction on the doors of this model, and searching around the internet I've found a handful of other people who have had the same issue with their Sonatas.

5 Body problem

Failure Date: 03/10/2020

Tl-the contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. Contact stated that when he try to open driver door from inside the vehicle the door would not unlock. Contact had to manually roll the window down to open the driver door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer key Hyundai 4660-100 southside boulevard, jacksonville, FL 32216 (904) 642-6060 where the technician inspected the door and determined that the handle clip fracture and needed to be replaced. No diagnosed test performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure, the failure mileage was approximately 163,881. Ck.

6 Body problem

Failure Date: 08/20/2019

Takata recall. Accident happened on a highway going 60 miles an hour. A deer came out of the ditch, missed the deer. My daughter swerved into the ditch and launched over a gravel road and did a nose dive into a bean field. Crashing the front end of the car. The car is totaled.

7 Body problem

Failure Date: 05/28/2019

Passenger door handle fell off or broke off while opening door strong smell of gas only after filling car up with gas and small puddle under rear gas tank after sitting all night only happens if tank is more then 3/4 filled.

8 Body problem

Failure Date: 12/02/2018

Passenger exterior door handle fell off. Vehicle was parked when went to open door handle broke off in my hand. Had to open door from inside. Checked google understand this is ongoing problem with Hyundai models. Many complaints .

9 Body problem

Failure Date: 07/01/2017

Exterior door handles break when opening the door to enter the car while the car was parked. Currently the front passenger side exterior handle and the rear passenger side handle has broken.

10 Body problem

Failure Date: 10/25/2016

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. While the vehicle was stationary, the dashboard fractured directly above the passenger's air bag. Wallace automotive in stuart, florida 34997 was made aware of the failure and took pictures of the dashboard. At the request of Hyundai, the dealer did not perform a repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was 60,000.

11 Body problem

Failure Date: 02/23/2016

The door handle came of the back door, I have never known the door handle to just come off the door of a car.

12 Body problem

Failure Date: 02/06/2016

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that when the vehicle was taken for routine maintenance, the technician discovered that the sub frame, control arm, sway bar in links, and the rear assist arms were severely corroded. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 43,600.

13 Body problem

Failure Date: 12/22/2015

Tl- the contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that exterior door handle on the passanger rear door detached from the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle repaired however, the failure recurred to the exterior rear drivers side door. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnoised that the handle needed replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000. Gl.

14 Body problem

Failure Date: 01/11/2015

The drivers side interior door handle is made of artificial "chrome". A few days ago, I opened the door and got a severely lacerated finger which bled a lot. I wrote to Hyundai about my injury. They sympathized, but said the car was out of warranty. As my vehicle only has 31,186 miles on it and is housed in my garage, I did not expect to be injured by a defective door handle on a pristinely maintained vehicle. This is a known issue, as I have found hundreds of posts on the internet about injuries from this handle. Nhtsa has previously issued a recall for earlier model Hyundai's with this same problem. Here is one of the many quotes that I found. . . . "Hyundai is recalling 91,000 Sonatas because the chrome plating on the upper edge of the interior handle may wear, "causing cracking or separation between the chrome plating on the inboard and outboard surfaces of the handle. " NHTSA says the sharp edge can cause "laceration injuries to anyone using the door handle. " please let me know what can be done before more people are injured by this defect. Thanks so much! diane.

15 Body problem

Failure Date: 08/09/2014

My husband was driving this car when it started pouring heavily. After reaching home, he noticed that the paint on the roof and two places on the hood had peeled off, leaving the metal exposed. The car body started to rust within a few days of this incident. I contacted my insurance company and they evaluated the issue as a manufacturer defect and refused to pay for the damages (close to $1100). Upon contacting the manufacturer, I found that they do not cover paint for more than 3 years after purchase of the vehicle. I am left with a huge out-of-pocket expense, and being a student, that caused a huge dent on my finances.

16 Body problem

Failure Date: 11/05/2013

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the driver's side exterior door handle fractured. Also, the contact stated that the chrome on the door latch had peeled off. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was advised that the driver side door handle be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure and current mileage was 85,400.

17 Body problem

Failure Date: 11/01/2013

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the key was in the ignition when she exited the vehicle and the doors erroneously locked. The contact also mentioned that the chrome on the passenger's side front door handle was peeling and tore through the contact's hand. Additionally, the steering wheel failed to lock and the vehicle jerked abnormally when shifting down. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who stated that the door lock and jerking failure could not be diagnosed and the starter lever needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failures. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.

18 Body problem

Failure Date: 10/01/2013

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated the front and rear passenger's side interior door handles fractured. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 88,000. Updated 12/24/lj the consumer stated on October 1, 2013, both rear side(passenger and driver) exterior door handles broke off when trying to open them. The dealer quoted the consumer a price of $500. 00 the vehicle was not repaired, due to the cost. Updated 12/26/13.

19 Body problem

Failure Date: 09/17/2013

The chrome "wrap", which is a chrome colored covering on the driver's side door handle became detached leaving a razor sharp edge, which cut my hand when I tried to open the door with the door handle to exit the vehicle. I have had to use a glove or exercise care to open the door. According to reports posted on the web, Hyundai had issued recalls for earlier year models but has refused to for newer models even though the same problem occurs in the newer models and isn't just manifest in the driver's side door handle but occurs in other handles as well. The dealer claims that the defect is not covered by hundai's warranty because my vehicle is "way out of warranty. ".

20 Body problem

Failure Date: 10/01/2012

The hood paint started to discolor and appear splotchy. Since the paint warranty was only good to 36,000 miles, I figured I would bite the bullet and get it painted at my cost. Before I got that done the damage has now appeared on the left front fender (beyond the hood) at 62,000 miles. This is just a lousy factory paint job and I don't know if it's worth getting the whole car repainted.

21 Body problem

Failure Date: 05/08/2012

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the chrome on the door latch peeled off and caused lacerations to her fingers. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that the door latch was cosmetic. The vehicle was not repaired. In addition, the brake lamp switch failed and the fuel cap release also failed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer and was told that they could not find an issue with the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired. The failure mileage was unknown and the current mileage was 73,000.

22 Body problem

Failure Date: 11/03/2011

In spite of following manufacturers guidelines for tire inflation and following proper rotation timetables and having the car aligned this car eats tires. I have replaced all four tires 5 different times in less than 100,000 miles. I purchase premium, name brand tires with a mileage rating of 60,000 miles. In 2011 I took my car in for alignment at a Hyundai dealership. They informed me that "all lower control arms, cam bolts and bushings seized due to rust; can't align properly. I had a platinum extended 100,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty through Hyundai. The dealership called to advise of the extended warranty. The adjuster came and inspected and "extended warranty denied coverage as rust was the cause, they will not pay for repairs. " the dealership argued that this is the northeastern part of the us and we have snow and the roads are salted in the winter. Dealership felt this should have been covered and tried again but coverage denied. As the owner I called the about the extended warranty and was also denied. Because correct alignment is not possible due to rust issues there is a handling/stability problem in the vehicle caused from rusted alignment components. I have followed proper scheduled maintenance but due to the propensity of rusting this Hyundai Sonata has deteriorated worse than comparable automobiles therefore causing a safety concern and a resulting loss of value. It is interesting to note that this car is exposed to northern salted roads minimally. I leave the north the first of January and head south and return in early April and have done so for the past 3 winters.


Other Structure related problems of the 2009 Hyundai Sonata


Safety Ratings of Sonata Cars
Fuel Economy of Sonata Vehicles
Sonata Service Bulletins
Sonata Safety Recalls
Sonata Defect Investigations