general problems of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata - part 1

The vehicle experiences a recurring defect where the brake light turns on suddenly and the engine shuts off while driving. The failure appears related to the braking system (brake switch circuit), electrical system (can-bus/ecu communication), and engine control (shutdown/stall). The system remains installed and is available for inspection upon request. The shutdown poses a serious safety risk, including possible rear-end collision or loss of power in traffic. The problem has occurred multiple times. The dealership inspected the vehicle briefly but failed to diagnose or document the defect and returned the vehicle within hours, stating “it shouldn’t be a problem,” even though the issue continues. Hyundai has refused to provide recall documentation or authorize a re-inspection. The only warnings prior to shutoff are the sudden activation of the brake warning light just before the engine cuts off.

2011 Hyundai Sonata had a theta ii engine replaced in September 2024 after engine failure. Hyundai paid for the engine through the extended warranty on the theta engines. Check engine light is still illuminated after new engine and after multiple visits to the dealership, they say the wiring harness is bad. Contacted Hyundai corporate who said they will not pay for anymore warranty repairs, even though the wiring harness was damaged from the bad engine or during the replacement. From my understanding, it is dangerous to drive a car with a bad wiring harness due to fire risk, loss of power, or loss of safety components.

The vehicle just died out of nowhere. Would not start back up. Has a clicking noise when trying start and then had a burning smell.

Electrical needs to be reconnected a reprogrammed. Steering wheel horn doesn’t blow.

The contact owned a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 60mph, the instrument panel started blinking and the vehicle shut off. The vehicle inadvertently veered to the right of the road. In addition, the contact noticed smoke and flames were coming from under the vehicle. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was needed. The fire department extinguished the fire. The contact mention police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

Car spontaneously caught fire while turned on. First smoke started coming from under the hood. Within three - five minutes, the car erupted in flames followed by a minor explosion that burned more than half of the car causing a total loss.

On may 30, I smelled a chemical burning smell. We searched the house for about 5 minutes and finally went to the garage. As my husband opened the garage door he said the car is on fire. I looked and smoke was pouring out of the inside. He ran, opened the door and flames came bursting out. He immediately took off to get the fire exstinquisher from the kitchen and I called 911. The fire department came and put the flames out. Upon inspection, the dashboard had a fire and the extreme heat had melted the entire dash. The fire chief and my husband were trying to figure out what had happened. The car was not running at the time. A little earlier, my husband had an air compressor plugged into the cigeratte lighter. When he finished filling a tire, he unplugged the compressor, put the compressor in the car on the floor and turned the car off. Then later, as I described there was a fire. My husband and the fire chief inspected the engine which had no damage. The were specifically looking for the fuses. All fuses were in tact. In researching I discovered the the hyndai sonota had issues and new about the problems. We purchased the car in March and were not aware of any recalls, nor were the previous owners. I have spent the last 6 weeks in communication with huyndai who led me on a wild goose chase and has refused to take responsibility for the fire. The are trying to blame in on the compressor which was not even plugged in. I was made aware of several class action law suits, but have not been able to find any information. I have kept all communication with Hyundai and have requested the recorded phone conversations also. The car is still in my driveway. Obviously all the electrical is destroyed and not fixable. I was trying to avoid lawyers and just get huyndai to own up to the problem and take responsibility to pay what I paid for the car. I can get copies of all email communication. I attached the final email received yesterday.

Engine leaks/burns oil too frequently. Every other week I’m continuously having to put oil to refill levels. Also electrical system for turn signals is always going in and out. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. Safety hazard because other vehicles can’t tell that I’m turning.

I was gifted the car for graduation and immediately my brakes weren’t working right my interior electrical stopped working and my window switches stopped working as well as my lights for my car all went out including the brake lights changing the bulbs didn’t help and my check engine light stays on at all times.

I craig knight purchased the vehicle from a dealership mr. T’s world test drive the car was fine left the dealership had to go back he change the brake lights made it back left to go to the store the next day had to pull over they had smoke coming from under the hood open the hood up the wires was on fire.

My car airbag light came on. I called the dealership about the remedy that was already recalled under campaign number 18v137000 because my last visit I got told by the dealership that my acu was bad for the car and that it was going to cost me upwards of $2000 to replace and the dead was no recall on my vehicle and then called corporate and they had told me that this had been taken care of back in 2016 when I did not on the vehicle this time in the second owner and that basically they would not cover to fix this issue and that any warranty that was extended ran out when I only had purchased the vehicle in November 2020 so now they are unwilling to fix the issue because they had stated that it was already previously fixed with the previous owner and then I could either basically pay to get it fixed or they weren’t gonna do anything about it I feel my safety at risk because in the event of crash airbags will not deploy and basically that they would not fix the problem even though it is under a national recall, and my car was manufactured within the manufacturing dates of the recall I do not feel safe driving this vehicle, and I also do not feel that I have to pay for that has been nationally recalled.

10/31/23 car lost power on freeway. Dash lit up and stalled, I took picture brought to dealership. Could not find any issues or codes. 11/12/23 driving on pacific coast highway car started making knocking/ticking noise. Pull off to a side street and car hesitated and check engine light came on. Had it towed to dealership. Still waiting on assessment. Was told will take 2-3 days due to backlog. Clearly a known engine issue dating back to recall campaign 132 engine/inspection/replace. (I brought into dealership on 2/9/16 to perform checks on the 132 campaign - shows completed).

Prior to my trip I checked all fluids, and all was good levels. Car was traveling on improved interstate at posted highway speed. As I was passing another vehicle my vehicle lost power and I was forced to cross lanes in traffic to get to shoulder. There were no prior warnings or lights before my vehicle lost power. I opened my hood and saw the radiator coolant boiling over in reservoir and the top hose was collapsed. Had the vehicle towed home. I checked and replaced the thermostat however found that the engine would not turn over and the starter failed.

When I have my headlights turned on, and am driving my headlights flicker on and off. It mostly happens when I use the turn signal, but not always. Sometimes it happens when I hit bumps. The headlights and the dash lights all go out when this happens, it usually lasts from 1 to 20 seconds at a time. I have taken it to my local garage(straight and clear) and they tested all electrical components and replaced the alternator and I still have the issue. They looked it up and determined that this is a known issue with the Hyundai Sonata, and one of the modules needs replaced in the steering column. This is a major safety issue because my headlights go out when driving and could cause and accident, and depending on the exact issue of the module it could cause a fire. There are no warning lights, just the lights go on and off. I will be getting the car repaired around November 9th 2023, because I need my car to be safe, and can submit my invoice at that time if this becomes a recall.

On June 17, 2023, while during this car suddenly it started losing speed, pressing accelerator did not help. I stopped the car and restarted, it drove for another 400 yards and stopped again. I checked with my obd2 and it gave a code of misfiring third cylinder. Car had a recent replacement of engine under warranty by parks Hyundai of gainesville as previous engine had started smoking in 2011. My recent calls to the dealership did not result in any return call from them. Car is standing at my house for the past two weeks. I am really scared to drive this car. Also fed up with the dealership which does not care even to return my calls.

Engine seized at 87337 miles today. Fuel gauge wrong. Left us stranded on the interstate for 3 hours. Couldn't get it off highyway without pushing. No warning or lights before engine blew. All fluid levels correct. Silver rock and carvana refuse repair.

My brake lights constantly go out new bulbs don't work either. . . It sems to be a malfunction in the wiring for the lights. The seatbelt on driver side will not latch no matter what. All electrical has issues, dash will go in and out as well as radio and heating/ac lights.

I have had replaced my taillight bulbs 8 times in the last year. They keep blowing out and getting so hot they melt the taillight assembly. I replaced the whole assembly a couple months ago and it is already melted so bad the light bulb will not fit properly or stay in place. This is a fire hazard and also a safety hazard as my taillights quit working at anytime.

Took vehicle in for recall due to check engine light flashing on March 26,2023 . Received a call from dealership that car was ready March 28,2023 upon driving home car overheats. Call dealership to relay problem was advised to bring vehicle back. Had vehicle towed back to dealership at my own expense. Two weeks later I get a call stating that it was the radiator and that they would fix it and get it back to me . Two weeks after not hearing from dealership I called do an update to my surprise now it the engine is bad. So I ask the service manager where do we go from here. He proceeds to tell me that it’s one of those things where the recall didn’t help but hurt my engine. Then he proceeds to say I would have to give the dealership $2,000 dollars to fix the problem they caused. So here we are 4 months in and I still do not have a vehicle nor do I know who is responsible for fixing it.

My Hyundai keeps jumping out of gear it's like the tray is sliding but it don't have one.

Eps and traction light came on when driving around 20mph making the wheel stiff and barely able to turn. Looked up 2011 Hyundai recalls and came across recall 143 regarding the steering column. Took car to dealer and they said no recalls found for my vehicle. I told them about what I found online and that I’m experiencing the same issues so I’m not sure why my 2011 wasn’t affected. They basically said too bad too sad. They still have my car so I’m hoping that they figure out my car should be apart of the recall campaign.

No heat only a/c and will not turn off. Engine light on and low tire light on but no other information is provided on screen.

2020 wiring harness overheated and melted - replaced taillight 6 times in 1 year. Hyundai fixed. 2021 tailight out again - Hyundai stated the taillight assembly melted, needs to be replaced (403. 00) light bulb cannot be replaced (warped). Safety issue is what is causing things to heat up and melt. Many others reported same issue online - Hyundai is not taking ownership to fix whatever is causing this? no warning lamps.

The vehicle dash and center console lights flicker and/or dim between bright and dim lights while the headlights temporarily turn off at random intervals while driving. This random, but frequent occurrence happens often when applying the turn signal in either direction. The problem generally exist between 1 to 5 seconds, causing impaired driving during nighttime operation. The turn signal appears to work as expected during the electrical issue. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This safety issue can impair nighttime driving visibility which can result in an accident, distracted driving to the primary vehicle driver and other motorists, and false driving signals to other drivers. This issue has been reproduced by an authorized Hyundai dealer and other drivers with similar Hyundai Sonata GLS model years. . Read more...

I really don’t know what the problem is. I got my break lights change and they keep blowing out every two to three weeks. I have been changing the bulbs for more than a year now. Every shop I went to say it have wiring problems.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the engine was previously replaced. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the driver's side rear window and passenger's side front and rear windows were unable to roll down with the air bag warning illuminated. Additionally, the overhead light was unable to be deactivated, causing the battery to drain. The fob key intermittently was unable to unlock the doors and was stuck in the ignition. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the electrical system wiring was faulty. The mechanic reconnected the passenger's side rear brake light harness; however, the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 174,000. The VIN was unavailable.

Hyundai has refused to get back to me about my car it's been months they don't return my phone calls or emails or anything. The motor recall had caused me and my children to be stranded in the busy highway after just shutting down 2 times. Amongst other things this is unacceptable.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle would not immediately start. Additionally, there was a burning electrical odor present inside the vehicle. The cause of failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure. The contact stated that previously the key fob, alternator, starter, and battery were replaced due to the continued failure. The failure mileage was 53,100.

I can’t drive my car in the dark. This has been on going since I bought the car and has just gotten worse. Everytime I turn my lights on all of my rear lights stop working and if I’m driving and the back light stop working my gas peddle also will not let me accelerate until I let my foot off and go back on to it but at this point I have no tail lights or brake lights. . I’ve tried so many things to fix this but this is a serious issue I had another friend who bought the same car and sold it a week later because of the same issue. I also can open my trunk and wiggle the wires and it’s a whole light show back there.

I own a 2011 Hyundai Sonata limited edition 2. 4 my Sonata is making a horrible knocking sound from the engine in 2019 Hyundai dealership installed the knock sensor which is default my Sonata is knocking no engine light has come on to make me aware of the knock the problem has progressively gotton worse I can hear the knock now is why I'm aware of this my Sonata has a salvaged title also is one of the many built in alabama the engine recall campaign says metal matalic shavings are stuck in oil ports which could ruin rod bearings crankshaft and other internal components I took my car to Hyundai dealership they ran a mpt test on rod bearing and ignoring the faulty knock sensor that they installed dealership said the bearing test passed but something else in my engine is knocking really bad and still ignored the faulty knock sensor even after telling them about it mind you the engine light is still not on although the engine is knocking all recalls for this vehicle are up to date Hyundai dealership has denied me of any help with my Sonata because it has a salvaged title but didn't deny me in 2019 when knock sensor was installed my Sonata has been maintained oil change tune up ect why am I being denied of this recall they was aware of the engine recall campaign or would have never ran a rod bearing test so why am I being denied my Sonata stalled on the freeway in a lemp mode this could have caused serious injuries due to Hyundai dealership not fixing the problem how and why are they able to do this if a vehicle is recalled no matter what needs to be fixed.

While driving the vehicle on the interstate, crossing the expansion joint on an overpass, the check engine light illuminated. Immediately following, smoke began coming from under the hood. Pulled off the side of the road to check, and flames were coming out of the car. Quickly removed what personal items that were possible while the car started becoming engulfed in flames. The car burned until the fire department arrived and put the vehicle out. While we cannot be certain, it is believed that the high voltage wiring chafed and arced leading to the fire. If it wouldn't have been possible to immediately pull to the shoulder, the car would have been engulfed while rolling and could have lead to death. The car is a total loss.

We broke down in the middle of the highway where there wasn’t a emergency lane available. A another vehicle struck the car in the rear .

I have replaced my front driver door actuator, the back driver and front passenger side 3x and it’s still having issues. I replaced all fuses an wiring harness. Front headlights keep blowing out after about a week of putting in new ones.

A friend borrowed my car to go to the corner store to get me a couple of things while my husband was getting surgery. My friend ended up in a rollover accident after hitting a tree. All recalls were up to date on my vehicle, he stated that no airbags deployed. Now after the vehicle was rolled back over and taken to the tow yard the insurance adjuster was the first to see and the driver airbag had deployed. I was not there I cannot say when the airbag deployed however none of the curtain airbags deployed. Also my friend stated that the car accelerated just before impact he swerved to miss something in the road and ended up rolling the vehicle after hitting the tree. The car should not have been accelerating but it was like the car had a mind of its own. I thought the recall was to fix the air bags. He could have been killed. . No reason these cars are still on the road. Not to mention all of the mechanical issues. And I'm sorry to say that I'm glad my kids weren't in the car.

The driver seatbelt will not stay attached. I'm getting a code to replace steering column and was told the intermediate shaft is bad. Also the torque converter clutch is throwing a code. The engine has been replaced which only has 4k miles on it.