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.

Good day, please note that most of my communication with Hyundai has been over the phone. I sent one an email shortly after the event, and after following up on the phone, I received this following string separately. I can forward you more along the way, but Hyundai is in possession of the call recordings. I was hoping they would cover my repairs, my engine had a lifetime warranty, but during this process I learned that there was a recall for this car that I was never aware of as the new owner. I needed a software update to get any repairs covered. Please reach out to me for more info!.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake warning light illuminated, and the vehicle shut off. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was confirmed that the failure was due to an unrepaired recall. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v651000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The repair was performed. The failure reoccurred. The dealer was made aware of the failure; however, the failure was not duplicated. The contact was informed that the recall was closed. The vehicle was taken to an alternate dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed hydraulic abs booster sensor. The contact was provided dtc: c1237/hpu. The contact was informed that the hydraulic abs booster sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was released to the contact; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that the abs warning light illuminated and then went off. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The contact was advised to take the vehicle for a second inspection. The dealer declined to perform the second inspection. The contact was informed that the repair was not associated with the recall repair. In addition, the contact referenced several unknown recalls; however, the contact was informed that the repair was not related to a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 149,000.

The issue has happened multiple times while driving, sitting in traffic, or parked idling. The brake light comes on and starts flashing, alarm chimes, brake pedal goes to the floor seems to not have any hydraulic pressure, the brakes grind like I have no brake pads, and essentially I have no brakes. If I turn the car off and on it goes back to normal. I took it to have it checked for a diagnostic code, there were none.

Leaking.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at approximately 80 mph, the brake pedal was depressed but was stiff and difficult to depress. The contact stated that her daughter accelerated to steer the vehicle away from slower traffic. The contact stated that her daughter depressed the accelerator pedal however, the vehicle failed to respond and started losing motive power. The contact stated that her daughter was able to steer the vehicle to the side of the road and stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the check engine and check brake and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. That contact stated the abs fused had been replaced but the vehicle still had issues braking. The contact received a notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v651000 (service brakes, hydraulics) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

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.

Abs unit still in need of remedy engine emitting smoke and harsh smell no incident has occurred yet but there may be damage occurring to my vehicle.

This is a 'stop lamp switch' issue. The car will randomly turn on the abs light causing the abs system to engage and not allow you to use the accelerator pedal. This is very dangerous as if you are about to merge on or off a highway the car does not allow you to correctly control your speed. This issue happens more prevalently at night time when the full beam headlights (auto or manually turn on when dark out), which is very concerning. This issue has been going on for a year now and no mechanics at Hyundai can fix or diagnose. It happened again to me this morning and came very close to causing an accident as I could not engage the accelerator pedal on a turn. Please, in the interest of safety and saving lives fix this dangerous defective part issue.

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.

Code p1326; vehicle equipped with yellow diptick.

The abs system has had a recall due to the potential for an engine fire. The initial recall was set on 9/22/23. Up until today (12/6/23) no action has been taken by the manufacturer but we are left without a car.

The brake lights stay on all the time, thus preventing vehicles behind mine from knowing if I'm actually stopping. Hence, they may stop without reason, and endanger drivers behind them. The manufacturer has likely known of this being an issue in Sonatas from, at least, 2007 through 2013 models. The manufacturer is putting the task of solving the problem (if that's even possible), upon a dealer. And, my trip to that (nearest) dealership (75 miles away) creates its own danger. The danger is added to by a pre-existing unsolved issue of the horn not functioning. As per the brake light issue, I've been to the dealership about it twice, and they weren't even aware that the brake light switch they think attaches to my car doesn't. So, I wonder if the manufacturer tried to address the issue in the middle of the 2011 model year, installed a different model switch and wiring on more newly built cars in that model year, and decided to ignore the owners of vehicles sold earlier in that model year. As for an additional related issue, unless I disconnect my battery when not in the car. The lights stay on and run down the battery. That can contribute to its own safety issue.

The contact owned a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 30 mph the battery warning light illuminated. The contact stated that white smoke was issuing from under the hood. The contact stated that he depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle, however the pedal depressed to the floor board and the vehicle did not slow. The contact stated that he was able to coast to stop after the engine had stalled. The contact exited the vehicle and observed that flames were issuing from under the front end. The contact stated that the fire department was called and when they arrived the fire had spread to the passenger compartment. The contact stated that the fire department extinguished the fire with water. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and the contact stated it was later declared a total loss by his insurance provider. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact had researched online and related the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 23v651000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

The car suddenly stopped idling while driving at around 40-45 mph and everything seemed normal until it would not drive but the car was on and then the steering was difficult to pull over to a safe area and the brakes were hard to brake and stop but when it came to a full stop the vehicle dash warning lights were flickering and shut off. When I tried to attempt and start the vehicle it would not start but everything turns on ike normal al the lights except the engine was not on. Also it started smelling like some sort of electrical components were burning or something but I couldn't see any smoke or anything coming from the engine area but it seemed like electrical burn somewhere in the car. The vehicle is very unsafe to drive since there was no kind of warning lights or sounds and just stopped working while driving. The vehicle is well maintained and up to date with maintenance services. It became inoperable and had to be towed home since I ended up stuck in a unsafe spot in the middle of a busy street and waited hours for someone to tow it back to my house because it was already about 1 or 2 in the morning. The next day had hired a mechanic to come and do the diagnostics and repairs and still doesn't start or drive and I had to hire another mechanic to diagnose the problem again and was told that the motor is seized and I would need a new engine and other work done on it as well and so me and my family are stuck without a car which is our only car and no more money to fix the car and have no way to bring my child to school and also take my wife to work and etc etc since this problem and don't know what's wrong with it after spending so much money trying to have it fixed so possibly a lemon car.

Unknown.

When driving the alarms go off indicating a brake issue, my brake peddle goes to the the floor, car looses power and slows down to 5 mph. Car will not accelerate past 5 mph when I am trying to pull over or get off the freeway. Brakes are grinding as I try to use them, very dangerous while on the freeway. When I am able to pull over. I will turn off the car and turn it back on and the issue goes away. Now this may happen several more times before I am able to get some where safe. Dealership has no clue why its doing this after showing the video of the alarms and describing it. No codes are found either. They just want to start replacing parts stating at 3k a round hoping it will fix the issue. This issue doesn't happen every day but it does happen while driving on the freeway. I have read online others having the same safety issue while driving and having thes same brake failures. Not sure where Hyundai is at with this issue and the fix for it? yet does someone have to be in a serious accident before someone takes action with this issue?.

I have had to replace my brake lights, sometimes, every few months. My third brake light only works intermittently. Recently, my brake lights and my door lights failed to shut off after I turned the engine off. Also, my abs light came on on the dash, but after turning the engine off and back on, that light went out. After re-starting my car and repeatedly, stepping on the brake, my lights finally shut off. I checked the internet for similar problems and found out that there had been a Hyundai recall for this issue. I phoned Hyundai customer support. They told me the recall had been repaired on my car by the dealer . Obviously, it had not. (the dealer also claimed to have corrected another recall regarding seat belts, but that too is a lie, since my seat belt dash light is on although I have never been involved in an accident) I believe that the dealer billed Hyundai, but failed to either deliberately or inadvertently failed to perform the recall work. The recall involved replacing the brake stopper pad which engages the brake light switch. Obviously, Hyundai considered this a safety issue since the brake lights are always on, so the driver behind my car never knows what I'm doing. This has also affected the interior overhead light which only intermittently goes off when I close the door, so I have to keep the light in the off position.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the abs warning light illuminated. The accelerator pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to accelerate. In addition, the contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The brake pedal was depressed; however the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact coasted the vehicle into a parking space. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with hecu failure. The contact was informed that the failure was the result of a failed abs fuse. The contact was informed that the hecu needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact later received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 23v651000 (service brakes, hydraulic). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the recall repair was performed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The contact requested reimbursement for the previous repair. The request was declined by the manufacturer. The failure mileage was approximately 150,728.

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.

Even on a perfectly dry road, the cruise control can't be set and the traction control light comes on. The nearest dealer (75 miles away) said it was likely in need of a new brake light switch. That didn't solve the problem. Now, it is beyond the fact that the brake lights stay on whether the car is running or not. The brake light switch is clearly impacting various other functions and makes the car unsafe to drive, because vehicles following it conclude (incorrectly) that the driver is engaging the brakes. Additionally, if someone doesn't detach the battery cables when spending some time at a destination, they can be stranded as the result of a dead battery. If the manufacturer had integrity, they would replace whatever related parts are needed to make the car drive safely, they know there's a problem in such vehicles, and even the head of the nearest service department is currently stumped. And, today I was told by the manufacturer that I have to drive it to that distant dealer to see what kind of offer they might give for the car "as is". There should be a recall.

The connection between the brake light and the socket is very poor and the motion of the vehicle often causes them to go out. I have replaced the bulbs and sockets multiple times and I find myself routinely conducting this same repair. This is a safety issue as functioning brake lights are a crucial safety feature for night time driving. I have had this issue diagnosed and repaired by an auto service professional a year ago and I am still having the same problem recur. No warning lights come on when the brake lights fail so I am required to routinely check them myself.

My husband took car to rainbow city, al location to have some recalls fixed. 2wks later we go to pick up the car & as we go to to leave, me following behind him, I noticed passenger brake light out. I call & tell him, then I notice the middle brake light isn’t going off at all- it’s staying lit. I then notice, when he adjusted the headlights the passenger brake light came on & driver side brake light went off. But middle brake light wasn’t going off, it continued to stay on. I looked it up & it’s a known issue with this model. I then look up for any further recalls and yes there are but my VIN isn’t attached to this recall as it obviously should be. We took it back to dealer & call then go rounds with them and they blame it to be cold weather, absurd, but looking into this issue it could result in an accident if driving because I nearly rear ended my husband not knowing if he was on the brakes or not on his way back to the dealership service center. I also know if the car recognizes the brakes to be pressed while actually driving it could easily jump out of gear! being that the lights no matter if altering sides when on stated off as if someone we’re staying on the brakes. This needs to be added to your recall listing immediately! I’m afraid of driving it! I’m definitely not putting my children in this vehicle! please help! you may respond to me via email traci688@gmail. Com . Thank you, traci.

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost power, an alarm sounded for the braking system, and the vehicle went into limp mode and the vehicle failed to exceed 15 mph. After originally paying out-of-pocket for an abs module at the dealer and was informed that the engine needed to be repaired and the brakes needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the residence where an independent mechanic repaired the vehicle. There was a recall for the abs module and the contact returned to the dealer, and the dealer confirmed that the independent mechanic had correctly installed the part. The dealer performed the official recall repair and refused to reimburse the contact for the previous expenses. Three months later, the braking system failed again. The contact stated that the vehicle temporarily returned to normal after a restart, but the failure worsened and required a return trip to the dealer for another repair. In January 2026, the failure recurred for a third time with a loud squealing sound. The dealer was not notified of the third failure. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

The abs system just stopped working while driving, loud brake warning beeps and the brakes stopped functioning making a vibrating sound then stopped working all together, I pulled over as safe as I could and found no leaks , fluid is good. Started the car again and after 2 minutes did it again. . . Was told by Hyundai that a new abs modulator will be needed but it could not be reset to the computer so I would need a new ecu as well to match. . . . Are you kidding,,,thousands of dollars of work and labor ,,,,"""for brakes,""",,, I bought a money pit not a car. . .

All the lights appear os dash. Tpms, taction control, maintenance check engine, , brake malfunction message power steering light. Car start beeping alarm. Transmision weard beheaving. Brakes weard, acceleration. Scare moments, stop the car. Dangerous driving. After 5 mjnutes problem desapear and afret 10 more milles problem appear again. Bring car to the dealer February 10th for diagnostic they charge 457. 38 dolars fr diagnostic. Almost a month after they found anything nothing. Feel robbed by dealer.

On my 2011 Hyundai Sonata both of my brake light bulbs and wiring caught fire and started smoking from the inside of my trunk. I have notified Hyundai of this and they refused to do anything about it even though it is an extremely dangerous issue that Hyundai should fix free of charge!!!!! now I have no brake lights on my vehicle because of this !!!!!!.

Without warning, the Sonata stalls while in motion: - the brake pedal goes close to the floor, - the check brake light goes on, - the emergency brake audio alarm and light go on, - the ready light between the fuel and temperature gauges blinks. I have to pull over and turn the car off / on in order to get the car functional again. The speed of the car doesn't seem to matter. This has occurred 11 times over the past year, including 6 times today (7/22/2021) within a span of 15 min, while at speeds between 30- 60 mph. I took the car to the dealer (initially on 6/22/2021). There were no diagnostic error codes and they could not reproduce the problem. I called Hyundai, both on 6/22/2021 and today, to file a report. Hyundai did not provide any insights into the issue. Online, I have read of others having this same issue with Sonatas. Some believe a faulty power brake booster to be the cause.

The taillight socket is melting disabling the effective use of the brake system to alert other drivers the vehicle is stopping. The light works but can not be reinserted into the given space because it has melted close on the tailight cause my entire tail light to have to be replaced. The light bulb then melted into the trunk space and could have caused a fire but luckily we smelled it and moved the placement. I have almost been rear ending multiple times cause long the oncoming driver to swerve off the road to avoid hitting me because they were not able to see I was stopped. I have been stopped by law enforcement and given a warning thankfully. I have sent a complaint to Hyundai and have seen multiple complaints and myself seen multiple Sonatas on the road with no tail light/brake light issues. My dealer wants to charge over $600-1000 to repair this imperative issue. There was no indication they were malfunctioning until they had melted into the socket. On both lights. I have read multiple complaints on this same issue. This is an important part of the car that needs to be fixed for driver safety.

Headlights have burnt out 4 times in 1 year w/install, break/tail lights have burnt out 6 times in 1 year w/ install. Cruise control isn't staying set and airbag light is on unknown reason after obd scan. Break lights have burnt thru the connection piece, causing damage, overpower from the wiring harness has caused over load of power which caused lights to burn out and even burst. Multiple drivers with similar problems, airbag may still deploy for no reason or not deploy at all. Cruise control malfunction possibly due to airbag issues, but may also be from faulty wiring throughout the vehicle and ultimately into the sterring console. Computer or motherboard may also now have damages cause by over amped volts of electricity without a serge protecter. Possibility of electrical damages, caused by overload from power supply and directed throught the vehicle may have cause exponential damages to electrical in the Sonata. Causing a serious safety concern and hazard. Exterior lighting requires new wiring harnesses and connection pieces as well as new casing from over amp overload, resulting in overheating and bulb combustion damages. New airbag assembly is probable and reset of mother board with upgraded features and completely new wiring with serge protection is necessary.

Check engine lights comes on and oil light. So im prompted to get oil change. Mechanic says he reset some codes and the engine locked up. Mechanic took my running vehicle from the shop to check how it was driving and the car stalled in motion.

My engine failed while driving. . . . . I had it towed to Hyundai dealer because I was informef about vehicle recall. The dealership will not provide me with loaner car without full coverage insurance. I have been without my vehicle almost 30 days.

When I was driving and going to do a turn the wheel turn to the other side by itself. I went to the Hyundai dealership on route four to get a diagnostic. They replaced my steering column and my brakes.

Tl-the contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while reversing out of her friends driveway. The vehicle failed to stop has the brake pedal was depressed. No warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle came to a complete stop has it crashed into the curb. No injuries. No police report. No medical attention contacted. No damaged to the vehicle. The dealer don davis Hyundai 214 highway 332 w, lake jackson, TX 77566 was contacted and informed the contact that no recalls were under the VIN. The vehicle has not been seen or diagnosed. The vehicle is not drivable. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000. Ck.