74 problems related to exterior lighting have been reported for the 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2013 Hyundai Sonata based on all problems reported for the 2013 Sonata.
I bought this car before less than 3 months when. When I was drive the car on [xxx] the car just stop stopped no power without any warning when the car stop I just came from home. It’s far it’s like the distance between my home and the place the car stop in the highway. It’s like 5 miles. When I park the car to the side road right side road I open the hood. I see some smoke coming from the engine and smell like fire or burn or some plastic fire. I’m a mechanic he said before I bring the mechanic I seen that the screen light it’s like a car with the key in the middle of the car. The picture is the light the car stop starting. I thought I call somebody he told me maybe the car is the program or disconnect. We need to program it or they bring the battery I bring a battery. I tried to start the car again. It’s not working the mechanic. He told me that starter. I bought the starter and I start in the car. You still not working they told me after that. They told me the battery maybe I checked the battery I took the autozone. I took the battery. It was 95%. I called the company and the company. If they check the car, they say the car they have to recall just I get appointment with them the first time on October 1, 2025, but when I take the car there the end VIN number different with an appointment not my car. I get another appointment October 8. I told the car over there. Dixie highway highway louisville kentucky. When I arrive to the car dealership in dixie highway, louisville, ky they told me your car is rebuilt title. I told them what they mean. He said we can’t do nothing with it because it’s built. I told them why they didn’t tell me before I wouldn’t give the car here. They told me to bring the car appointment before you get appointment. You have to check the car as if you can see it’s built you are a company even that time I don’t know what’s rebuilt car mean , idk if Hyundai worry just about people they have clean title? information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).
I bought the car before less than 3 months the car was good but before 10 days when I was driving it on highway , suddenly the car stopped without any light warnings I was in dangerous situations hard to got the car to right side way exit 19 a express highway when I opened the hood was smoking from engine and smile like plastic fire I brought the mechanic said starter I bought starter I replaced it the same problem they said the key I changed the battery program the key same problem they told me battery I checked the battery 95 % another mechcheck by computer said the engine and he said most of these car has manufacturers problems the engine replaced recall 162 before bought the car what my solutions and I know ther is extended warranty.
Wiring for headlights, and break lights has been malfunctioning. It is not a fuse and I have tried changing them to the point I keep extra in my trunk and still won't work. Yes, available for inspection, I have been pulled over multiple times and was written a citation yesterday.
The tail lights won’t stay on even with new bulbs in it. This was a recall and the recall disappeared. This is not safe for my car to be missing a tail light every night. Please help.
Brake lights become hot enough to melt through housing, hanging loose in the trunk where they can damage wiring and further burn through taillight housing. There was no warning, uncertain how long issue has been ongoing as I only noticed when a light went entirely out. Vehicle has not been inspected since engine replacement under previous recall. Will be available for any inspection on request. This problem has occurred on both the left and right taillight assemblies.
There is no lights at all on the brake lights but the brake light in the back window stays on all the time the dim head light only lets one side work.
The steering wheel makes clicking and grinding noise. Steering wheel coupling may be broken. And sometimes head and interior lights turn on and off when I make turns.
The electrical has been an issue for this vehicle. The head and tail lights continuously go out. Sometimes they work, and other times they do not. Since the lights have been an issue, the electrical issue is also now inside the vehicle. The radio and other controls in the vehicle do not work any longer, as well as the lights in the radio, air conditioning, and other controls inside the vehicle. The steering wheel is also loose now and jiggles when driving the vehicle. There have been no warning lamps about these issues, and I had an auto shop confirm that there are electrical and steering issues. I did receive a letter about a recall for electrical for the year, type, and model of my car, however, the dealership said that my VIN number is not associated with the recall and will not fix the issues.
Lights flicker especially at night they turn off and on. You can't see and others can't see you because no lights on and off there was no warning lamps or anything letting me know about the problem. Can't drive my car at night because of this problem don't want to cause an accident. No the vehicle has not been inspected yet.
I bought this car brand new and I’m the only driver. I have my oil changed every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. Boiling springs tire is the place I get it changed but I have had it changed a few times at Hyundai in spartanburg. About a year or so ago my oil light came on and I was shocked because it hadn’t been long since I had oil changed. I checked it and it was almost out. I put oil in it and thought maybe boiling springs tire did not put enough in it. Next time I took to Hyundai but kept eye on it. To make a long story short I am having to keep an eye on my oil and adding more about every 200 miles. I know it’s 10 years old but I’ve had cars older than this and did not have to add oil. Other cars older than mine are being recalled and I’m not understanding why 2013 are left out. Please advise as I’m sure I’m not the only 2013 owner having issues with our Hyundai Sonata . I park the car in my carport and there is never any oil on the floor so I’m not sure where the oil is going. I did ask them at the Hyundai place about that and I was informed there were no recalls on mine and it would cost me around $1000 just for them to pull the engine down to check. So I’m just having to keep checking on the oil.
Tail lights constantly burn out. I have now replaced the same taillight harness 3 times and each time it is burned. This is a serious fire hazard.
When headlights are turned on, rear window brakelight stays illuminated but both the right and left rear brake lights do not illuminate when foot brake pedal is depressed.
All bulbs in vehicle do not work. No matter how many times I have them replaced they continue to blow or not work. Without headlights I cannot drive, without brake lights other drivers cannot see me. This is a huge safty issue. I cannot drive my vehicle because lights are malfunctioning.
The electrical system of the vehicle malfunctions regularly. When the headlights are on, the brake lights are stuck on and do not turn off, nor do they properly "activate" when braking. If the headlights are off, they work just fine. If the headlights are on, the entire dashboard lighting is prone to going haywire. On several occasions with the headlights on, the electrical system has malfunctioned and turned off all lights, inside and outside. They will not turn back on unless I turn the headlights off and back on. Turning on the high beams has made the lighting malfunction and the entire vehicle will decelerate, even when pressing on the gas. I will gladly allow my vehicle for inspection upon request. This is clearly a hazard to both myself and other vehicles on the road, especially at night. Not only is the lack of functional brake lights a hazard, but so is having rapidly flashing lights on the dashboard to myself as a driver. Moreover, the headlights randomly turning off at night is extremely dangerous, as is the random deceleration. Upon looking into it to see if I could find an answer, I learned it's a common problem with 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonatas and to see that so many have this issue but nothing has been done to correct it is shocking. My local dealership did inspect my car upon an engine seizure a few years ago, but all they reported was an issue with the passenger side brake light bracket and bulb (another common issue it seems). I have never received any sort of warning lamp or message, aside from the traction light randomly coming on from time to time for no reason.
Brake lights work inconsistently, burn hot, melt sockers, fall out of sockets and melt carpeted covers. Safety and fire concerns. Much info on this problem from other owners on various sites. Please force Hyundai to fix these issues.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving on the highway at an unknown speed the contact was pulled over by local police due to their vehicles tail lights no longer functioning, no warning lights were illuminated. The contact attempted to replace the bulbs however the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was inspected, however the vehicle was not diagnosed as the contact was advised that their VIN was not included in any recalls. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
My back passenger tail light has failed twice. When the bulb gets hot, it melts the plastic housing and falls out. Since the bulb can’t be replaced, the whole tail light assembly has to be replaced. This is a fire safety hazard, as well as a costly repair to replace the the whole tail light assembly. Consumers should be able to replace a tail light bulb without having to replace the whole tail light assembly at a cost of over $400 (parts & labor).
My electrical system is giving me constant issues and I have to change light bulbs frequently. Also the recall is for the fuel line system which the dealers are not contacting me back about getting repaired which is why I am submitting this report.
I bought my car used from a private party in March of 2022 with around 132,000miles. In a year's time I have replaced the rear passenger side tail light bulbs 3 to 4 times, the whole light assembly, and the wiring harness twice due to the bulb getting to hot and the plastic caught on fire the first time and melting the second. Noticed the smoke when I pulled into a gas station that day and opened the trunk quickly and beat the small flame with a small blanket I had in the trunk. My kids sit in the back seat. So I'm constantly worrying while driving when they are in the back. The headlight bulbs go out quicker in this vehicle as well. I've had to replace the headlight bulbs 3 times already. This is also too close to the fuel pump for this sort of thing to happen in my opinion. This needs to be resolved a. S. A. P.
My rear tail lights on both sides keep burning holes through the plastic then burning out this takes place all with in a week I’ve had to replace the light harness 3 times on both sides already and I’ve wen down on the voltage on the lights. Neither worked. This is a safety concern as I e read on multiple post that there trunks have caught fire because of this. In which I’ve smelled smoke on multiple occasions and then noticed the harness to be burnet out and the light to be blown. I have children that ride in the back seat that require help. This problem needs to be fixed before someone’s life is taken.
Car needs to rewired because my break lights keep blowing out & will no longer work. They are burned from the inside. Also when turning on lights to my car the car stalls.
The brake lights keep blowing every time I replace them & have read other cases where light casing may melt when the bulb blows.
My back left brake light is out. It's been out for a few months now. I took it to Hyundai and they said I needed a new lamp. Recently I started taking pictures of other Sonata's when I'm out and a lot of other vehicles I've seen have the same problem.
My husband keeps replacing the left passenger side brake light and when he called the dealer he was told that they know of the issue but there isn’t a recall on it. Today 10/20/21 he went to replace the bulb again because it was out he noticed that as he was pulling the bulb the light came on. When he moved the harness around the light bulb would turn on and turn off. He went to autozone and one of the associates told him the same thing the deal told me, that they knew of the issue but there wasn’t a recall on it. He said that’s what they told him when he encounter the same issue I was having with my vehicle. His girl friend has the same vehicle as I do. It is available for inspection, unknown, yes it has been confirmed by the dealer, it has been inspected by my husband job aaa, and no warning lights appeared.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact was informed that the taillights were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with needing the taillight assemblies replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 62,000.
Most of my exterior bulbs burn out out constantly. Headlights at least once a year, most of the time twice a year. Brake lights/ rear license plate bulbs burn out multiple times a year. Fog lights and high beams affected too. Apart from the annoyance of constantly being pulled over and given verbal warnings, or people yelling at me, trying to help me out by letting me know that yet another bulb is out, it's a safety concern. If I'm breaking and the person behind me isn't paying attention, they could slam into me. Where I live durning certain times of the year the fog gets so thick that without fog lights, it's scary to drive. The spot where that 60 car pile up that happen in virgina a few years ago, is part of my commute. There was a time when a fog light and a head light went out with in minutes of each other, while I was driving in snow. Now, if the bulbs I have used were cheap ones, then I would be more lenient on then burning out faster. But I'm using top tier sylvania and phillips bulbs. These bulbs are expensive and having to change them is costly. I've gone to dealerships and the response is always the same. "bulbs just burn out, we'll sell you some for $30 each" that's what a Hyundai dealership near me told me when they failed my Sonata's state inspection. I needed two break lights. I know it isn't just my car either. I've been watching Sonata's for probably about a year now, and would you know it, their brake lights are usually out (right side most often) or their head light is out. A quick google search is proof enough that I'm not alone.
Recommended lights for brakes keep burning, causing the brake light sockets to melt. I have replaced them twice and replaced the complete tail lights and wiring. Purchasing stock tail lights, bulbs as well as after market. The bulbs continue to blow or get so hot that they are melting the plastic. My car was smoking today from the rear and upon poping my trunk it was filled with smoke from the tail lights burning. This needs to be recalled and fixed.
The lights bulbs have burned out multiple times. The hole where the bulb fits is misshapen and is very hard to install new light bulbs (practically impossible). Reported to dealership. They said it is a known issue and that Hyundai will not fix it now. Told me to buy new lights. I did that and the bulbs are still burning out. The socket the bulb goes into is melted, the spot the light bulb goes into the light is melted. This is not safe. I have put over 10 light bulbs in the trail lights in a little over 3 years.
Tail lights are constantly going out. This is the second time over a 20 day period that I replaced them. It’s not normal. I’m afraid to drive at night due to this matter, as I do not want another vehicle colliding with my rear end. The bulbs are brand new but yet it’s still goes out. This matter should be looked into immediately as it is a safety hazard for nighttime drivers.
The 1st thing that happened was the inside dashboard lights would flicker from nighttime mode to daytime mode. Took it to dealership and they could not get it to replicate. Now when it happens the headlights turn off. It happens a lot more often and seems to be something to do with the column.
Brake lights on the vehicle remain on and illuminated at all times. The brake lights are on while driving and pedal is not pressed as well as after vehicle is turned off and no one is in the vehicle. I checked the parking brake and it is not on either. I am concerned this will cause issues or accidents for people traveling behind me. Also do not know if this effects the battery in my vehicle. I checked and there was a recall for this very issue on a previous year Sonata and am wondering if it is now an issue for my year model as well.
Tail lights and brake lights constantly burn out. I've had to replace them multiple times a year. They bulbs get too hot that they melt into wiring harness which can be a fire hazard. I've had to replace the entire tail light because of this issues. I've heard and noticed this problem with a lot of Hyundai's. On the road I notice almost every other Hyundai similar to mine has at least one tail light or brake light out. My car was bought from Hyundai and had the original manufactures bulbs already installed, so this is not an aftermarket issue. I've read on multiple auto complaint blogs about this exact issue. I've been pulled over for the brake light being out which I wasn't even aware of until the officer told me. These bulbs have to be replaced at least 3 times a year. It's a safety hazard as well as a fire hazard. Every auto shop ive been to knows of this issues with Hyundai. I'm afraid to put anything flammable in my truck due to fear of it catching on fire. I spoke to Hyundai and they said that they are unaware of any issues or problems with my model and yet I continue to see mine and other vehicles with missing lights. Hopefully you guys can do something.
Seatbelt failed too retract correctly allowing door to be shut on it leading too door ajar sensor damage or failure leaving red light at bottom of driver door always turned on draining battery every time overnight. Only fix for this was too remove sensor to prevent battery drain but now my car locks door even with engine turned on. Saftey issue. Cost of fuel roadside unlock assistance and battery check or replacement cost.
Tl the contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the interior lighting was flickering on and off. The lights stopped flickering when the vehicle was turned-off. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been notified the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 55,000.
When using the turn signal the headlights turn off. A search of the internet shows this is a common occurrence for the car as multiple people have posted on boards that this is the result of the multifunction switch. This is a highly dangerous situation for both the driver and/or other cars on the road as if you attempt to signal a turn or try to place the high beams on you will lose loss of sight due to the headlights shutting off. This should be listed as a recall item for the car.