Engine And Engine Cooling Problems of Hyundai Sonata - part 1

Engine died because oil wasn't changed, even though the car wasn't due for an oil change and no indicator flashed on the dashboard warning us that maintenance was needed.

See all problems of the 2013 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

No warning whatsoever. Car drove like a dream. All maintenance up to date. Oil changes done exactly on time. All recalls completed. Then all of a sudden while on the interstate, car started knocking extremely hard, lights on dash came on and car died. Almost caused several wrecks as I was going 70mph. This happened March 2026. Vehicle is a 2013 with 105,000 miles on it. 1-owner vehicle with clean title.

I bought a 2018 Hyundai Sonata a few years back. No warranty. Used. 110,000 miles. A few short months after I purchased it, it stopped working. I took it back to the same dealership where I purchased it and they said they had to replace the coil packs and spark plugs and clean something in the engine out because there's a defect in the engine. I paid $500. Fast forward a few months later. Same thing happens. I take it to an auto repair shop because it's cheaper and the mechanic says he deals with these same issues with other customers who have similar year, make, and models. This pattern continues to this very day. It broke down while I was working my 2nd job. I have a daughter. She plays sports. I have a second job. I need this problem completely alleviated as quickly as possible. Like a lot of the american public, I don't have extra money to keep up with anything beyond the normal maintenance of my vehicle. I keep it up to date with all oil changes. What can you do to get me a vehicle I can trust and it not break down every couple months and cost $300-$600 each time? I don't have good credit (I'm working on that) I have medical issues that I have to visit my doctor for every 3 months. I have the loan through capital one and they don't offer refinancing. My father who has passed was a car salesman his entire career. I just need reliable transportation and if it's a motor problem like they say then I shouldn't be liable to fix it. The manufacturer should. Please let me know if you need any service records from me. Oh and I also have to put about $20 worth of oil in it every week or so between oil changes. My local oil change guys unfortunately know me very well.

See all problems of the 2018 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

Care recently became inoperable. The engine was knocking, then stalling and then inoperable. Checked Hyundai website to find engine recall describing exactly what my Hyundai was/is experiencing. I brought vehicle to clay cooley dealership (39444 lyndon b johnson fwy, 75232) and explained that I see the recall on the Hyundai website describing what my vehicle is experiencing. After their service mechanics review, the service department representative falsely accusing me of the engine failure, stating that I "must not have changed my oil regularly". According to the service department, my 2017 Hyundai Sonata (132,000 miles) is not covered in the engine recall, and I must pay $4,926. 53 for the repair. Ftc - reportfraud. Ftc. Gov texas attorney general - consumer-protection/file-consumer-complaint.

See all problems of the 2017 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

Consuming oil a quart every 2-3 weeks Sonata Hyundai in 2000 miles 3 quarts of oil were used. What happens when the motor locks up from be extremely low on oil. Possible accident! I cannot expect my wife to be checking the oil level every time she drives.

See all problems of the 2019 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

Car burning oil and engine started knocking no warning lights ever came on prior to knocking noise. Brought to mechanic and engine has failed. Vehicle has less that 130,000 miles on it.

See all problems of the 2016 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

My engine is a class action lawsuit and Hyundai refuses to honor their extended warranty because my title has a brand on it. (odometer issues) my car has been a the dealer for a month and Hyundai refuses even though it's a safety issue and a defect in their design. I want a new engine. The car is perfect otherwise.

See all problems of the 2015 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

Code p1326 unable to accelerate, drive past 1st gear and knocking noise in engine area engine could stall out or lock up if problem is not fixed 3/14/2026- started engine light blinking warning light also code p1326 has had recalls for this particular car brand.

Engine siezed.

The vehicle suddenly stopped and died while driving. The mechanic confirms that the engine is gone, contact Hyundai. Ourisman of rockville and Hyundai motor America (hma) refuses to replace the engine for free. The vehicle has now developed a severe engine knock consistent with the well-documented defect affecting Hyundai’s theta ii engines. Hyundai has publicly acknowledged this issue and issued a major recall covering approximately 470,000 vehicles with the following specifications: • model years: 2011–2012 • engines: 2. 0l and 2. 4l • manufacturing period: December 11, 2009 – April 12, 2012 Hyundai and federal regulators identified the safety concern as manufacturing debris that could restrict oil flow to rod bearings. This defect can lead to engine knocking and eventual engine failure. Critically, Hyundai has acknowledged that engine failure may stall the vehicle while driving, significantly increasing the risk of a crash. Hyundai’s official remedy for this defect required dealerships • inspect engines for bearing noise • replace the engine if necessary • honor Hyundai’s extended engine warranty of 10 years / 120,000 miles for affected vehicles. This issue has also been the subject of significant litigation, including the class action lawsuit case no. [xxx], filed January 23, 2018, against Hyundai motor America (hma), kia motors America, inc. (kma), Hyundai motor company (hmc), and kia motors corporation (kmc). Despite these well-known issues, ourisman of rockville failed to disclose any of the following when selling my daughter's this vehicle: 1. The widespread engine defects associated with the 2011 Hyundai Sonata. 2. The recall and safety concerns related to debris restricting oil flow to rod bearings. 3. The extended Hyundai engine warranty covering affected vehicles up to 120,000 miles. This omission is particularly concerning because this defect presents a serious safety hazard and a clear and present danger. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S.

See all problems of the 2011 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

I was driving in highway and just engine lockout and vehicle shutdown.

I took my car in for an oil change and the tech wouldn’t even take my money because he said the car was a safety issue and it needed to be taken to a Hyundai dealership ASAP as he has seen the engine fail or blow up on this model before. On the way to the dealer the engine completely seized in the middle of the road forcing us to stop traffic on the busy road and push it in a near by parking lot.

This complaint is not related to the existing recall associated with this vehicle. The vehicle is experiencing a serious loss of power and acceleration issue. The car is unable to accelerate past approximately 60 mph. When pressing the accelerator fully, the vehicle does not respond or increase speed. While attempting to accelerate, the engine rpm increases and then suddenly drops repeatedly, causing the vehicle to struggle to maintain speed. This behavior is consistent and occurs during normal driving conditions. This creates a dangerous situation, especially when merging onto highways or attempting to accelerate in traffic, as the vehicle cannot respond when needed. The issue has occurred multiple times and makes the vehicle unsafe and unreliable to operate.

While I was driving my car wouldn’t go no higher than 60mph and kept dropping speed but I came to a stop and when I stopped the car was smoking. I heard knocking noise and rumbling noise on the passenger side. It wouldn’t start again.

See all problems of the 2012 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

Rod bearing failure.

Vehicle started then stalled requiring tow. No initial illumination of warning lamps or messages. Findings upon inspection by independent service center: multiple cylinder misfires (p030100, p030300, p030400, p030200, p030000) and excessive debris buildup on vvt sensor screen. Car uses excess oil- a minimum of 3 qts per 600 miles. No warning lamps or messages occur when car is excessively low on oil.

3rd time in the last 6000 miles the knock sensor came on and the dealer clears it, charges me repairs and sends me home with the code cleared car. All 3 times the car imeditently kicked into limp mode while I was on the highway at high speeds, suddently being slowed without warning. When checked with a local scanner it showed p1326 code and dealers all confirmed it. First incident happened in utah in 2023 (108949miles) and the last 2 happened in michigan in 2025(114850 miles) and now 2026 (115890 miles).

While driving, the vehicle experienced sudden engine malfunction. The car entered limp mode, lost power, and produced a loud knocking noise from the engine. The failure occurred without warning and created a safety risk because the vehicle could not accelerate properly in traffic. This increased the risk of being rear-ended or unable to move out of dangerous situations. The issue appears to involve the engine (possible internal failure). The vehicle is currently at an authorized dealership and is available for inspection upon request. The problem has been confirmed by the dealership during inspection. The vehicle has been under diagnosis for over three weeks. There were no prior major warning signs before the failure. At the time of the incident, the vehicle suddenly lost performance, entered limp mode, and began making abnormal engine noise. This issue is consistent with widely reported engine defects in similar vehicles. Despite this, the manufacturer has denied coverage and attributed the issue to maintenance, even though regular maintenance was performed. This is a serious safety concern due to sudden loss of power while driving.

The contact’s daughter owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. While driving and coming to a stop, the vehicle lost motive power. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer informed the owner that the failure would not be covered under warranty due to a lack of engine maintenance on the vehicle. The owner provided the maintenance records. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 124,000.

Check engine light is flashing on dashboard. Reduced vehicle speed. Car will not drive beyond 62 miles. Lost of power during acceleration.

The bearing failure from the metal debris had been progressing silently for a long time. You can’t feel or hear it happening gradually. Then at some point the damage crosses a threshold where: ?the oil can no longer circulate properly ?the crankshaft bearings completely fail ?internal metal parts make contact with each other ?everything locks up instantly.

Sudden loss of acceleration. This occurred while making a left turn across traffic from a stop. At approximately 7mph the car would not accelerate any further. I was luckily able to coast the vehicle into a center turn lane. Upon coming to a stop I was unable to get any acceleration. The vehicle was turned off and turned back on again and operated normally. There were no trouble codes displayed.

See all problems of the 2024 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

Federal report on technical obstruction and warranty fraud (theta ii settlement) national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) from: [xxx] VIN: [xxx] repair order (ro#): xxx vehicle location: Hyundai shop - [xxx] Hyundai corporate case: #xxx state complaint (az ag): xxx I. Chronology of events and evasive tactics all documentary evidence has been formally submitted to Hyundai motor America’s national consumer affairs department, addressed to case manager bryan, at [xxx] and via the official email: [xxx] . Step 1: falsification of title status (code a99) Hyundai initiated its denial by alleging that the vehicle held a "salvage" title status, citing internal code a99. Evidence: I possess a certified and stamped motor vehicle record (mvr) from the arizona mvd, as well as my clean title. Mr. Bryan categorically asserted that code a99 "cannot be removed," thereby deliberately disregarding an official state certification. Step 2: allegation of negligence (karen) corporate representative karen claimed via telephone that the vehicle's failure was attributable to "negligent maintenance. " evidence: the official webdcs report—printed by mr. Ismael barragán (service drive manager)—completely refutes this claim; the blue link service history indicates "0 findings. " step 3: fabricated diagnosis and breakdown of improper charges after being compelled by mr. Bryan to take the vehicle to the dealership for a diagnosis, the narrative shifted to an "oil pump failure. " mr. Ismael barragán (service drive manager) presented a billing estimate to the customer under repair order (ro) #xxx, itemized as follows: mechanical diagnosis: $193. 00 usd engine replacement/rebuild: $11,980. 58 usd total demanded from consumer: $12,173. 58 usd technical emphasis: the blue link report (showing 0 findings) serves as irrefutable information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Steering wheel panel glued/tampered (safety hazard) motor/pump assembly broken. Recall couldn't be done due to tampered parts.

On 2/19/2026 while driving, my 2020 Hyundai Sonata limited 1. 6t began making several loud explosive / popping sounds. At the same time, the fuel gauge on the display screen appeared to rapidly drop, as if the vehicle was losing gas. Immediately following this, the vehicle began to hesitate and lose power while accelerating. The hesitation felt like the engine was misfiring or struggling to maintain consistent performance. There were multiple explosive sounds before and during the hesitation. This created a major safety concern while driving and the vehicle underwent an inspection at Hyundai in deland, FL. The service department was brief and stated they needed to keep the vehicle for repair for an unknown amount of time as the fuel tank expanded. No further information was provided at that time.

See all problems of the 2020 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

I was driving on the highway and the engine shut off but everything else remained on. I drifted to the breakdown lane and turned the car off. It would not start again and the car began acting up by turning lights on and off, telling me to check the tire pressure, and not unlocking the doors. I then saw some very light smoke from the engine compartment. I popped the hood and looked and saw a glow on the bottom side of the engine area. Then the car just went up in flames.

The internal core of the exhaust heat recovery system (ehrs), part of the center muffler/front pipe assembly (#28600-l5210), suffered a catastrophic failure. This allowed approximately 9 gallons of engine coolant to leak directly into the hot exhaust stream. Safety risk: this failure creates a severe visibility hazard. During acceleration from stop lights and stop signs, the vehicle emits massive, thick clouds of white glycol smoke. The smoke is so dense that it completely obscures the driver's view of trailing vehicles and prevents following drivers from seeing the roadway or my vehicle's brake lights, creating a high risk of rear-end collisions. Additionally, the rapid loss of coolant caused the engine to overheat and lose power while in motion, nearly causing a stall in active traffic. Confirmation: the failure was confirmed by the service department at washington Hyundai (invoice #174281). This is the second failure of this specific component (previously failed in Jan 2025). The manufacturer issued TSB 23-em-009h for this defect, acknowledging it affects 2020-2023 Sonata hybrids, but no safety recall has been issued. Symptoms: the issue was preceded by a "sweet" burning smell and a sudden "engine overheating" warning on the dashboard. The failed component has been replaced by the dealer, but the manufacturer refused to replace the coolant-poisoned oxygen (O2) sensors, leaving the vehicle in a technically compromised state. The failed unit is likely held by the dealer for warranty parts return.

See all problems of the 2021 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

I have had my car since January of 2023 and I have had no significant issues. I bought the car with roughly 30,000 miles, fast forward to February of 2026 it has about 123,000 miles and the engine is burning oil very fast. My car loses oil so fast the oil light comes on way early before my next oil change is due.

I contact the Hyundai dealer about my 2016 Hyundai Sonata. For all I know those vehicles have recalls with engine failure/stalling due to premature rod bearing wear, fire risks from malfunctioning electric oil pumps. My car is having those exact problems with the abs lights being on and is also have problems with the vvt sprocket. And the oil I called Hyundai and they said my vehicle only has a recall with the junction box. But my car is unable to go over 60. And is unsafe to drive and the recalls with that type of model car is the same recalls I am having and soon as I've bought the car and had it for some time I am starting to have those problems so I would like to know what’s going on because it is unsafe and I can’t even drive my vehicle I also have a blinking check engine light. I’ve wanted to report this now incase risk of a fire because I’ve did my research and realize these cars that have these type of problems are known for catching on fire.

Recall 286 my vehicle suffered from this causing heat module failure misfire in cylinder 2 and high pressure in gas tank. Sports Hyundai had previously done a 180 day repair under recall 9b1 for an expanded gas tank after the repair the car suffered from the updated recall 286 . I brang to the dealership 4 times with check engine and misfires and limp mode between 57k and 68k they refused to fix the car under recall 286 and cleared all the codes and continued to make me leave in a unsafe car. On February 14th it sport Hyundais negligence was the direct cause of an auto accident were the car was unable to move out the way because of lack of power /limp mode. I begged them in the final days of me having the car to fix it and saying I didn’t feel safe and they wouldn’t without an extensive amount of money I could not provide . I’m currently filing a claim with Hyundai consumer affairs and the dca in newark and also my senators office and I have a lawyer also who might help I wish to report this to the NHTSA.

See all problems of the 2023 Hyundai Sonata 🔎.

It was smoking from the engine, I immediately stopped the vehicle. My safety was put at risk immediately while being in the vehicle when the air bags deployed hitting me in the face and causing my face to swell. The safety of others was put at risk due to others being right next to me and putting others at risk of engine blowing up. Yes, the vehicle has been inspected by police. There were no warning signs on the vehicle.

Vehicle suddenly lost heat in 30 degree weather. No warnings, check engine light, or temperature gauge indicators came on. Lucky made it to a parts store and found out I was extremely low on coolant. Bought coolant and put it in. Made it back to the house and was immediately low again. No visible leaking. Oil was completely fine (1 gallon of coolant would have have left some kind indicator). Realized it was more than likely the ehrs. If this happened during the summer, my engine could have blown due to a poor design causing a major accident.

Engine has knocking sound. Sudden loss of power and hesitation when accelerating.

The ehrs coolant system failed and had a leak causing the coolant to be excessively burned off as thick white smoke. This caused me to not be able to see anything behind me and forced others to stop or slow down dramatically to avoid colliding with me. I had my engine overheat and force me to pull over on the side of an unsafe road because the exhaust system burned off my entire tank of coolant in less than a mile. I have taken this to a Hyundai dealership and they confirmed it was the ehrs system failure and told me it was a fairly known issue with the 2020-2023 Sonata hybrids. I was told that even if I get it replaced the possibility of having it happen again are pretty high. This seems extremely unsafe to myself and others.

Engine failure, cylinder 4 is swimming on oil.