NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2012 Hyundai Sonata. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026
Driving on freeway and traction control light came on and stays on. Then my car stalls. Additionally, I awakened at 6 am to find my breaks light had been on most the night at no fault of mine. I checked my vin# and being told my 2012 sonata is not part of the recall campaign 136. This is a danger to my life and Hyundai is refusing to correct the problem at their cost.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power without warning. The vehicle was towed to the resident and then to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The independent mechanic stated that the vehicle had experienced the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V568000 (Engine). The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was unavailable.
Break lights don’t go off.
Our 2012 Hyundai Sonata Limited had some kind of seat belt recall done in 2017. Not sure what as we were not given any documentation. We are having problems engaging the Driver's seat belt that started in the last month of 2022. Hyundai keeps referring us to the local dealer to see if indeed it is part of that recall. The local dealer insists on charging $160.00 inspection fee, if it's covered Hyundai will be charged. A knowledgeable mechanic should be able to sit in the driver's seat and attempt to buckle the belt and know if it is covered, without charging $160.00. Pease help.
Vehicle doesn’t stop hard pedal and brake light came on 144k
Power steering loses power and window between speedometer and tach goes blank. Car keeps running but no power steering and cannot take out of park. Must restart the car to solve issue. Happened several times while at idle, in park. Happened once while in drive, at idle while stopped, and was able to drive forward when I discovered no power steering. Concerned it could happen while driving.
Excessive oil consumption. No oil leaks. Car has been using oil for quite some time, but now I need to add over a quart a month to keep the oil level in the recommended range.
Illumination of the malfunction indicator lamp and/or ABS (Anti-lock brake system) light. My 2012 Sonata Hybrid has been towed twice to Key Hyundai dealer in Jacksonville, FL. They charged me several thousand dollars and the vehicle ABS lamp remains illuminated. The dealership did not offer me alternative transportation and I feel unsafe driving the vehicle. On Friday November 12th they blamed the brake lamp illumination on the Hybrid main battery and gave me an estimate of $12,900.00 to replace the battery. The first time I took the vehicle in for this problem my vehicle was still under 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. My car has approximately only 35,000 miles driven. They did not honor the warranty. This is a brake issue not a battery issue.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 40 MPH, suddenly there was smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle before the vehicle lost motive power and stalled. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that the engine had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 128,000.
There is a recall of our 2012 Hyundai Sonata but Hyundai never informed us of the recall. https://autoservice.hyundaiusa.com/Campaign132/sitecontents/English/CustomerLetters/site_97_page_1530_customerLetter1.pdf#pdfjs.action=download Our car qualifies for the recall but Hyundai does not want to do anything about it. Our car experienced engine knocking and we took it to an independent repair shop. The repair shop informed us about the recall but Hyundai never did. The recall is because there is a defect in the engine in which friction caused by metal bits burned up the oil. The low level of oil causes the knocking. The repair shop filled our car engine with oil. We took the car to a Hyundai dealership but they refuse to do the repairs unless the engine is knocking even though the recall letter admits there is a potential safety issue if the engine is not replaced.
Driving on a freeway when check brake warning appeared. Car speed dropped down to drastically. Alarm was chirping and brakes made a bad grinding noise
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal failed to return to the normal upright position. The contact stated that the taillights remained illuminated as if the brake pedal was still depressed. The contact stated that the stabili-trak warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a local dealer or independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The contact researched online and related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V759000 (Exterior Lighting). The failure mileage was approximately 147,000. The VIN was unavailable.
The car starts alarming out of nowhere while driving at 70 mph on the interstate and the Hybrid System Warning - Safely Stop and Do Not Drive along with the wrench, battery light and engine light all appearing on the dashboard to pull over and do not drive when this occurred I lost total control of the vehicle. The brake peddle goes all the way to the floor enabling me to stop and I lost the ability to steer the vehicle as the power steering went out as well while this was happening. I almost got killed as I was on the highway driving at 70 mph. I immediately put on my hazards lights to signal to other drivers that I was having mechanical problems. Thank GOD I was able to pull over without anyone hitting me from behind. I have had major major issues with this car since I purchased it the engine seized up on me in the same manner back in 2020 and the engine was replaced. Then there was an issue with the transmission and that was also replaced. Then the brake booster also failed and had to be replaced as well. Hyundai aught to be ashamed of the production of this vehicle as it is truly a severe risk to the lives of the consumers not just the person who is driving this vehicle but also to those who may be behind someone driving as this could cause a major accident and people could be killed. These cars need to be recalled and they need to get down to what is causing these issues in order to fix the problem. I pray that you all make Hyundai do a recall on this vehicle as I have googled and see that there has been many others that have encountered these same issues. I am filing this complaint in hopes of you all getting involved to do something about this. Any help with this will be greatly appreciated.
As i was getting off the interstate, my car literally shut off completely, no warning signs or anything, so my fiance thought it was the alternator, went to get a new alternator, & my car still didnt crank, got a new starter, my car still didnt crank. So i had to tow it to an independent service center and he determined that my motor had seized. Which was weird because i kept my car up. My safety was put at risk because i could have had a wreck getting off the highway with cars coming down a ramp.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 50 MPH, the vehicle made knocking sounds with the check engine, battery, and oil warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 169,000.
Hyundai denied engine replacement after providing them with complete and full oil change history.
Engine had a Rod knock failure out of Nowhere, Vechile went into limp mound with a very clear & loud knocking noise. Engine blew up entirely shortly afterwards.
Involved in a head on crash with a deer at 63 mph. Front end completely smashed in. All components including air bag sensor detached from vehicle on impact. Airbags did not deploy.
My engine has locked up at 60,000 miles . I got the car when it was only 30,000 miles on it back in Jan 2021. It locked up on me in Oct 2022. I took it to the Carolina Hyundai dealership . Corporate will not help me get the engine fixed because of the first owner not keeping up with the oil changes . But I did my part in keeping up with the vehicle maintenance. I even tried filing this with BBB Auto but it went in their favor . All because I could not get the information for the maintenance of the vehicle that happened 2012-2016. Due to privacy and security reasons . Auto shops will not release what was done on the vehicle and some was not reporting to CarFax then when the car was owned by the first owner . Please help .
I was driving on a busy street when all of a sudden. My car reduce speed hesitated There was a pull over Safely and don't drive this vehicle warning Message Every light on the dash came on and shut off in the middle of a busy street. THANK GOD I DIDNT GET HIT Didn't get the chance to pull over the car just shut off. The whole car died I had to have it towed way I tried changing 12 V battery to a brand new one still didn't work. I've had it towed to hyundai dealer. What is wrong with this car? Still don't kno this happened in september of 2022 took it 2 different Hyundai dealerships. As I've been researching this is happening to a lot of people. With the same make a model car. I talk to corporate. They can't help me with anything because it's over a 150000 miles. You would think that they would help with some of the cause being the fact that is happening to all of the hybrid cars
Received a warning message saying pull over safely do not drive this vehicle in the middle of the road as I'm driving all the warning lights on the dash came on . The car jerked Then the car died
Fake Place and fake appointment. They give me an appointment after 1 month and I went to do the recall on the airbag unit they told me no part.Very bad experience
I purchased the car 9/1/21. 4 months ago I repaired an issue with the fuel pump and fuel rail. Now it's doing the same thing. Code P0087. I looked up to see if there were any recalls and there aren't any OPEN recalls; however the recall #180 is the issue I am having with my car. Would this be covered under the #180 recall?
I purchased my 2012 Hyundai Sonata on 4-7-22. The car has had no mechanical work, no accidents and has less than 1000 miles. On 9-16-22 i was driving my car home and was less than five minutes away on the highway. My car began to decelerate, I attempted to stop at a red light but my car would not give me control and the brake was rock solid and would not push down. I also could not turn the car off via the start button as the car would not let me. My engine ESC light came on the dashboard in red and the engine completely halted. To get to safety as i was on the highway with oncoming traffic i steered the car to the right on the ramp .I exited the vehicle as it began to smoke ,i thought it would catch fire so i moved far away and called my boyfriend for help and a tow truck to get the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to College park Hyundai 9500 Baltimore Ave., College park, MD 20740.I looked up my car and noticed there are recalls for this engine and a few other recalls as i told the dealership. The car is currently being inspected and the dealer said they would get back to me. Once the service department received the car they told me the recall most likely will not effect my vehicle. I don't believe that to be true and i was put in danger because of this engine issue with Hyundai.
Vehicle caught on Fire.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, and depressing the accelerator pedal the RPM inadvertently decreased. The contact stated that the traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that while exiting the vehicle he noticed that the brake lights were still illuminated. The contact called Cochran Hyundai of Monroeville (4520 William Penn Hwy, Monroeville, PA 15146:(412) 245-4380) and Bowser Hyundai (1001 Clairton Blvd, Pleasant Hills, PA 15236: (412) 469-2100) and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with TSB: 15-01-056; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,500. The contact paid for the replacement of the defective part.
Dash board has been completely cracked. I’m scared the airbags are effected by it or will deploy unexpectedly there are other people with the same issue. There has been no damage or accidents with this vehicle
When driving at higher speeds 50+mph, hybrid battery warning flashes, alarm beeps, warning states to safely pull over and stop. Warning goes away after turning the car on and off a few times. Dealer states they can not duplicate problem and can not diagnose. Have visited Dealer twice now with she results
Brake lights stay on when the car is turned off. It is draining the battery and I cannot drive the car. No Hyundai dealers near me have availability until October or after.
Car stalled several times for no reason then engine siezed
My "Hyundai system warning safely stop and don't drive". light went off with my brake light on also, we were driving on the freeway going around 60 mph I was I'm the middle lane causing me to have to hurry and pull over as Car came to complete stop.i went to brake check to see if the breaks needed to be replaced and after inspection they said everything was fine, brakes, rotors and brake fluid was fine it's been doing this more often now..
The contact's daughter owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power with the hybrid system message displayed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, no error codes were retrieved and the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was then towed to Gray Epperson Hyundai (4100 APD 40, Cleveland, TN 37311) where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was last towed to an independent mechanic, who replaced the transmission; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to take the vehicle to the dealer. The failure mileage was 140,266.
Driver’s side seat belt frequently unlatches on own while driving vehicle. This places the driver at risk for significant harm should this occur during a collision. This problem has not been inspected or confirmed by the manufacturer or other professionals. The only warning lamp possibly associated with this is the airbag warning lamp.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her son was driving at 35-40 MPH, the vehicle stalled inadvertently. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact's son restarted the vehicle and pulled into a nearby parking lot. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact's son was able to drive the vehicle to his residence at slower speeds. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 98,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle suddenly began to lose power and stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and continued driving. However, the failure reoccurred while driving. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V759000 (Exterior Lighting). However, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 84,300.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled with the RPM increasing and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer; however, the dealer had not yet informed the contact of the diagnostic results. The dealer requested the oil change maintenance records. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 101,000.
BRAKE LIGHTS KEEP EXPLODING
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while replacing the brake light bulb on the passenger’s side, the contact became aware that the brake light housing was melted, causing the bulb to be inoperable. The contact stated that the driver’s side brake light housing was also melted. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact was informed that the repair would be an out-of-pocket expense. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 190,000.
Check hybrid system keeps appearing on the dash, forcing me to have to pull over and stop the car. Dealer can’t fix it due to the code being intermittent.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the brake light was illuminated. Additionally, the contact stated that the failure had been draining the battery. The contact stated that the battery, the alternator, and the starter were replaced with the assistance of a friend. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact related the failure to an unknown recall. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.
"Hybrid system warning, stop safely and do not drive" and "check brake" alarm. Car immediately went into limp mode (15mph top speed). Luckily, I was not on the highway, but on residential street. Alarm was not recoverable by restarting car. Dealer says its the hydraulic brake booster and will cost $3250 to fix. Vehicle at 80,000 miles.
I was on the expressway and car hesitated and jerked while speed began to increase followed by hybrid warning system alert. (Pull over and stop the vehicle) with a flashing ready light. Could have caused a major accident with loss of life as there was no place to safely pull over. Warning lights came in immediately after the cat jerked.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled temporarily. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact drove back to her residence where she parked the vehicle. However, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. However, the failure reoccurred on two occasions and the starter was replaced for a second time. The contact stated that the failure persisted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,994.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that once car has warmed up, while driving at low speed or starting to move after a stop, she vehicle hesitated and stalled while depressing the accelerator pedal. This is a serious risk hazard as the car barely moves at intersections where it is a risk of getting hit by incoming cars. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to multiple independent mechanics as well as hyundai dealerships who were all unable to diagnose the failure due to no warning lights illuminating on the instrument panel and no codes getting registered in the ECU. The contact then got the car evaluated by another Hyundai dealership in order to exchange it for a new vehicle and mentioned this problem. This time the dealership mechanics claimed to have seen this same problem at several occasion and that the cause was failing electric motor (when warming up) which needs to be replaced along with transmission. They also said this failure would eventually lead to the car no longer being usable at all (catastrophic failure of drivetrain) The car was no longer under warranty and total repair cost around $11 000 CAN. This far exceeded the value of the car so the car could not be repaired nor re-sold. The failure pattern started to happen when mileage was approximately 110,000 miles
I was making a Right turn when suddenly after making the turn my car shook and started slowing down by itself. The engine light, the oil light and the EPS and battery light all turned on. I was able to pull into a parking lot and the car just stopped. After trying to restart it, I noticed smoke under the hood. No prior warning lights came on.
The Air Bag sensor light will not turn off. several months ago I had brake light sensory issues that cost me $1,500.00 and now its the Air Bag light.
2012 HYUNDAI SONATA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO DEFECTIVE ENGINE. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED TO BE REIMBURSED FOR REPAIRS PERFORMED AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR ENGINE STALLING, KNOCKING, FAILURE, FIRE AND OTHER SHORT BLOCK ASSEMBLY REPAIR.
I was on the highway during rush hour when the car was rattling during acceleration. I was going around 75mph. The car just died in the middle of traffic and I coasted to the berm. Once stopped, it smelled like something was burning and I had my 2 small children in the back in 5 point harnesses. They couldn't unbuckle themselves and I could not get the back door to unlock with the key fob to get into the back seat to help them. Once they were able to loosen their buckles, they had to crawl through the front seat to get out. Had the car actually caught on fire, I wouldn't have been able to get my children out in time. This was the absolute scariest ordeal I've ever been in. One shop has said the engine has seized. It's now sitting at Hyundai waiting for them to look at it. No warning lights came on until the car died.
My 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA is experiencing knocking noises. I only have 125,674 miles on it. I have not received anything saying that the car has been recalled yet. I’m making monthly payments on this vehicle and needs to be fixed as soon as possible.
The brakes lights (all three) wont shut off even when the vehicle is not on.