There are 17 owner-reported tires & wheels complaints for the 2012 Hyundai Sonatain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
Approx one year post engine replacement, and 2 weeks prior turbo system replacement, I am having major issues with my sonatait struggles to stay started, it always hesitates and doesn't want to move when I press accelerator, shakes jolts and shudders, the smell of burning oil comes thru the vents and even smoke comes out from under the vehicle. The engine is leaking masses amounts of oil that seem to be leaking from all over the under carriage and half way to the back underneath the car, oil is in the wheel wells, and even splashed on the rims, the spark plugs are covered in oil, huge plums of white and dark smoke come out of the tailpipes, literally blinding anyone behind me, press the accelerator to the floor and it just shudders and smokes even more, check engine light is on and states malfunctioning turbo system, boost pressure sensor malfunction, sluggish will not gain speed, oil within the turbo blow by hose and in intake hose area, now I have coolant pouring out and the reservoir the coolant will be literally boiling. This is not good at all especially after a year post engine replacement and turbo replacement. When the car is started I push start and car struggles to start the starter keeps screeching and car shudders for a good 45 seconds before it either dies out or finally starts. This vehicle should be a lemon and bought back regardless of age condition etc. A vehicle after engine replacement of only one year should not be pouring oil out of the engine, failed head gaskets,misfiring and leaking coolant. I keep receiving recall notice after recall notice in the mail stating I have recalls that need to be addressed but when checking using my vin it says there are no recalls needing fixing, that makes me uneasy and I don't feel safe driving the vehicle I lost faith in it all together
WHEN I DRIVE ABOVE 60 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR STARTS SHAKING. I'VE HAD IT IN FOR SERVICE A COUPLE TIMES WITH NO AVAIL. I NEED HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING UNDER THESE CONDITIONS. I PURCHASED NEW TIRES RECENTLY BUT IT STILL SHAKES.
IN JUNE 2019 I PURCHASED 4 BRAND NEW TIRES ( GENERAL ALTIMAX BRAND) FROM BENTLEY HYUNDAI. SINCE THE PURCHASE I HAD TO REPLACE ONE NEW TIRE IN AUGUST 2019 DUE TO FREQUENT LOW AIR PRESSURE. NOW I'M IN DEC 2019 AND FREQUENT LOW AIR PRESSURE CONTINUES TO HAPPEN. THE GENERAL ALTIMAX TIRE BRAND IS DANGEROUS AND HAS POOR QUALITY. AFTER HAVING MY VEHICLE TIRES SERVICED THERE WAS NO NAILS IN THE TIRE BUT WAS INFORMED GENERAL ALTIMAX TIRES ARE SUBSTANDARD QUALITY AND MAY CAUSE SAFETY CONCERNS. AS A DRIVER I DO NOT WANT TO BE ON THE ROAD AND THE AIR JUST DEFLATES CAUSING AN ACCIDENT OR DEATH. MY VEHICLE IS PARKED AT WORK 8 PLUS HOURS 5-6 DAYS A WEEK OR DRIVING CITY STREETS TO RUN ERRANDS OR AT CHURCH. FOR THE PAST 3 DAYS MY VEHICLES HAS BEEN PARKED AND TODAY I START MY VEHICLE AND THE LOW PRESSURE LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN. I JUST HAD MY TIRES CHECK ON 11/26/19. I SHOULD NOT BE HAVING THESE MANY LOW PRESSURE TIRE ISSUES. I AM REQUESTING A REIMBURSEMENT.
TOOK MY CAR IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE A MONTH AGO.SOON AS I LEAVE OIL LUBE,NOT EVEN HALFWAY HOME MY CAR STARTED HESITATING AND CUTTING OFF.BY THE TIME I MADE IT HOME NOT EVEN 10 MINS AWAY MY CAR STARTED KNOCKING.I PURCHASED THIS CAR 4 MONTHS AGO AND CAN'T DRIVE IT I WAS IN THE CITY LIMITS OF HUNTSVILLE ALABAMA
WE HAVE A 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA, BOUGHT NEW, AND NOW WITH VERY LOW MILEAGE...LESS THAN 13,000 MILES AS OF FEBRUARY, 2017. ORIGINAL TIRES ARE KUMHO P205/65R16. THE LEFT FRONT TIRE CONSISTENTLY LOSES AIR PRESSURE WHEN GARAGED. TOOK ONLY A FEW DAYS TO GO FROM 33 PSI TO 24. THIS TIRE HAS TO BE RE-INFLATED AT LEAST EACH WEEK. CAR WAS TAKEN TO THE LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP, TIRES WERE INSPECTED, AND REPORTED AS HAVING NO PROBLEMS. CAR WAS TAKEN BACK TO THIS DEALERSHIP FEW DAYS AGO. SERVICE ADVISOR WAS SYMPATHETIC BUT OFFERED NO HELP. SMILED, THEN WALKED AWAY. WILL NOW BE TAKING THE CAR TO A TIRE OUTLET, AT OUR EXPENSE, FOR YET ANOTHER TIRE INSPECTION. WE FEEL THAT THESE KUMHO TIRES MAY BE UNSAFE. WE MAY END UP REPLACING THEM WITH A MORE SUPERIOR BRAND TIRE AND / OR SELLING THE CAR.
LOW PROFILE HANCOCK TIRE 225 / 45 R18 HAS A SIDEWALLS WITH A LIP ON IT THAT EXTENDS ABOVE THE WHEEL'S .. EACH OF THE TIRES SHOWS SPOTS WHERE A PART OF THE TIRE'S LIP WAS SLICED RIGHT OFF OR IN BIG GASHES...OR IS IT TIRE ROT? . EACH GASH ARE NOTH EVEN CLOSE TO THE RIM AND SHOWS NO SIGN OF HITTING A CURB. EACH OF MY TIRES HAVE A VO U PLEASE OF THESE GASHES. DEALER SAID NOPE THATS NOT NORMAL BUT ITS HOLDING AIR SO NOTHIS THEY CAN DO. . THE NEW 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA EQUIPPED WITH THESE TIRES WAS PURCHASED IN JULY 2014.
TIRES WEAR UNEVENLY AND EXCESSIVELY FAST. 60,000 MILES AND THREE ALIGNMENTS AND FOUR SET OF TIRES. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA EQUIPPED WITH KUMHO SOLUS KH25 TIRES, SIZE P205/65R16. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE REAR DRIVER SIDE TIRE DEFLATED AND THE LOW PRESSURE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE AIR IN THE TIRE, BUT THE FAILURE RECURRED IN BOTH PASSENGER SIDE TIRES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER TO HAVE THE TIRES ROTATED. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE TIRES WERE WORN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE VEHICLE AND TIRE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 15,000.
I WAS DRIVING FROM MY SISTERS AT 17 MILE AND GARFIELD HOME WHEN I NOTICED MY LOW PRESSURE TIRE WARNING LIGHT HAD COME ON. I STOP AT THE MARATHON GAS STATION AT 14 MILE BETWEEN HOOVER AND SCHOENNER TO FILL THE TIRE. THAT IS WHEN I NOTICED THE TEAR/CUT IN THE SIDEWALL OF THE TIRE. AIR WOULD NOT FILL BACK INTO THE TIRE. I EVEN TRIED TO USE FIX A FLAT, AND THAT WOULD NOT WORK EITHER. I JUST HAD MY OIL CHANGED AT THE DEALERSHIP A FEW DAYS AGO, AND THEY HAD CHECKED ON THEIR SHEET THAT EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. NEEDLESS TO SAY I AM VERY FRUSTRATED WITH THIS. ESPECIALLY SINCE I HAD HEARD THERE HAS BEEN ISSUES WITH HYUNDAI AND THEIR TIRES HAVING THIS EXACT PROBLEM! I AM HOPING TO HAVE THIS PROBLEM RECTIFIED...DON'T EVEN NO WHERE TO START! [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
REAR TIRES ARE CUPPING EVERY 10,000 MILES. I HAD FRONT AND REAR ALIGNMENT DONE AND NO CHANGE. READ ONLINE IT IS A BIG ISSUE WITH THESE. MAYBE FAULTY MANUFACTURER STRUTS? SOUNDS LIKE TIRES ARE ABOUT TO FALL OFF THE REAR HUBS. VERY LOUD. AND KEEP HAVING TO BUY NEW TIRES. *TR
LOW PRESSURE TIRE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON AND REMAINS ON EVEN THOUGH TIRE PRESSURE IS CHECKED AND IS NORMAL. PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE. WHENEVER THE TEMPERATURE FALLS BELOW 40 DEGREE F THE WARNING WILL COME ON AND REMAIN ON. FALSE WARNING WILL NOT TELL TRUTH ABOUT A LOW TIRE. *TR
KUHMO TIRES CONSTANTLY LOW AIR PRESSURE REFILLED WITH NITROGEN GAS NUMEROUS TIMES WAS TOLD BY DEALERSHIP IT WAS DUE TO CHANGE IN OUTDOOR TEMPERATURE ,NORMAL FOR KUHMO. EVENTUALLY AT 23000 MILES WAS TOLD THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE WORN TIRES,NO CREDIT MY, EXPENSE KUHMO DOESN'T WARRANTY. *TR
THE 18 INCH TIRES ON THE 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA HAVE ZERO TRACTION ON ANY SURFACE THAT IS NOT DRY. A DUSTING OF SNOW MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO DRIVE THIS CAR. TRAVELING AT 5 MPH WHILE TURNING FROM A DEAD STOP INTO THE NEIGHBORHOOD ON A LIGHT COATING OF SNOW CAUSED THE CAR TO SLIDE OUT OF CONTROL AND HIT A LARGE ROCK CAUSING FRONT FENDER/ BUMPER DAMAGE THEN BOUNCED BACK ONTO THE ROAD. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THE CAR HAS SLID ON ANYTHING BUT A DRY SURFACE. ALL LAST WINTER, WE HAD TO LEAVE THE CAR IN THE GARAGE IF THERE WAS ANY SNOW ON THE GROUND. WE HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH ANOTHER VEHICLE. IT IS UNDRIVEABLE IN ANY SNOW. I HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAY THEY HAVE HEARD ABOUT COMPLAINTS ON THE 18 INCH TIRES, BUT OFFER NO SOLUTIONS. THESE TIRES ARE A HAZARD AND NEED TO BE REPLACED. I HAVE LOOKED FOR SNOW TIRES OR OTHER SOLUTIONS, BUT THEY ARE NOT MADE FOR 18 INCH WHEELS. *TR
THE SIDES OF THE TIRE IN QUESTION SEEM VERY PRONE TO SIDEWALL FAILURE. THIS TIRE HAS A LIP ON IT THAT EXTENDS ABOVE THE WHEEL'S RIM (AS OPPOSED TO THE SMOOTH, ROUNDED SURFACE OF OTHER TIRES). UPON DRIVING UP ON A CURB WHILE PARKING THE CAR AT WORK, A ONE INCH FLAP OF RUBBER 1/4" DEEP WAS RIPPED FROM OUR RIGHT REAR TIRE. THE RIGHT FRONT TIRE SHOWS TWO SPOTS WHERE A PART OF THE TIRE'S LIP WAS RIPPED OFF (WHERE IT IS FLUSH WITH THE TIRE) FROM OTHER BRUSHES AGAINST THE CURB. MOST ALARMING IS THE LEFT FRONT TIRE WHICH HAS A 1/2" CRACK OR INCISION IN THE TIRE -- AND THIS IS NOT EVEN CLOSE TO THE RIM AND SHOWS NO SIGN OF HITTING A CURB. IT'S HARD TO TELL HOW DEEP THE INCISION IS BUT IT IS AT LEAST 1/8" DEEP. THE NEW 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA EQUIPPED WITH THESE TIRES WAS PURCHASED IN NOV. 2011. THE VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS A LITTLE MORE THAN 5,000 MILES ON IT. IN THE COMBINED 80 YEARS WE HAVE BEEN DRIVING, WE HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED SIDEWALL FAILURE FROM DRIVING ONTO A CURB OR JUST FINDING A CRACK IN THE TIRE. I DO WANT TO POINT OUT THAT HANKOOK, THE MANUFACTURER, HAS HAD A RECALL FOR ITS HANKOOK / DYNAPRO AS / P265/70R17S RH03 (NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 10T021000). THE CAUSE WAS SIDEWALL FAILURE. WE REPLACED THE TIRE WITH THE GASH IN IT. WE DO HAVE PHOTOS OF THE TIRES IN QUESTION AND CAN SEND PDFS TO YOU IF SO DESIRED. WE ALSO KEPT THE TIRE WITH THE GASH IN CASE WE NEEDED IT FOR SOME REASON IN PURSUING THIS (ADDITIONAL PHOTOS, INSEPCTION, ETC.). IT IS HARD TO DETERMINE THE DATE OF WHEN THE DAMAGE WAS DONE SO I'VE LISTED THE DATE THAT THE TIRE WITH THE RIP WAS FIRST NOTICED. THE TIRE WITH THE INCISION OR CRACK IN IT WAS NOTICED TODAY (7-14-12) WHILE GETTING THE OTHER TIRE REPLACED. THE COMPLETE DESCRIPTION OF THE TIRE SIZE IS 225/45R18-95V. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA EQUIPPED WITH HANKOOK P225/45/VR18 TIRES. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WHEN HE NOTICED A BUBBLE ON THE SIDEWALL OF THE FRONT DRIVER'S TIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE TIRE WAS RE UPDATED 08/28/12*LJ TWO MONTHS LATER, THE CONTACT'S SON WAS DRIVING 65 MPH WHEN THE FRONT PASSENGER TIRE BLEW OUT DUE TO A BUBBLE ON THE SIDEWALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER AND THE TIRE WAS AGAIN REPLACED. THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THEY STOPPED WORKING WITH THAT TIRE MANUFACTURER DUE TO EXCESSIVE TIRE COMPLAINTS. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 18,000. UPDATED 08/15/12 THE CONSUMER STATED ONLY THE FRONT TIRE WAS REPLACED. THE DEALER, HYUNDAI MOTOR AND HANKOOK ALL REFUSED TO REPLACE THE SECOND TIRE. UPDATED 08/29/12
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA EQUIPPED WITH A SET OF KUMHO SOLUSK H25 TIRES, SIZE: P205/65/R16 AND DOT NUMBER YOL4YPL81411. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH IN THE SNOW, THE TIRES BEGAN TO SLIP. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO BAD TREAD. THE TIRES WERE NOT REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE BUT A REMEDY WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 2,000. UPDATED 03/31/14*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE TIRES WERE COLD, THERE WAS NO GRIP, WHILE DRIVING IN THE SNOW, WHEN THE TIRES WARMED UP, THE SNOW STUCK TO THE TIRES
COMPLETELY NEW VEHICLE (HYUNDAI SONATA LIMITED 2012) WITH NEW TIRES AS SUPPLIED BY MANUFACTURER HYUNDAI. CAR KEPT SKIDDING ON A VERY LIGHT SNOW (LESS THAN HALF INCH OF SNOW), AND TIRES WOULD HOLD NO TRACTION. HAPPENED REPEATEDLY WHENEVER THERE WAS EVEN A LIGHT SNOW. WILL NOT GO UP A GENTLE SLOPE WITH SNOW. HAS TIRES HANKOOK OPTIMO H-431. *TT
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026