NHTSA Owner Complaint Log
This page lists owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2015 Hyundai Sonata. Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA and do not by themselves prove a defect or defect rate.
1/2022. My vehicle start leaking oil. Vehicle was under warranty. Had multiple things replaced. Thought oil leak was fixed. Not even a month later in 2/2022, vehicle was leaking oil again. Brought it back to dealer & they redid gaskets, seals, etc. 4/22/22, have no even put 3000 miles on vehicle since it was at the dealership & there was a knocking noise coming from under my hood. Called the dealership and they said I needed to get it back to them. Oil consumption test was never done because it was assumed that my oil was low because it was leaking. Both times oil was put in my vehicle. On 4/28/22, I was at work and went outside to check my oil and there was little to no oil on the stick. I immediately added 5 quarts of oil which is required for my vehicle. The knocking did not stop. I left work to run a brief Errand on 4/29/22, and had just pulled out of work onto a very busy four-lane highway. All of a sudden I hear this big boom under my hood, my car locks up and my oil light comes on. I immediately took my foot off of the gas and coasted into the next driveway at a business. There was oil all over the road and pouring out from under my car. It happened to be an auto parts store. A mechanic came outside and looked and said a rod went through my engine block & oil was pouring out of my car. I started to have an anxiety attack and went into shock. Luckily I was not on the interstate because it could have been very bad. I am now without a car. None of the rental car Places have any vehicles available and I have a full-time job & single mom with 2 kids. The dealership was nice enough to have my car towed to them 45 minutes away. They Then tell me about an oil consumption problem with Hyundai and there is a big class action lawsuit. This should have never happened. Apparently the oil consumption was never sent out as a recall or anything else so I was unaware of it to even know to check my car other than regular oil changes.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, the sunroof wind deflector detached and blew off the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the wind deflector needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was informed by the dealer that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V726000 (Visibility). The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
1/2022. My vehicle start leaking oil. Vehicle was under warranty. Had multiple things replaced. I thought oil leak was fixed. Not even a month later in 2/2022, the vehicle was leaking oil again. Brought it back to dealer & they redid gaskets, seals, etc. Now on 4/22/22, I have not even put 3000 miles on the vehicle since it was at the dealership & there was a knocking noise coming from under my hood. Called the dealership and they said I needed to get it back to them. Oil consumption test was never done because it was assumed that my oil was low because it was leaking. Both times oil was put in my vehicle. On 4/28/22, I was at work and went outside to check my oil and there was little to no oil on the stick. I immediately added 5 quarts of oil which is required for my vehicle. The knocking did not stop. I left work to run a brief errand on 4/29/22, and had just pulled out of work onto a very busy four-lane highway. All of a sudden I hear this big boom under my hood, my car locks up and my oil light comes on. I immediately took my foot off of the gas and coasted into the next driveway at a business. There was oil all over the road and pouring out from under my car. It happened to be an auto parts store. A mechanic came outside and looked and said a rod went through my engine block & oil was pouring out of my car. I started to have an anxiety attack and went into shock. Luckily I was not on the interstate because it could have been very bad. I am now without a car. None of the rental car places have any vehicles available and I have a full-time job & am a single mom with 2 kids. The dealership was nice enough to have my car towed to them 45 minutes away. They then told me about an oil consumption problem with Hyundai and there is a big class action lawsuit. This should have never happened. Apparently the oil consumption was never sent out as a recall or anything else so I was unaware of it to even know to check my car other than regular oil changes.
My 2015 Sonata has been going through at least a quart to a quart and a half of oil every thousand miles. I researched this and found out that the 2015 sonatas have a very common problem where the engine needs to be replaced. There was huge class action suit against Hyundai and I'm worried that this is going to lead to bigger problems for me. I have gone to the dealer for 5 times and they keep telling me I'm not burning enough oil to justify the engine replacement but I'm not comfortable with their report.
While driving, the following warning appeared: Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do not Drive. The vehicle was turned off and restarted, due to the fact that this same warning appeared in the summer of 2021, where it was towed to the dealer and they were unable to discover any problem. When the vehicle was taken to the dealer this time they found the code P1B70, high voltage battery to low, there was a flash update for the BMS module to correct the issue. My issue is that you do not always have a appropriate spot where you can stop the vehicle and leave it for a tow. Perhaps this flash update should be installed in all 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrids as a recall so as not to leave the drivers in an unsafe condition
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the check engine warning was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the dealer stated that an oil change needed to be performed more regularly. On another occasion, while starting the vehicle, the contact heard a knocking sound coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and the dealer stated that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The contact was advised to contact the NSTHA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 95,000.
There's an oil line to the turbocharger; my guess is to cool the turbo and it came off spraying oil all over the engine compartment and when it hits the turbo the heat from the turbo would create smoke that would get into the passenger compartment and billowing out from under the hood. Hyundai had a recall campaign to fix this issue for the same 2.0T engine but only for Sonata models from 2011-2014 and they deny that this recall applies to my car because it's MY2015. Same car, same engine, same turbo oil feed line and they refuse to honor repair costs for recall campaign 16-01-071. I had to go through this risky incident and then have to pay $720 in repairs that was caused by a design flaw.
Was pulling out of a parking lot and the engine stalled. Would not crank over again. Mechanic took the timing cover off to inspect and found timing chains are all in working order. Will all engine belt driven accessories disconnect and timing cover off. Engine cannot be rotated with a breaker bar. Technician says the bearings are seized.
The contact called on-behalf of her daughter who owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle started vibrating abnormally. Additionally, the vehicle inadvertently decelerated to 35 MPH. There were no warning lights illuminated. The driver was able to safely drive the vehicle to the residence. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 42,000.
While sitting at a stop light the vehicle suddenly would not accelerate and would not rev the engine above approximately 2000 rpm. Then the check engine light began to flash. I was nearly rear ended because the vehicle just would not accelerate.
Oil consumption, engine locked
We have had some issues but take very good care of the car maintenance wise. The car went into limp mode and we took it in they ran it and came up as the knock sensor.. I noticed there was a huge recall for these cars. What can I do? It has 140000 miles and again we keep up on the car. Is this something I need to seek counsel for? Thank you for your time. I look forward to hearing from you, Dominique
I had a safety recall on my car for the Smart Junction Box. I took the car to the dealership on March 9th 2022. They updated the software that controlls the Smart Juntion Box. On March 11th 2022 at 6:45am I got in a car accident due to the automatic braking system failure. I run into a Ford F-150 at the stop light. Even the brakes at this point failed to work properly as well. I called the deslership and explained what happened to me and I was told by the technician that there is a possibility that the update of the software that runs the Smart Junction Box has impacted the Smart Cruize Control. He said there is a possibility that the Smart Cruize Control settings have been erased to default so the car needed a new settings. That was something I did not know about. My car has the option where you can choose what distance you want between your car and the car in fromt of you. It goes from one-space car to four-space cars. So according to the technician this may has been the problem.
Engine had a leak and shaves of the engine were inside the oil line. Had to get engine replaced.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate while the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the throttle control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, two weeks later the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the Voice Coil Motor (VCM) needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 127,828.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after having her vehicle serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V749000 (Exterior Lighting, Electrical System) the exterior and interior lights would turn off while driving at various speeds, with the check engine and oil warning lights illuminated. The contact also stated that upon using the turn signals, the headlights would intermittently turn off; however, the headlights would turn on upon toggling the light switch. The contact had initially taken the vehicle back to the dealer where she was given a diagnostic fee to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where she was informed that the E-CVVT actuator was defective. In addition, the contact also stated that the vehicle would hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal or lunge forward upon depression of the brake pedal. The independent mechanic linked the failure to the E-CVVT actuator. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
This vehicle is consuming large amounts of oil. Up to 3 quarts and 1,000 miles causing the oil light to come on. Hyundai did an oil consumption test with failing results. Due to this they did a deep combustion chamber cleaning. The car still continues to burn excessive amounts of oil. I am told that this does not qualify for the class action lawsuit because it is piston related and not rod bearing related. There is a burning smell coming from the vehicle that does not smell like burning oil. I am highly concerned that the vehicle is going to catch on fire yet Hyundai refuses to do anything about it.
I have to continue to put oil in my car and get my oil change every 30 days due to oil leak. I have been to the mechanic and had my oil gasket changed, engine clean etc… and I’m still buying if oil and getting oil changes. I would get oil change and as soon as it gets close to 30 days my oil light comes on.
My car has been stalling, hesitating and sometimes I feel the engine shake when using the gas. I brought my car to the dealer to have the most recent recall fixed and asked them to diagnosed what else was going on with my car. They told me the stalling was just due to the recall. However, the very next day my car was acting up again. Additionally, the car at times will accelerate when I am not pressing on the gas. I don't think I need to go into detail about how my safety and the safety of others is compromised when you have a car that accelerates on its own. Lastly, there is no check engine light on. This has been ongoing for several weeks.
My engine is seized. Driving down the road normal all the sudden driving 14mph peddle all the way down to the floor. Mph slowly decreasing until it get to a complete stop and dies. The car turns on but does not crank. Check engine light is now on battery light, oil light and key fob light without warning. Did not have knocking ,shaking or stalling of the vehicle. Vehicle was diagnosed and towed twice.
I was driving the car and it basically shut down and wouldn’t accelerate and wouldn’t crank in the middle of a highway ! And don’t know what the problem could be the car will not start now
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormal sound and was shaking while coming to a complete stop. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Upon inspection, the contact noticed there was no oil in the oil reservoir and refilled the engine oil. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer; however, the vehicle had previously had an oil change less than one month prior to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 177,000.
This is a follow-up to former Complaint #11450586 (05-Feb-2022) and confirms that both my local Hyundai Dealer -and- Hyundai Corporation (USA) are aware of this diagnosable- and fixable problem—but they fail to issue a recall. In fact, a Service Advisor at my dealer expressly vocalized that 1) he himself [excluding his colleagues] has seen at least -2- of the same incident recently; and that 2) Hyundai Corporation (USA) issued a “(service) bulletin” about the problem. PROBLEM: The vehicle: 1) has a high idle; 2) shows a solid-illuminated CEL/emissions light; 3) severely resists braking—my vehicle would even slide through stop signs; 4) fails to “pick up” normally; and 5) drives unsteadily. This is at minimum and is my experience from both last week and from the original report on 05-Feb-2022. As explained to me today (28-Mar-2022) by my Service Advisor, there is a known fault with a component within the engine (Powertrain). Specifically, there is a tube that is—as I understand—meant to be FREE of fluids. However, and per the Bulletin, the tube becomes full or over-filled with oil from the engine (Powertrain). Further, the Advisor suspects that changes in temperatures (e.g., such as the teens *F back in Feb 2022) causes that oil/fluid to expand and contract, causing (further) damage. This issue must be remedied by Hyundai Corporation (USA) immediately because it is a *SAFETY RISK.* My Dealership emphasized severely how unsafe it would be to drive the vehicle off their premises without a repair. I’m fortunate because I’m the original owner and thus am covered by the 10 yr/100,000 mi Powertrain warranty. PLEASE SAVE LIVES FROM THESE ‘FLYING’, UNCONTROLLABLE CARS BY MANDATING A RECALL. **I will provide Dealer’s documentation once vehicle is repaired. I was advised to wait 2-8 wks for parts and repair.**
Engine failure while driving on freeway. Lost control unable to accelerate, almost got hit by semi due to inability to move out of way swiftly. All engine oil came out due to rod bearing punching hole in engine block and car started smoking, fire department said I had maybe 2 minutes before my car would’ve been engulfed in flames.
At low idle (stopping) car stalls out when stepping on gas. The RPMs run extremely high and very low at idle causing panic. The vehicle also stalled at full speed on highway but all electrical was still working. Car tends to sputter and jump while shifting.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while either at a complete stop or while driving under 25 MPH, the vehicle would shake with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact also stated that the vehicle would intermittently lose motive power while driving at highway speeds. The contact stated that the battery and oil warning lights would be illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic where the mechanic discovered a misfire in cylinder # 4, as well as damage to the cylinder head. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the check engine warning light continued to flash on and off. Additionally, the vehicle would not properly accelerate while depressing the accelerator pedal. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer where notified of the failure but no assistance was available. The failure mileage was 103,000.
Car has been consuming an excessive amount of oil (1-2 quarts per week). While driving down the highway the oil pressure light came on and the engine started clicking and knocking. The engine died and all the dash lights came on. The car was coasted to the side of the road and towed into a local mechanic. The engine had seized and presumably dumped all the oil at the time of the engine failure since the engine had no oil when diagnostic was run. Car was taken to Hyundai dealership and is awaiting diagnostic and repair.
Fuse-High Voltage blow, no continuity. Forced us to pull off one lane highway. Turned off car and it would not start after that. Car displayed "Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do Not Drive" on dashboard, while driving.
The contact owned a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her 16-year-old son was driving at 25 MPH and making a right turn, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled without warning. The driver attempted to restart the vehicle but failed. The driver saw smoke coming from the passenger side of the hood and stated that the vehicle was locking and unlocking independently. The vehicle caught on fire. The driver could not get out of the vehicle was locked in however, eventually was able to exit. A fire report was filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to a dealer and deemed a total loss. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
Hello, the hood latch / wire / assembly on this make, model has an issue. It gets stuck during the colder months when trying to open the hood. After you pull the latch inside the car; you have to use your finger nails or sometimes a plastic item to pry the hood open and it works almost every time. During warmer weather, the hood opens normally after pulling the latch inside. This is a safety issue. I had and sold a 2016 Hyundai Sonata SE that had the same issue and a buddy of mine also with a 2015 Hyundai Sonata SE had the same problem. Many service technicians at Hyundai said it’s a known issue.
Notice that my car has a leak or is burning oil. The dealership inspected my car and had the oil changed. Has not been a month and a half. Engine light came on. Checked the dipstick, and no oil. Second time this has happened.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while accelerating from a traffic sign, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle could not be restarted and had to be towed to the contact's residence. The contact did not take the vehicle to local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The check engine light intermittently comes on, when on the car will stall when trying to accelerate, often accelerate when not intended, and runs rough. A second issue seems to be with the ABS system. On several occasions the ABS systems seems to engage and will not allow you to use the breaks (almost leading to several rear end collisions).
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle would lose motive power and decelerate without warning. The contact stated that the failure occurred consistently while making turns in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable the duplicate the failure and the cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was not yet notified of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 30,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. After checking the dipstick it was determined that the engine was consuming one quart of oil per week. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 75,000.
I was driving with my 2year old grandson and my car stalled. My neighbors waving trying to alert me that my car was on fire.By the time I realized that the smoke began to come in through the vents. I had to use the key fobe to open the doors to hurry and remove my grandson from the car. The door's wouldn't open by pulling the handles. There were no warning lights or lamps messages or problems prior to the engine failure. The safety of my grandsons and my life were put to risk because of me not getting any notifications about recalls and defects.
While driving in city traffic, 45 mph zone, my car suddenly lost power, engine RPMs dropped, engine off, power steering impaired, I had to drift into turnout and assess. Car restarted, and I could drive, but RPMs would not exceed 1700, car wouldn't shift gears, speed would not exceed about 15 mph. No engine warning lights, no oil pressure indicator, no excess heat. I found I could drive at low rpms and manually shift gears to increase speed. I got the car to the local Hyundai dealer (Taylor hyundai, Augusta GA) and it has been there 8 weeks. They are telling me the engine has failed because I failed to change the oil for 14 months. They said my oil pan was empty. They asked me for maintenance records and said they were inadequate, and the engine needs to be replaced, may cost $6000 or more, warranty invalid. The car has 56,000 miles. Safety was put at risk due to sudden loss of power in busy traffic. Driving the disabled vehicle was risky to surrounding traffic, as the car could not maneuver quickly. I have read about similar failures with Hyundai Sonata vehicles, and a class action suit settled for 2011 to 2014 model vehicles. My car is still in the shop, unrepaired. I had to buy another used car in the meantime.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not under warranty and there was no recall on the vehicle. The failure mileage was 27,055.
While going home on highway 95 at approximately 70 mph. The vehicle stalled almost causing many accidents. Thank goodness I steered it on the shoulder and it will not restart I had to call for a Tow. This was the 3rd time this happened. The first time was approximately a month in 2015 after my purchase it stalled on the highway. Again, in 2017 it once again stalled on the highway while I was driving. The dealership has told me on all 2 previous occasions that they had fixed the problem and it wasn't going to happen again. Here we are in 2022 and it stalled again. Why can't they just replace the engine? This is the second week and my car is still in the dealership which they are saying they don't know what the problem is smh.
WHEEL LOCKED UP WHILE DRIVING, RED LIGHT CAME ON THE DASHBOARD. ONCE I TURNED CAR OFF AND BACK ON IT WAS FIXED, THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. ANY IDEA WAHT IT COULD BE?
Steering Assist Problem Hyundai Sonata 2015 Sport 2.0T The car was purchased in Dec 2015 in California. We have had repeated occurrences of sudden power steering assist problems with the car, which typically happens after driving the car for 10-15 miles, and would go away after turning off the car for a few hours. The issue was first reported in Aug 2017 (case number 2017082505369). The power steering assist abruptly stopped functioning while driving, making it very difficult to steer, and a safety hazard (mileage 18,723). The dashboard had the steering wheel error light on. The dealer replaced the steering rack-gear+linkage. The same problem reoccurred in June 2020 (case number 2020043003513, mileage 46,915). The dealer ran diagnostics and again replaced the steering rack assembly. Between Aug 2021 to Feb 2022, the same problem has occurred again multiple times, and each time we left the car with the dealer to run diagnostics, they were unable to replicate the issue at their end, and refused to help us unless we brought in the car while the power steering assist problem existed, knowing fully well how unsafe it was to try and replicate such a dangerous problem while driving, putting our safety at risk! We raised the case with Hyundai, case number 18786891. Hyundai refused to acknowledge that there is a problem with the car and asked us to replicate and take it to the dealer for diagnosis. It has been very difficult for us to get any help from the dealer/Hyundai with the case. We feel that this has been a persistent issue and Hyundai should help fix the problem or recall the vehicle based on safety concerns. There have been multiple power steering related recalls in 2015 Hyundai Sonata vehicles, but the Sport 2.0T trim doesn't show up in the list, probably because fewer vehicles of this trim seem to be in circulation. The problem has occurred numerous times now, (latest being Feb 12, 2022). This is a serious safety hazard and we wanted to report this.
Excessive oil consumption-1-2 quarts per week Losing power almost comes to stop on highway-Dangerous Knocking noise at times from engine White smoke at times from tailpipe Rough high idling Code P1326 Code P0010 Hyundai is very aware these issues in their engines. Many complaints on Hyundai forms. Many articles written about these issues with their engines. Class action lawsuit against Hyundai about their engines. Hyundai corporate won’t help nor will the local service department at the dealer. All they want to say it’s out of warranty. Because the issue happened after 100000 mile warranty shouldn’t mean Hyundai shouldn’t fix the issue they are very aware of.
The engine rattles and knocks and has stalled out multiple times, crossing traffic and stopping. The airbag light is illuminated on dash. When I’m driving the steering sticks in corners badly I’ve taken to Hyundai and they supposedly did an update to keep it from doing it but it’s still grabbing and sticking very dangerous.
The vehicle's transmission seems to be slipping or something. As you begin to come to a stop, the vehicle bogs down and you can not accelerate. There is a long hesitation and then suddenly it kicks in and jars the car. This happens on a daily basis. The vehicle is also burning through oil at an unprecedented rate.
Vehicle started making a front end noise when turning or hitting a bump.
Trunk latch has failed and is impossible to open the trunk. The risk of not being able to change a flat tire or having someone locked in the trunk. There is a recall for same generation of Sonata but recall is not available for the 2015 model.
The engine constantly needs oil added. There is no oil leakage showing on the ground. I have to add oil ever week. The engine also knocks going at slow speeds up hill and has started knocking when started if you turn it off and restart it it will run ok. The dealer says the engine has to fail completely before the recall will be completed. So I have to drive it until it fails somewhere on the highway and could easily cause a serious accident.
I purchased a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. Two years ago, I'm having issues with my car paint peeling off in the hood, roof and trunk. Many times I when to the dealer to ask them about the recall, and they state that there is nothing they can do since they did not have anything registered for a paint peeling recall. My car day by day is getting worse and I need help for this issue to be fix.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the engine was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was frequently topping off the engine oil between scheduled oil change service. The vehicle was taken to a dealer and a 3,000-mile oil consumption test was performed. The test concluded that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact rejected the results. In addition, the contact stated that the brake pads were frequently replaced due to the vehicle shuddering upon the depression of the brake pedal. The manufacturer had been notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026