There are 23 owner-reported lighting complaints for the 2016 Hyundai Sonatain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
The headlight setting changes on its own, it will change when using the blinker or it'll just change on its own. By change I mean the headlights turn off. Even if it's set to auto, they still go completely off. My bulbs don't need to be replaced. It's been happening for a few months now. I can't recall a specific date
When I lift the switch to turn on the right turn signal, the high beam headlights flash on and off. It switches from auto to on then back to auto. I'm not moving the switch front to back, only up and down.
Upon entering the roadway, both of my brake taillights went out on my vehicle. The left, driver side bulb had been replaced within the last year, however, both brake lights stopped working at the same time. This happened in front of an officer who then pulled me over.
While driving at night, when I engage my turn signal to make a turn and my headlights go off. The headlights stay off until I play with the turn signal leaver moving it up, down, forward, and backward until the headlights come back on. I see this as a major safety issue. Driving a night without headlights impairs my ability to see and for other vehicles to see me. A search on the internet displays many websites discussing this issue for my year, make and model of car. Local Hyundai said there is no recall. There was no warning lamps, messages or other symptoms presenting on this issue. It appears there is a malfunction in the turn signal switch. This has been occurring for over a month.
Since the previous recall associated with the turn signal sometimes signaling in the wrong direction, I have noticed for months that when driving at night when the turn signal is on in either direction the lights function will start moving from on to auto to off causing the lights to turn off when signaling. This is very dangerous especially at night.
The first is the drivers side headlight not properly projecting light. The light projected a shadow across the center of the light preventing proper illumination in front of my vehicle. This is causing a safety issue. Brought car to dealer who confirmed that the left headlight was deformed preventing proper projection of the light. This deformity was not covered nor are there any recalls even though numerous people reported the same issue. Am working on privately replacing them both. The second was the return tensioner not properly retracting the seatbelt back in. This was not covered by the dealer but it’sa safety issue where the system may fail.
Recently purchased vehicle. Did not test drive at night or we never would have purchased. While driving at night, the low beams cast a black, unlit area in front of the vehicle. It's so bad that anyone crossing the street in front of vehicle would not be seen. It is incredibly dangerous, yet the dealer says the lights are set to manufacturers specifications. This is a serious safety issue. It has already caused us quite a few close calls with people and items in the roadway. Please help, as we cannot afford to trade it in, and although the dealer admits its a serious safety problem, there's nothing they can do.
While driving at night, the low beams on the vehicle cast a very dark shadow approximately 30-40 feet in front of the car. While traveling, it us very noticeable and downright dangerous. If someone or something is in front of the vehicle, it would be hit. We have seen numerous complaints about this on the internet while searching for dilutions to the problem. Dealer says its within Hyundai specifications, however they have seen the problem and agree its very dangerous. Car was just purchased used, however we did not test drive it at night. It is so noticeable and dangerous that we try not to drive the vehicle at night.
Hello, I have reached out to Modesto Hyundai and consumer affairs since May of 2022. I have been shunned and told nothing is wrong. The message below was sent last year in May. I was turned away because I could not afford the diagnostic even though it was covered under a past warranty recall. I had to complain. A few months later I came up with the money and was told I was given the wrong information the first time. They kept the car for a week,, drove only 30 miles and said it was the battery. I recently had a oil change done at Hyundai in February 2023. They failed to mention the oil everywhere and said everything was fine. The engine stalls on a daily bases. The 2 prior oil changes one said they thought oil was leaking but didn't know from where the other said something was wrong with the oil pan. Also you can smell gas in the cab and the head and tail lights have been replaced 3x each in the last few months. "I have gotten no where with the Hyundai dealership here in my town. I was told I'd have to pay for a diagnostic to see if something is wrong before the vehicle could be checked to see if the engine is failing. I believe this car is a lemon and has stalled on several occasions. I recently had an oil change and was told their diagnostic came out clear yet the engine still acts up and will stall while driving. Will it take for my car to stall on railroad tracks and be hit by a train and killed before Hyundai fixes the issue? Women and children die in in faulty cars because no one would listen. A mechanic told me his friend had the same exact car down to the year and had the same issues and Hyundai said it was infact a recall and they replaced the vehicle. Did Hyundai make it right because he was a man? Is this something I should just look for an attorney for? Please help as I know something is seriously wrong with this car. I was told that Hyundais are safe cars yet I have never felt more unsafe in a vehicle." Thank you for your time. Hoping for the best.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving, there was an abnormal burning smell detected. The police pulled the contact over, who informed her the headlights were blown. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed the wiring harness was melted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 82,459. The VIN was not available.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, they would smell a burning odor and saw smoke exiting the hood. The contact stated they did not see any visible fire. The contact stated two weeks later, they received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V749000 (Exterior Lighting, Electrical System). The contact took the vehicle to the local dealer and made them aware of the failure. The dealer stated the closest appointment would be on 2/28/2022. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle with the front headlights turned on, the lights would randomly turn off causing a visibility hazard to the driver. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted regarding the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 35,000.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that she was informed that the driver’s side rear taillights were not illuminating properly while turning. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the bulbs were replaced; however, the failure had been recurring every 3 weeks. There were no warning lights illuminated. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
The vehicle continually melts fuses for the interior lighting. Dealer said that they can not find any issues. This can potentially turn into an electrical fire. This has happened multiple times.
My blinker switch that has the light controls on it as well is not working properly! The lights would be set to Auto, and it started randomly switching while driving at night or day on and off, at night when it's dark it just would randomly shut off and sometimes I wouldn't realize until someone lets me know. It could be very dangerous as other people may not see me if my lights are shut off without me knowing it. It sometimes flickers on and off as well, when I use the blinker stick to turn lanes. So something is wrong with the stick as when it's touched that's when it would flicker.
ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 45 AND 60 MPH, ON A ARKANSAS STATE HWY AND A US HWY BOTH HEAD LIGHTS WENT COMPLETELY OFF AND THEN CAME BACK ON. TWICE IN OCT. 2019 WHILE CHANGING FROM HIGH BEAM TO LOW BEAM, ONCE IN NOV 2019 HEAD LIGHTS WENT OFF WITH OUT USING HIGH BEAM TO LOW BEAM. TAKING CAR TO DEALERSHIP ON 12/4/19.
HEADLIGHTS GO OUT WHEN USING THE TURN SIGNAL AT NIGHT TIME.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HYUNDAI SONATA. ON THREE SEPARATE OCCASIONS, WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO OPERATE AND THEN RETURNED TO NORMAL ON THEIR OWN. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 48,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH, THE HEADLIGHTS SUDDENLY SHUT OFF WHEN THE DRIVER SWITCHED TO THE HIGH BEAM HEADLIGHTS. THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 58,000.
HI, THE SONATA LIM THE LIGHT ISSUE IS NOT ONLY TERRIBLE, BUT I FEEL EXTREMELY DANGEROUS. WE BROUGHT IN THE CAR THIS WEEK FOR THIS ISSUE AND WITH THE SERVICE TEAM, DETERMINED THAT IT IS A PROBLEM WITH THE LIMITED'S ONLY. THE NON-LIMITED VERSION, IF YOU LOOK AT THE LIGHT ASSEMBLY, ALTHOUGH IT LOOKS THE SAME, THE ENTIRE BULB IS ENCASED IN THE METAL/ALUMINUM. WHEN LOOKING AT THE SONATA LIMITED ONE, YOU WILL NOTICE THAT THE TOP EDGE OF THAT SAME HOUSING IS CUT OFF. THE DEALER ORDERED ANOTHER LIGHT ASSEMBLY AS THEY DIDN'T HAVE A LIMITED IN THEIR LOT, AND HE JUST CALLED TO TELL ME IT LOOKS IDENTICAL. I WILL HAPPILY JOIN ANY MOVEMENT TO GET THIS RECTIFIED.ITED
Showing 1–20 of 23 complaints
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