Hyundai Sonata: which model years to avoid
Complaint and recall totals for every Hyundai Sonata model year we track, ranked by severity.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crashes | Fires | Severity | Most-reported system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 1,553 | 8 | 51 | 94 | 71.6 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2013 | 1,897 | 9 | 93 | 97 | 84.9 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2014 | 743 | 7 | 29 | 39 | 84.8 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2015 | 1,128 | 9 | 34 | 47 | 66.8 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2016 | 716 | 6 | 19 | 28 | 60.9 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2017 | 759 | 3 | 28 | 11 | 41.4 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2018 | 365 | 1 | 18 | 13 | 95.9 High | ENGINE |
| 2019 | 154 | 0 | 8 | 5 | 71.4 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2020 | 169 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 32.0 Low | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM |
| 2021 | 119 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 104.2 High | ENGINE |
| 2022 | 88 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 81.8 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2023 | 83 | 2 | 5 | 0 | 24.1 Low | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM |
| 2024 | 42 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 28.6 Low | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM |
| 2025 | 15 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 Low | SERVICE BRAKES |
Across 14 model years, the 2021 Hyundai Sonata carries the highest severity index (104.2, driven by engine), while the 2025 is the cleanest at 0.0.
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs. Complaint counts are not normalised by units sold; a high-volume seller will attract more filings than a rare trim.