2012 Hyundai Sonata problems and recalls

Owner complaints on the 2012 Hyundai Sonata include 1 fatality report, 51 crashes and 95 fires across 1,556 filings.

1,556
Complaints
8
Recalls
51
Crash reports
95
Fire reports
38
Injuries
71.2
Severity index

Severity index 71.2 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 71.2p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 48 of 130 by severity index among 2012 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 63% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2012 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 567 complaints (36.4%)567 36%SteeringSteering: 301 complaints (19.3%)301 19%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 234 complaints (15.0%)234 15%Air BagsAir Bags: 169 complaints (10.9%)169 11%Service BrakesService Brakes: 158 complaints (10.2%)158 10%Exterior LightingExterior Lighting: 141 complaints (9.1%)141 9%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 122 complaints (7.8%)122 8%Fuel/Propulsion SystemFuel/Propulsion System: 99 complaints (6.4%)99 6%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE56736.4%
STEERING30119.3%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM23415.0%
AIR BAGS16910.9%
SERVICE BRAKES15810.2%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING1419.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER1227.8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM996.4%

Complaints filed per year

01002002011: 182012: 602013: 422014: 592015: 1202016: 1282017: 1302018: 1982019: 1942020: 1422021: 1182022: 1172023: 952024: 672025: 432026: 25 (partial year)11121314151617181981920212223242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
201118
201260
201342
201459
2015120
2016128
2017130
2018198
2019194
2020142
2021118
2022117
202395
202467
202543
2026 (year to date)25
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 0.5x those in 2020 to 2022 (205 against 377).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
18V93400028/12/2018ENGINEHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sport vehicles previously repaired under recall numbers 15V-568 and 17V-226. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned, or impr
17V61700004/10/2017SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONERHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2011-2015 Sonata Hybrid vehicles previously repaired under recall campaign 17V-152. The seat belt linkages for both front seat belts may detach from the seat belt anchor pretensioners.
18V13700027/02/2018SEAT BELTS:PRETENSIONERHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Sonata and 2011-2012 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. On February 27, 2018, Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) notified NHTSA that they were recalling 154,753 model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. On April 18, 2018, Hyundai expand
17V15200008/03/2017SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGEHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2011-2015 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the seat belt linkages for both front seat belts may detach from the seat belt anchor pretensioners.
15V75900016/11/2015EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCHHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model 2011-2012 Sonata vehicles. The brake pedal stopper pad can deteriorate allowing the brake light switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released.
15V56800010/09/2015ENGINEHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Sonata vehicles manufactured December 11, 2009, to April 12, 2012 at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama and equipped with either a 2.0 liter or 2.4 liter Gasoline Direct injection engine. In the affected v
14V43400018/07/2014POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONHyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Sonata vehicles manufactured December 11, 2009, through May 29, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable may detach from from the shift lever pin.
12V35200024/07/2012AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOWHyundai is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Hyundai Sonata passenger cars, manufactured from January 24, 2012, through June 21, 2012. The curtain side airbags on these vehicles may inflate without deployment command due to an error during manufacturing.

Other Hyundai Sonata model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 14 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-08-06. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.