2016 Hyundai Sonata problems and recalls
Owner complaints on the 2016 Hyundai Sonata include 1 fatality report, 19 crashes and 28 fires across 720 filings.
720
Complaints
6
Recalls
19
Crash reports
28
Fire reports
19
Injuries
60.6
Severity index
Severity index 60.6 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.
Ranked 75 of 141 by severity index among 2016 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 47% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2016 ranking.
Components cited in complaints
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 446 | 61.9% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 90 | 12.5% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 87 | 12.1% |
| POWER TRAIN | 59 | 8.2% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 46 | 6.4% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 38 | 5.3% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 33 | 4.6% |
| STEERING | 33 | 4.6% |
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 25 |
| 2017 | 23 |
| 2018 | 22 |
| 2019 | 51 |
| 2020 | 50 |
| 2021 | 85 |
| 2022 | 111 |
| 2023 | 152 |
| 2024 | 63 |
| 2025 | 92 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 46 |
Filings in 2023 to 2025 were close to 2020 to 2022 (307 against 246).
Recall campaigns
| Campaign | Reported | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 16V726000 | 11/10/2016 | VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles manufactured December 8, 2014, to August 18, 2015, and Hyundai Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to March 18, 2016, equipped with the panoramic sunroof option. Due to a bond |
| 17V359000 | 05/06/2017 | PARKING BRAKE:INDICATOR LIGHT | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Sonata and Genesis vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the warning light to indicate that the parking brake is applied may intermittently not illuminate in the dash due to corrosion in the switch. |
| 16V615000 | 24/08/2016 | AIR BAGS | Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 28, 2016 through April 12, 2016. The affected vehicles have a driver-side frontal air bag that may not adequately protect the driver's neck from injury in the event of a crash |
| 16V232000 | 21/04/2016 | AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016 to February 22, 2016, and one 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicle manufactured October 15, 2015. I |
| 15V678000 | 20/10/2015 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to August 21, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with an Antilock Braking System (ABS) warning light intended to warn the driver if there is an ABS malfuncti |
| 21V749000 | 24/09/2021 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sonata, 2016-2017 Sonata Hybrid, and Sonata Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the tu |
Other Hyundai Sonata model years
Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 14 years side by side.
- 2012sev 71.2
- 2013sev 83.4
- 2014sev 81.9
- 2015sev 66.1
- 2017sev 43.5
- 2018sev 82.5
- 2019sev 68.3
- 2020sev 42.9
- 2021sev 80.4
- 2022sev 69.6
- 2023sev 43.8
- 2024sev 50.3
- 2025sev 52.6
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-09-07. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.