2016 Hyundai Sonata: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 716 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 6 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
716
Complaints
6
Recalls
19
Crash reports
28
Fire reports
19
Injuries
60.9
Severity index
Severity index 60.9 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 140 2016 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2016 Hyundai Sonata ranks 76 of 140 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 46% of its model-year peers. See the full 2016 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | 442 | 61.7% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 90 | 12.6% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 87 | 12.2% |
| POWER TRAIN | 59 | 8.2% |
| SERVICE BRAKES | 46 | 6.4% |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 38 | 5.3% |
| STEERING | 33 | 4.6% |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 32 | 4.5% |
The single most-reported system is ENGINE, cited in 442 of 716 complaints (61.7%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
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) | 42 |
Complaint volume is broadly steady year over year.
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 |
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.