Problems · NHTSA complaints
2018 Hyundai Sonata problems
Owners filed 375 complaints about the 2018 Hyundai Sonata with NHTSA between Dec 2017 and Oct 2026. The most-cited component is engine (212).
Complaints
375
Filed with NHTSA
Crashes
18
Reported by owners
Fires
13
Reported by owners
Injuries
20
People reported injured
Deaths
1
Reported to NHTSA
Complaints by component
One complaint can cite several components
- Engine212
- Electrical system60
- Power train40
- Fuel/propulsion system32
- Exterior lighting22
- Vehicle speed control19
- Structure17
- Service brakes14
- Engine and engine cooling14
- Steering9
- Latches/locks/linkages8
- Seat belts8
- Forward collision avoidance7
- Suspension5
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API · synced Nov 9, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
When complaints were filed
Does it get worse with age? Complaints per calendar year filed
1
17
61
18
22
37
55
44
82
38
View as table
| Model year | Complaints filed per calendar year |
|---|---|
| 2017 | 1 |
| 2018 | 17 |
| 2019 | 61 |
| 2020 | 18 |
| 2021 | 22 |
| 2022 | 37 |
| 2023 | 55 |
| 2024 | 44 |
| 2025 | 82 |
| 2026 | 38 |
Mileage at failure isn’t a structured field in NHTSA complaint data, so we don’t chart it. Some owners mention it in their reports below.
Top problems in owners’ words
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
Engine
212 reports3 crashes8 fires
“What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The paint is peeling off the car, when I went to the dealership they said this is a known problem for 2015-2018, but they can't fix it there is no recall. It is causing rust. The valve cover gasket leaks oil and caused spark plugs to blow twice. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The valve cover has caused my wife to be stuck on the side of the road early morning and my child to break down in another state. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The dealer stated both of these are known issues for these years, 2015-2018. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? We took the car into the dealership for inspection. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There was no warnings for either item.”
Electrical system
60 reports3 crashes4 fires
“We think there’s an issue with the abs module and wheel speed sensor because we started having a problem where the brakes wouldn’t work or would stutter. The car would shake real bad it would make an awful grinding sound but normally only when trying to stop at higher speeds or long braking. The only thing that made it stop was to unplug the abs but then other parts of the car stopped working like the speedometer and the sensors around the car. So we got the abs replaced but the new one started doing the same thing. We did some research and it sounds like the same issue Hyundai is having with the palisade. The incident that made us get it replaced to begin with was were driving down the road and we got to a traffic light but when we tried to brake they just didn’t work so we drove through the red light luckily the one person who was supposed to be going saw us and didn’t pull out in front of us so we didn’t get hit. We haven’t taken it to the dealership yet but my sister who teaches automotive repair at the community college is the one who diagnosed it so she said we should report it here so maybe it won’t happen to anyone else. Before we had the brake issue we…”
Power train
40 reports2 crashes1 fire
“I recently had the 9C2 Emissions recall update performed on my car, and since the update my car drives like total garbage after a cold start. It hesitates to accelerate, it bucks when trying to accelerate, and it’s to the point the engine is about to stall. I took it back to the Hyundai dealership and they said they are aware of the issue, but there is no fix from Hyundai at this time. This is a major safety concern, as the car barely wants to accelerate after a cold start. Please have Hyundai fix this safety issue.”
Fuel/propulsion system
32 reports1 fire
“The vehicle experiences a severe delayed start/extended crank condition before finally starting. This is caused by a loss of fuel pressure prime due to the defective fuel filter housing leaking internally, creating an unpredictable and unsafe vehicle operation hazard. The dealership is denying coverage under the 15-year/150,000-mile extended warranty (Campaign TXXS), claiming the issue is a standard fuel pump failure while completely ignoring that the integrated fuel filter housing defect causes this exact failure."”
Exterior lighting
22 reports
“THE HEADLIGHT LOW BEAMS ARE DANGEROUS AND NEED TO BE RECALLED ASAP? After his death, I acquired this vehicle from my father who had stopped driving at night thinking he had developed a vision issue. The first time I drove it at night I discovered the low beams are defective, and that was the problem, not my dear old Dad’s vision. The light emitted does not extend far enough in front of the vehicle to light a large enough safe distance. There are also large black areas at the far edge of each light that float from side to side with the beam while making turns. This also causes the areas on one side or the other to loose lighting. While turning they are often facing the wrong direction making it virtually impossible to see the unlit areas. We live in the country down a 20 mile long two lane road with many turns and minimal lighting compared to city driving. We then turn onto a 3 mile very narrow road with numerous turn, minimal shoulders, and a double hairpin turn with a dip at the end. It required us to leave the high beams on at all times even when other vehicles are approaching because it would be too dangerous to only use the low beams. When I took it to the…”
Vehicle speed control
19 reports6 crashes
“On 05/27/2025, my rear back-up camera started to malfunction. Last week my dash started to malfunction electronically. When I would start my vehicle, all of the lights would start to turn on and stay on on my dash. My speedometer would not move while I was driving, so I could not see how fast I was going. I believe this is a severe safety issue for myself as well as others. The tachometer would jump up and down and would not function correctly. My dash stated that I had low tire pressure, that I was having problems with my traction control, that my BSD system was not working, that my ABS was not working, that my emergency brake was on even though it was not. It also stated that I did have functioning air bags, which is a severe safety hazard in the chance that I could've gotten into a wreck and they might not have worked. It also stated that I was not in Drive even though I clearly was. It also stated that I had no power steering while I was driving, before the light would turn off and I could properly steer again. This is a severe safety issue that could put me at risk. Finally, my check engine light turned on and stayed on. Yesterday on 06/09/2025 I was able…”
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 9, 2026
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.