"How reliable is the 1997 Hyundai Sonata?"

"Based on 74 NHTSA complaints, the 1997 Hyundai Sonata has a median complaint mileage of 86000 miles. The most common issue is Tank Assembly."

"What are common problems with the 1997 Hyundai Sonata?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 1997 Hyundai Sonata is Tank Assembly, accounting for a significant portion of the 74 total complaints filed."

1997 Hyundai Sonata: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 74 complaints

Total Complaints

86,000mi

Median Mileage

Tank Assembly

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

56,764 25th Percentile

86,000 Median Mileage

114,234 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Tank Assembly

Automatic Transmission

Frontal

Gasoline

Air Bags

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine

Unknown Or Other

Front

Ignition

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TRANSMISSION GEAR SHIFT WILL NOT LOCK INTO PLACE, ALSO SLIPS INTO NEUTRAL IF SLIGHTLY BUMPED."

"AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FAILURE."

"TRANSMISSION FAILURE."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Tank Assembly 15 complaints

25th: 38,969 mi Median: 83,264 mi 75th: 123,500 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

IL: 11 NJ: 11 NY: 7 MD: 7 HI: 6 VA: 5 MA: 4 CA: 3 IN: 3 PA: 3

Who Files Complaints?

25.7%

Original Owners

74.3%

Second+ Owners

Hyundai Sonata — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1990	25	-	Automatic Transmission	0
1991	41	-	Seat Belts	3
1992	43	-	Automatic Transmission	1
1993	46	-	Automatic Transmission	1
1995	93	107,263	Frontal	17
1996	37	-	Gasoline	0
1998	68	80,000	Automatic Transmission	3
1999	187	95,000	Frame And Members	25
2000	378	108,000	Frame And Members	22
2001	293	89,863	Frame And Members	34
2002	407	94,724	Frame And Members	50
2003	247	70,178	Air Bags	28
2004	285	91,138	Suspension	36
2005	217	80,000	Air Bags	44
2006	1422	73,838	Air Bags	55
2007	905	67,000	Air Bags	45
2008	554	65,000	Air Bags	24
2009	610	68,783	Service Brakes	29
2010	415	65,000	Body	23
2011	4582	75,702	Steering	194
2012	2254	80,000	Engine	86
2013	2602	79,000	Engine	138
2014	1061	70,000	Engine	48
2015	1611	53,758	Engine	60
2016	960	62,100	Engine	37
2017	964	53,900	Engine	46
2018	519	19,862	Engine	26
2019	182	23,000	Engine	11
2020	236	2,700	Fuel/Propulsion System	8
2021	156	24,725	Engine	11
2022	123	13,500	Power Train	14
2023	130	11,000	Fuel/Propulsion System	12
2024	61	2,000	Electrical System	3

Active Recalls (2)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Tank Assembly

Campaign 00V314001 | 02/10/2000

FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE CAN RESULT IN A FIRE.

DEALERS WILL PRESSURE CHECK THE VEHICLE'S FUEL TANK TO DETERMINE IF IT HAS CRACKED. IF IT IS CRACKED, A NEW FUEL TANK WILL BE INSTALLED. A NEW FUEL FILLER CAP THAT DECREASES THE AMOUNT OF VACUUM INSIDE THE FUEL TANK WILL ALSO BE INSTALLED. NOTE: THE 1997-1998 SONATA FUEL TANKS HAVE ALSO EXPERIENC

Motor

Campaign 97V026000 | 26/02/1997

THIS CONTAMINATION INTERFERES WITH THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT CONTINUITY AND PREVENTS THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR FROM OPERATING. INOPERATIVE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCED VISIBILITY DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.

DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE CONTAMINANTS FROM THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER CONTACTS.

General Vehicle Maintenance

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule in your owner's manual
Don't ignore warning lights — early diagnosis prevents expensive repairs
Keep records of all maintenance and repairs
Use OEM or equivalent-quality parts for repairs
Address unusual noises, vibrations, or smells promptly

Compare Hyundai Sonata

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Vehicle Rankings

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28