2012 Hyundai Sonata: Reliability Data
Source: NHTSA — 2254 complaints
2254
Total Complaints
80,000mi
Median Mileage
Engine
Top Issue
86
Crash Reports
When Do Complaints Happen?
Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.
48,000
25th Percentile
80,000
Median Mileage
112,160
75th Percentile
What Fails?
Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.
Engine
554
Steering
297
Electrical System
227
Air Bags
167
Service Brakes
151
Exterior Lighting
121
Unknown Or Other
119
Fuel/Propulsion System
97
Power Train
93
Vehicle Speed Control
79
Severity Assessment
86
Crashes
159
Fires
65
Injuries
3
Deaths
Sample Complaint Reports
"THIS IS FOR A 2012 SONATA. YOUR OPTIONS TO SELECT THIS MAKE AND MODEL ONLY SHOWED 2011 AS THE OPTION YEAR. THIS COMPLAINT IS FOR A 2012. I PURCHASED A 2012 SONATA IN LATE JUNE. TECHNICALLY THIS IS THE SECOND ONE I PURCHASED. I CAN EXPLAIN IT THIS WAY. THE FIRST ONE I BOUGHT HAD A HORRIBLE PULLING IS..."
"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BLUE TOOTH DEVICE WAS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER AND THEY ADVISED HIM THAT HIS PHONE WAS NOT COMPATIBLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND THEY OFFERED N..."
"VEHICLE PULLS RIGHT. CONSTANT CORRECTION NEEDED WHEN DRIVING. THE SLIGHTEST AMOUNT OF CROWN SLOPE MAKES IT PULL TO THE RIGHT. EVEN ON A FLAT SURFACE LIKE A PARKING LOT IT WILL DRIVE TO THE RIGHT. *TR"
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.
Engine
554 complaints
25th: 65,500 mi
Median: 91,500 mi
75th: 124,000 mi
Steering
297 complaints
25th: 42,250 mi
Median: 72,000 mi
75th: 99,890 mi
Electrical System
227 complaints
25th: 51,362 mi
Median: 80,000 mi
75th: 120,000 mi
Air Bags
167 complaints
25th: 58,500 mi
Median: 83,737 mi
75th: 107,575 mi
Service Brakes
151 complaints
25th: 43,176 mi
Median: 71,000 mi
75th: 103,740 mi
Where Are Complaints Coming From?
Top states by complaint count.
CA: 264
FL: 259
TX: 240
NC: 105
GA: 104
NY: 103
PA: 92
IL: 88
AL: 86
MD: 85
Who Files Complaints?
0.8%
Original Owners
99.2%
Second+ Owners
Hyundai Sonata — Other Years
See how this model compares across different model years.
| Year | Complaints | Crashes |
|---|---|---|
| 1990 | 25 | 0 |
| 1991 | 41 | 3 |
| 1992 | 43 | 1 |
| 1993 | 46 | 1 |
| 1995 | 93 | 17 |
| 1996 | 37 | 0 |
| 1997 | 74 | 6 |
| 1998 | 68 | 3 |
| 1999 | 187 | 25 |
| 2000 | 378 | 22 |
| 2001 | 293 | 34 |
| 2002 | 407 | 50 |
| 2003 | 247 | 28 |
| 2004 | 285 | 36 |
| 2005 | 217 | 44 |
| 2006 | 1422 | 55 |
| 2007 | 905 | 45 |
| 2008 | 554 | 24 |
| 2009 | 610 | 29 |
| 2010 | 415 | 23 |
| 2011 | 4582 | 194 |
| 2013 | 2602 | 138 |
| 2014 | 1061 | 48 |
| 2015 | 1611 | 60 |
| 2016 | 960 | 37 |
| 2017 | 964 | 46 |
| 2018 | 519 | 26 |
| 2019 | 182 | 11 |
| 2020 | 236 | 8 |
| 2021 | 156 | 11 |
| 2022 | 123 | 14 |
| 2023 | 130 | 12 |
| 2024 | 61 | 3 |
Active Recalls (8)
Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.
Engine
Campaign 18V934000 | 28/12/2018
A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source can increase the risk of a fire.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 1, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's recall number for this recall is 180.
Pretensioner
Campaign 17V617000 | 04/10/2017
If the seat belt linkage detaches from the seat belt anchorage, it can not properly restrain the occupant in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will again verify the connection between the seat belt linkage and the pretensioner and additionally install a warning label to prevent future seat belt linkage detachment, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai custome
Pretensioner
Campaign 18V137000 | 27/02/2018
If the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags are disabled, there is an increased risk of injury to the vehicle occupants in the event of a vehicle crash that necessitates deployment of these safety systems.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install an external wire filter kit, free of charge. The recall began October 15, 2018. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 174.
Anchorage
Campaign 17V152000 | 08/03/2017
In the event of a crash, if the seat belts detach from the anchor pretensioners, it can increase the risk of injury.
Hyundai will notify owners and dealers will inspect the connection between the seat belt linkages and the seat belt anchor pretensioners, repairing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 7, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyu
Switch
Campaign 15V759000 | 16/11/2015
If the brake light switch plunger does not retract as it should when the brake pedal is not being pressed, the brake lights may stay illuminated preventing accurate communication to rearward following vehicles that the vehicle is slowing or stopping. Additionally, if the brake switch plunger is not
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake pedal stopper pad with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 6, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 136.
Engine
Campaign 15V568000 | 10/09/2015
Engine failure would result in a vehicle stall, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace the engine assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Additionally, Hyundai Motor America will increase the warranty for the engine sub-assembly (short block) to 10 years/120,000 miles for both original and subsequent owners
Automatic Transmission
Campaign 14V434000 | 18/07/2014
If the transmission shift cable detaches, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver parks the vehicle, despite selecting the 'PARK' position, the tr
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, repair the connection between the shift cable and shift lever, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 123.
Side/Window
Campaign 12V352000 | 24/07/2012
The curtain airbag may inflate without deployment command and increase the risk of injury to occupants of the vehicle. Additionally, an unexpected deployment would be a significant driver distraction and would limit the driver's visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hyundai dealers will notify owners, and dealers will replace the curtain side airbags free of charge. This recall began on August 31, 2012. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Extend Your Engine Life
Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.
- Change oil on schedule — this is the single most important thing you can do
- Use the manufacturer-recommended oil weight and type
- Replace the air filter every 15,000-30,000 miles
- Don't ignore the check engine light — small issues become expensive fast
- Let the engine warm up for 30 seconds before driving hard in cold weather
- Address coolant leaks immediately to prevent overheating damage
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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