Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (automatic and manual transmissions, CVT, axles, driveshaft, 4WD/AWD).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Hyundai Genesis owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I was driving heading southbound on the avenue and the vehicle in front of me braked suddenly and had no time to brake without hitting the vehicle in front of me. I tried to brake the most I could but did not make it so slammed into vehicle in front of me. It was a very hard impact and none of the airbags in the vehicle went off, so due to the whiplash my mouth hit the steering wheel and broke my bottom lip. I had my seat belt on so no other injuries occurred besides my ankle sprain from the jam of the accelerator with the center console. As soon as the crash occurred the car started going into smoke so I was scared and decided to get out of the vehicle before it might blow up. I forced myself out of the vehicle and put the car in the gear of park and no longer than two seconds later that I was out of the car, the car started to head in reverse on its own quickly! …
When starting the vehicle with foot on the clutch, it lurched forward hitting a parking barrier. Dealer denied mechanical causes. From the time I bought the car, it has accelerated on it's own, going to the max in rpms, at random times. I can take my foot off the gas and it will drive itself. When I try to come to a stop, it will accelerate and I have to counter by hitting the brake. When taken to the dealer, they couldn't "replicate" it. When I argued with the man, he said he would honor the warranty when they could replicate it, though the warranty is now expired. I asked for something in writing, he initialed the work order. Also, the front, under the bumper, is way too low and made of weak material, so when I have to go over any kind of dip, it drags, which has caused the piece to break. This also got up into the fender-well, which caused a hazard with my tires. …
Transmission grinding/syncro issues, 2nd, 3rd, 5th gear grind, gear lockout, gear rejection(intermittent daily occurrence with no pattern), can causing loos of control of the vehicle, inability to safely accelerate etc. Tech drove the car for 10miles and couldn't replicate, would not perform any more tests. Common issue on cars made after 2009 up until 2013, manufacturing defect. See included forum link an youtube video describing the issue. Http://www.gencoupe.com/drivetrain/23124-official-thread-manual-transmission-issues.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lptumdrrkpg
I bought the car used with 32,500 miles. From day 1 there was a grind going into 5th gear. This was a known problem, but no TSB or recall was ever sent out about it. Just a TSB to change the fluid . At 82,000 miles the 5th gear synchro broke. I had to buy a used transmission from the junk yard and had it installed for $820 total including the transmission, labor and fluid. Why would they claim they have a 10 year/100,000 mile powertrain warranty, when it only covers the first owner. And why would they know about the 5th gear grind and not do anything about it.
6-speed manual transmission hard to get into some gears. Grinding noise is heard on upshift from 2nd to 3rd and downshift from 6th to 5th. This is the second transmission the dealer installed. The original one had similar issues when the car was less than a year old and it was replaced by the dealer under warranty.
Vehicle suddenly loses acceleration and drops to a maximum speed of 20 MPH. Check engine light turns on but goes away after shutting down the car and leaving it on standby for a few minutes. Occurs every few hundreds miles. It's happened while the car is in motion, both on the street and highway.
I feel like the transition on this car is a safety hazard. It locks you out of second gear at high rpms which could be dangerous in some situations. Also from 5th and 6th gear grind and are hard to actuate. A lot of people are having this problem.
The manual transmission in the 2010 Hyundai Genesis coupe is very problematic. Very often the gear selection is rejected not allowing the operator to up shift or downshift. Second gear and fifth gear are the worse. Grinding often occurs when shifting into 2nd gear or 5th gear. I was merging into traffic on interstate 495 in massachusetts when my car would not shift into 5th gear. The transmission simply started to grind. When merging into traffic at 50-60mph an operator needs to shift from 4th to 5th and I could not. I had to quickly downshift into 4th gear to try and keep accelerating. Any shifting into 5th gear after approximately 3,400 rpms resistance and often grinding will occur. This can very easily cause an accident, expecting to be able to shift into the next higher gear and not being able to do so. …
While driving my 2010 Hyundai Genesis coupe 3.8l track model, I experience severe problems with the transmission. When shifting from 1st gear to 2nd gear whenever the temperature is below 30 degrees fahrenheit the transmission grinds going into gear. Hyundai USA had a TSB about it, and the transmission fluid was changed under warranty. A week later the problem is still occurring. Hyundai has not been helpful in fixing the problem whatsoever since. When it is very cold, the transmission will not allow me to shift into second gear at all, it'll grind and make noise and block me from shifting. When this happened, I had to quickly depress the clutch and let the car roll back down to a stop. There was a lot of traffic this day and I was almost involved in a collision because of this problem. When approaching highway speeds and shifting into 5th gear, the transmission grinds again. …
While driving on highway I-10 w was driving at 65 MPH, had to brake to slow down to about 10 MPH behind traffic that was slowing down and came to complete halt with foot on brake. When traffic cleared, on releasing brake and trying to accelerate again the car would not engage in any gear. Brought the car to park position and turned off engine and tried to restart the car, the car would continue to be on starter mode even though the engine had started. After several tries the car restarted but the gear would not engage. Moved the shift to shiftronic mode but the car would still not engage in any gear. Had to call in a tow company and wait in the car for over 30 minutes of harrowing experience in an unsafe situation. Car was towed to the dealership. They have been unable to replicate the problem. …
Transmission complaints in other Genesis years
Frequently asked questions
How common are transmission problems on the 2010 Hyundai Genesis?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the transmission & drivetrain of the 2010 Hyundai Genesis, 14% of the model year's 156 complaints. The component named most often is automatic transmission (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Hyundai Genesis transmission problems?
No. NHTSA lists no transmission & drivetrain recall for the 2010 Hyundai Genesis, though it has 5 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Hyundai Genesis transmission problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 16,000 miles, and 57% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 0 fires and 0 injuries to transmission & drivetrain problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.