Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact's sister-in-law owned a 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while the vehicle owner was driving 55 MPH, the owner noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The owner parked and exited the vehicle, and while attempting to inspect the vehicle, the owner noticed flames coming from underneath the hood, and the fire extended to the cabin of the vehicle. The Fire Department extinguished the fire and informed the owner that the fire had gone through the firewall and entered the interior of the vehicle. The front seats of the vehicle were completely burned. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard and was deemed a total loss. The vehicle was under liability insurance. A Police report was filed. The contact sustained back pain from riding in the police officers vehicle. …
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, a message advising to pull over and to park the vehicle was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostic testing several times. The dealer replaced the HECU and the battery inverter assembly; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact's son noticed that there was white smoke coming from the rear middle seat of the vehicle. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The contact's son pulled to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The vehicle failed to restart and was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the hybrid battery pack had failed, causing the hybrid battery to melt. The dealer determined that the hybrid battery pack needed to be replaced. …
We pulled up at Hillgreen circle Cockysville MD To drop my boyfriend off at his apartment. I went to pull in the parking spot.I went to put the car into park and it had no brakes. I was slamming them and pumping them. It excellerated and took off. Jumped the curb,went down the hill and into the apartment building. A red light had came on the dash, right before it took off. Seemed like it was changing to gas or the electric mode,or the other way around. The airbag on the passenger side came out deflated,and filled with smoke going into the car. He was the belted front passenger and his elbow went in to the front window. You can tell by looking at it,the hole and spidered around it. He broke his right elbow. It is available anytime at the moment. It's at Hyundaii in Glen burnie. I need to get it to state farms lot,to get the Kelly blue book value. We look forward to hearing from you
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving 20 mph, the vehicle loss motive power and the check charging system warning light illuminated before the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to coast and move the vehicle to the side of the roadway and waited for several minutes and restarted the vehicle. The contact continued to drive to his destination. The failure recurred several times. The local dealer was contacted and informed of the failure. The contact was informed that since the vehicle was experiencing the failure intermittently, the vehicle could not be diagnosed until the failure occurred and the vehicle was taken in with while the failure was happening. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and Manufacturer recalls: 964 (Auxiliary Canister Installation), 966 (Engine Monitoring Module, ECU Software Update), and 994 (Hybrid Safety Fuse). The contact stated that after the repairs were completed while attempting to start the vehicle at the dealer, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle remained at the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not covered under warranty for any further repairs. The failure mileage was 170,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 - 65 MPH, the battery warning light illuminated. The charging system failure message was displayed. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the system needed to be reprogramed. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was taken to an unknown local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.
Component Involved: Hybrid Propulsion System High Voltage Battery / EV Battery Electrical System Power Train Incident Summary: I am reporting a serious and repeated safety defect involving my 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. This vehicle has experienced three separate incidents where warning messages related to the EV/hybrid battery system appeared, followed by a sudden loss of forward propulsion. During these events, the vehicle would not move properly or lost the ability to accelerate safely. This defect creates a major safety hazard because it can occur while driving, increasing the risk of being rear-ended, stranded in traffic, collision, injury, or property damage. I transport my small children in this vehicle and no longer feel it is safe. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the vehicle stalled as the "Hybrid system warning, safely stop and do not drive" warning message appeared on the instrument panel. Due to the failure, the vehicle behind her attempted to avoid hitting her; however, the vehicle behind that vehicle collided into his which caused an accident. The contact was then forced to restart the vehicle in the middle of traffic and was able to resume normal driving. The contact then took the vehicle to bud clary auburn Hyundai (2807 auburn way n, auburn, wa 98002) where they were unable to duplicate the failure. She also took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who was also unable to duplicate the failure also. The contact stated that the failure had occurred twice since the initial failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. …
About an hour into driving home on the freeway, my car alert system went off and the car automatically began to decelerate and the dashboard display showed instructions to check Hybrid charging system and to check surroundings and to pull over when safe and to not drive vehicle. The check engine light, the needs maintenance light and the check oil light all came on. After about 15 secs my vehicle lost all power but did not turn off; the steering wheel became locked. I placed the car into park and restarted it and the warning alert alarm ceased, but now the check engine light stayed on. The steering wheel was movable again and I was able to pull to the shoulder where a california highway patrol officer pulled up and asked me if I was having trouble. …
As I was driving down the road, a warning sign appears in my dash that says do not drive.... Mean while im already driving.... Cars starts to stall and wheel locks. I get the car towed to the dealership that night and the next day... Which is today I am waiting for someone to call and ask me what happens and nothing... So I decided to drive there and what do I see..... My car sitting on the side like no one cars that is there... When I go in I find out that there is only 1 person that works on hybrids and they don't know when they will be able to take a look at it... Oh and lets not forget they don't do loaner cars.. I just bought this car 1 year ago from this same dealership...they cant give me any type of estimate of when the tech will be able to look at my car... This is very bad service!!! Why would my car stop driving after having it only a year?????
NHTSA investigations
Pedestrian alert sounds
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles.
Electrical complaints in other Sonata Hybrid years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid?
NHTSA has 24 complaints about the electrical system of the 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, 44% of the model year's 54 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system recall for the 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, though it has 4 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 2015 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 51,000 miles, and 21% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 1 fire and 4 injuries to electrical system 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.