Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Fuel System Problems

Owners have filed 63 complaints about fuel & propulsion system problems with the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid — 8% of all Sonata Hybrid complaints. The worst model years are 2013 (14), 2016 (9) and 2012 (8). Problems typically start around 78,000 miles. No fuel system recall has been issued for the Sonata Hybrid.

63complaints
2013worst year
78ktypical miles
0related recalls
2crashes
1fires

Fuel System complaints by model year

’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25281414981215431
Fuel System complaints per model year, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.
YearComplaintsShare of year's complaintsTypical mileage
2024111%15,000 miles
2023320%—
2022421%—
202159%—
202016%—
2019240%—
2018111%—
2017810%39,000 miles
201697%67,000 miles
201547%98,000 miles
201414%146,000 miles
20131413%44,000 miles
201285%51,000 miles
201122%512,000 miles

Which parts fail

  • Inverter
    1
  • Fuel injection system › Injectors
    1

Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).

Mileage when the problem started

  • Under 25k
    1129%
  • 25k–50k
    616%
  • 50k–75k
    616%
  • 75k–100k
    513%
  • 100k–150k
    718%
  • 150k+
    38%

What owners report

UNKNOWN- While driving on highway, from 70 mph speed the car suddenly lost acceleration and speed dropped. No response to accelerator. Even with pushing the accelerator high, car will go in high RPM and speed will barely reach 40 mph. I was lucky that there was no other vehicle behind me, especially heavy automobile like semi truck as it would have crashed in me from behind due to sudden propulsion loss. The car started working fine next day. I took it to dealer and they couldn't find any error code but said it could be 12V battery BMS software update and they updated it. They mentioned that this is NOT a safety issue which is mind-blowing and concerning as this is a MAJOR safety hazard. I would request you to investigate this further and if this is a software issue then please direct Hyundai to update this with all vehicles and cover the cost for those who have had to pay for it.

2023 Sonata Hybrid · Dec 2025

The vehicle went in for repair at the dealership early July for a check engine light and DTC error code. It was revving high after being driven for more than 20 min or so and wouldn't get to above 60 mph. Jerky, dangerous acceleration and deceleration seemingly out of nowhere. The dealership replaced the fuel pump which is what they said was causing the error. Today on August 10th, check engine light popped up again with a DTC error code. Weird acceleration and deceleration and general jerkiness when driving. Scheduled service appointment for next week.

2023 Sonata Hybrid · Aug 2025

Car is a Sonata Hybrid Limited equipped with a solar roof which charges the hybrid battery. Vehicle began to cut off battery power while parked, requiring the use of a factory equipped 12V override switch in March 2025 after approximately 3.5 years of ownership. This occurred multiple times, often when the car was parked in the sun but independent of how long it had been driven prior or how long it had sat without being started. Evaluated by two Hyundai dealers; second dealer found a fault in the "solar DCDC converter" as well as the hybrid battery bulging. Battery module replaced. Unclear if this resolves the issue or it will recur again. Am speaking to Hyundai regarding battery warranty extension as vehicle had 88000 miles on it at the time of the issue starting. Online fora (e.g., Reddit, Facebook) note other customers who have had similar problems with similar fixes. …

2022 Sonata Hybrid · Apr 2025

Since a few weeks after buying the car new, the battery dies and self resets every few weeks on average. No error codes occur, but the car had clearly lost power while parked, indicating an issue with power management. For the last could months, car now has 26-27K miles and is 21-23 months old, it had mostly stopped resetting. It now is dead when I go out to it, even after only a couple hours of it being parked at night or during the day. I have to manually access the car and use the battery reset button. They observe no error codes. I have read other people have the failure while driving and fear and electrical issue could be a fire hazard. At the very least, it is a personal safety issue in making me take time to access my car, which could increase my risk of being attacked while trying to get into my car safely. …

2022 Sonata Hybrid · Oct 2023

The vehicle was brought to an authorized Hyundai dealer to have Service Campaign TBH and 94B completed. These campaigns were explicitly designed to prevent known mechanical defects (cracked EHRS assemblies and high-voltage battery errors). The software patches failed to protect the vehicle. The physical hardware has now catastrophically failed exactly as predicted by the campaign, resulting in extreme engine overheating and a physically swollen high-voltage battery pack. Hyundai is refusing to cover the cascading physical damage caused by their own failed campaign remedy, leaving me with an active safety and fire hazard. FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM" and explicitly state that the vehicle experienced an unchecked thermal event due to an ineffective corporate software update (Campaign TBH / 94B). All documents I have supporting this will not fit in this upload limit.

2021 Sonata Hybrid · Jun 2025

When I arrived in the parking lot and selected the R (reverse), the vehicle stayed in the D (Drive) although that it was moving backwards and was able to park it. The shift selector was stuck in DRIVE (Drive) leaving the vehicle on but not operational. After several attempts to allow the vehicle to cool and the battery to reset, (30 minutes_ later), the car started and took the vehicle to be serviced. The vehicle technician said they had a difficult time diagnosing the vehicle because it was giving different codes. They said that while testing they found the Transmission Shift Selector Module was damaged. Not physically but electronically damaged. They also stated that the car could have other problems but that they needed to replace the module first because it could be the cause of the other errors.

2021 Sonata Hybrid · Apr 2023

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine and ABS warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the check HEV System message was displayed. The vehicle then lost motive power and was not able to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer on two separate occasions. The dealer replaced the engine coil and battery; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the dealer performed NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V749000 (Exterior Lightning, Electrical System) however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

2017 Sonata Hybrid · 75,000 miles · Jul 2021

In May, the engine completely failed as I was driving on the freeway, without cause. It had to be towed to the dealership where luckily the engine was replaced under warranty. Less than 6 months later, the HEV and CEL warning lights came on as I was commuting to work via highway. The car was very low powered, hard to accelerate, and immediately decelerated whenever I started to let off the gas pedal. It struggled to go at or above 60-65 mph. The freeway speed was 70 mph and it was a safety risk for the car to power down. Dublin Hyundai could not replicate the problem, simply recharged the battery and said I was good to go. Less than 1 week later, the exact same thing happened as I started on a road trip. I had to return the car home and get it towed to Stockton Hyundai for diagnosis. …

2017 Sonata Hybrid · Nov 2023

Frequently asked questions

Which Hyundai Sonata Hybrid years have fuel system problems?

By NHTSA complaints, the 2013 (14), 2016 (9), 2012 (8), 2017 (8) and 2021 (5) model years. Fuel System complaints make up 13% of all complaints for the 2013.

Is there a recall for Hyundai Sonata Hybrid fuel system problems?

No. NHTSA lists no fuel & propulsion system recall for any Hyundai Sonata Hybrid model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.

At what mileage do Hyundai Sonata Hybrid fuel system problems start?

Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 78,000 miles; 45% happened before 50,000 miles.

What part fails most often?

Owners most often name the inverter (1 mentions), followed by the fuel injection system › injectors (1).

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.