Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (fuel pump, injectors, fuel tank, hybrid and EV propulsion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2002 Hyundai Sonata owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Hyundai Sonata. While attempting to refuel the vehicle, the fuel tank failed to accept the fuel. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer nor an independent mechanic. No repairs were made to the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,000.
Gas tank will not normally accept gas and clicks off every 5 cents worth that is pumped. After 3 gallons and 15 minutes later, the tank spits out the gas. This problem is so chronic the attendants at costco gas told me many sonatas have this issue. Recall or class action lawsuit?
On 10/10/07 my wife drove approximately 8 miles home from work and parked her 2002 Hyundai Sonata in the garage. About 5 minutes later she noticed the smell of gasoline in the house, and returned to the garage to investigate. Gas was pouring from the gas tank fill door on the car. The garage floor had a 6' diameter puddle under the car. She opened the garage door and backed the car out onto the driveway and positioned a catch pan under the car. Approximately 1/2 gallon of gas was in the pan after she opened the filler cap to relieve the pressure. The car had less than 3/4 tank of gas at the time. We delivered the car the dealer that night for repair. They returned the car on 10/12 after replacing a canister and valve assembly under warranty. This is the second time this has happened, with the first time being approximately 18 months earlier, also covered under warranty. …
I recently took my 2002 Hyundai Sonata to kroger gas station to fill up my tank that was on 1/4 full. However, when I got there and started to pump my gas it started out by only pumping out $0.05 of gas before the pump clicked off. Then it only was pumping $0.03 of gas before it clicked off. I tried to gingerly squeeze the handle to make it pretty much drip out, but that was not working either because it kept shutting off. I ended up going to a bp gas station bc I thought maybe it could have been the kroger pump, but the same thing happened. I ended up pumping $16 of gas which took me about 10 minutes to do! I have 71,000 miles on my car and just started having this problem 2 days ago. Gas will not pump more then a few cents before it shuts off and I am worried that I will run out of gas as well because I don't want to fill it up either if people have problem with gas spewing out.
We had our vehicle warrantied for the rotten frame on our vehicle last year. At that point you would think Hyundai would have warned us that our brake lines were swiss cheese just like our frame, these cars rot out, the entire vehicle is a death trap. The brake lines broke 3 times in the past 6 months after sections were already replaced. These vehicles need all the brake and fuel lines replaced immediately!!! This is not routine maintenance and should be recalled immediately!! The power steering line rotted out 5 years ago, this car was made out of really crappy metal. Dangerous vehicle. Everything on this vehicle is rotted out beyond what is normal, the wheels, the brake drums, everything on these vehicles rot to the point of swiss cheese. After 10 years these vehicles are very unsafe. Our vehicle only has 50,000 miles on it.
Was driving 2002 Sonata with child in car daughter got dizzy from gas fumes gas tank was leaking from top of tank,called Hyundai motor corp said car wasn't covered out of warranty,took it to the dealer was told car gas tank had to be dropped to find the problem,Hyundai refused to pay for tank to be dropped, finally took it to be fixed at a local service person ,found the gas tank was leaking from the middle of the tank at the half way mark,he found the tank was leaking to a stress crack on the tank,I find this to be a safety issue regarding this matter,there is a safety regarding stress cracks on the Sonata please call me at [redacted].
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while refueling, fuel spilled out from the filler neck. The contact also stated that the vehicle would only accept a small quantity of fuel before the fuel spilled. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer and the contact was informed that there was a failure within the fuel tank. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure occurred intermittently and had occurred more frequently in recent months. The dealer informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number 04V178000 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly). The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 130,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 Hyundai Sonata. The contact was refueling the vehicle as gasoline began to spew from the filler tube. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the contact was informed that she would need a replacement of the fuel tank valve. The vehicle was not repaired. An authorized dealer was notified and the contact was informed that her vehicle was not included in the recall associated with NHTSA campaign id number: 04V178000 (fuel system, gasoline: storage: tank assembly). The failure and current mileage was 150,000. Updated 01/24/11 updated 02/03/11
Not many seem to know the solution here. After much research online and going to a mechanic site... I spent $250 on a canister,,, valve... And filter... That was suppose to fix the problem. No go there. So now I much contact Hyundai again.... After their only advice was to bring it to a dealer. The dealer sold me the parts and said that this would fix it. Just want to point out that there are many consumer's online that are searching for an answer. Imagine all of a sudden.... Your car that you have maintained and kept in good shape... No longer lets you put gas in the tank.
Throttle body got stuck wide open there us a pic of this in gettysburg times I got video of the car going wild my car drove into a support line and there was nothing I could do. Hamilton Hyundai - chambersburg, pa had a few mechanics come and they told me to clean the throttle cause it was sticking I have not done so and will not until they admit there an issue I could have been killed.
Related recalls
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage
Certain passenger vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard no. 301, "fuel system integrity" a valve on the fuel tank assembly May not close properly. If a vehicle rolls over and the fuel tank assembly valve is not properly closed, fuel spillage May occur.
Remedy: Dealers will install an additional fuel tank assembly valve. The recall began on October 5, 2004. Owners should contact Hyundai de puerto rico at 1-800-981-0188.
Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Some passenger vehicles contain a fuel tank assembly valve that May not close properly. If a vehicle with a fuel tank assembly valve that is not properly closed were to roll over, fuel spillage May occur.
Remedy: Dealers will install an additional fuel tank assembly valve. Owner notification began on June 30, 2004. Owners should contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Fuel System complaints in other Sonata years
Frequently asked questions
How common are fuel system problems on the 2002 Hyundai Sonata?
NHTSA has 25 complaints about the fuel & propulsion system of the 2002 Hyundai Sonata, 8% of the model year's 320 complaints. The component named most often is storage › tank assembly (4 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2002 Hyundai Sonata fuel system problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 04V-369 (storage, Jul 26, 2004); NHTSA recall 04V-178 (tank assembly, Apr 9, 2004). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2002 Hyundai Sonata fuel system problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 96,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 0 fires and 0 injuries to fuel & propulsion 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.