Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2007 Hyundai Sonata owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I have been encountering issues with my 2007 Hyundai Sonata SE in the following manners: 1- At times the brake lights will be on and the car will have anyone inside. 2- My ESC OFF light comes on will not go off. 3- When using my headlights the cruise control will not work. (Specifically when the automatic lights would come on the cruise goes off) 4-At random times the key will not turn. All the above mentioned issues concern the electrical system!, Speed Control!, and lighting systems. All are available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others has been put at risk because of system failures causing the car to operate improperly and dangerously. I have not had the extra money to take it to the dealership. No other reports have been made. The only warning light is the ESC OFF light comes on occasionally. This light began coming on 6 months ago.
This is totally dangerous I could've lost my life period I'm on freeway and my wheels just started sticking and my car was smelling like electricity or electrical fire so I go google of course and youtube low and behold recall on bad fuse boxes on theses particular cars
While operating my 2007 Hyundai Sonata, I experienced sudden unintended acceleration (sua) which resulted in an accident of moderate property damage and no injuries. I had pulled to a curbside to park, and had stopped approximately 8 feet behind a large SUV. As I began to raise my foot off the gas pedal, the engine started to accelerate. I applied the brakes which initially began to hold the car which was starting to move forward, but as the acceleration increased, the brakes became unable to hold the car, and it lurched forward and struck the unoccupied SUV. Even though my car only accelerated and traveled 8 feet, the impact was strong enough to cause $6000 worth of damage (actual allowance by insurance company). …
Tl contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. The contact was parking the vehicle in his garage when he applied pressure to the brake pedal, followed by an unintended aggressive and forceful acceleration. The engine revved excessively and the RPM's rapidly increased. He immediately forced the gear shift into the "park position"; however, the vehicle lunged forward and crashed into the garage wall. There were no personal injuries or damage to the vehicle. The cause of failure has not been determined. The failure and current mileages were 69,954. The VIN was rejected from the system which will be updated upon receipt of the complaint form. Updated 3/8/10 the consumers husband was driving the vehicle up the driveway, when it began to accelerate on its own. He had the brake to the floor, but the vehicle would not stop. He threw the gear into park and the vehicle still did not stop. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. The contact was driving 5 MPH when the brakes were depressed and the vehicle accelerated unexpectedly, crashing into a wall. The crash caused the air bags to deploy. The contact and passenger suffered injuries to their chest areas as a result of the crash. The police were notified and a report was on file. The vehicle was then towed to a local repair shop. The manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were 78,060. Updated 06/05/12 updated 06/06/12 the consumer stated as the brake was applied to enter a parking space, the vehicle suddenly accelerated, and went over a curb, three feet of lawn and hit a stone wall. The vehicle was not repaired and deemed totaled. Updated 06/19/12
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. While operating the vehicle in both the drive and reverse positions, the vehicle would randomly accelerated without warning. During the failure, the rpms would increase and the vehicle would lunge forward. The failure occurred on multiple occasions. The contact would have to apply extra force to the brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from accelerating at a high rate of speed. The vehicle was taken to ernheart Hyundai (10401 west papago freeway in avondale, az 85323), but the failure could not be duplicated. The throttle body was cleaned and a maintenance tune-up was performed on the vehicle, but the failure continued. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2007 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while sitting idle at a traffic stop behind a truck, there was an unusual increase in engine rpms. The vehicle suddenly accelerated into the rear of the truck. The vehicle was towed to the dealer yet the dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The dealer also advised that if the failure were to occur again, that the contact should put the vehicle into neutral to stop the unintended acceleration. The failure occurred again and the contact was able to stop the acceleration by following the dealer's advice. The failure mileage was 2,000 and the current mileage was 13,000.
2007 Hyundai sonatas, brake switch and other recalls listed. Bring some kids locked, ESC lite came on, would not go over 40, could not get in park. Took to big o and they called Hyundai corporation and was given case number and told me to take it to swope Hyundai elizabethtown kentucky which I did. Swipe ignored case number and additional recalls even though there were additional recalls for this problem. Swipe refused to do anything. Brake rotors, cylinders, and pads ruined and swipe refused to fix even though we could show brakes had been inspected just a few months before this all happened and all was fine.
Car idles but when pedal is depressed engine does not accelerate. When in drive or reverse car moves very slowly with pedal to the floor. It happened 2 days ago when starting after sitting for 2mths. Dealer suggested disconnecting the battery and re-connect. That seemed to correct the problem, but it started doing it again!!! Now fear of driving vehicle!!! I have read blog's regarding others with the same issue!!! What is Hyundai doing to alleviate the problem and to avoid owner barring the expense of the defect???
Upon startup, the check engine light illuminated. Car was put into gear, but accelerator pedal had no effect; car was in "limp" mode. Turned car off and restarted several times before it went back to "normal" mode. Check engine light turned off. Took to dealership and was informed that this was their number one problem/complaint. Service manager at tuscaloosa Hyundai said they replace the $500+ throttle positioning sensor on 4-5 cars per week. He said Hyundai wouldn't issue a recall until someone got hurt. I called Hyundai customer service to complain that this sounds like a major problem that should warrant a recall. Agent claimed there were no problems; that mine was an isolated incident. Called manager back, and he said that a Hyundai representative had talked to him about the wide-spread problem. …
NHTSA investigations
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003.
Acceleration complaints in other Sonata years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2007 Hyundai Sonata?
NHTSA has 20 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2007 Hyundai Sonata, 3% of the model year's 696 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2007 Hyundai Sonata acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2007 Hyundai Sonata, 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 2007 Hyundai Sonata acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles, and 12% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 6 crashes, 1 fire and 3 injuries to speed control & acceleration 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.