Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (doors, hood, frame, rust, paint and trim).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Hyundai Sonata owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
I have experienced three (3) broken outside door handle breaking the same way from stress fracture where the plastic door handle contacts the metal latch. It appears the plastic door handle is too brittle for intended use. The broken door handles were replaced as follows: -rear right side door handle was replaced jan 16, 2012 -rear left side door handle was replaced dec 21, 2013 -driver's door handle replaced dec 1, 2014 I contacted Hyundai customer care and they do not appear to be concerned that this is a safety issue and are treating this as normal wear and tear. A broken door handle fails hawaii state safety inspection as the door cannot be opened from the outside. Hawaii is not subject to extreme temperature changes. …
OK, I am another 2010 Sonata owner with repeated door handle breaking and detaching from the car issue. My uncle owned the car since new and gave it to me on 11/9/15. While his, he had to replace 3 door handles, one of which was the front passenger door. Yesterday, (10/15/16) the front passenger door handle broke off again. Originally, all the handle breaks were covered under warranty, including the front passenger door handle. Now, the car has 81,182 miles on it. But it should be covered because it has been replaced before. You are aware, there are numerous complaints about this issue and Hyundai should be made to recall all these cars and rectify this ongoing issue. It is a safety issue indeed. In a crash, emergency personnel could not enter the car, should it be on it's side and the exposed doors have broken handles. …
The passenger side door handle fell off in my hands. No force was used and no noise was made (ie: cracking or and other pieces were seen that fell off other then the handle itself). This door and the rear doors are very rarely used, I have no kids and am the only 1 that uses this car and very rarely have any passengers. The driver's side is the one I open regularly. I called Hyundai dealership where I got the car and they claim there are no recalls are on this despite knowing of other's who had multiple doors break in a similar fashion and seeing many other incidents of this reported on NHTSA site. They didn't seem to care either or record the information of this issue. In checking Hyundai dealership's are charging between $200 to $300 to repair the door handle. This is a safety issue if someone cannot get into the car to rescue someone or if they are trying to retrieve a child. …
One night, without using force, the front passenger handle on my 2010 Hyundai Sonata came off while parked on a flat. The driverʻs side, outside, backdoor handle came off after college class, a month or so later, while parked, when a classmate attempted to open the door, again not using excessive force. A few weeks later, the passengerʻs side, outside, backdoor handle came off when I went to retrieve my groceries while parked, also not using excessive force. Which stopped the use of this vehicle for a road test and getting my safety check. All 3 handles I had to pay way too much for and had to pay to have them fixed just so I could get my safety check before the end of the month (4/30/2016), and now can be used for a road test. Ridiculous prices for hollow plastic handles. I hope these new handles last as long as I own this vehicle! And harder for me because I live in hawaii. …
Body has rusted thru on multiple occasions on my car. Both rear doors rusted beyond repair, and needed to be replaced. Both front doors rusted thru and were repaired. Now rust hole developed in the engine compartment in area of hood hinge. This is a structurally reinforced area of the car but only a patch was put over rust hole to make repair. This work was all done under warranty. I contend that the last repair was not properly done, and that the car is unsafe. Hyundai denies my claim. The car was looked at by the dealers own body shop and they claim that the area under the dashboard is all rusted and will cost nearly $10000 to repair. Hyundai claims the car is not defective, even thought there are internal spots where no coatings were applied to the steel. I contest that the company is only protecting themselves and have full knowledge that the car is defective. …
Within a period of about 6 months, three of the four door handles have fallen off, including two that came off within two weeks of each other. This occurred when the vehicle was stationary. The handles hadn't been previously damaged or involved in any accidents, and we don't treat them roughly. The handles have fallen off the front driver's side and both rear doors. The rear driver's side door is almost never used, so I'm disinclined to attribute the problem to wear and tear. When the rear passenger door handle came off, the plastic snapped apart. We paid to have that handle replaced by the dealer. The rear driver door handle, which came off two weeks ago, remained intact, but a triangular metal piece came out when the handle fell away. The front driver's side door handle came off today when my husband had the car, so I haven't seen its condition. …
The following paragraph was sent to Hyundai to request they fix this defect. They responded with a wordy but polite "we're sorry, but your vehicle is out of warranty". We have a 2010 Sonata. About 18 months ago, the passenger side front door handle fell off while opening the door. We took it to the local dealer for repair. The cost was about $70. Three weeks ago (approx. 1/15/2015), the driver side rear handle fell off. Ten days ago (approx 1/27/2015) the passenger rear door handle fell off. The dealer wants $150 each to repair them. I can understand one handle breaking, but not (on a car less than 5 years old) three of the four handles have broken. I consider this a defect. I have researched your site and have not been able to find any matching complaints. …
I purchased the car in February 2016 and almost immediately 1 door handle came off, since then I have had 1 more to come off and 1 is just hanging on so I do not touch it. Unfortunately that is the driver's side door. I am constantly climbing over my seats or attempting to open from another door just to get inside the vehicle. This is totally unacceptable and especially frustrating when I have my grandchildren car seats in the back. I can not afford to keep replacing door handles and the only ones available do not match car color. After searching I see that this was a problem before I purchased my car. I can not honestly recommend this vehicle to anyone for the fact that you need to be able to get inside just to test drive and the door handle might possibly come off. …
I replaced the passenger side rear door handle a month ago because it broke off when I was opening the door to let my child out and now the driver side rear door handle broke off when I was opening the door for my child. Very dangerous as I was in both instances helping my young child out of the car. This is a safety recall issue. In my driving years, which spans 34 year and countless vehicles, I have never had a door handle malfunction let alone break off. I have owned ehicles for 13-15 years typically and had no instances of door handle malfunctioning or breaking off. The repair costs $130 or so for each door handle, but more important is my lack of confidence that it May happen again and it May be an emergency situation. NHTSA please ensure Hyundai is held accountable and required to design a fix for this issue and offer a refund to already repaired door handles.
The door handles keep breaking off. Two years ago the the back passanger side door handle came off in my hand without any indication, there was no snapping sound just a door handle not attached to the door. We paid out of pocket and got this fixed since it is unsafe since emergency help would not have access to the back seat if the passengers were incapacitated. Then today the back driver's side door handle came off in my hand without any warning. We are once again going to pay out of pocket to have this fixed since it is unsafe if there is an accident and emergency responders would not be able to get to anyone in the back seat, including children. Excessive force was not used (barely any pressure was used), no sounds accompanied the breakage, and there was no damage to the door previously. There was no legitimate reason for the door handles to break.
Body complaints in other Sonata years
Frequently asked questions
How common are body problems on the 2010 Hyundai Sonata?
NHTSA has 164 complaints about the body & structure of the 2010 Hyundai Sonata, 48% of the model year's 345 complaints. The component named most often is body (135 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Hyundai Sonata body problems?
No. NHTSA lists no body & structure recall for the 2010 Hyundai Sonata, though it has 2 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 Sonata body problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 68,000 miles, and 4% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 1 crash, 1 fire and 1 injury to body & structure 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.