Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (service brakes, ABS, rotors and pads, parking brake).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2013 Hyundai Sonata owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while the contact's son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The contact's son noticed an unusual sound coming from the hood compartment. The contact stated that the sound was as if something was coming through the hood. The contact's son lost control of the vehicle. The contact's vehicle rolled four times before rolling into a ditch. The contact's vehicle caught on fire. The contact's son was still inside the vehicle. The contact's son exited the vehicle. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The contact's son was transported by a medical helicopter to a local medical facility. …
While driving my 2013 Hyundai Sonata, I smelled fuel fumes coming through my a/c vents for several minutes. I shut the a/c off and rolled the windows down. White smoke began billowing out of my exhaust tail pipe then from under the hood. Being in the far left lane of a five lane freeway, other motorists and I were placed in danger as I had to travel across all lanes of traffic as my vehicle billowed thick white smoke into the air limiting the clear view of other motorists and increasing the chance of causing collisions. I pulled over to the shoulder of the freeway and then lost all power steering and brakes on my vehicle. I applied the emergency brake and brought my vehicle to a stop then turned it off. I looked at the temperature gauge and it read normal range but the check engine light came on along with several other dash lights. …
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35-65 MPH, the vehicle decelerated unintendedly. In addition, while turning the steering wheel to the left or the right, there was an abnormal clicking noise coming from the steering column. Most recently, while driving at unknown speeds, the brake pedal required excessive force to bring the vehicle to a stop. The contact stated that it was discovered that an unknown liquid was leaking underneath the front of the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that all the drive belts had fractured, and there was a fracture in the oil line and the radiator. The brakes had failed due to the calipers sticking and failed choppers and readers. …
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving 45-50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle failed to respond and hesitated. The brake and the hybrid system warning lights were illuminated. The contact was able to pull to the right side of the road and waited for her husband to arrive. The contact turned off the vehicle and restarted the vehicle, and the vehicle operated as intended. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the hybrid ECU needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the dealer checked the error on the brake failure light that was illuminated, but had not yet gotten a response back from the manufacturer. The vehicle was taken to Auto Zone where it was diagnosed, and determined that the hybrid ECU needed to be replaced. …
I bought my car used from a private party in March of 2022 with around 132,000miles. In a year's time I have replaced the rear passenger side tail light bulbs 3 to 4 times, the whole light assembly, and the wiring harness twice due to the bulb getting to hot and the plastic caught on fire the first time and melting the second. Noticed the smoke when I pulled into a gas station that day and opened the trunk quickly and beat the small flame with a small blanket I had in the trunk. My kids sit in the back seat. So I'm constantly worrying while driving when they are in the back. The headlight bulbs go out quicker in this vehicle as well. I've had to replace the headlight bulbs 3 times already. This is also too close to the fuel pump for this sort of thing to happen in my opinion. This needs to be resolved A. S. A. P.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the vehicle was originally taken in for repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V056000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics) however, the vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and exiting the highway, the vehicle stalled. The contact then pushed the vehicle to a nearby parking lot. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the nearby dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was then towed to another dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V312000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 127,672.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact became aware that the brake lights were illuminated without the brake pedal being depressed. The contact restarted the vehicle and the failure persisted. The contact stated that due to the brake lights remaining illuminated, the battery terminal had to be disconnected to avoid draining the battery. The contact stated that after one failure, a mechanic pulled over to the side of the roadway and the contact was informed that a sensor related to the brake lights had failed and needed to be replaced. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 18,178.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the braking system malfunctioned and the vehicle would not immediately stop while depressing the brake pedal, causing the braking distance to be extended. Additionally, while operating the vehicle, the front headlights would flicker off and on. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was 126,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was mushy while depressed and went to the floorboard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the brake master cylinder needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 41,000.
My safety was put at risk and the life of others as a chime sound began to sound and the "check brake/Hybrid System Warning" was displayed on the dashboard. This caused the car to press the emergency breaks on its own slowing the vehicle to a complete halt on freeway. This malfunction could have caused a multi vehicle collision. This was taken for inspection and Scanned with GDS and C1235 Pressure sensor, is internal in HECU and cannot be repaired, HECU must be replaced. The vehicle is unsafe to drive and pedal sinks which feels like car does not stop. The output signal voltage of the pressure sensor is out of the specified range, the monitoring starts 1 sec after power up. The cause of this could be that there is a faulty pressured sensor and/or open or short of pressure sensor circuit. …
Brake complaints in other Sonata years
Frequently asked questions
How common are brake problems on the 2013 Hyundai Sonata?
NHTSA has 149 complaints about the brakes of the 2013 Hyundai Sonata, 8% of the model year's 1,916 complaints. The component named most often is fluid (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Hyundai Sonata brake problems?
No. NHTSA lists no brakes recall for the 2013 Hyundai Sonata, though it has 9 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 2013 Hyundai Sonata brake problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 55,000 miles, and 25% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 11 crashes, 4 fires and 4 injuries to brakes 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.