Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
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 while the vehicle was at a standstill at a traffic light, the vehicle seized and there was smoke exiting under the hood. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to exit the vehicle and open the hood when the smoke faded away but did not see any visible fire. The contact was able to push the vehicle to the side of the road. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to his residence. The contact towed the vehicle to the local dealer and had two unknown recalls completed on 9/1/2021. The contact also stated he would smell fuel fumes when starting the heater. The local dealer was made aware of the failure. The contact stated on 12/8/2021, while parking the vehicle, he saw smoke exiting under the hood. …
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. No warning lights were illuminated. A nearby Samaritan attempted to jump-start the vehicle, however the vehicle failed to start. The contact stated that 15 minutes later, the contact attempted to start the vehicle, and the vehicle started. The O'Rileys, where it was diagnosed with a failed battery. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the following day, while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to crank. The contact noticed smoke coming from under the hood. The contact and the contact's son exited the vehicle. The contact stated that fire came from under the hood, and the vehicle was consumed in the fire. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. …
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that her son was driving the vehicle at 35 mph when he noticed that smoke was issuing from the rear which then entered the cabin of the vehicle. The contact's son was able to slow the vehicle by using the shifter due to not having any brake power. The contact stated her son was not aware of any warning lights being illuminated. The contact's son flagged a police officer who called the fire department. The fire department extinguished the fire with water, but the vehicle was completely burned and undrivable. The vehicle was towed to a police impoundment lot. The contact was not aware of a police or fire department report being filed. The contact did not take the vehicle to the local dealer and the contact's insurance company declared the vehicle a total loss. The vehicle fire origin was not determined by the insurance company. …
The contacted owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving the vehicle deaccelerated without warning several times. The contact stated that the failure was occurring for about a week and the vehicle was not taken to a dealer or independent mechanic for diagnoses or repairs. The contact stated recently while driving at 70 mph the vehicle was decelerating with the check engine warning light illuminated, pulled over to the side of the roadway, and called for a ride. The contact stated smoke was seen coming from under the hood she opened the hood but saw no fire. The contact stated left the vehicle parked on the side of the road and was notified by the police that the vehicle had caught on fire. The contact stated that the fire was extinguished by the fire department. The contact stated that a police report was filed. …
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact stated that while reaching over the passenger seat, the gear shifter was knocked into a lower gear and would not switch back into the drive gear. In addition, the contact stated she managed to pull over the shoulder of the road before going over a curb and crashing into a grass field which brought the vehicle to a stop. No warning lights illuminated. A police report was not filed. The contact did not sustain or seek medical attention for any injuries. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic where it was left for diagnoses and repairs. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. …
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact smelled fuel and noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment with no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the engine had caught on fire. The contact stopped the vehicle, and the contact and the two passengers quickly jumped out of the vehicle. The contact stated one of the passengers sustained a minor leg injury, and medical attention was provided. The fire was extinguished by the Fire Department. A fire report was filed, and a fire report number was not provided. The origin of the fire was not yet determined. A Police report was filed. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 30 - 35 mph, the vehicle stalled while going up a hill. The contact was able to use the emergency brakes to pull over into a ditch, in order to stop the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. There was dark gray smoke coming from the engine and a burnt odor was detected when the contact opened the hood. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case and informed the contact that they would send her case over to NHTSA. The contact was waiting on instructions from the manufacturer on what to do with the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving at 20-30 MPH, he heard an abnormal beeping sound and the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. The brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond and remained on the floorboard, the steering wheel locked, and the vehicle crashed into a fire hydrant. There was severe damage to the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. There were no warning lights illuminated. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The contact sustained injuries in the head and sought medical attention. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact recevied notifiaciton of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V312000 (Fuel System, Gasoline). The contact stated that while driving at approximately 20 MPH, the vehicle lost power and would not accelerate as intended. The contact stated that the ESP, Low tire pressure, Check Oil, Check Engine, and other unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was stopped on the side of the road where white smoke and flames emanated from the engine compartment. The fire department extinguished the fire. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed lot where it was deemed totaled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 176,966.
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while the wife was driving approximately 65 MPH, an abnormal engine noise was suddenly present coming from the engine compartment before the vehicle stalled. After parking on the side of the road and exiting the vehicle, moments later flames and smoke were present coming from the engine compartment and the fire department was called to the scene and extinguished the flames. The vehicle was deemed destroyed and towed away. A police report and fire report were taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 125,000.
Related recalls
Engine
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sport vehicles previously repaired under recall numbers 15V-568 and 17V-226. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned, or improperly torqued during the engine replacement…
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 1, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Sonata and Santa Fe Sport vehicles. Machining errors during the engine manufacturing process may cause premature bearing wear within the engine.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the engine, replacing the engine short block, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151.
NHTSA investigations
Scope and Timeliness
NHTSA opened Recall Query (RQ) 17-004 to investigate the timeliness and scope of Hyundai?s Theta II GDI engine recalls (Recall Nos. 15V-568 and 17V-226), and Hyundai?s compliance with reporting requirements. On November 23, 2020, the Agency entered into a Consent Order with Hyundai to administratively resolve NHTSA?s assertions of violations of law in connection with RQ17-004.
Engine Fires
On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles.
Loss of Motive Power
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021.
Engine complaints in other Sonata years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2013 Hyundai Sonata?
NHTSA has 775 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2013 Hyundai Sonata, 40% of the model year's 1,916 complaints. The component named most often is exhaust system › manifold/header/muffler/tail pipe (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2013 Hyundai Sonata engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 18V-934 (engine, Dec 28, 2018); NHTSA recall 17V-226 (engine, Mar 31, 2017). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2013 Hyundai Sonata engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 95,000 miles, and 6% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 19 crashes, 70 fires and 12 injuries to engine & cooling 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.