Electrical complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 6% | — |
| 2024 | 18 | 39% | 16,000 miles |
| 2023 | 12 | 14% | — |
| 2022 | 17 | 18% | 70,000 miles |
| 2021 | 17 | 13% | — |
| 2020 | 40 | 22% | 19,000 miles |
| 2019 | 12 | 7% | 32,000 miles |
| 2018 | 60 | 16% | 22,000 miles |
| 2017 | 65 | 8% | 25,000 miles |
| 2016 | 89 | 12% | 85,000 miles |
| 2015 | 167 | 14% | 58,000 miles |
| 2014 | 135 | 18% | 78,000 miles |
| 2013 | 261 | 14% | 84,000 miles |
| 2012 | 235 | 15% | 80,000 miles |
| 2011 | 443 | 13% | 58,000 miles |
| 2010 | 16 | 5% | 55,000 miles |
| 2009 | 61 | 13% | 80,000 miles |
| 2008 | 32 | 8% | 86,000 miles |
| 2007 | 51 | 7% | 98,000 miles |
| 2006 | 86 | 8% | 77,000 miles |
| 2005 | 19 | 12% | 80,000 miles |
| 2004 | 17 | 8% | 98,000 miles |
| 2003 | 19 | 10% | 45,000 miles |
| 2002 | 23 | 7% | 77,000 miles |
| 2001 | 9 | 4% | 44,000 miles |
| 2000 | 37 | 13% | 90,000 miles |
| 1999 | 11 | 6% | 70,000 miles |
| 1998 | 4 | 8% | 82,000 miles |
| 1997 | 5 | 10% | 108,000 miles |
| 1996 | 5 | 22% | — |
| 1995 | 8 | 12% | — |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Sonata. While driving at an undisclosed speed, the seat belt warning light intermittently illuminated with an audible chime while the driver's and passenger's side seat belts were properly buckled. Additionally, on two separate occasions, the horn was inoperable, and the anti-collision warning light illuminated while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and two other dealers, Alexandria Hyundai (1707 Mt Vernon Ave, Alexandria, VA 22301) and Sheehy Hyundai of Waldorf (2910 Crain Hwy, Waldorf, MD 20601), who were unable to duplicate the seat belt failures. The third dealer, Sheehy Hyundai of Waldorf (2910 Crain Hwy, Waldorf, MD 20601), determined that the horn needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.
The contact owns a 2024 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle the horn had become inoperable and no audible sound occurred while pressed. The cause of the failure was not yet determine and the failure was not yet repaired. The local dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 16,000.
Instrument cluster lighting is too bright even on lowest setting. Combined with poor side visibility from headlamps it is easy to hit object or pedestrians when turning on unlit areas. Have run over a curb three times and damaged two wheels because they can't be seen from the overly bright instrument lighting at night.
I have had three occasions where the dashboard lights would flash and the car would lose all power. The first occasion occurred on December 29th at around 12:20 pm at a crowded intersection. The dashboard lights lit up and all of a sudden the car had no power at all. I managed to get it through the intersection and pull it off to the side of the road. To start it up I have to TURN OFF THE CAR by putting it in park and start it up again. This is stressful and terrifying to think about if this had happened on the freeway. Additionally, I took the car to get serviced and was charged a $1,800 bill to fix it in January. This repair took two weeks to complete. The car has since turned off two additional times on February 15th going down a hill at 40 mph and March 26th on a mountain road going 60 mph. …
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the HVAC blower motor became inoperable with no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the blower motor fuse had melted and failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.
2022 Hyundai Sonata N Line, VIN [redacted] , purchased August 15, 2025 with low mileage under original manufacturer warranty. Within 3 months, recurring transmission and drivability failures began. Six repair visits since November 2025; 71+ cumulative days out of service within 8 months. Visit 1 (11/24/25, 14,748 mi): Hesitation/failure to accelerate from stop. Could not duplicate. Visit 2 (12/4/25, 14,800 mi): Same concern. Fault codes found; auxiliary pump and relay replaced. Visit 3 (1/19/26, 15,982 mi): Check engine light, jerking. External oil pump leaking; replacement required. Visit 4 (1/30/26, 16,025 mi): Check engine light. TCU update, DCT learning performed; declared resolved. Visit 5 (2/19/26, 16,119 mi): Check engine light returned. Transmission oil pump failed; replaced. …
My vehicle is trending in theft, car was leased to me from Napelton in Lansing IL sept 2022. The first attempt of theft/break in UIC area Dec 10, second attempt in west Chicago area Jan 29. Both times I just cried and shut down. With having to contact the police awaiting the report process in middle of Chicago Winter left me cold and in terrible distress! This is a new vehicle for me which ultimately has caused me so much stress, anxiety, and frustration. I tried to trade it in but because of this nationwide issue that I was not aware of until the first incident! Still the theft numbers continue to rise! I am being told my cars value has depreciated from 25k to 15k which is not fair, and if I abandon this vehicle it will fall hard in my credit and ruin my chances moving forward with another vehicle!! …
Fuse box has a defect causing the AC blower motor to intermittently not work. Appears to be the result of loose connections between the fuse box and the fuse itself. The receptacle for the fuse is clearly burnt/melting, and appears to pose as a fire hazard as a result. The car is currently in the shop for repair on this part, but won't likely be fixed for a month+. I do have photos of the damaged parts, should it be requested. The car was taken into a Hyundai dealership for repair work in November 2023, and I was told the fuse had blown but that they fixed it. I was never told about the box appearing damaged/melting at that time, or this being a common problem. It worked again till July 2024. Car was just dropped off 9/3, due to backlog of cars at dealership. The only symptom of issue was the AC blower motor would stop working at random. It would turn back on/off while driving. …
Related recalls (5)
Electrical system › Software
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sonata, 2016-2017 Sonata Hybrid, and Sonata Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of…
Remedy: Dealers will update the SJB software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 210.
Electrical system › Software
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020 Nexo and Sonata vehicles. The Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA) software may fail to prevent vehicle movement upon detection of an RSPA system malfunction.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the RSPA software, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.
Electrical system › Instrument cluster/panel
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to August 21, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with an Antilock Braking System (ABS) warning light intended to warn the driver if there is an ABS malfunction.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control unit software, free of charge. The recall is expected began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059.
Electrical system › Wiring
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 2, 2014, through May 23, 2014. A poor connection within the vehicle's wiring harness may result in a reduction of steering assist from the vehicle's motor driven power steering system or the inability to move the vehicle's…
Remedy: Hyundai notified dealers to suspend sales of affected Sonata vehicles and has published recall bulletin 14-01-024 providing a service procedure to repair the affected vehicles.
Electrical system › Wiring
Vehicle description: some sonata vehicles equipped with 2.5 liter v-6 engines and all elantra model vehicles May have experienced intermittent low-speed engine stalling, which could occur if the maf (mass air flow) sensor electrical signal is interrupted as a result of engine vibration transmitted to the maf sensor connector…
Remedy: Dealers will re-route the maf sensor connector wiring harness.
NHTSA investigations
Non-crash Vehicle Fires
During this Preliminary Evaluation (PE), the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) assessed the scope, frequency and potential safety-related consequences of non-crash vehicle fires caused by both engine failures and failures of other vehicle systems/components in model year (MY) 2011-2014 Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe vehicles equipped with Theta II and Lambda II engines (approximately 1.3 million vehicles).
Non-crash Vehicle Fires
In a letter dated June 11, 2018, the Center for Auto Safety (CAS) petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to initiate a safety defect investigation into non-collision related fires on model year (MY) 2011-2014 Kia Optima and Sorento, and Hyundai Sonata and Santa Fe vehicles. In a letter dated July 24, 2018, CAS requested that MY 2010-2015 Kia Soul vehicles be added to the petition.
Frequently asked questions
Which Hyundai Sonata years have electrical problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2011 (443), 2013 (261), 2012 (235), 2015 (167) and 2014 (135) model years. Electrical complaints make up 13% of all complaints for the 2011.
Is there a recall for Hyundai Sonata electrical problems?
Yes — 5 recalls, including 21V-749 (software, Sep 24, 2021); 20V-213 (software, Apr 9, 2020); 15V-678 (instrument cluster/panel, Oct 20, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Hyundai Sonata electrical problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 70,000 miles; 35% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the horn (30 mentions), followed by the ignition (28).
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.