Traction Control complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 1 | 1% | — |
| 2018 | 2 | 1% | 51,000 miles |
| 2017 | 8 | 1% | 30,000 miles |
| 2016 | 6 | 1% | 39,000 miles |
| 2015 | 14 | 1% | 48,000 miles |
| 2014 | 14 | 2% | 75,000 miles |
| 2013 | 36 | 2% | 69,000 miles |
| 2012 | 38 | 2% | 82,000 miles |
| 2011 | 65 | 2% | 65,000 miles |
| 2010 | 13 | 4% | 85,000 miles |
| 2009 | 51 | 11% | 95,000 miles |
| 2008 | 30 | 7% | 78,000 miles |
| 2007 | 49 | 7% | 100,000 miles |
| 2006 | 60 | 6% | 95,000 miles |
| 2002 | 2 | 1% | 135,000 miles |
| 2000 | 1 | 0% | 150,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (electronic stability control and traction control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
While driving the 2017 Hyundai Sonata at speeds of 60 plus MPH the steering wheel locks up and the power steering light comes on along with the traction control lights. This incident has even caused damage to the right front corner of my Hyundai due to losing steering causing me to veer in to the guard rails.
While I was driving I had come to a stop at the stop light. When it turned green I began to make a left turn. Halfway through the turn at a few miles an hour my engine light and traction control lights came on. At the same time the engine began to rev to about 4500 RPM. It died down quickly. I then had no response from the accelerator. Luckily I was able to pull over to the side of the road as I had just entered a town. I turned off the car and attempted to restart it. It would not restart until about 15 minutes later. The shifter became locked in the parking position and even after using the shift release button I was still unable to move the vehicle. Luckily again I had just entered a town but a few miles before that I was on country roads where there was no cell phone signal at all. I would have been out of luck as well as the passenger with me. …
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated upon starting the vehicle, the ABS, traction control, and TPMS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where she was informed that the diagnostic test indicated that the rear wheels were moving at over 200 KM/H while the vehicle was idle. The dealer also diagnosed that the ABS had failed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000.
On October 26th my husband was driving myself and our 2 children when all of a sudden we went from going 45 miles an hour to stopping and then even after the gas pedal was pushed all the way to the floor we we were going approx 5 miles am hour. Our engine light came on and aftet approx 5 to 10 min we found a place to pull over as there were no pulloffs readily available. Aftet we pulled off the road we shut the car off for a few minutes and restarted the car and were able to make it home . The engine ligjt was still on but power and speed were restored. We called our Hyundai dealer on fri morning and they said to bring it down on Monday. The car sat all weekend and was not driven due ro fear of it happening again. I did however start the car on Friday and engine light was still on. We brought the car down mon at 9 am. …
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at lower speeds, the steering wheel became difficult to steer in either the left or right direction. The Traction Control, Power Steering, and the high-beam warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local independent service center, where it was diagnosed with error codes: C167286, C126008, C136008, C126002, and C168808. The vehicle was not repaired. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 195,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the ABS and traction control warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the ABS module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was contacted, who opened a case, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 84,107.
Lost control of car on minor ice patch on the interstate. When it finally caught traction, it was slung into the side of a semi truck traveling at 75 MPH, but the air bags failed to deploy. The driver was injured, the front end was destroyed, and the car was totaled. Can obtain crash report and better photos if needed, just don't have them on me at the moment.
The rear brake light bulbs located in the trunk compartment get extremely hot which has caused melting of the light assembly. This is an extreme fire hazard. It is believed that this is caused by faulty wiring by Hyundai. Since purchasing the vehicle in 2015, I have replaced approximately 20 bulbs.
Related recalls (1)
Electronic stability control › Automatic (asc)
On certain passenger vehicles equipped with 3.3 liter engines and electronic stability control (ESC), the ESC May have been programmed to be oversensitive to the onset of oversteering while driving on banked curves, causing inadvertent application of the front outside brake when ESC activation May not be needed.
Remedy: Dealers will reprogram the ESC hydraulic electronic control unit. The recall began on July 29, 2005. Owners May contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
NHTSA investigations
Stop lamp switch failure
By letter dated April 15, 2009, Hyundai notified the agency that it will conduct a safety recall (NHTSA recall number 09V122) to replace the stop lamp switches on many of its model year 2005-2008 vehicles.see recall 09V122 for a complete list. The agency opened its investigation based on five complaints of stop lamp failure across several 2007 Hyundai models.
Frequently asked questions
Which Hyundai Sonata years have traction control problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2011 (65), 2006 (60), 2009 (51), 2007 (49) and 2012 (38) model years. Traction Control complaints make up 2% of all complaints for the 2011.
Is there a recall for Hyundai Sonata traction control problems?
Yes — 1 recall, including 05V-316 (automatic (asc), Jul 7, 2005). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers; check a specific car with the VIN recall check.
At what mileage do Hyundai Sonata traction control problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 80,000 miles; 28% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the automatic (asc) (2 mentions).
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.