2006 Hyundai Sonata problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Air Bags (250) · Visibility (150) · Seat Belts (89)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Sonata model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
867 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip 2018-01-09 · campaign 18V026000 · 87,854 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2006-2011 Hyundai Azera and 2006 Hyundai Sonata vehicles. Water may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short .
Risk: An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the car is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the vehicle's main junction box to prevent the risk of an ABS short-circuit while the car is turned off, free of charge. The recall began on February 19, 2018. Owners may call Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 172.
Suspension:rear 2013-08-12 · campaign 13V354000 · 364,502 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 1, 2005, through January 21, 2010; and model year 2006-2011 Azera vehicles manufactured September 27, 2005, through November 22, 2010 originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District
Risk: Control arm separation may suddenly change the rear wheel alignment, affecting the handling of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair or replace the crossmember assembly. The recall began on October 8, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai Customer Care Center at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall number is 113.
Service bulletins (90)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2026-10-15 · 26-GI-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some hyundai vehicles may be equipped with a parking distance warning (pdw) sensor(s) that may trigger various dtcs and display warning messages on the instrument cluster, resulting in the pdw sensor(s) failing to detect nearby objects or triggering multiple false alarms. this condition may be a res
Engine 2026-10-08 · 26-EM-016H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure for vehicles diagnosed with this condition. all internal combustion engines consume some engine oil during normal operatio
Engine 2026-10-07 · 26-EM-015H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition. all internal combustion engines consume engine oil as part of normal engine operatio
Air Bags 2026-04-10 · DTN DL · Other
the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by jilin province detiannuo automobile safety system co., ltd. (dtn). these inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehi
Air Bags 2026-04-10 · DTN DCS · Other
the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by jilin province detiannuo automobile safety system co., ltd. (dtn), that have been identified in u.s. vehicles following prior
Exterior Lighting 2025-11-06 · 25-BD-012H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (drl), or fog lamp. this tsb illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. lamp assembly replacement is not necessary
Showing the 6 most recent of 90 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-12-22 · Engine And Engine Cooling · 112,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 hyundai sonata. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. no warning light was illuminated. the contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway and noticed that engine oil was leaking onto the ground and the coolant level was abnormally low…”
2025-05-25 · Power Train“i am filing this complaint regarding a serious engine issue with my 2006 hyundai sonata equipped with a 2.4l gdi engine. my vehicle experienced [engine knocking, stalling, and then seized up indicating complete engine failure] without warning, posing a potential safety hazard while driving. the issue appears to be identical to the known manufacturi…”
2025-05-07 · Suspension“there is a recall for the rear lower control arms for the 2006 hyundai sonata getting rusty and not performing. my car was taken in for an alignment and the mechanic said he isn’t able to make the toe match up to be in good driving standards. i tried reaching out to a hyundai dealership and they checked the vin and said they couldn’t do anything ab…”
2024-10-03 · Suspension · 176,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 hyundai sonata. the contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud bang and scraping sound coming from the vehicle. the abs and check engine warning lights were illuminated. the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. the contact was informed that the control arm and suspension had fa…”
2024-08-08 · Air Bags · 140,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 hyundai sonata. the contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. after investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to nhtsa campaign number: 08v161000 (air bags); however, the vin was not in…”
2024-04-08 · Unknown Or Other“i have a 06 sonata 2.4l that had rear control arms rotted out plus the subframe. and my esc light is on not really sure what to wit that. but my car is down now due to rear control arms needed replaced. …”
2024-02-23 · Suspension · 97,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 hyundai sonata. the contact stated that while making a turn at 10-15 mph, the contact heard a loud bang and scraping sound coming from the vehicle. the contact pulled over and discovered that the rear crossmember had detached. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the lower and upper control ar…”
2023-10-13 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic · 70,000 mi“the contact owns a 2006 hyundai sonata. the contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the abs warning light illuminated. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that water had entered the abs module and caused an electrical short. the contact was informed that the vehicle was included in…”
2023-06-30 · Suspension“the rear suspension became corroded and one of the coils or bars broke off while driving. after the coil from the suspension broke off, it punctured a tire, which blew while driving. thankfully, i had just exited the interstate, otherwise this would've happened at high speeds. this is a known issue that has previously been reported in a recall (1…”
2023-05-30 · Vehicle Speed Control · 💥 crash“on 5/30/23 while in traffic i pressed the brake to slow down and the car kept moving forward. i pressed the brake all the way down and i was still unable to stop the car from accelerating. i rear-ended the vehicle in front of me. my car is currently being inspected by a mechanic that my insurance company recommended.…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.