2010 Hyundai Sonata problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Structure:body (129) · Structure:body:door (28) · Service Brakes (24)
🧭 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
279 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (2)
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.
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch 2013-04-01 · campaign 13V113000 · 1,712,336 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, m
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
Service bulletins (53)
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 53 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2025-12-20 · Fuel/Propulsion System · 🔥 fire“subject: non-collision engine compartment fire - 2010 hyundai sonata (vin: [xxx] ) "on dec 19 2025, my 2010 hyundai sonata suffered a sudden, non-collision fire that originated in the engine compartment. while there are currently no 'open' recalls on this vin, i am formally reporting this incident as it matches the failure patterns documented in …”
2025-11-17 · Structure:body“external handles made of plastic continue to break and do not allow access to open car doors…”
2025-09-12 · Unknown Or Other“i have had 3 door handles fall off in the last couple months i think this is safety concern i do not see any recalls.i do see that there is a lot of people complaining about this matter door handles should not be fallen off …”
2025-09-11 · Unknown Or Other“car has had check engine light on for 3 + years. have taken it to several mechanics including a hyundai dealership and none of them can figure out what is wrong. have replaced water pump, belts x2 in a year (same belt) and thermostat x 3 again (all within 2 years). dash fuel gage and dash heating/cooling gage are completely erratic. cruise control …”
2025-07-27 · Engine“while driving 60–70 mph on [xxx] just north of sylmar, i suddenly heard a loud, deep “pop” from the lower part of the car. within seconds, the engine began steaming heavily and leaking oil everywhere. i immediately turned on my hazard lights and began maneuvering toward the right shoulder, crossing multiple lanes with semis and fast-moving traffic …”
2024-05-30 · Electrical System“the contact owns a 2010 hyundai sonata. the contact stated that upon attempting to turn the ignition key in the ignition switch to start the vehicle, the ignition switch failed to turn, and the steering wheel locked. the vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where the ignition switch was replaced; however, the vehicle failed to start. the m…”
2024-05-29 · Fuel/Propulsion System“fuel pump failure, causing car to stop immediately on highway. …”
2024-03-13 · Steering · 70,000 mi“the contact owns a 2010 hyundai sonata. the contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was constantly pulling to the right. the contact had to steer to the left to keep the vehicle centered. the failure persisted even after wheel adjustments had been made. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnos…”
2023-11-30 · Exterior Lighting“the plastic housing of the brake lights have turned black. i'm on my second set that i got at wrecking yard. the plastic doesn't hold up to the heat of the tail/brake light. i saw other cars like mine with same problem at the wrecking yard. and my ground wire to my radiator fan burned out as well during covid. i think hyundai used cheap plastic tha…”
2023-08-24 · Unknown Or Other“i purchased a 2010 hyundai sonata in february 2022 from the original owner. in july of this year, my engine failed due to the oil consumption defect found in many of hyundai's engines produced at the alabama factory. my oil and check engine light came on before it was time for my following oil change, despite making on-time synthetic oil changes d…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.