2015 Hyundai Sonata problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Engine (430) · Power Train (96) · Steering (62)
🧭 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
598 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (9)
Electrical System:software 2021-09-24 · campaign 21V749000 · 469,377 vehicles
Defect: 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 what the driver intended.
Risk: A turn signal that activates in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Parking Brake:indicator Light 2017-06-05 · campaign 17V359000 · 161,074 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Sonata and Genesis vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the warning light to indicate that the parking brake is applied may intermittently not illuminate in the dash due to corrosion in the switch.
Risk: If the parking brake indicator is not illuminated when the parking brake is applied, the driver may operate the vehicle with the parking brake partially engaged, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the parking brake switch, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 164.
Visibility:sun/Moon Roof Assembly 2016-10-11 · campaign 16V726000 · 62,811 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles manufactured December 8, 2014, to August 18, 2015, and Hyundai Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to March 18, 2016, equipped with the panoramic sunroof option. Due to a bonding issue with the sunroof wind deflector, the sunroof panel on the affected vehicles may detach while driving.
Risk: If the sunroof detaches from the vehicle it could become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair the wind deflector anchor plate, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 152.
Air Bags:frontal 2016-04-21 · campaign 16V232000 · 33 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016 to February 22, 2016, and one 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicle manufactured October 15, 2015. In these vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag may be missing a chemical enhancer required for the second stage air bag deployment, resulting in the second stage not deploying in certain crashes. The primary stage will
Risk: An air bag that does not inflate increases the risk of injury.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on May 5,2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 144.
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel 2015-10-20 · campaign 15V678000 · 64,744 vehicles
Defect: 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. In the event of an ABS malfunction, the Brake System warning light will illuminate, but the ABS warning light will not illuminate. Since the vehicles have ABS malfunction lights that do not illuminate, these vehicle
Risk: If the driver is alerted there is a brake system malfunction, but not specifically with the ABS system, the driver may operate the vehicle unaware that the vehicle's brakes may lock up during hard braking, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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. Hyundai's number for this recall is 134.
Seat Belts:front:buckle Assembly 2015-06-30 · campaign 15V414000 · 128,804 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015 Sonata vehicles manufactured April 25, 2014, to December 4, 2014. The affected vehicles have a front passenger seat belt whose buckle latch assembly may prevent the front passenger from fastening the seat belt.
Risk: If the front passenger seat belt cannot be latched, an occupant sitting in the front passenger seat has an increased risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair or replace the front passenger seat belt buckle, free of charge. The recall began on September 15, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 130.
Power Train:axle Assembly:axle Shaft 2014-12-09 · campaign 14V784000 · 208 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 1.6 liter model year 2015 Sonata vehicles manufactured August 29, 2014, to October 28, 2014. The affected vehicles may have been assembled with an incorrect left axle shaft which may result in the shaft separating from the transaxle differential.
Risk: If the left axle shaft separates from the transaxle, the vehicle may stop moving, increasing the risk of a crash. Additionally, a separated axle shaft may allow the vehicle to roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, dealers will inspect and replace the axle shaft, as necessary, free of charge. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 126.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:disc:caliper 2014-06-24 · campaign 14V368000 · 16,900 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015 Sonata vehicles manufactured April 25, 2014, through June 16, 2014. Due to a manufacturing error, one or both of the front brake calipers may fracture.
Risk: If a brake caliper fractures, brake effectiveness would be reduced, lengthening to distance required to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai contacted the affected owners on June 19, 2014 and instructed them not to drive their vehicles. Hyundai dealers will replace the affected brake calipers, free of charge. The recall began on September 12, 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 120.
Electrical System:wiring 2014-06-12 · campaign 14V325000 · 2,138 vehicles ⚠ DO NOT DRIVE
Defect: 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 shifter from the Park position.
Risk: The reduction of power steering assist can increase the steering effort needed, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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. On June 7, 2014 Hyundai began to contact the affected retail customers. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 119.
Service bulletins (254)
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
Unknown Or Other 2026-08-26 · Z05 OL · Warranty Program/Extension
certain vehicles may exhibit excessive paint peeling or bubbling of the primer/paint film on the exterior metal body panels: hood, fender(s), roof, door(s), quarter panel(s), and tailgate/trunk. this warranty extension only applies to factory-applied paint and does not cover collision-related paint
Engine 2026-05-21 · 26-01-013H-2 DN · Service Campaign
certain santa fe (tma), santa fe sport (an), sonata (lfa), and tucson (tl) vehicles equipped with theta ii engines may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. the california air resources board has determined that these vehicles may be releasing air pollutants which exceed federal and california stan
Engine 2026-05-21 · 26-01-013H-2 TSB · Service Campaign
certain santa fe (tma), santa fe sport (an), sonata (lfa), and tucson (tl) vehicles equipped with theta ii engines may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. this bulletin provides instructions for updating the engine control module (ecm) to address this condition.
Showing the 6 most recent of 254 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-28 · Service Brakes“on wednesday, october 21, 2026, our 2015 hyundai sonata with the 2.4l theta ii gdi engine suffered a sudden, complete engine seizure while traveling about 75 mph on i-25 southbound near castle rock, co. a family member was driving. warning lights across the car began flashing, the engine made a loud grinding noise, and the brakes stopped working. o…”
2026-10-14 · Fuel/Propulsion System“a franchise dealership performed a federally mandated safety recall service (ecm software update) and a knock sensor replacement on this 2015 hyundai sonata 2.0l turbo. to perform these specific repairs, the technician had to work directly around the intake and turbocharger assembly workspace. immediately after picking up the vehicle, it suffered a…”
2026-10-13 · Visibility/Wiper · 26,400 mi“the contact owns a 2015 hyundai sonata. the contact stated that while driving at 20 mph, the driver-side windshield wiper failed to function properly. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the wiper blade was not making proper contact with the windshield due to a bent driver-side windshield wiper arm. the dealer was …”
2026-10-13 · Engine“hyundai motor america is explicitly refusing to honor the mandatory safety recall and lifetime warranty extension for a catastrophic rod bearing failure on my 2015 hyundai sonata (vin [xxx]). the engine suffered a sudden internal connecting rod bearing seizure while operating, causing a complete loss of motive power and creating an immediate hazard…”
2026-10-12 · Unknown Or Other“i received a notice from hyundai that there was a service campaign 9c2 for my car. my car was running fine but i took it to jones hyundai in belair md for oil change and the service campaign. after this work was done my car lost driveability, poor throttle response and transmission searching for correct gear. i notified hyundai about my concerns an…”
2026-10-11 · Power Train“ i am filing this complaint regarding transmission and drivability problems with my 2015 hyundai sonata 2.4l following hyundai campaign 9c-2. my vehicle was running and driving perfectly before this update. i have always maintained it on time, followed proper maintenance schedules, and have records documenting its maintenance history. i never exp…”
2026-10-07 · Engine“ever since the 9c2 software update was completed on 94/26, the car is experiencing hesitations not only in the first few minutes of driving but after the engine is hot. it was driving perfectly before this update.…”
2026-10-05 · Unknown Or Other“on may 28, 2026, the panoramic sunroof on my 2015 hyundai sonata became off track while i was driving. i could not get the sunroof back into its proper position because it was off track. i continued driving, and while i was traveling on the highway, the sunroof panel detached from the vehicle and flew down the highway. this created a serious safety…”
2026-10-02 · Engine“am seeking assistance regarding a sudden and unexpected engine failure with my vehicle. the sonata only had approximately 80,000 miles on it when the engine failed. prior to this happening, i had never experienced any problems with the vehicle. there were no warning lights or other indications that there was an issue with the engine, and the vehicl…”
2026-10-01 · Engine“"i am filing a complaint regarding severe vehicle jerking, engine surging, and rough transmission shifting immediately following the completion of hyundai service campaign 9c2 (tsb 26-01-013h-1) on my 2015 hyundai sonata. the vehicle exhibits dangerous hesitation and lurching during cold starts. this behavior creates a traffic hazard when pulling o…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.