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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2011 Hyundai Sonata — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 3,377 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

3,377
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
116
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
112
Involved Fire
owner-reported
85 / 3
Injuries / Deaths
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Hyundai Sonata — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

345 complaints

3,377 complaints

1,558 complaints

1,915 complaints

751 complaints

1,153 complaints

725 complaints

765 complaints

374 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Steering 1,171 reports
Engine 967 reports
Electrical System 443 reports
Air Bags 419 reports
Exterior Lighting 248 reports
Unknown Or Other 213 reports
Service Brakes 175 reports
Power Train 173 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Steering ODI 10669336 12/31/2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 60 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL VEERED TO THE RIGHT WITHOUT WARNING. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE ELECTRONIC ASSIST NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWAR…

Engine ODI 11445649 12/30/2021

The contact owned a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact initially stated that while driving at various speeds, an abnormal, knocking noise would emit from the engine. The contact had taken the vehicle to the dealer where a knock sensor test was performed and the contact had the engine replaced under warranty. A few months later while driving at night at 35 MPH, smoke(color unknow…

Electrical System ODI 11291952 12/30/2019

MY RADIO HASN'T WORKED ALL YEAR. WHEN I TOOK IT TO THE MECHANIC HE INFORMED ME THERE IS A RECALL ON IT AND THE COMPANY SHOULD FIX IT. OTHERWISE IT WOULD BE APPX $1000 JUST FOR THE RADIO. NEITHER OF MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE WORKING. INITIALLY, IT WAS JUST THE PASSENGER SIDE. I HAVE REPLACED IT 4X THIS YR. A MECHANIC TOLD ME HE BELIEVES IT IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. MY BROTHER INFORME…

Electrical System ODI 11291960 12/30/2019

I PARKED MY CAR AFTER COMING FROM WORK, WENT BACK OUT TO CHANGE MY BRAKE LIGHT THAT WAS OUT, AFTER I COULDN'T CHANGE MY BULB BECAUSE ITS TOASTED TO THE HARNESS, I TRIED STARTING UP MY CAR WHICH IT DID, BUT MY SHIFT LOCK WAS LOCKED ON ON PARK AND MY TRACTION CONTROL CAME ON AND I HAVE NO BRAKE LIGHTS.

Visibility/wiper ODI 11291979 12/30/2019

SUNGLASSES HOLDER DROPS DOWN DUE TO WEAR IN THE LATCHING MECHANISM, PARTIALLY OBSTRUCTING VISIBILITY IN REAR VIEW MIRROR. THE PROBLEM INITIALLY OCCURRED WHEN IT WAS HOT, BUT BECAME MORE FREQUENT WITH MORE WEAR. APPEARS TO BE COMMON OCCURRENCE BASED ON INTERNET QUERY.

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2011 Hyundai Sonata reliable?
Owners have filed 3,377 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata, most often about steering. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Hyundai Sonata years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.