2008 Hyundai Sonata problems
Owners have filed 554 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Hyundai Sonata. Air bags is the most reported problem area, at 25% of complaints. Next are wipers, windshield & visibility (18%) and brakes (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 554 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Air bags 25% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 24 and 17
- Injuries and deaths
- 19 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 65,000 miles 446 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 61 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 72 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 63 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 75 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 42 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 51 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 32 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 32 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 13 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 3 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 446 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 65,000 miles. For air bags specifically, the median reported mileage is about 71,000 miles (99 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 24 complaints mention a crash; 17 complaints mention a fire; 19 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2008 ranks 12th most-complained-about out of 34 model years of the Hyundai Sonata with enough data (295 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 3 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 hyundai sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the contact crashed into another vehicle as the airbags failed to deploy. A police report was filed and there were three injuries reported that required medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100. The VIN was unavailable...updated 08-11-14
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 hyundai sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle was maneuvered abruptly to avoid an object and swayed off the road into a ditch, crashing into concrete. The vehicle then rolled and landed upside down on its roof. The air bags failed to deploy. The driver and front seat passenger sustained severe bodily injuries. A police report was filed of the incident. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an independent mechanic.
I was involved in a front end collision with a 30ft mound/railroad track. My airbags did not deploy. There was a significant amount of damage, enough to deem the car a "total loss", yet none of the airbags deployed, I suffered physical injuries to top half of by body by literally slamming into the steering wheel and windshield. Had my air bags deployed there would have been minimal injuries to my body.
I was driving my car and, according to my mechanic, the crank rod came loose. I bought this vehicle used so the hyundai 100,000 mile warranty will not cover it. I have done routine oil changes and up to this point had no real problem with the vehicle. It is disappointing to say the least as I have had this vehicle for about four years and purchased it based on the idea that hyundai's are supposed to be reliable vehicles.
My 2008 hyundai sonata was parked in my driveway on november 24, 2013 at around 11 am. I opened my trunk with the remote key and the trunk opened up so fast, the hinge tops on both sides that support and guide the trunk lid broke off at the top. Just disintegrated. These are defectively manufactured plastic caps/covers on the two hydraulic hinges.