2015 Hyundai Sonata problems
Owners have filed 1,679 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Hyundai Sonata. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 39% of complaints. Next are electrical system (10%) and drivetrain & axles (8%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 1,679 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 39% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 61 and 81
- Injuries and deaths
- 58 and 4
- Typical mileage
- 54,000 miles 859 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 | 205 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 137 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 119 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 145 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 114 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 50 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 42 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 23 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 16 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 4 |
| 200k+ miles | 4 |
What the data shows
Of the 859 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 54,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 66,000 miles (319 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 61 complaints mention a crash; 81 complaints mention a fire; 58 injuries reported; 4 deaths reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2015 ranks 4th most-complained-about out of 34 model years of the Hyundai Sonata with enough data (768 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 9 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 owned a 2015 hyundai sonata. While the contact's wife was driving 51 MPH, another vehicle collided head on into the contact's vehicle. The front passenger air bag failed to deploy. The rear middle seat passenger suffered severe spinal cord injuries (internal decapitation). The driver sustained injuries to the shoulder, ankle, foot wrist, hand, and hips.
I had an accident this morning in my 2015 hyundai sonata se due to brake failure a vehicle stopped in front of me about one-and-a-half crawler and I applied my breaks because I saw when the vehicle stops when I apply my brakes they didn't work it went completely to the floor and had no breaks whatsoever and I slammed into the back of another vehicle at about 45 miles per hour all of the airbags deployed the steering wheel crack the front of my car is demolished I contacted hyundai to try to find out whether they…
Me and my wife were driving to southern california on a road trip. When accelerating uphill, the transmission downshifted to above 3,500 rpm's. Immediately the fuel cutoff and the car would not accelerate. I tried several times but noticed the car would not accelerate past 3,500 rpm's. I immediately went to manual mode and selected a gear that was below 3,500 to make it up the "grapevine" hill. Soon after the check engine light came on.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate while the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the throttle control module needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, two weeks later the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the Voice Coil Motor (VCM) needed to be replaced.