Owners have filed 1,551 safety complaints about the 2012 Hyundai Sonata with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.
Complaints for this vehicle report 51 crashes, 94 fires, 38 injuries, 1 death.
Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2012 Hyundai Sonata, here is how reports break down by system.
"While I was driving my car wouldn’t go no higher than 60mph and kept dropping speed but I came to a stop and when I stopped the car was smoking. I heard knocking noise and rumbling noise on the passenger side. It wouldn’t start again"
"Vehicle loses power while driving making it unsafe to drive, it can cause an accident in certain conditions like when passing another vehicle or crossing a street. There is a recall for this issue."
For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2012 Hyundai Sonata peaked later than usual, in 2018.
Across the Hyundai Sonata model years we track, the 2011 has the most complaints on file (3,368); the 2012 ranks 3 of 4.
8 recalls apply to some or all 2012 Hyundai Sonata vehicles. Note the flagged campaigns: they cover vehicles whose earlier recall repairs were performed incorrectly.
Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Hyundai Sonata passenger cars, manufactured from January 24, 2012, through June 21, 2012. The curtain side airbags on these vehicles may inflate without deployment command due to an error during manufacturing.
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Sonata vehicles manufactured December 11, 2009, through May 29, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable may detach from from the shift lever pin.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Sonata vehicles manufactured December 11, 2009, to April 12, 2012 at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama and equipped with either a 2.0 liter or 2.4 liter Gasoline Direct injection engine. In the affected vehicles, metallic de…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model 2011-2012 Sonata vehicles. The brake pedal stopper pad can deteriorate allowing the brake light switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2011-2015 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the seat belt linkages for both front seat belts may detach from the seat belt anchor pretensioners.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2011-2015 Sonata Hybrid vehicles previously repaired under recall campaign 17V-152. The seat belt linkages for both front seat belts may detach from the seat belt anchor pretensioners.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Sonata and 2011-2012 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. On February 27, 2018, Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) notified NHTSA that they were recalling 154,753 model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. On April 18, 2018, Hyundai expanded the recall to include…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sport vehicles previously repaired under recall numbers 15V-568 and 17V-226. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned, or improperly torqued during …
Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →
NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.
As of July 14, 2026, owners have filed 1,551 complaints about the 2012 Hyundai Sonata with NHTSA. The most-reported system is engine & cooling.
The 2012 Hyundai Sonata has 8 NHTSA recalls on file. 2 recalls reopen earlier campaigns whose repairs were performed incorrectly. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.
NHTSA gives the 2012 Hyundai Sonata an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.
All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved July 14, 2026.
Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.
This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.