Car Issues Tracker
Vehicle complaints, recalls & safety data — sourced from NHTSA

2015 Hyundai Sonata: Complaints, Recalls, and Known Problems

Owners have filed 1,142 safety complaints about the 2015 Hyundai Sonata with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · Retrieved September 7, 2026 · Counts change as new reports are filed

1,142
Complaints
9
Recalls
4
Investigations
5★
Overall crash rating

Complaints for this vehicle report 34 crashes, 48 fires, 32 injuries, 2 deaths.

Key findings
  1. Engine & cooling issues dominate. They appear in 56% of the 1,142 complaints on file — an unusually concentrated failure pattern.
  2. Stalling is a recurring theme. 172 of the 1,142 reports describe the engine stalling — many while driving.
  3. Complaints peaked 7 years after the model year (170 filed in 2022) — a pattern consistent with wear-out failures rather than assembly defects.
  4. 4 NHTSA defect investigations are associated with this vehicle.

What owners report

Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2015 Hyundai Sonata, engine & cooling issues stand far above everything else.

Complaints by vehicle system
System mentions in 1,142 complaints · a complaint can cite more than one system
Engine & cooling
640
Other / unspecified
169
Electrical
167
Power train / transmission
133
Brakes & stability
88
Fuel & propulsion
83
Steering
74
Body & structure
66

"The engine failed due to the known recall defect, dealer confirmed loss of compression in cylinders 2 & 4. I am a federal employee stationed overseas on official duty orders, and Hyundai Motor America is delaying safety recall remedies and buyback negotiations since June 9th."

Owner complaint filed September 2026 · Engine · NHTSA ODI 11761235

"I bought this car new in 2015, when I was at 97000 miles they had to replace the motor and turbo, I am now at 155844 and they are telling me that basically all 4 cylinders have low compression, cylinder 3 is the worst. They are telling me that this car has to have a new motor. I have not done anything to this vehicle to cause no compression. They want me to pay around 8800.00 to get this fixed."

Owner complaint filed August 2026 · Engine · NHTSA ODI 11759071

When complaints were filed

For most vehicles, complaint volume spikes early and tapers off. The 2015 Hyundai Sonata peaked later than usual, in 2022.

Complaints filed per year — 2015 Hyundai Sonata
Year the complaint was filed, not the incident year
46
64
75
80
126
88
114
170
127
90
91
71
151617181920212223242526
2026 is a partial year (through September 7, 2026). A late peak is the signature of wear-out failures: parts that don't fail until the vehicle has years and miles on it.

How the 2015 compares with other model years

Across the Hyundai Sonata model years we track, the 2011 has the most complaints on file (3,376); the 2015 ranks 4 of 7.

Total complaints by model year — Hyundai Sonata
All complaints on file per model year, as of September 7, 2026
3,376
1,556
1,903
744
2015
1,142
720
761
Older model years have had more time on the road to accumulate complaints — compare adjacent years, not endpoints.

Recall history: 9 recalls

9 recalls apply to some or all 2015 Hyundai Sonata vehicles. Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit.

Jun 201414V-325
Steering

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 inabili…

Jun 201414V-368
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Components:Disc:Caliper

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.

Dec 201414V-784
Power Train:Axle Assembly:Axle Shaft

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.

Jun 201515V-414
Seat Belts:Front:Buckle Assembly

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.

Oct 201515V-678
Electrical System: Instrument Cluster/Panel

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 …

Apr 201616V-232
Air Bags:Frontal

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…

Oct 201616V-726
Visibility:Sun/Moon Roof Assembly

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 su…

Jun 201717V-359
Parking Brake:Indicator Light

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.

Sep 202121V-749
Exterior Lighting:Turn Signal

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…

Does your car have an open recall?

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 →

Crash-test ratings

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.

★★★★★
Overall
★★★★★
Frontal crash
★★★★★
Side crash
★★★★☆
Rollover

Frequently asked questions

How many complaints does the 2015 Hyundai Sonata have?

As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 1,142 complaints about the 2015 Hyundai Sonata with NHTSA. The most-reported system is engine & cooling.

How many recalls does the 2015 Hyundai Sonata have?

The 2015 Hyundai Sonata has 9 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.

Is the 2015 Hyundai Sonata safe in a crash?

NHTSA gives the 2015 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.

Methodology & source

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 September 7, 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.