2001 HYUNDAI SONATA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 203 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: STRUCTURE (55 complaints · 27.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 26
  • Fires 0
  • Injuries 20
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2000 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution STRUCTURE appears in 55 of 203 owner complaints (27.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. STRUCTURE: 55 complaints, 27.1% of reports STRUCTURE 55 · 27.1% · 3 crash reports AIR BAGS: 41 complaints, 20.2% of reports AIR BAGS 41 · 20.2% · 15 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 16 complaints, 7.9% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 16 · 7.9% · 5 crash reports SUSPENSION: 15 complaints, 7.4% of reports SUSPENSION 15 · 7.4% ENGINE: 14 complaints, 6.9% of reports ENGINE 14 · 6.9% POWER TRAIN: 13 complaints, 6.4% of reports POWER TRAIN 13 · 6.4% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 9 complaints, 4.4% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 · 4.4% · 2 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 6 complaints, 3.0% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 6 · 3.0% VISIBILITY: 6 complaints, 3.0% of reports VISIBILITY 6 · 3.0% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 134 complaints, 66.0% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 134 · 66.0% · 19 crash reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
STRUCTURE 55 27.1% 3 crashes · 0 fires
AIR BAGS 41 20.2% 15 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 16 7.9% 5 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 15 7.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 14 6.9% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 13 6.4% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 4.4% 2 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 6 3.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VISIBILITY 6 3.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 134 66.0% 19 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Oct 2000; the first recall shown was reported in Nov 2001. 2000-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2001-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2001-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2001-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2002-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2002-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2002-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2003-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2003-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2003-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2003-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2004-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2004-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2005-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2005-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2006-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2008-Q4: 10 owner reports 10 2009-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2009-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2009-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2015-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2000 Oct 2021 Recall campaign 01V347000 ◆ Recall campaign 01V347000 Recall campaign 02V105000 ◆ Recall campaign 02V105000 Recall campaign 09V124000 ◆ Recall campaign 09V124000 Investigation PE08029 ● Investigation PE08029 Investigation EA08016 ● Investigation EA08016
  • Campaign 02V105000 was reported 277 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2000-Q4 Owner reports 1
2001-Q1 Owner reports 1
2001-Q2 Owner reports 5
2001-Q3 Owner reports 3
2001-Q4 Owner reports 4
2002-Q1 Owner reports 3
2002-Q2 Owner reports 8
2002-Q3 Owner reports 4
2002-Q4 Owner reports 4
2003-Q1 Owner reports 7
2003-Q2 Owner reports 5
2003-Q3 Owner reports 3
2003-Q4 Owner reports 2
2004-Q1 Owner reports 4
2004-Q2 Owner reports 2
2004-Q3 Owner reports 4
2004-Q4 Owner reports 4
2005-Q1 Owner reports 5
2005-Q2 Owner reports 4
2005-Q3 Owner reports 2
2006-Q1 Owner reports 2
2006-Q2 Owner reports 1
2006-Q3 Owner reports 4
2006-Q4 Owner reports 2
2007-Q1 Owner reports 4
2007-Q2 Owner reports 2
2007-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q1 Owner reports 3
2008-Q2 Owner reports 2
2008-Q3 Owner reports 13
2008-Q4 Owner reports 10
2009-Q1 Owner reports 13
2009-Q2 Owner reports 11
2009-Q3 Owner reports 3
2009-Q4 Owner reports 5
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q2 Owner reports 3
2010-Q4 Owner reports 5
2011-Q1 Owner reports 3
2011-Q2 Owner reports 1
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 2
2012-Q1 Owner reports 2
2012-Q2 Owner reports 2
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q2 Owner reports 2
2013-Q3 Owner reports 5
2013-Q4 Owner reports 2
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q3 Owner reports 1
2014-Q4 Owner reports 3
2015-Q1 Owner reports 1
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2015-Q4 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 2
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q4 Owner reports 1
2017-Q1 Owner reports 1
2017-Q4 Owner reports 1
2018-Q1 Owner reports 1
2018-Q3 Owner reports 2
2018-Q4 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2021-Q4 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 01V347000
Recall campaign 1 02V105000
Recall campaign 1 09V124000
Defect investigation 1 PE08029
Defect investigation 1 EA08016
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 01V347000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THIS CONDITION COULD PREVENT SEAT MOUNTED SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT DURING AN ACCIDENT WHERE SUCH DEPLOYMENT SHOULD OCCUR. NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE SRS SIDE IMPACT AIR BAGS COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY DURING AN ACCIDENT WHERE SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT IS INTENDED.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL MORE SECURELY FASTEN THE FRONT SEAT SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG WIRING HARNESS AND CONNECTORS TO THE VEHICLE'S FRONT SEAT CUSHION FRAMES. OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL OCCUR IN SIX MAILINGS ON MAY 27, JUNE 3, JUNE 10, JUNE 17, JUNE 24, AND JULY 1, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 02V105000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    NON-DEPLOYMENT OF THE SRS SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG COULD INCREASE THE RISK OF INJURY DURING A SIDE IMPACT CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL MORE SECURELY FASTEN THE SIDE IMPACT AIR BAG WIRING HARNESSES AND CONNECTORS TO THE VEHICLE'S FRONT SEAT CUSHION FRAMES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN MAY 28, 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 09V124000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IF THAT HAPPENS, THE VEHICLE MAY LOSE DRIVE POWER TO THE WHEELS, AND THE FRONT WHEEL MAY MAKE CONTACT WITH THE FENDER OR WHEEL WELL, THEREBY INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL MEASURE THE THICKNESS OF THE FRONT SUB-FRAME AND INSPECT THE FRONT SUB-FRAME FOR CORROSION DAMAGE AND, IF NECESSARY, THE FRONT SUB-FRAME WILL BE REPLACED WITH A NEW SUB-FRAME THAT INCORPORATES ADDITIONAL HOLES IN THE UPPER AND LOWER PANELS. IF THE FRONT SUB-FRAME DOES NOT REQUIRE REPLACEMENT, THE DEALER WILL ADD DRAINAGE HOLES TO THE SUB-FRAME AND WILL TREAT THE SUB-FRAME WITH RUST-PROOFING MATERIAL TO STOP THE CORROSION PROCESS. THIS PROCEDURE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING APRIL 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THE HYUNDAI CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-633-5151.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 203 complaints · page 1 of 9

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources