2009 HYUNDAI SONATA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 454 complaints · 2 recalls
Most-reported system: SERVICE BRAKES (74 complaints · 16.3%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 21
  • Fires 11
  • Injuries 26
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2008 →
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 SERVICE BRAKES appears in 74 of 454 owner complaints (16.3%) in this vehicle snapshot. SERVICE BRAKES: 74 complaints, 16.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 74 · 16.3% ENGINE: 44 complaints, 9.7% of reports ENGINE 44 · 9.7% · 2 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 32 complaints, 7.1% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 32 · 7.1% · 2 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 32 complaints, 7.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 32 · 7.1% · 1 crash reports STRUCTURE: 32 complaints, 7.1% of reports STRUCTURE 32 · 7.1% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 27 complaints, 6.0% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 27 · 6.0% · 7 crash reports 1 fire reports STEERING: 22 complaints, 4.8% of reports STEERING 22 · 4.8% SUSPENSION: 22 complaints, 4.8% of reports SUSPENSION 22 · 4.8% · 2 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 19 complaints, 4.2% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 19 · 4.2% · 1 fire reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 179 complaints, 39.4% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 179 · 39.4% · 2 crash reports 3 fire 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)
SERVICE BRAKES 74 16.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 44 9.7% 0 crashes · 2 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 32 7.1% 0 crashes · 2 fires
POWER TRAIN 32 7.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
STRUCTURE 32 7.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 27 6.0% 7 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 22 4.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 22 4.8% 2 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 19 4.2% 0 crashes · 1 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 179 39.4% 2 crashes · 3 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 Jul 2008; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2013. 2008-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2009-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2009-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2009-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2009-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2010-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2010-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2011-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2011-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2011-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2012-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2012-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2012-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2013-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2013-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2013-Q3: 22 owner reports 22 2013-Q4: 20 owner reports 20 2014-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2014-Q3: 19 owner reports 19 2014-Q4: 16 owner reports 16 2015-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2015-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2015-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2015-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2016-Q1: 16 owner reports 16 2016-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2016-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2016-Q4: 22 owner reports 22 2017-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2017-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2017-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2018-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2018-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2018-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2019-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2019-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2019-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2020-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2020-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2020-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2021-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jul 2008 Apr 2026 Recall campaign 13V113000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V113000 Recall campaign 13V354000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V354000 Investigation PE13007 ● Investigation PE13007 Investigation DP21003 ● Investigation DP21003 Investigation DP22003 ● Investigation DP22003
  • Campaign 13V113000 was reported 1,296 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 13V354000 was reported 1,830 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2008-Q3 Owner reports 3
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2009-Q1 Owner reports 3
2009-Q2 Owner reports 1
2009-Q3 Owner reports 6
2009-Q4 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 6
2010-Q2 Owner reports 8
2010-Q3 Owner reports 5
2010-Q4 Owner reports 5
2011-Q1 Owner reports 9
2011-Q2 Owner reports 7
2011-Q3 Owner reports 12
2011-Q4 Owner reports 8
2012-Q1 Owner reports 7
2012-Q2 Owner reports 5
2012-Q3 Owner reports 11
2012-Q4 Owner reports 4
2013-Q1 Owner reports 10
2013-Q2 Owner reports 13
2013-Q3 Owner reports 22
2013-Q4 Owner reports 20
2014-Q1 Owner reports 2
2014-Q2 Owner reports 10
2014-Q3 Owner reports 19
2014-Q4 Owner reports 16
2015-Q1 Owner reports 10
2015-Q2 Owner reports 8
2015-Q3 Owner reports 12
2015-Q4 Owner reports 15
2016-Q1 Owner reports 16
2016-Q2 Owner reports 12
2016-Q3 Owner reports 5
2016-Q4 Owner reports 22
2017-Q1 Owner reports 5
2017-Q2 Owner reports 9
2017-Q3 Owner reports 11
2017-Q4 Owner reports 8
2018-Q1 Owner reports 4
2018-Q2 Owner reports 5
2018-Q3 Owner reports 6
2018-Q4 Owner reports 8
2019-Q1 Owner reports 9
2019-Q2 Owner reports 5
2019-Q3 Owner reports 8
2019-Q4 Owner reports 5
2020-Q1 Owner reports 7
2020-Q2 Owner reports 2
2020-Q3 Owner reports 3
2020-Q4 Owner reports 8
2021-Q1 Owner reports 2
2021-Q2 Owner reports 2
2021-Q3 Owner reports 4
2021-Q4 Owner reports 3
2022-Q1 Owner reports 2
2022-Q2 Owner reports 2
2022-Q3 Owner reports 2
2022-Q4 Owner reports 1
2023-Q1 Owner reports 2
2023-Q2 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 2
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 2
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 3
2026-Q1 Owner reports 3
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 13V113000
Recall campaign 1 13V354000
Defect investigation 1 PE13007
Defect investigation 1 DP21003
Defect investigation 1 DP22003
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (2)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 13V113000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    Consequence:
    Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 13V354000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    Control arm separation may suddenly change the rear wheel alignment, affecting the handling of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair or replace the crossmember assembly. The recall began on October 8, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai Customer Care Center at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall number is 113.
    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 454 complaints · page 1 of 19

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