2010 Hyundai SONATA

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2010 Hyundai SONATA has 415 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 5.2x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is body/structure problems (40% of all complaints), specifically: since august 2010, i have had three exterior door handles brake off. this has to be a manufacture default. one breaking is believable. but, three is unacceptable. *tr. ⚠️ 4 fire reports filed.

4 fire reports 18 crash reports 16 injuries

415

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

5.2x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

BODY/STRUCTURE

166 complaints

40%

• SINCE AUGUST 2010, I HAVE HAD THREE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLES BRAKE OFF. THIS HAS TO BE A MANUFACTURE DEFAULT. ONE BREAKING IS BELIEVABLE. BUT, THREE IS UNACCEPTABLE. *TR
• I BOUGHT THE CAR IN NOVEMBER OF 2009. THE CAR IS A 2010 SONATA. SINCE I HAVE PURCHASED THE CAR I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE 3 EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLES. THE DEALER COVERED THE FIRST ON BUT I HAD TO PAY THE OTHER 2. BECAUSE I DRIVE LONG DISTANCES AND MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. WHAT DOES HIGH MILEAGE HAVE TO DO
• I HAVE HAD TWO OTHER DOOR HANDLES SERVICED PRIOR TO THIS ONE. THE DRIVERS DOOR IS THE ONE BROKEN THIS TIME. THE OTHER TWO WERE THE BACK DOOR HANDLES. THIS HAS ALL BEEN WITHIN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF. THIS IS RIDICULOUS. I COULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD ONE. BUT THREE! THE DEALERSHIP HERE IN ST AUGUSTINE, FL

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 1 fire reports💥 1 crashes

“SINCE AUGUST 2010, I HAVE HAD THREE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLES BRAKE OFF. THIS HAS TO BE A MANUFACTURE DEFAULT. ONE BREAKING IS BELIEVABLE. BUT, THREE IS UNACCEPTABLE. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

OTHER

39 complaints

• THE ADJUSTER ON THE "SUPER LATCH" OF MY RADIAN 80SL CAR SEAT IS VERY EASILY LOOSENED AND CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO KEEP MY CAR SEAT SAFELY INSTALLED IN MY CAR. (RELATED VEHICLE INFORMATION: MODEL YEAR=2010, MAKE=HYUNDAI, MODEL=SONATA). *TR
• 2010 HYUNDAI SONATA. 9 MONTHS OLD, HAS BEEN IN THE SERVICE CENTER 5 DIFFERENT TIMES. 2 TIMES FOR SENSOR REPLACEMENT. THE LAST 3 TIMES, DRIVING AT A NORMAL ACCELERATE PACE. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON, ESC LIGHT COMES ON AND VEHICLE LOSES POWER. ON ONE OF THOSE OCCASIONS, VEHICLE LOST POWER WHIL
• DRIVER SIDE - OUTSIDE DOOR HANDLE JUST FELL OFF IN HAND. THIS IS THE 3RD HANDLE THAT HAS FALLEN OFF IN LESS THAN 4 YEARS - WHEN IT DOES THERE IS NO WAY TO OPEN THE DOOR FROM THE OUTSIDE. YOU ASK WHY IT IS A SAFETY HAZZARD - WHEN THERE IS ONLY ONE PERSON AND YOU GO SOME WHERE IN THE CAR - THE ONLY

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 1 crashes

“THE ADJUSTER ON THE "SUPER LATCH" OF MY RADIAN 80SL CAR SEAT IS VERY EASILY LOOSENED AND CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO KEEP MY CAR SEAT SAFELY INSTALLED IN MY CAR. (RELATED VEHICLE INFORMATION: MODEL YEAR=2010, MAKE=HYUNDAI, MODEL=SONATA). *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

BRAKES

30 complaints

• HYUNDAI YF SONATA '' ' '''' ''' ''' '' '''' '''' '''' ''' 30M '' ' '''' ''. ''''' ''' '' '' ''. ('''' ''' '' '' '' '.) ''''' '' '''' '''' ''''' '''' '', ''''' ''. '''''' '' '' ''' ''' '' ' '' '' 1' 31' '' '''. '''' ' ' '' ''' '' ''' ''' ''.('''' '''' ''' '') ''' ''' '' ''' '' '''' '''
• DRIVERS SIDE BRAKE PADS WEARING PREMATURELY. PADS ARE STAYING AGAINST THE ROTOR. IT APPEARS TO BE A DEFECTIVE CALIPER. THE CALIPER SLIDES WORK SMOOTHLY, PADS MOVE FREELY, NOTHING SEEMS TO BE WRONG BUT THE CALIPER STICKS WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE. *JS
• WE HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR BRAKE PADS IN JUNE 2012 AND NOW IN JANUARY 2013 HAVING AN ISSUE WITH THE REAR DIVER SIDE PAD STICKING. THE FRONT PADS WERE STILL IN GOOD CONDITION. THESE ARE HYUNDAI OEM BRAKES. I HAVE BEEN READING NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ABOUT REAR BRAKE ISSUES ON HYUNDAI VEHICLES. I HAVE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 4 crashes

“HYUNDAI YF SONATA '' ' '''' ''' ''' '' '''' '''' '''' ''' 30M '' ' '''' ''. ''''' ''' '' '' ''. ('''' ''' '' '' '' '.) ''''' '' '''' '''' ''''' '''' '', ''''' ''. '''''' '' '' ''' ''' '' ' '' '' 1' 31' '' '''. '''' ' ' '' ''' '' ''' ''' ''.('''' '''' ''' '') ''' ''' '' ''' '' '''' '''”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ENGINE

29 complaints

• CAME OUT TO WORK PARKING LOT. CAR WOULD NOT START. BATTERY WAS FAILING, NOT DEAD. REPLACED BATTERY [WITH DURALAST BATTERY (AUTOZONE - 09/19/2013) - $115]; DID NOT RESOLVE ISSUE. STARTER WAS TESTED AND HAD FAILED. REPLACED THE STARTER [WITH DURALAST STARTER (AUTOZONE - 09/20/2013) - $267.11]; RESOLVE
• I WENT OUT TO START MY CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START. I HAD TO CALL A TOW TRUCK AFTER A JUMP WOULDN'T WORK. I BOUGHT THE CAR A YEAR AND A HALF AGO AND WHEN THE DRIVER TESTED THE BATTERY, IT WASN'T DEAD BUT IT WASN'T GREAT. I REPLACED THE BATTERY ($95 AT WALMART) AND THE CAR STARTED. FOR A DAY. THE NEXT
• MY 2010 HYUNDAI SONATA COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN ON ME 2-TIMES IN LESS THAN 5-MINUTES TIMES WHILE I WAS DRIVING TODAY. I WAS ON MY WAY TO ENTER THE EXPRESSWAY. THE POWER STEERING AND EVERYTHING JUST SHUT DOWN. MY CAR JUST MADE A SUDDEN STOP. THANK GOD I HAD NOT ENTERED THE EXPRESSWAY AND TOOK THE SIDE ST

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports

“CAME OUT TO WORK PARKING LOT. CAR WOULD NOT START. BATTERY WAS FAILING, NOT DEAD. REPLACED BATTERY [WITH DURALAST BATTERY (AUTOZONE - 09/19/2013) - $115]; DID NOT RESOLVE ISSUE. STARTER WAS TESTED AND HAD FAILED. REPLACED THE STARTER [WITH DURALAST STARTER (AUTOZONE - 09/20/2013) - $267.11]; RESOLVE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

TRANSMISSION

22 complaints

• I WAS BACKING UP SLOWLY WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT ME TOUCHING THE GAS. I WAS ABOUT TO PUT IT INTO FORWARD GEAR WHEN IT SUDDENLY LURCHED BACKWARD. *TR
• I WAS BACKING UP SLOWLY WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT ME TOUCHING THE GAS. I WAS ABOUT TO PUT IT INTO FORWARD GEAR WHEN IT SUDDENLY LURCHED BACKWARD. *TR
• THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION IN MY 2010 HYUNDAI SONATA HAS BEEN HAVING ABNORMAL ISSUES SINCE MY DATE OF PURCHASE. FIRST IT WAS JUST STALLING WHEN DISENGAGING THE CLUTCH FROM REVERSE AND FIRST GEAR; NOW IT IS PRIMARILY FROM FIRST GEAR. TO GET THE CAR TO MOVE FORWARD YOU MUST DRAG THE CLUTCH AND PUSH THE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500💥 2 crashes

“I WAS BACKING UP SLOWLY WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WITHOUT ME TOUCHING THE GAS. I WAS ABOUT TO PUT IT INTO FORWARD GEAR WHEN IT SUDDENLY LURCHED BACKWARD. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

BODY/STRUCTURE(~50K mi)

$500

OTHER(~50K mi)

$500

BRAKES(~50K mi)

$500

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

TRANSMISSION(~50K mi)

$500

Estimates based on average reported repair costs. Actual costs vary by location, shop, and severity.

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 415 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
BODY/STRUCTURE: SINCE AUGUST 2010, I HAVE HAD THREE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLES BRAKE OFF. THIS HAS TO BE A MANUFACTURE DEFAULT. ONE BREAKING IS BELIEVABLE. BUT, THREE IS UNACCEPTABLE. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
OTHER: THE ADJUSTER ON THE "SUPER LATCH" OF MY RADIAN 80SL CAR SEAT IS VERY EASILY LOOSENED AND CANNOT BE TRUSTED TO KEEP MY CAR SEAT SAFELY INSTALLED IN MY CAR. (RELATED VEHICLE INFORMATION: MODEL YEAR=2010, MAKE=HYUNDAI, MODEL=SONATA). *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
BRAKES: HYUNDAI YF SONATA '' ' '''' ''' ''' '' '''' '''' '''' ''' 30M '' ' '''' ''. ''''' ''' '' '' ''. ('''' ''' '' '' '' '.) ''''' '' '''' '''' ''''' '''' '', ''''' ''. '''''' '' '' ''' ''' '' ' '' '' 1' 31' '' '''. '''' ' ' '' ''' '' ''' ''' ''.('''' '''' ''' '') ''' ''' '' ''' '' '''' '''
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ENGINE: CAME OUT TO WORK PARKING LOT. CAR WOULD NOT START. BATTERY WAS FAILING, NOT DEAD. REPLACED BATTERY [WITH DURALAST BATTERY (AUTOZONE - 09/19/2013) - $115]; DID NOT RESOLVE ISSUE. STARTER WAS TESTED AND HAD FAILED. REPLACED THE STARTER [WITH DURALAST STARTER (AUTOZONE - 09/20/2013) - $267.11]; RESOLVE
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)