2013 Hyundai SONATA

Problems, Recalls & Reliability Report

Avoid This Year

Quick Summary

The 2013 Hyundai SONATA has 2635 owner complaints filed with NHTSA — that's 32.9x the segment average of 80. The most common issue is engine problems (29% of all complaints), specifically: purchased 2013 hyundai sonata gls at streetboro ohio hyundai dealer new in mid june 2012. vehicle seemed ok but at about 1500 miles idle became rough particularly at idle in drive at lights and stops. took in to dealer and was told after 4 days in shop that problem was familiar to the dealer and an . ⚠️ 150 fire reports filed.

150 fire reports 102 crash reports 89 injuries

2635

Total Complaints

Recalls Issued

—/5

Safety Stars

32.9x

vs Segment Avg

Known Problems

ENGINE

764 complaints

29%

• PURCHASED 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA GLS AT STREETBORO OHIO HYUNDAI DEALER NEW IN MID JUNE 2012. VEHICLE SEEMED OK BUT AT ABOUT 1500 MILES IDLE BECAME ROUGH PARTICULARLY AT IDLE IN DRIVE AT LIGHTS AND STOPS. TOOK IN TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD AFTER 4 DAYS IN SHOP THAT PROBLEM WAS FAMILIAR TO THE DEALER AND AN
• I WAS DRIVING A NEW 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA IN A PARKING AREA, APPROACHING A PARKING SPACE FOR A STRAIGHT-IN PARKING FACING A BUILDING. MY SPEED WAS ABOUT 10MPH. I BRAKE CONTINUOUSLY TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP, BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. THE CAR WENT THROUGH THE PARKING SPACE AND CRASHED INTO THE BRICK WALL FA
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE IGNITED INTO FLAMES WHILE PARKED AND UNOCCUPIED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATOR STATED THE FIRE ORIGINATED IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED AND TOWED

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 68 fire reports💥 19 crashes

“PURCHASED 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA GLS AT STREETBORO OHIO HYUNDAI DEALER NEW IN MID JUNE 2012. VEHICLE SEEMED OK BUT AT ABOUT 1500 MILES IDLE BECAME ROUGH PARTICULARLY AT IDLE IN DRIVE AT LIGHTS AND STOPS. TOOK IN TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD AFTER 4 DAYS IN SHOP THAT PROBLEM WAS FAMILIAR TO THE DEALER AND AN ”

— NHTSA complaint filing

STEERING

341 complaints

13%

• STEERING FEEL IS EXTREMELY LIGHT/LOOSE, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. VEHICLE WANDERS ENOUGH FROM LEFT TO RIGHT TO REQUIRE CONSTANT CORRECTION TO KEEP IT FROM GOING OVER CENTER LINE OR OFF SIDE OF ROAD. IF I ADJUST STEERING TO LEFT VEHICLE CONTINUES TO LEFT REQUIRING AN IMMEDIATE ADJUSTMENT TO RIGHT
• I PURCHASED BRAND NEW 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA LIMITED IN AUGUST'12. AFTER BUYING WHEN I WAS RIDING BACK HOME ON FREEWAY(APPROX SPEED 60 MPH) THE CAR TENDS TO DRIFT IN EITHER LEFT OR RIGHT AND KEEP ON WANDERING IN THE LANE. IT IS PRETTY DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE VEHICLE IN THE LANE. THERE ARE ALMOST TWO INCI
• WHILE GETTING ON THE ON-RAMP TO THE HIGHWAY, THE POWER STEERING FAILED, CAUSING ME TO ALMOST LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. STEERING WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO USE. THE EPS LIGHT AND SKID CONTROL LIGHTS BOTH CAME ON, AND LATER BLUELINK NOTED ERROR ALSO. *TR

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 2 fire reports💥 11 crashes

“STEERING FEEL IS EXTREMELY LIGHT/LOOSE, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. VEHICLE WANDERS ENOUGH FROM LEFT TO RIGHT TO REQUIRE CONSTANT CORRECTION TO KEEP IT FROM GOING OVER CENTER LINE OR OFF SIDE OF ROAD. IF I ADJUST STEERING TO LEFT VEHICLE CONTINUES TO LEFT REQUIRING AN IMMEDIATE ADJUSTMENT TO RIGHT”

— NHTSA complaint filing

ELECTRICAL

259 complaints

10%

• AIR CONDITIONER BLEW HARD, INTERMITTENT AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO CONTROLS. CAR DRIFTS LEFT TO RIGHT, HAVE TO FIGHT TO KEEP IT ON THE ROAD. *TR
• I WAS DRIVING A NEW 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA IN A PARKING AREA, APPROACHING A PARKING SPACE FOR A STRAIGHT-IN PARKING FACING A BUILDING. MY SPEED WAS ABOUT 10MPH. I BRAKE CONTINUOUSLY TO SLOW DOWN AND STOP, BUT NOTHING HAPPENED. THE CAR WENT THROUGH THE PARKING SPACE AND CRASHED INTO THE BRICK WALL FA
• FROM THE PAST FEW WEEKS DRIVING MY NEW 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA GLS, I KNOW THERE IS DEFINITELY SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING (EPS) ON THE CAR. MY CAR JUST KEEPS WANDERING WHEN DRIVING OVER 50 MPH ON FREEWAY. IT WILL KEEP WANDERING TO THE LEFT AND TO THE RIGHT. IT REQUIRES CONSTANT

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 25 fire reports💥 7 crashes

“AIR CONDITIONER BLEW HARD, INTERMITTENT AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO CONTROLS. CAR DRIFTS LEFT TO RIGHT, HAVE TO FIGHT TO KEEP IT ON THE ROAD. *TR”

— NHTSA complaint filing

FUEL SYSTEM

208 complaints

• FIRST OCCURRENCE I WAS SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AND STARTED TO MOVE, CAR LUNGED FORWARD WITH AN UNATTENDED ACCELERATION. SECOND OCCURRENCE I WAS AT AN INTERSECTION WAITING TO PROCEED THROUGH, STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL AND CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE. THIRD OCCURRENCE WAS IN KANSAS AND MY BROTHER WAS DRIV
• I WAS IN LINE AT A FAST FOOD RESTAURANT AND AS I APPROACHED THE DELIVERY WINDOW, I BRAKE THE CAR TO 3 MPH, PREPARING TO STOP BEHIND THE CAR IN FRONT. MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, BUT I FELT THE BRAKE SUDDENLY GIVING WAY, HAVING A SPONGY FEEL AS IT WAS BECOMING INOPERABLE. THE CAR SURGED FORWARD AND H
• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THAT THERE WAS AN ODOR OF FUEL PRESENT IN THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE A

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 26 fire reports💥 7 crashes

“FIRST OCCURRENCE I WAS SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AND STARTED TO MOVE, CAR LUNGED FORWARD WITH AN UNATTENDED ACCELERATION. SECOND OCCURRENCE I WAS AT AN INTERSECTION WAITING TO PROCEED THROUGH, STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL AND CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE. THIRD OCCURRENCE WAS IN KANSAS AND MY BROTHER WAS DRIV”

— NHTSA complaint filing

LIGHTING

201 complaints

• TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT WARNING AND THE TURNING SIGNAL CHIME WAS COMPLETELY INAUDIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE BELIEVED IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THEY WERE
• LIGHTS FLICKER ON AND OFF. WHEN YOU TURN THE BRIGHTS ON IT SEEMS TO DO IT MORE. THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THE PROBLEM IS AS THEY HAVE REPLACED THE BATTERY AND THE ALTERNATOR TO TRY AND RESOLVE THE PROBLEM, BUT NEITHER HAVE WORKED. THEY HAVE ALSO TRIED TO RESET THE LIGHTING SWITCH.... NONE WHICH HAVE WO
• HEADLIGHTS FLICKER WHILE DRIVING. THEY ARE GETTING WORSE AS THEY ARE CUTTING COMPLETELY OFF DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. SOME TIMES IT WILL EVEN DIM OR COMPLETELY SHUT OFF THE INTERIOR LIGHTS.THE LIGHTS CUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN. I'VE HAD IT IN SERVICE 3 OR 4 TIMES AND THEY CAN NOT SEEM TO FIND THE

Typical onset: 50K miles Est. repair: $500🔥 12 fire reports💥 2 crashes

“TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SEAT BELT WARNING AND THE TURNING SIGNAL CHIME WAS COMPLETELY INAUDIBLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE BELIEVED IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THEY WERE”

— NHTSA complaint filing

Estimated Repair Costs

ENGINE(~50K mi)

$500

STEERING(~50K mi)

$500

ELECTRICAL(~50K mi)

$500

FUEL SYSTEM(~50K mi)

$500

LIGHTING(~50K mi)

$500

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

🔍 Pre-Purchase Inspection Checklist

Based on 2635 owner complaints for this specific year, here's what to check or ask about:

☐
ENGINE: PURCHASED 2013 HYUNDAI SONATA GLS AT STREETBORO OHIO HYUNDAI DEALER NEW IN MID JUNE 2012. VEHICLE SEEMED OK BUT AT ABOUT 1500 MILES IDLE BECAME ROUGH PARTICULARLY AT IDLE IN DRIVE AT LIGHTS AND STOPS. TOOK IN TO DEALER AND WAS TOLD AFTER 4 DAYS IN SHOP THAT PROBLEM WAS FAMILIAR TO THE DEALER AND AN
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
STEERING: STEERING FEEL IS EXTREMELY LIGHT/LOOSE, ESPECIALLY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. VEHICLE WANDERS ENOUGH FROM LEFT TO RIGHT TO REQUIRE CONSTANT CORRECTION TO KEEP IT FROM GOING OVER CENTER LINE OR OFF SIDE OF ROAD. IF I ADJUST STEERING TO LEFT VEHICLE CONTINUES TO LEFT REQUIRING AN IMMEDIATE ADJUSTMENT TO RIGHT
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
ELECTRICAL: AIR CONDITIONER BLEW HARD, INTERMITTENT AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO CONTROLS. CAR DRIFTS LEFT TO RIGHT, HAVE TO FIGHT TO KEEP IT ON THE ROAD. *TR
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
FUEL SYSTEM: FIRST OCCURRENCE I WAS SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT AND STARTED TO MOVE, CAR LUNGED FORWARD WITH AN UNATTENDED ACCELERATION. SECOND OCCURRENCE I WAS AT AN INTERSECTION WAITING TO PROCEED THROUGH, STEPPED ON THE GAS PEDAL AND CAR DID NOT ACCELERATE. THIRD OCCURRENCE WAS IN KANSAS AND MY BROTHER WAS DRIV
Typically appears around 50K miles. Repair cost ~$500
☐
General: Get a pre-purchase inspection from an independent mechanic ($100-$200)