The Worst Hyundai Problems

Featured Problems

Elantra Nu Engine Tick

The 1.8L Nu engine has been ticking owners off with its constant ticks, connecting rod knocks, predispostion to engine bearing failure and problems with oil sludge. These problems all happen within Hyundai's 10-year / 100,000 mile warranty,…

Hyundai Theta II Engine Knocking, Seizing, and Sludge

The Theta II is a gasoline direct injection (GDI) engine that is well known for a lot of things and none of them are good. Bearing failure, metal debris riding on contaminated oil, piston ring defects, siezing, knocking, crying.

All Problems

The Least Reliable Hyundai Models

Some models just can't seem to get out of their own way. We've created a list of the least reliable Hyundai models using data such as complaint volume, average cost of repairs, age of the car when it breaks down, and recall frequency. Here's the worst of the bunch.

Hyundai Sonata

PainRank^™: 74.27
Complaints: 2100
Reliability: 25th out of 25

Hyundai Elantra

PainRank^™: 61.02
Complaints: 1327
Reliability: 24th out of 25

Hyundai Tucson

PainRank^™: 26.92
Complaints: 598
Reliability: 23rd out of 25

Hyundai Santa Fe

PainRank^™: 22.36
Complaints: 988
Reliability: 22nd out of 25

Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

PainRank^™: 18.94
Complaints: 177
Reliability: 21st out of 25

Hyundai Genesis

PainRank^™: 14.27
Complaints: 235
Reliability: 20th out of 25

Hyundai Kona

PainRank^™: 12.51
Complaints: 19
Reliability: 19th out of 25

Hyundai Veloster

PainRank^™: 11.86
Complaints: 121
Reliability: 18th out of 25

All Models

What Owners Complain About the Most

Sometimes it's easiest to just tally up all the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are.

Worst Issues

2011 Sonata engine seized 180 (100%)
2011 Sonata clicking noise when turning 74 (41%)
2010 Sonata door handles fall off 53 (29%)
2016 Tucson no acceleration from stop 50 (28%)
2017 Tucson hesitates when starting from a stop 48 (27%)
2013 Elantra brakes make grinding noise 47 (26%)
2012 Sonata engine seized 44 (24%)

Worst Topics

Engine 1730 (100%)
Transmission 666 (38%)
Interior 590 (34%)
Electrical 508 (29%)
Steering 473 (27%)
Fuel System 365 (21%)
Body 362 (21%)

Worst Years

2011 1138 (100%)
2013 1052 (92%)
2012 789 (69%)
2015 404 (36%)
2016 376 (33%)
2010 345 (30%)
2007 314 (28%)

Watch Out For These Generations

6th Generation Sonata (2011–2014)

PainRank^™: 68.11
Complaints: 1312
Reliability: 50th out of 56

5th Generation Elantra (2011–2016)

PainRank^™: 45.43
Complaints: 937
Reliability: 49th out of 56

2nd Generation Santa Fe (2007–2012)

PainRank^™: 21.52
Complaints: 559
Reliability: 48th out of 56

5th Generation Sonata (2006–2010)

PainRank^™: 19.96
Complaints: 384
Reliability: 47th out of 56

3rd Generation Santa Fe (2013–2018)

PainRank^™: 19.69
Complaints: 270
Reliability: 46th out of 56

7th Generation Sonata (2015–2019)

PainRank^™: 18.44
Complaints: 277
Reliability: 45th out of 56

6th Generation Sonata Hybrid (2011–2014)

PainRank^™: 17.3
Complaints: 143
Reliability: 44th out of 56

4th Generation Elantra (2007–2010)

PainRank^™: 15.63
Complaints: 181
Reliability: 43rd out of 56

All Generations

Recent Hyundai News

Owners of the 3rd generation Tucson (2016-2021) are being urged to not park near anything that can burn until they have their ABS fuses replaced. If you're wondering if that's as bad as it sounds, it is. Multiple SUVs have caught on fire, both while parked and in motion, leading to a recall of nearly 800,000 vehicles.
Posted on
January 8, 2021
Tagged
#recall
Source
carcomplaints.com
The 1st generation Veracruz (2007-2012) has been recalled a second time to fix oil sneaking past defects in a valve cover gasket and damaging the alternator. The oil-soaked alternator will lose voltage, leading to problems such as the battery system not properly charging or the vehicle entering "limp home" mode while driving.
Posted on
November 25, 2020
Tagged
#recall
Source
carcomplaints.com
More than 1,300 Hyundai vehicles have burst into flames, now the government wants to know why. It’s about time. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) was petitioned to look into these non-collision fires last June.
Posted on
April 3, 2019
Tagged
#news
Source
carcomplaints.com
Knock, knock – there’s a major defect in the 2013 Velostar’s engine management software. A defect that manages to find a way to prematurely ignite the air/fuel mixture in 1.6-liter turbo engines. This puts way too much pressure on the cylinders resulting in knocking noises, stalling incidents, and engine fires.
Posted on
March 29, 2019
Tagged
#recall
Source
carcomplaints.com
Multiple State Attorneys are looking to turn up the heat on Hyundai and Kia. An increasing number of cars are going up in spontaneous flames and I’m glad to see somebody’s willing to step up and investigate.
Posted on
March 18, 2019
Tagged
#news
Source
carcomplaints.com

By the Numbers

30 models
Each with their own trim levels, bodystyles, and special blend of headaches.
56 generations
A group of years for a specific model with the same design, features, and problems.
30 model years
Grouping all models by their year can reveal some baddies.
6,274 complaints
Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.
3,269 service bulletins
Documenting the process of troubleshooting common problems.
242 recall campaigns
Time-sensitive, free repairs for widespread safety problems.

Have a complaint about your vehicle?

The best way to find out what's wrong with a vehicle is from the people who drive them. Not only do owner complaints help us rank vehicles by reliability, but they're often used to spark class-action lawsuits and warranty extensions. Plus, they're a great way to vent.

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