How Reliable is the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid?

Front 3/4 view of a Hyundai Sonata Hybrid

Sonata Hybrid owners have made 177 complaints over 10 model years. It ranks 21st in reliability out of 25 eligible Hyundai models.

Our reliability rank is based on our PainRank™ system. A higher number means you can expect more significant problems. The average Hyundai score is 10.12 while the Sonata Hybrid comes in at 18.94.

The 2 Most Common Sonata Hybrid Problems

We've pulled together a list of the problems Sonata Hybrid owners.

  1. Seat Belts Detatch During Crash

    Cars these days have airbags, sensors, crumple zones, tempered glass, and other safety features. But the OG, and arguably the most important, safety feature is the seat belt. Only trouble is, Hyundai's seem to be detatching from the body of…

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  2. Panoramic Sunroof Explodes

    Hyundai refuses to acknowledge that their sunroofs have been exploding under normal driving conditions, but they’re offering plenty of coverage to owners if (or when) it happens thanks to a 2019 lawsuit settlement.

    Continue

What Sonata Hybrid Owners Complain About

Sometimes it helps just to tally up the complaints and see where the biggest stacks are. Use this information to learn about troublespots or to run for the hills.

Worst Issues

Worst Topics

Worst Years

Full Lists on CarComplaints.com

Sonata Hybrid Generations

The Sonata Hybrid has 2 generations, each with their own issues. Using the same PainRank™ system we've determined that you're better off avoiding the 6th generation (2011–2014).

  1. 7th Generation Sonata Hybrid

    Years
    2015–2020
    Reliability
    20th of 50
    PainRank™
    2.59
    Complaints
    34
    Continue Front 3/4 view of a Sonata Hybrid

  2. 6th Generation Sonata Hybrid

    Years
    2011–2014
    Reliability
    44th of 50
    PainRank™
    17.3
    Complaints
    143
    Continue Front 3/4 view of a Sonata Hybrid

Sonata Hybrid Key Numbers

  1. 177 complaints

    Running tally of owner grievances filed to CarComplaints.com.

  2. 92 service bulletins

    Documenting the process of troubleshooting common problems.

  3. 5 recall campaigns

    Time-sensitive, free repairs for widespread safety problems.

Recent Sonata Hybrid News

There's a lot of news out there, but not all of it matters. We try to boil down it to the most important bits about things that actually help you with your car problem. Interested in getting these stories in an email? Signup for free email alerts over at CarComplaints.com.

  2. Tagged
    #investigation
    Posted on
    Source
    carcomplaints.com

    Apparently Hyundai’s latest seat belt recall did enough to satisfy the government, who announced they’re closing their recall.

    NHTSA continued the investigation after the first recall because safety regulators believed a better fix should be applied by dealers. Regulators were concerned about how the connectors were built to be removed from the pretensioners when working on the cars. But the connectors could release in a crash if they weren't properly reconnected during maintenance.

    The second recall added a label to the connector with graphics and instructions how to properly lock the connector if someone works on the car. No word on if that label said for the love of everything, don’t forget to put this thing back to together.

  3. Tagged
    #recall
    Posted on
    Source
    carcomplaints.com

    Back in March, Hyundai recalled 978,000 cars to inspect and fix seat belt linkages and the pretensioner.

    Now those vehicles have been recalled again for the same problems.

    Although the condition of a partially latched anchor pretensioner was fixed through the recall campaign, the condition could potentially happen again if the anchor pretensioner was intentionally disconnected and then improperly reconnected by consumers or repair facilities.

    After the first recall Hyundai and their supplier talked with NHTSA about possible problems from the recall repairs.

  5. Tagged
    #recall
    Posted on
    Source
    carcomplaints.com

    Nearly 978,000 Hyundai Sonata and Sonata Hybrid cars have been recalled to fix seat belts that have been detaching from their anchor pretensioners.

    Hyundai and the seat belt supplier inspected the vehicle and the supplier recovered the parts in December 2016. Both companies started internal investigations, but neither has been able to determine what is causing the seat belt failures … The automaker says to ensure the safety of consumers, the recall will include 2011-2014 Sonata and 2011-2015 Sonata Hybrid cars.

    The recall, which covers most of the 6th generation Sonata and Sonata Hybrid, follows an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) opened earlier this year.

Other Hyundai Models