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Hyundai Sonata

Every model year 2016–2027: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

12 Model years 2016–2027

31 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

3,014 Complaints owner reports, all years

A^* Newest grade 2027 Safety Signal

2019 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2027 Sonata →Which years to avoid Compare it

Hyundai Sonata — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Hyundai Sonata · Photo: © M 93 · CC BY-SA 3.0 de · Wikimedia Commons

Active NHTSA advisory on 1 model year of the Sonata — park outside or do not drive. The year rows below carry it.

Every Hyundai Sonata model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2027	Hybrid Gas	A^*	0	0	—	51 mpg
2026	Hybrid Gas	A	1	6	★★★★★	51 mpg
2025	Hybrid Gas	A	0	28	★★★★★	47 mpg
2024	Hybrid Gas	A	1	55	★★★★★	47 mpg
2023	Hybrid Gas	C	2	103	★★★★★	52 mpg	Park outside
2022	Hybrid Gas	D	3	114	★★★★★	52 mpg
2021	Hybrid Gas	D	4	189	★★★★★	52 mpg
2020	Hybrid Gas	C	4	197	★★★★★	52 mpg
2019	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	A	0	172	★★★★★	42 mpg
2018	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	B	2	384	★★★★★	42 mpg
2017	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	C	5	879	★★★★★	42 mpg
2016	Plug-in hybrid Hybrid Gas	D	9	887	★★★★★	41 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2019

On the filed record so far, the 2019 is the cleanest Sonata year we hold, and the 2023 the one to check hardest. The 2023 carries a standing park-outside or do-not-drive advisory, which outranks every other number on this page.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2019	A	0	25
2018	B	0.2	48
2017	C	0.6	98
2016	D	0.9	89
2020	C	0.7	33	1 critical
2022	D	0.8	28	2 critical
2021	D	0.8	38	2 critical
2023	C	0.7	34	Advisory

Which Hyundai Sonata years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2018 engine complaints at 0.49× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 24,600 miles). Latest: 2019 engine at 2.12× (89,000 miles).

Year	Engine	Electrical System	Steering	Power Train	Service Brakes	Vehicle Speed Control
2019	2.12×	—	—	—	—	—
2018	0.49×	0.91×	—	—	—	0.64×
2017	1.29×	0.71×	1.83×	0.83×	0.73×	1.21×
2016	1.26×	1.51×	0.83×	1.08×	0.85×	1.77×

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Hyundai Sonata, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

engine problems 1,533 complaints, every model year electrical problems 464 complaints, every model year fuel system problems 323 complaints, every model year transmission and drivetrain problems 308 complaints, every model year steering problems 215 complaints, every model year brake problems 97 complaints, every model year

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2026: best combined mpg 47 → 51; 5 → 6 EPA configurations
2025: 4 → 5 EPA configurations
2024: best combined mpg 52 → 47; 6 → 4 EPA configurations
2021: 5 → 6 EPA configurations
2020: dropped plug-in hybrid; best combined mpg 42 → 52; 7 → 5 EPA configurations
2018: 8 → 7 EPA configurations
2017: best combined mpg 41 → 42

Compare

All Sonata head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2027 Sonata vs Kia K5 · Large Sedan	Sonata +5.4
2027 Sonata vs Dodge Charger · Large Sedan	Charger +12.7
2027 Sonata vs Lucid Air · Large Sedan	Sonata +2.5
2027 Sonata vs Audi A8 · Large Sedan	Sonata +20.7
2027 Sonata vs Audi S8 · Large Sedan	Sonata +35.7
2027 Sonata vs Audi A6 e-tron · Large Hatchback	Sonata +10.8
2026 Sonata vs Honda Accord · Large Sedan	Sonata +5.5
2026 Sonata vs Genesis G80 · Large Sedan	G80 +15.4

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Odometer at first complaint · rank 31 of 79 0.78× the mileage of same-age vehicles Hyundai Sonata owners reported problems to NHTSA at a median 20,000 miles across 2018–2020 (fleet 23,512), earlier than vehicles of the same model year. 234 readings.Same trim, next model year · 2025 → 2026 +1.8% at the median across 4 matched trims The manufacturer’s announced MSRP for the 2026 Hyundai Sonata against the same trim in 2025; the fleet moved +1.8% on 394 matched trims. Base trim $26,900 → $27,450. MSRP excludes destination; not a transaction price.

Common questions about the Hyundai Sonata

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Hyundai Sonata year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2019 Sonata comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (100/100), 0 recalls and 172 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Hyundai Sonata years should I avoid?

2016, 2021, 2022, 2023 have the weakest recall records in this range — one carries an active park-outside or do-not-drive advisory. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Sonata model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Hyundai Sonata have?

Across model years 2016–2027, NHTSA has posted 31 recall campaigns for the Hyundai Sonata. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.