2017 Hyundai Sonata engine problems
468 of the 876 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2017 Hyundai Sonata name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 155 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall, 2 NHTSA investigations. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database7 of the 468 reports a crash · 11 a fire · 0 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2016: 2 · 2017: 6 · 2018: 13 · 2019: 19 · 2020: 19 · 2021: 34 · 2022: 76 · 2023: 90 · 2024: 96 · 2025: 72 · 2026: 41
Half of the 131 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 36,000 and 109,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
876 complaints in all about the 2017 Hyundai Sonata, 41 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Hyundai Sonata engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
Vehicle lost power in freeway. Complete power failure. Early crashed into. Vehicle coasted to off ramp and towed away
Occurrence: This has been a recurring issue for over a year (over a year, might be closer to two years now) for our PHEV Sonata. It has happened approximately 10 times. Problem: Total engine shutdown when driving the car. "Shut down engine" type error message pops up and cannot accelerate.
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while her husband was driving 65 MPH, the vehicle began to shake and lost motive power. The contact stated that her husband pulled off the highway safely. The driver then attempted to re-enter the highway, there was a loud bang from the engine that shook the vehicle.
The engine started knocking on the freeway and all the lights in the car went off. The engine failed and I barely made it off the freeway. I was almost hit by two cars trying to get to a safe place.
Hybrid system warning! safely stop and do not drive Hyundai dealership in California, keep it over week No answer when they can find a problem for stopping car go forward, only reverse. I was driving 65 miles on heavy traffic suddenly stop on California highway 57. Car was towed to Hyundai dealership near
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsRecall filed under this heading
- 21V727000 HighSep 17, 2021 · 95,515 vehicles
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Tucson and Sonata Hybrid vehicles. The connecting rod bearings inside the engine may wear prematurely, which can result in engine damage.
NHTSA investigations
- DP22003 Loss of Motive Poweropened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints i…
- EA21003 Engine Firesopened Dec 22, 2021 · closed Feb 5, 2024
- On March 29, 2019, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened two Preliminary Evaluations (PE19-003 on Hyundai and PE19-004 on Kia) to broadly investigate incidents of non-crash fires (regardless of origin or operational status of the vehicle) on various model year Hyundai and Kia vehicles. During the PE investigations, Hyundai and Kia issued several recalls to address vehicle fires, includ…
155 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
- 26-01-013H-2 DN Service campaignMay 21, 2026
- Certain Santa Fe (TMA), Santa Fe Sport (AN), Sonata (LFA), and Tucson (TL) vehicles equipped with Theta II engines may exhibit elevated engine-out emissions. The California Air Resources Board has determined that these vehicles may be releasing air pollutants which exceed Federal and California standards.
- 26-EE-003H TSB Service bulletinApr 18, 2026
- Some vehicles may exhibit difficulty starting in cold weather. This bulletin provides the procedure to perform an inspection on the starter magnetic switch for potential freezing and, if necessary, replace the starter magnetic switch (solenoid) assembly.
- 26-01-033H TSB Warranty extensionMar 26, 2026
- This TSB references the Op codes to use for claim submission and the Parts required based on the vehicle’s inspection results from TSB 22-01-023H-2 (DTC P1326 – Engine Bearing Inspection/Engine Replacement) or the latest version.
- 26-01-033H DN Warranty extensionMar 26, 2026
- This TSB references the Op codes to use for claim submission and the Parts required based on the vehicle’s inspection results from TSB 22-01-023H (DTC P1326 – Engine Bearing Inspection/Engine Replacement) or the latest version.
The 4 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P1326 P0456 P0014 P0420 P1233 P2600 U0293 P0105
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2017 Hyundai Sonata names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2017 Hyundai Sonata
Source: the same files- steering problems 181 complaints
- electrical problems 94 complaints
- transmission and drivetrain problems 69 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2017 Hyundai Sonata?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 468 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (53% of everything owners filed about it), and 155 manufacturer bulletins, 1 recall, 2 NHTSA investigations are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2017 Hyundai Sonata?
Yes — one campaign is filed under this heading: 21V727000. A recall is matched by VIN; check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
When do engine problems show up on the 2017 Hyundai Sonata?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 75,000 miles; half of them between 36,000 and 109,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.