2017 Hyundai Sonata transmission and drivetrain problems
69 of the 876 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2017 Hyundai Sonata name the transmission and drivetrain (NHTSA’s “Power Train” heading — the transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading). Filed under the same heading: 51 manufacturer bulletins. 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 transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA complaint database3 of the 69 reports a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2017: 2 · 2018: 7 · 2019: 11 · 2020: 4 · 2021: 3 · 2022: 6 · 2023: 11 · 2024: 12 · 2025: 8 · 2026: 5
Half of the 21 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the transmission and drivetrain problem between 15,000 and 58,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
876 complaints in all about the 2017 Hyundai Sonata, 5 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 “Power Train” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Hyundai Sonata transmission and drivetrain problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the transmission and drivetrain. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
To the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, I am filing this formal safety complaint regarding a dangerous engine failure incident involving my 2017 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid.
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Vehicle stopped accelerating and flashing check engine light went on. Vehicle reported "Check Hybrid System." Dealer believes it was loose pins in a HCULDC connector that may have caused loss of communication.
While driving, car started to lose power. Warning lights started flashing to turn off vehicle to recharge battery. Car lost all power. Car was towed to dealership. Dealer started diagnostic testing, and first thing that was noted is that all oil had drained from car and that crank shaft may now be damaged.
Abrupt and total loss of acceleration at full throttle at or near high RPM shift points. This behavior can be reliably reproduced by "flooring it" (all the way, including kickdown) and not letting go - as if one is executing a passing maneuver.
After transmission was replace in december 2020, noticed starting in jan 2021, that vehicle did not stay in park and rolled back up to 5 feet from where parked. Pictures from parking lot, 3/6/2021 rolled back 5 feet from where it parked. Mileage on 3/6/21 was 96858.
What is on file about the transmission and drivetrain
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communications51 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
The 0 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
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- engine problems 468 complaints
- steering problems 181 complaints
- electrical problems 94 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre transmission and drivetrain problems common on the 2017 Hyundai Sonata?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 69 owner complaints naming the transmission and drivetrain on this model year (8% of everything owners filed about it), and 51 manufacturer bulletins 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 transmission and drivetrain on the 2017 Hyundai Sonata?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 5 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do transmission and drivetrain problems show up on the 2017 Hyundai Sonata?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 33,250 miles; half of them between 15,000 and 58,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Power Train" heading cover?
The transmission, transfer case, driveshafts, axles and differentials — NHTSA files them under one heading. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.