2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Engine Problems

EGR needs to be replaced as this is a major engine issue

NHTSA ID

11751204

Incident

Jan 7, 2026

The car will randomly lose acceleration and jerk forward. It will make a beeping noise while the hev system warning flashes on the dash. It also says to turn off engine. While the warning is flashing and engine light is on it goes into a limp mode and you have limited acceleration. It has almost caused multiple wrecks when I go to acceleration from turning or at lights in traffic because I cant go over 20-30 mph. I have turned the car on and off and the hev system and engine light turns off and the car continues to work normal. It eventually comes back on and does the same loss of power/hev warning. It will be random and does not matter on how fast you are going to trigger the warning lights and loss of power.

NHTSA ID

11692279

Incident

Jan 1, 2025

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the message "Shut Down" was displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure, and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and declined to cover the repair under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 140,600.

NHTSA ID

11680336

Incident

May 28, 2025

Mileage

140,600 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ID

11659350

Incident

May 6, 2025

Mileage

70,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to exit the highway; however, the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that prior to the engine failure, the engine had been replaced two years prior. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

NHTSA ID

11644593

Incident

Dec 2, 2024

Mileage

180,000 mi

While on the highway vehicle started shaking violently, flashing engine light then service hybrid system along with every light on the dash! Car still running poorly, stiff steering very hard to slow down to get to safety! By the time I was able to pull over the engine was knocking and a burning smell was coming from the engine compartment. I popped the hood shut the car off , the exhaust manifold and converter(in one together) was so hot it was glowing! I’m thankful I was able to get to safety without it catching fire because it was on its way there! I called for a tow and sent it to the dealer where Hyundai is replacing the engine.

NHTSA ID

11615081

Incident

Aug 31, 2024

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, and the message "Check Hybrid System, Turn Off the Engine" was displayed, and the vehicle was shaking while decelerating. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with the Technical Service Bulletin: 198. The Technical Service Bulletin was completed; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the same dealer where it was diagnosed with a drained battery and catalytic converter failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was towed to the same dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 147,000.

NHTSA ID

11584421

Incident

Oct 25, 2023

Mileage

147,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while operating the vehicle, the dashboard warning lights had suddenly activated and the vehicle went into LIMP Mode causing the vehicle to decelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer on several occasions and the NOx sensor, intake manifold and EGR were replaced but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 104,000.

NHTSA ID

11579661

Incident

Dec 1, 2021

Mileage

104,000 mi

While driving the car completely cut off i could not use my brakes my horn or steering wheel

NHTSA ID

11572766

Incident

Feb 4, 2024

My check Hybrid system light comes on and then my car stops allowing me to drive , the gas stops working ! This happened 3 times on the highway very dangerous

NHTSA ID

11566685

Incident

Jan 20, 2024

I was driving on the freeway and the car went from 70 mph to 60 then 50 then 40 slowing on the freeway each second. This has happened multiple times, each time taken in Hyundai and “repaired” only to happen a couple months later.

NHTSA ID

11554489

Incident

Sep 7, 2023

HEV WARNING TURN OFF ENGINE CAR STARTED SHAKING while driving on the interstate gas pedal went to the floor car started making a loud noise from the engine I put car in park and it would not move for 45 minutes at a stop sign

NHTSA ID

11551356

Incident

Oct 19, 2023

As I was driving on the highway at 65MPH, a sudden warning appeared on the dashboard that read, "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM/TURN OFF ENGINE". Immediately after that, I noticed that my vehicle started behaving erratically, making it difficult to control. I stepped on the gas pedal expecting the car to pick up speed and move forward. Despite the pressure I applied, the car failed to accelerate, leaving me stuck in my current position. After nearly causing a severe accident on a busy interstate, I was able to safely pull my car over to the side of the road. After conducting extensive research, I discovered that the issue I am facing with my hybrid vehicle is actually quite common among Hyundai Sonata Hybrids. It's surprising to note that despite this problem's prevalence, no recall or common solution has been provided to address it. I am highly concerned that Hyundai has not taken any action to address this issue. I request an immediate resolution as I could have been severely injured or lost my life today!

NHTSA ID

11549710

Incident

Oct 12, 2023

HEV turn off engine light pops up WHILE driving. I could’ve been on the highway or the middle of no where and have to turn off my car, just to turn it back on and it seems fine? This has happened a total of 5 times since owning this vehicle, and I’ve gotten all code on the car fixed about a month ago.

NHTSA ID

11514654

Incident

Mar 30, 2023

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at a slow speed out of the driveway, she heard a knocking sound coming from under the hood. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The contact stated that after the vehicle was retrieved from the dealer, the check engine warning light illuminated after 300 miles. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.

NHTSA ID

11508408

Incident

Feb 14, 2023

Mileage

163,000 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while his son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with low oil and engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 67,036. The contact noted that the failure speed was approximately 40 mph. It wasn't long after purchasing the vehicle that the engine seized while driving. The contact stated that the manufacturer will not honor the warranty due to the incident occurring from "an outside influence". Said influence is unknown to the contact.

NHTSA ID

11502815

Incident

Jan 7, 2023

Mileage

67,036 mi

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated and the vehicle decelerated independently. The contact was able to park on the side of the road before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was not drivable. The contact towed the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with needing the knock sensor to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 34,252.

NHTSA ID

11482465

Incident

Aug 22, 2022

Mileage

34,252 mi

My vehicle first went into limp mode and stalled while driving December 2021. Vehicle was taken to Dealership in Alpharetta, GA. I was advised the knock sensor needed an update. The update was completed but the vehicle continued to go in limp mode and stall again March 2022 after driving less than 1000 miles since previous repair. The vehicle was taken to dealership in Wake Forest, NC. This time there was no update for the knock sensor so I was advised they would need to replace knock sensor but it was on backorder until end of May 2022. The knock senor was replaced picked up vehicle and engine light came on by the time I had drove 50 miles and vehicle started to go in limp mode and stall again and car started shaking an bad vibration. Drove the car next morning and it put me down again going into limp mode, stalling, whole dash board lit up every warning light on and dinging, car shaking and made loud noise had to have towed back to dealership. This time dealership claim it came from misfire on cylinder 3 but that doesn't explain all the issues. I was called to pick up car again June 2022 car had bad vibration, knocking, still going into limp and stall mode, hybrid system warning light came on again, gear sticking not changing like it's supposed to had towed back to dealership. This time dealership replaced other 3 cylinders picked up car July 2022. Did a test drive advised car is still stalling, gear still sticking, vibration still , air not cooling and hybrid indicator needle bouncing back and forth from power to 80 never stabilized. Dealership claims can't find anything wrong. I have almost been hit 10 times since December 2021 because of vehicle going into limp mode while driving this is very dangerous to be going 55 to 70 and vehicle drops speed back to 10 all of a sudden in traffic

NHTSA ID

11478504

Incident

Dec 15, 2021

The car requires a quart of oil every 1 to two weeks. Brought it to multiple dealerships and was never given a reason why. Car was making knocking noises anytime driven at 45 or below and sometimes higher. We believe it had to be about the recall Hyundai has advised us about multiple times. We brought it to them on Friday July 22nd. They updated the Hybrid system and we left. Driving the car to work July 27th and the car went into “limp” mode and stated that there was a issue with the hybrid engine and to shut the car off immediately. I was able to pull the car off the road and turn it off. The engine light constantly blinked when the error happened. When I shut the car off and turned it back on, it the same hybrid error shows up on the screen again. We had to have it towed to the same dealership we went to the previous day. They have to diagnose the issue but it might take weeks because they have one hybrid tech.

NHTSA ID

11476347

Incident

Jul 27, 2022

I have a 2016 Hybrid Sonata [XXX], the dash started flashing and said...... HEV trouble! STOP the engine now! Now I have a orange engine light. I brought the car to the dealer. They will look at it and contact me. This car cost me plenty, last year they made me pay for a new engine, it would eat up a quart of oil every two weeks. That is 2 quarts a month. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11470513

Incident

Jun 22, 2022

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle was shaking. The hybrid battery, PHEV system, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed however, the independent mechanic was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the engine and catalytic converter. The engine was replaced. The failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

NHTSA ID

11466083

Incident

Jan 8, 2022

Mileage

120,000 mi

Recently Service Campaign 966 (NHTSA ID Number: 10210205 Manufacturer Communication Number: 22-01-028H) was applied to my vehicle for improved knock sensor detection system (KSDS) logic. Six days following the software update, my vehicle stalled when DTC P1326 came active during my wife's commute home. We had the vehicle towed to the dealership where a knock sensor was identified to be replaced. 10 days after getting the vehicle back, knocking was heard from the engine compartment and DTC 1326 came active again, causing the vehicle to immediately stall. It did not go into engine protection mode as service campaign 966 indicated it would. My concern is that Hyundai changed the sensitivity of knock detection to prevent warranty claims on engines that may be affected by increased bearing wear; and in preventing replacing engines, they have caused engines (mine included) to stall. This engine stalling is a safety issue and they have left customers with no option to use their vehicle safely if the engine passes their bearing clearance test, which is required for an engine replacement under warranty.

NHTSA ID

11465009

Incident

Apr 21, 2022

Recall [XXX] : Engine Inspection / Replacement ([XXX]) In the month of Oct 21, my Hyundai sonata hybrid, had severe engine issues and stalled. Upon inspection by dealer, it was determined, it needs engine replacement as there was a recall for these engines. After 3 months of waiting, in January 2022, I received my car back supposedly with the new engine. today [XXX] my car has stalled again with a similar engine issues and I have towed my car to the same dealer (DORAL HYUNDAI : Miami Florida) for inspection. fortunately i was not injured or ended up in an accident. the car just stalled suddenly with red lights on for every parameter along with engine light. luckily i was on the onramp and not in between the freeway. still was a dangerous situation as cars barely managed to save from hitting me when the car suddenly slowed down and stopped I feel, Hyundai didn't perform their replacement part effectively or efficiently. Probably replaced the car with a similar faulty engine. I request you to please investigate this matter my name is [XXX] and my email id is [XXX] and [XXX]. my cell phone number is [XXX]. thanks, [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

NHTSA ID

11464133

Incident

May 10, 2022

The NHTSA has numerous complaints from owners of the 2016 Hyundai Sonata and 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid with failures associated with the following: abnormal (knocking) noise from engine, reduced motive power and/or hesitation, illumination of the “Check Engine” warning lamp, illumination of engine oil pressure warning lamp, and a burning smell, oil leaking, and smoke. After research, I found the recall 21V301000, which lists “Part 573 Safety Recall Report 21V-301”, and I have attached it. I believe the piston oil rings are potentially a source of engine failure for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata and 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid (since they are from the same manufacturer) and not the process and defect that Hyundai previously listed (that they stated was corrected), yet referenced in their recall. Hyundai and Kia both have defects with their ignition coils that have the shared part number: 27300-2E601, which also appears as: 27300 2E601. We have a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited that is on its 3rd set of ignition coils, and some Hyundai Elantra and Kia Forte owners have reported the use of a 4th set of ignition coils. I have researched this part number by contacting multiple Hyundai Certified Parts Departments. A Hyundai Parts Department verified that the Hyundai Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) 16-01-003-1 states that it “replaces” part number 27300-2E601 with part number 27300-2E601QQH, but they are the same exact part down to the 27300-2E601 appearing on both parts. One of the Hyundai parts people that I spoke to said that Hyundai put white circle stickers on the top of the ignition coils to differentiate between the older and newer part numbers, but the parts are identical. He said that Hyundai contacted their supplier of the ignition coils and negotiated a lower price due to a high failure rate. This means a significant price difference per ignition coil for the dealers, but keeps a defective part in the concerned vehicles.

NHTSA ID

11461452

Incident

Nov 26, 2019

On 04/09/2022 around 6:30 PM EDT, while driving on the Florida Turnpike at the posted 70 mph in Orlando FL, the 2015 Sonata Hybrid suddenly shut down in the center of 4-lanes with heavy traffic. The engine would not run and only sputtered and jerked when I gave it any gas. The display screen lit up with multiple failure symbols including the Hybrid System failure, lane detection failure, and several others. I exited the Turnpike and had a local auto store scan the vehicle finding the following DTC’s: 1. P1326: Excessive connecting rod bearing wear 2. U0293: Lost Communication with Hybrid Powertrain Control Module 3. U1004: Not certain The vehicle was checked and found to be full of oil. The vehicle was serviced at the Hyundai Dealer on 02/25/2022 where they specifically updated the “Excessive connecting rod bearing wear” knock sensor software along with a turn signal issue. Having the engine go into a default mode at 70 mph in heavy traffic was a near disaster. A simple warning would have been adequate to all me to safely navigate to the roadside.

NHTSA ID

11460360

Incident

Apr 9, 2022