2025 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Problems
Owner-reported complaints filed with NHTSA, grouped by component
Data refreshed
What this page shows
Everything below is an owner-reported complaint submitted to NHTSA about the 2025 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, grouped by the component NHTSA recorded on the report. These are not confirmed defects, and they are not recalls. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a category with more reports in it is not evidence that a part is defective.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Reports by component
Ranked by how many owner reports name each component category
- Driver assistance440.0%
- Electrical440.0%
- Body & structure110.0%
- Interior & seats110.0%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Each component in detail
What the reports in each category say, in the owners' own words
Driver assistance
Reports naming forward-collision avoidance, lane keeping, back-over prevention, cruise control and related electronic driver-assistance systems.
From owner reports, verbatim
On [XXX] while entering 2 car garage with no other cars in garage, the subject vehicle which is a HEV, changed from the electric drive mode to gasoline mode at the garage door and driveway apex. Immediately, the vehicle uncommandedly surged forward from approximately 1mph. The vehicle impacted a large refrigerator and small table causing severe front end damage. No airbags deployed and I was not injured. Although, my neck is sore from whiplash. Seatbelts were employed and vehicle was being operated at less than 1mph, standard for entering a two car garage. There were no warnings, lights, or sounds from the multi function display or any system emergency braking applied immediately before the collision.Just a violent surge forward that I could not quickly apply the brakes to avoid this collision. It is my feeling something electronic failed to operate or was unable to understand the driving environment at the time of impact. The change in driving mode from electric to gasoline was very abrupt and instantly resulted in the surge forward with no concern for what was a potential collision hazard ahead. Severe damage was done to front end only. Resulting in a very high repair cost and may likely result in the vehicle being considered a "total loss". This is currently ongoing with insurance and collision repair facility. Unresolved currently. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The emergency rear collision detection system is able to be turned off, but automatically turns on when the car starts. There are situations where the car detects an object and it prevents me from reversing. I disabled this because I use my eyes and have accepted the risk of running into something. I had to move in a hurry two days ago, I tried to reverse out of the way, but the car prevented this when I thought I had already shut it off. Meanwhile I'm getting screamed at to move while I fumble through menus just so I can drive the car I bought. This is dangerous to have automatically on everytime the car starts.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Electrical
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories.
From owner reports, verbatim
On Feb. 10, 2026, my Sonata began showing a blue screen on the infotainment screen when the vehicle was in reverse. The blue screen contained the message "Incoming Camera Signal Error. Please try again later." Between Feb. 10 and 22, I continued seeing the aforementioned blue screen and message. In addition, I began seeing a green screen with a message "No Camera Signal Received. Please try again later.”. On Feb. 22, I was attempting to reverse from my garage and my camera failed to engage. I saw a black screen without picture when the car was first put in reverse, so I put in park and then switch back to reverse. The camera did not engage and the screen remained on the car's menu. Camera then flashed on briefly and then went back to the black screen, then moved multiple time between to the blue screen with the warning message “Incoming Camera Signal Error. Please Try Again Later.” and the green screen with message “No Camera Signal Received. Please try again later.” The issue eventually began occurring both while in reverse and in drive. During this time frame, I took the vehicle to the dealership on multiple occasions, Feb. 10 and Feb. 19, and they were unable to replicate the challenge. I took the vehicle back to the dealer on Feb. 23, and the issue was replicated. The issue was 'repaired' and picked up on Mar. 19, but had to return 3 hours later due to the same issue then in an exacerbated state. The issue was finally repaired on Apr. 1 after a complete floor assembly replacement. The issues caused the safety concern of limited visibility when driving.
The horn stopped working unexpectedly. Pressing the horn button produces no sound. The vehicle has not been in any accident. This is a safety issue as the horn is required for alerting other drivers in emergency situations.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Body & structure
Reports naming the vehicle structure, frame, body panels, doors, hood and trim.
From owner reports, verbatim
On April 8, 2026, I returned to my brand-new 2025 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited (purchased as a new ccar on February 10th 2026)_after being away from March 31 to April 6, 2026 (approximately 7 days of normal parking). The vehicle was completely dead — the 12V auxiliary battery had fully discharged. The car remained fully locked. The hood release lever and the 12V battery reset button are both located inside the cabin and were therefore inaccessible. Following the instructions in the owner’s manual, three adults attempted to remove the plastic cover over the mechanical keyhole on the driver’s door handle. None of us could pry or slide the cover off. Hyundai Roadside Assistance dispatched a locksmith. The locksmith had to use an air-inflation wedge tool to force the door open. Once inside, he pressed the interior 12V reset button and the vehicle then operated normally. This incident demonstrates a complete failure mode: the 12V system can die after only a short period of inactivity, and the mechanical emergency-access design makes it extremely difficult (or impossible for multiple people) to enter the vehicle without professional forced entry or risk of damage. The combination left me stranded with no practical way to regain access to my new car. I believe this is a safety-related defect because it creates an unreasonable risk of the driver being unable to enter or operate the vehicle after normal parking, potentially in emergency or critical situations. Hyundai has issued Service Campaign TEBA / TSB 25-01-076H for battery drain on 2025 Sonata Hybrids, but it does not address the mechanical key-cover access failure that turned the drain into a total lockout. It is also not clear the the TEBA is a complete solution to the battery drain problem.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Interior & seats
Reports naming seats, latches, locks, linkages and interior fittings.
From owner reports, verbatim
Lump on driver seat, under right buttocks. Feels like hard steel poking up on right side of seat , predominantly under right side.
Too few reports in this category for a page of its own — they appear in the full complaint list.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Elsewhere on this vehicle
Data sources
- NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation — owner-reported complaints and the components recorded on them
Data on this page last refreshed .