2019 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matter described in the petition. On June 24, 2023 and as supplemented on June 25, 2023, the petitioner notified NHTSA he was withdrawing his petition. The petitioner indicated that, based on his review of data, there is no justification for asserting potential benefits that could be derived from actions sought by my petition. Based on the petitioner's withdrawal, DP22-005 is closed. Closure of this DP does not represent a determination by NHTSA regarding the subject matter of the petition.

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 indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are susceptible to cracking. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11481745. On September 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Defect Petition (DP22-003) to evaluate the Petitioners’ request. The Petitioners have provided additional complaints within four supplemental letters dated January 31, 2023, March 21, 2023, May 23, 2023, and August 4, 2023. ODI’s evaluation included the review and analysis of the complaints and supporting information submitted by the Petitioners, as well as additional complaints submitted directly to NHTSA which referenced either the oil drain plug or a crack in the oil pan. After reviewing the available data, ODI has not identified evidence that would support opening a defect investigation into the oil drain pan assemblies of the subject vehicles. Based on a review of the available information, a loss of motive power resulting from an oil drain plug back out has not occurred between the initial sale of a vehicle and the completion of its first oil change. If during an oil change service, a technician fails to remove the existing drain plug gasket before installing a new gasket, it is likely that a proper seal between the drain plug and the oil pan will not be made. An improper seal between the drain plug and oil pan could lead to the backing out on the drain plug, resulting in the sudden loss of oil while driving. Additionally, the provided examples of oil pan cracks were localized to the immediate vicinity of the oil drain plug and/or appeared to be the result of direct-contact with a tool during servicing.  There is no information to support that a vehicle-based defect exists relating to the oil pan assembly, and instead the documented incidents are related to the failure to follow the proper maintenance procedures during oil change service. In October 2023, Hyundai published a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that provided detailed instructions for oil change service on its gasoline powered vehicles, specifically highlighting the need to remove and replace the existing drain plug gasket prior to reinstalling the drain plug. After a thorough review of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to motor vehicle safety implicated by the petitioners' allegations, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. Therefore, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA’s reasons for denial of the petition will be published. The reference numbers for the complaints to NHTSA cited by the petitioner can be found in the petition submission documents in the public file for DP22-003. To review those complaints and the additional complaints ODI added to its evaluation which are cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.

The high voltage battery will no longer charge neither from being plugged in to the charger on the wall nor from the buikt in system onboard the car. There are warning lights saying the inverter coolant is low but the reservoir is at the proper level. I suspect the coolant for the Hybrid charging inverter is bad and crystalizes causing blockages in the inverter coolant system. My car refuses to charge for the last 2 years. After a few seconds (about 7-10) the car shuts off the charging system when plugged in. And now that summer heat us here in the South West, it will not even charge from the regenerative braking. The high voltage battery previously would maintain 10-15% charge from the gas engine and regenerative braking. Now it's sitting at 1%. Because the battery is so low the electric motor does not produce power, and the gas engine is under powered on its own. This makes acceleration from a stop light/sign sluggish, slow and dangerous. Other Hyundai EV (IONIC and Kona) and PHEV (Santa Fe and Tucson) models have had their inverter coolant flushed and replace, some with a different spec coolant. This Sonata 2019 PHEV probably suffers from the same poor coolant and needs to be flushed and replaced by the better spec coolant fluid too. This has been getting worse and worse the last 2 or 3 years. The dealer refuses to acknowledge the problem and wants to diagnose the whole system before replacing what is obviously wrong first. The inverter coolant low level alert comes on some times, but it is not low. I haven't had time to let the dealer keep my car for days while they pretend to not know the problem and refuse to accept responsibility. Hyundai Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) exist for IONIC, Kona, Santa Fe, and Tucson models. For example the Hybrid Santa Fe and Tucson TSB is Hyundai TSB 23-01-052H-1.

NHTSA ID

11752871

Incident

Jul 1, 2024

While driving the car it suddenly decelerated and multiple warning errors on electronics, driver assist, braking started going off then the error message of Check Hybrid Turn Engine Off came on. I was able to coast into a parking lot as the car could only go around 5 miles an hour. I turned the care off and on and the Check Hybrid Turn Engine Off remained for the 2 hours it took to have a tow truck come to take the car to a dealer. The car has 16,383 miles and prior to this there was no warning or error messages. The dealer hasn't reviewed the car yet, but the fact that it immediately, with no warning, decelerated and would go only 5 miles an hour is very risky and unsafe.

NHTSA ID

11543096

Incident

Sep 6, 2023

I was traveling on a highway when a "hybrid system warning" suddenly appeared on the dashboard. Every dashboard warning light illuminated. The car began to lose power. I exited the highway immediately and the car began to have sporadic power and was "lurching." I immediately pulled onto the shoulder and at that time another warning on the dash appeared within a minute or two of the first warning that said "shut engine off." The computer screen began to flash on and of and the windows would not roll up smoothly. When the tow truck arrived the car wouldn't start and it didn't recognize the key fob. Hyundai now has the vehicle and claims the car needed a "software update", but they cannot tell me if it will ever happen again and cannot tell me why the car goes into critical failure when it needs a mere software update. This is the second time this has happened. The first time it was repaired under a voluntary recall campaign about a year ago. This is an extremely dangerous occurrence as the car loses power without warning. I was fortunate to be near an exit when it happened and able to safely get off the highway, but that was just luck. The manual indicates that a hybrid system warning means that the car can potentially go on fire.

NHTSA ID

11492604

Incident

Oct 29, 2022

THE MESSAGE "HYBRID SYSTEM FAILURE" SUDDENLY DISPLAYED AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND STALLED. THIS OCCURED ON HYW (65MPH) AND NEARLY CAUSED WRECK FROM BEHIND

NHTSA ID

11365546

Incident

Oct 21, 2020

Mileage

24,922 mi

THE TOUCH SCREEN RADIO IS INEFFECTIVE WHEN TUNING TO SIRIUSXM. IT JUST SITS ON UPDATING AND NOTHING ELSE YOU PRESS WORKS. I HAVE HAD MULTIPLE MECHANICS LOOK AT IT, PULLED FUSES, RESETS AND NOTHING FIXES THE ISSUE. FROM RESEARCH ONLINE IT APPEARS THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE FOR YEARS WITH HYUNDAI TOUCH SCREENS. THEY SAY THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO, BUT I LITERALLY JUST BOUGHT THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

11353282

Incident

Aug 24, 2020

Mileage

56 mi

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN), that have been identified in U.S. vehicles following prior crashes, theft, or non‑certified airbag replacements. These inflators are not approved for use, may rupture during deployment, and have caused serious injuries and fatalities. Please see attached announcement, provided by NHTSA, for more details.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN). These inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehicle manufacturers and have primarily been found in vehicles that previously experienced a crash and underwent airbag replacement using non-genuine parts. These dangerous inflators have ruptured during deployment, posing a serious risk of injury or death due to metal fragments entering the vehicle cabin. To date, Hyundai is aware of three people who have died while driving a Hyundai vehicle with one of these substandard replacement airbag inflators that deployed in what likely would have been a survivable crash. NHTSA has issued a public advisory urging vehicle owners and service professionals to have vehicles inspected if there is reason to believe that a non-genuine replacement airbag may have been installed. Vehicles with salvage or rebuilt titles, prior airbag deployments, or unknown repair histories may present a higher risk. NHTSA strongly cautions against self-inspection by vehicle owners and recommends inspection by trained technicians.

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.

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.

This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes or during normal driving operation.

Some vehicles may exhibit a loss of connectivity or interruptions in the middle of using Bluelink Service functions. This may be due to an irregular disconnection on Verizon’s communication network. Follow the procedure in this TSB to reestablish the connection via the AVN pinhole reset method.