2006 Hyundai Sonata Owner Complaints

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of automotive power. No warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway and noticed that engine oil was leaking onto the ground and the coolant level was abnormally low. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to restart and was towed to a local independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with a valve cover leak. The vehicle was repaired at the owner's expense; however, the failure reoccurred. The local dealer was not contacted. In addition, the contact stated that several other unknown repairs were made; however, the failure reoccurred. The contact related the failure to an unknown NHTSA Campaign; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

NHTSA ID

11706449

Incident

Nov 20, 2025

Mileage

112,000 mi

I am filing this complaint regarding a serious engine issue with my 2006 Hyundai Sonata equipped with a 2.4L GDI engine. My vehicle experienced [engine knocking, stalling, and then seized up indicating complete Engine failure] without warning, posing a potential safety hazard while driving. The issue appears to be identical to the known manufacturing defects that Hyundai has acknowledged in its recall of 2013–2014 Sonata models with the same engine Class Type. Although my vehicle is not currently included in the official recall “ SONATA ENGINE RECALL CAMPAIGN it contains the Theta II MPI Engine which constitutes and Further solidifies proof of the ongoing Manufacturing Defects of Theta Model Engine design and exhibits the same symptoms of sudden engine failure. This raises concerns that the defect may affect a broader range of model years than Hyundai has acknowledged. I urge NHTSA to investigate this issue and determine whether the scope of the current recall should be expanded to include earlier model years such as 2006. The defect creates a significant safety risk to drivers and passengers, and Hyundai should be held accountable for all affected vehicles—not just those produced within a narrow window.

NHTSA ID

11663025

Incident

May 16, 2025

There is a recall for the rear lower control arms for the 2006 Hyundai sonata getting rusty and not performing. My car was taken in for an alignment and the mechanic said he isn’t able to make the toe match up to be in good driving standards. I tried reaching out to a Hyundai dealership and they checked the VIN and said they couldn’t do anything about it because my car isn’t in a certain part of the United States. If I don’t get this fixed soon the mechanic said my when could fall out of alignment and cause some serious damage to me or someone else.

NHTSA ID

11659574

Incident

May 4, 2025

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a loud bang and scraping sound coming from the vehicle. The ABS and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the control arm and suspension had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made not aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 176,000.

NHTSA ID

11617849

Incident

Oct 3, 2024

Mileage

176,000 mi

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V161000 (Air Bags); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 140,000.

NHTSA ID

11607317

Incident

Aug 8, 2024

Mileage

140,000 mi

I have a 06 sonata 2.4l that had rear control arms rotted out plus the subframe. And my esc light is on not really sure what to wit that. But my car is down now due to rear control arms needed replaced.

NHTSA ID

11581825

Incident

Apr 7, 2024

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while making a turn at 10-15 MPH, the contact heard a loud bang and scraping sound coming from the vehicle. The contact pulled over and discovered that the rear crossmember had detached. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed that the lower and upper control arm bolts were severely corroded; however, the contact was not yet informed of what needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle had previously been repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V354000 (Suspension); however, the failure occurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 97,000.

NHTSA ID

11573621

Incident

Feb 20, 2024

Mileage

97,000 mi

Rear lower control arm snapped

NHTSA ID

11562819

Incident

Dec 31, 2023

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that water had entered the ABS module and caused an electrical short. The contact was informed that the vehicle was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 18V026000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was not repaired. An undisclosed dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and confirmed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. The VIN was unavailable.

NHTSA ID

11549752

Incident

Sep 21, 2023

Mileage

70,000 mi

The rear suspension became corroded and one of the coils or bars broke off while driving. After the coil from the suspension broke off, it punctured a tire, which blew while driving. Thankfully, I had just exited the interstate, otherwise this would've happened at high speeds. This is a known issue that has previously been reported in a recall (113). The vehicle is registered in Ohio and has been since 2014.

NHTSA ID

11529847

Incident

Jun 7, 2023

UNKNOWN

NHTSA ID

11526092

Incident

Aug 20, 2022

On 5/30/23 while in traffic I pressed the brake to slow down and the car kept moving forward. I pressed the brake all the way down and I was still unable to stop the car from accelerating. I rear-ended the vehicle in front of me. My car is currently being inspected by a mechanic that my insurance company recommended.

NHTSA ID

11524519

Incident

May 30, 2023

MY SON WAS DRIVING AND HEARD LOUD POP AND SAW FLAMES COMING FROM HOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT PUT OUT FIRE CAR IS COMPLETE LOSS

NHTSA ID

11523016

Incident

May 19, 2023

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.

NHTSA ID

11520229

Incident

May 3, 2022

Mileage

48,000 mi

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving into the driveway and depressing the brake pedal, the brake pedal went to the floorboard. The failure caused the vehicle to roll to a stop instead of stopping immediately. The brake failure warning light was illuminated. The contact, who is a certified mechanic, inspected the vehicle and found that the rear brake lines and the cross over line was completely rusted and there was a hole from the rust in the lines. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 168,000.

NHTSA ID

11510743

Incident

Mar 6, 2023

Mileage

168,000 mi

Passenger occupant classification sensor fails to properly identify whether an adult or child is sitting in the front passenger seat causing the airbag to deploy when it shouldn't. If a child is in the front passenger seat and we get into an accident, the child could be hurt or killed by the airbag. We brought it into the Hyundai dealership after receiving a recall notice that it may fail to properly detect whether a child is in the seat or not. At the time of the recall, the dealerships instructions were to place a certain amount of weight on the seat and if the airbag was still disabled then it was determined to be working correctly. I have since been made aware of a Hyundai TSB that came out a couple of years later that stated in all cases the seat cushion was to be removed and sent back to Hyundai for recalibration. In June 2021 the airbag light came on due to a code B1448. In September 2021 I found another TSB by Hyundai stating that they have extended the warranty on the passenger OCS to 15 years, unlimited mileage. The inspection report for the B1448 was on June 7, 2021 and we purchased the car in July 2006. When I called the closest Hyundai dealership regarding the issue they said I was 2 months past the 15 year warranty and there was nothing they could do. I explained that that the code presented itself before the 15 year warranty. It upsets me that I took it in for the airbag recall and the faulty OCS was not replaced at that time. Now I'm stuck driving around a car with the airbag light on or purchase an OCS emulator to fool the system into thinking there is someone sitting in the seat. While this won't fix the problem of the airbag deploying when it shouldn't it doesn't fix the root cause of a faulty OCS mat that Hyundai is well aware of. The vehicle is available for inspection.

NHTSA ID

11478910

Incident

Jun 7, 2021

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated the air bag warning light remained illuminated. The contact also stated that the air bag warning light was related to the seat belt which was repaired before; however, the air bag light continued to remain illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11476301

Incident

Jun 6, 2017

Mileage

150,000 mi

I financed my 2006 Hyundai Sonata from a Maryland state car dealer. At the time of my purchase, the dealer didn’t disclose to me that the vehicle had a branded title. The branded title was discovered by Toco Warranty when I requested a auto extended warranty quote. I contacted the MVA, and was informed that it’s illegal to finance a vehicle in the state of Maryland with a branded title since the actual miles are unknown and this is required by dealers in Maryland in order to finance vehicles to consumers. Although I was no longer required to make payments to the dealer, my vehicle has a ABS malfunction, brake line failure, that has caused brake fluid leakage and brake failure as well as a critical control arm needed repair. I’m disabled and on a fixed income, and purchased this vehicle to assist in getting to and from medical appointments. The total cost of repair from Mr. Tire Auto service centers estimâtes at $2700 and Triple AAA Auto repair centers estimates $ 4700 with $ 2800 to get my vehicle in safe driving condition. Because of my low fixed income, I’m unable to make another vehicle purchase without at least $4,600 for a down payment and I don’t have the money for a new purchase nor to make needed repairs.

NHTSA ID

11473277

Incident

Apr 2, 2021

The red warning airbag light stays on and it’s visible as I drive. Does this mean the airbags are not going to work should I be involved in an auto accident?

NHTSA ID

11470550

Incident

Apr 2, 2022

The airbag light in my car stays illuminated and I’m not sure why. No auto/body shops will touch it and the dealership is backed up so bad it’ll be a month and a half before someone can look at it. My car can’t pass inspection like this and if I were to get into an accident it would be extremely dangerous if the airbags didn’t go off.

NHTSA ID

11458760

Incident

Jan 10, 2022

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the brake pedal would fail to respond intermittently, causing her to depress it excessively. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who replaced the brakes; however, after the repair, the brake pedal failed to operate. The contact stated that the head lamps also had failed to operate as needed. The bulbs were replaced; however, the driver's side headlamp failure recurred. The bulb was replaced; however, the low-beam failed to illuminate and the high-beam was illuminating with inadequate lighting. Additionally, the contact stated that while at a complete stop after refueling the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start immediately. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was pushed back to the residence with assistance. The ABS, ECS, brakes, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact associated the failures to NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 08E021000 (Exterior Lighting), 13V354000 (Suspension) and 18V026000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 176,000.

NHTSA ID

11457115

Incident

Mar 1, 2020

Mileage

176,000 mi

My parking and tail lights do not turn off when I turn off the car when it's dark. I have to turn the headlight switch on and off several times to see if they will turn off. If they do not I have to disconnect the battery so it doesn't discharge. I was told this is a fuse panel issue. If this is a fuse panel issue then I'm concerned what else will go wrong with the fuse panel. If the lights stop working altogether then that will be a problem. I have not taken this vehicle to a dealer due to financial responsibilities. This all started without warning. At about the same time, my ESC turned off and will not come back on. Curious if this is connected.

NHTSA ID

11456799

Incident

Jan 1, 2019

I have had several things wrong with other models and my 06 hyundai Sonata having the exact same thing happening but the dealer ship wont even acknowledge the words from my mouth, or I get the speech outta your pocket. When I start my car its normal till I put it in drive, it starts pushing the brakes jerking my car leaving black marks in the road onetime. Its happening everyday for 7 months then after the brakes thing its like my car dies then esc light on my dash will light up and it drives normal. Then the sway bar, bushing and struts have went bad 4 times in the past year. The brakelines rusted into and currently going through the second time fixing them. pour brake fluild in and it does no good still none. The headlights bulbs have been replaced 3 times in 2 years now. they may stay bright for 3 months or so then they go dim so dim you cant see black ice till your up on it.

NHTSA ID

11453547

Incident

Feb 21, 2022

May 2019: Battery light came on and off for a few minutes. Car sputtered and engine quit. Replaced alternator and battery; problem went away. Feb 2022: Battery light came on and off for a few minutes. Car sputtered and engine quit. Replaced alternator and battery. This time the mechanic noticed that oil was leaking from the front valve cover gasket and was getting into the alternator; thus the most likely source of damage to alternator.

NHTSA ID

11451574

Incident

Feb 2, 2022

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the accelerator pedal became stuck and was unable to reduce speed while depressing the brake pedal or shifting into neutral. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder and place the vehicle into the park. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the residence where it was awaiting diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 230,000. Consumer stated vehicle was inspected by contractor investigator.

NHTSA ID

11445321

Incident

Dec 27, 2021

Mileage

230,000 mi