2009 Hyundai Sonata Powertrain (other) Problems

Passenger seat belt doesn’t click in. Miss fire Poor acceleration Exhaust leak Power lost Mechanic can’t find the problem Check engine light on

NHTSA ID

11715187

Incident

Feb 1, 2026

We purchased this vehicle used 9/2022. A week later it began to jump upon accelerating and slowing down. We took it in and they said it was the power train control module and our warranty would not cover it. So it would cost us around $1600. We can’t afford that. We have only driven it a few times since. We were parked in front of a curb and the car accelerated us into a curb. Now, the ESC OFF, ABS, and engine light are illuminated. This is not a. It also wear and tear issues, as I’ve seen many others posting similar experiences. Our car is an ‘09 with almost 90,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11472208

Incident

Sep 30, 2021

TAKATA RECALL ON JULY 27, 28 2019 THE ESC LIGHT CAME ON INTERMITTENTLY CAUSING THE CAR TO STALL DRIVING SOUTH ON I 75 AND LATER ON THE STREETS. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND RESTARTING THE CAR IT DROVE ALONG OK. DURING OUR RETURN TRIP, THE CAR STALLED AGAIN DRIVING NORTH ON I 75 , AND WE PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ONLY SECONDS BEFORE A 18 WHEELER PASSED US WITHIN LESS THAN A FOOT BETWEEN US. ALL FIVE US COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED. WE WERE LUCKY TO FIND A NATIONAL REPAIR SHOP OPENED ON A SUNDAY WHO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS A FAULTY CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR( THE CAR HAS 54,000 MILES ) . THE PART WAS REPLACED AND AFTER 4 HOURS WE WERE ON OUR WAY, MINUS $400 PLUS DOLLARS. RESEARCH INDICATES THAT THIS CONTINUES TO BE AN UNSAFE AND POTENTIALLY DEADLY PROBLEM -THAT THIS SENSOR MUST BE RECALLED- AND THE PUBLIC MADE AWARE OF THE DANGER.

NHTSA ID

11241318

Incident

Jul 28, 2019

Mileage

54,000 mi

MY CAR DRIVES WHEN PUT IN DRIVE BUT WOULD NOT MOVE WHEN PUT IN REVERSE. I NOTICED THIS WHEN I CAME OUT OF A SHOP I VISITED AND TRIED TO BACK UP THE CAR.

NHTSA ID

11233904

Incident

Jul 21, 2019

AS I WAS DRIVING UP A HILL IN A RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, THE ENGINE STARTED MAKING EXTREMELY LOUD NOISES AND IT WOULD NO LONGER RESPOND TO THE ACCELERATOR. THIS WAS ON A NARROW TWO WAY STREET. I HAD IT TOWED TO THE LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALER WHO SAID IT NEEDS A USED MOTOR PUT IN IT FOR $4600 AS IT HAS "AN INTERNAL ENGINE PROBLEM" WITHOUT GOING IN TO SPECIFICS. ENGINE HAD 97,000 MILES AND CAR WAS WELL-MAINTAINED.

NHTSA ID

11210441

Incident

May 22, 2019

Mileage

97,000 mi

JERKING WHEN BRAKEING TO STOP OR WHEN SLOWING TO MAKE A TURN. TAKENSEVERAL TIMES FOR SERVICE BUT UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, NO EGINE LIGT HAS COME ON THEREFORE THEY CAN NOT REPAIR. PLEASE WE NEED YOUR HELP.

NHTSA ID

11205422

Incident

May 3, 2018

ENGINE OIL LEAKS SINCE 2 YEARS AGO

NHTSA ID

11202792

Incident

Feb 2, 2017

Mileage

89,000 mi

I BOUGHT THE USED CAR IN THE SPRING, IT CURRENTLY HAS 44,000 MILES ON IT. WHEN THE WEATHER GOT COLD, IT BEGAN TO JERK VIOLENTLY AT 20 MPH WHEN I DECELERATE. WHEN I SLOW THE VEHICLE IT FEELS AS IF SOMEONE HAS HIT ME FROM BEHIND. WHEN MAKING RIGHT HAND TURNS I AM CONCERNED THAT THE CAR WILL SWITCH GEARS AND LURCH ME INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. ITEMS ON MY SEAT THAT ARE NOT SECURE ARE PROPELLED TO THE FLOOR. I WILL NOT LET ANYONE ELSE OPERATE THE VEHICLE BECAUSE I FEEL THAT IT WOULD BE VERY EASY TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE DURING THE DECELERATION. I CONTACTED HYUNDAI CORPORATION- MISTAKENLY TOLD ME IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND THEN RECANTED WHEN THEY REALIZED I WAS A SECOND OWNER WHICH ONLY COVERS 5 YEARS OR 60,000. HYUNDAI REPRESENTATIVE STATES THAT THIS IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE, THAT THERE ARE NO TECHNICAL BULLETINS APPLYING TO MY AUTOMOBILE. REFUSES TO FIX IT FREE OF CHARGE DESPITE THERE BEING COUNTLESS OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME NATURE ON THE NHTSA SITE.

NHTSA ID

11165591

Incident

Dec 12, 2018

Mileage

40,000 mi

MY CAR GEAR SHIFT LOCKS UP. I CANNOT CHANGE GEARS FROM PARK TO GO IN REVERSE OR DRIVE. I HAVE TO UTILIZE THE MANUAL GEAR SHIFT OVERRIDE EVERY TIME I NEED TO CHANGE GEARS. THE CAR WILL BE STATIONARY AND I MUST KEEP MY FEET ON THE BRAKES AT ALL TIMES AS I FEAR IT MAY SHIFT ON ITS OWN. IT IS A CONTINUOUS PROBLEM THAT BEGAN 3 WEEKS AGO.

NHTSA ID

11073582

Incident

Jan 29, 2018

Mileage

235,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT 10 MPH, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND A GRINDING NOISE EMITTED AS THE ESC WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V113000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC ). ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, THE GEAR LEVER FAILED TO SHIFT OUT OF PARK UNTIL AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID

10874148

Incident

May 16, 2016

Mileage

20,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR AT A RATE OF 30 TO 40 MPH, I FELT A JERK IN THE ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION SPEED OF MY VEHICLE, AND AFTERWORDS NOTICED MY ESC OFF LIGHT AND ENGINE LIGHTS HAD BEEN ILLUMINATED AND UNABLE TO BE SHUT OFF WITH MY ESC SWITCH. I ALSO NOTICED THAT I WAS UNABLE TO REV MY ENGINE PAST 3000RPM'S, CONSEQUENTLY AFFECTING MY VEHICLE'S USABLE POWER BAND AND RENDERING ME(THE DRIVER) UNABLE TO CONTROL THE CAR'S OVERALL SPEED. AFTER TURNING MY VEHICLE OFF AND THEN BACK ON, THE PROBLEM WOULD GO AWAY, BUT ONLY TEMPORARILY UNTIL I WAS AGAIN DRIVING. I THEN WENT TO A MECHANIC TO HAVE MY CAR'S COMPUTER SCANNED AND FOUND THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH MY CRANKSHAFT OR CRANKSHAFT SENSOR. MY COMPUTER WAS THEN RESET, BUT THE PROBLEMS PERSISTED AGAIN SHORTLY AFTER.

NHTSA ID

10865467

Incident

May 14, 2016

Mileage

83,000 mi

MY CAR JERKS DURING BRAKING OR DOWNSHIFTING AROUND 15-20 MILE PER HOUR. IT ONLY DOES THIS AFTER CAR HAS SAT FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND STOPS AFTER ENGINE WARMS UP AND HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR ABOUT 20 MINUTES. MY SONATA IS AUTOMATIC.

NHTSA ID

10846039

Incident

Jan 8, 2015

Mileage

96,000 mi

THERE IS A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM WITH HYUNDAI SONATA 2009, ANYTIME THE CAR IS ACCELERATED THE TRANSMISSION BOX GETS STUCK WHICH COULD LEAD TO SAFETY HAZARDS.

NHTSA ID

10820018

Incident

Jan 9, 2016

Mileage

78,000 mi

IN COLD WEATHER AND WHEN ENGINE IS COLD, WHEN SLOWING DOWN, UPON REACHING 20 MPH, THE CAR WILL JERK VERY ROUGHLY INTO A LOWER GEAR. I TOOK IT TO POHANKA HYUNDAI IN VIRGINIA STATING IT WAS THE TRANSMISSION WHICH THEY COVER FOR UP TO 100,000 MILES AND THEY SAID THEY WOULD NOT COVER IT EVEN THOUGH MY CAR ONLY HAD 70,000 MILES. THIS A PROBLEM WITH SEVERAL CARS ON THE HYUNDAI FORUMS WHERE I INITIALLY RESEARCHED ABOUT MY PROBLEM. POHANKA HYUNDAI STATED IT WAS A SAFETY BULLETIN ONLY AND NOT A RECALL, SO I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR TO THE TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA ID

10733355

Incident

Jan 3, 2013

Mileage

72,182 mi

THE FRONT VALVE COVER GASKET LEAKED OIL DOWN TO MY ALTERNATOR, CAUSING IT TO MALFUNCTION AND MAKING MY TRANSMISSION SHIFT AWKWARDLY.

NHTSA ID

10721765

Incident

Jun 12, 2014

Mileage

90,000 mi

THIS IS A 2009 HYUNDA SONATA, BOUGHT NEW IN 2009. UNDER 20,000 MILES, WHEN THE CAR SPEED IS SLOWING DOWN, THE ENGINES STARTED TO GIVE A SUDDEN JERK AT AROUND 21 MILES. YOU CAN FEEL A SUDDEN IMPACT AND IT IS MORE NOTICEABLE DURING WINTER. MANY TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP WENT TO NO WHERE AS THE DEALER SIMPLY IGNORED THE PROBLEM AND MENTIONED THAT THEY DID NOT NOTICE ANY ISSUE. AFTER MANY TRIPS TO THE DEALERSHIP AT AROUND 45,000 MILES IN 2014, THE DEALER FINALLY AGREED THAT IT WAS A PROBLEM. UPDATED TO A NEW SOFTWARE BASED ON BULLETIN FROM HYUNDAI, MENTIONED THAT IT WOULD GO AWAY. NOW UNDER LESS THAN AN YEAR, I STARTED TO NOTICE THIS PROBLEM AGAIN. *TR

NHTSA ID

10694864

Incident

Mar 1, 2012

Mileage

19,000 mi

1.ON THIS VEHICLE THE SERPENTINE BELT INSTALL IS A NIGHTMARE. IT IS A DEFECT IN DESIGN. IT IS A FIXED PULLEY FOR TENSION AND YOUR HAVING TO STRETCH WITH TOOLS AND WAIT UNTIL IT LOOSENS UP. 2. THE ORIGINAL PAN GASKET RTV SEAL WAS BLACK . IT WAS EXTREMELY HARD TO TAKE OFF AND IT CAUSED SOME DAMAGE TO THE BLOCK AS FAR AS DENTS ON THE MATING SURFACES. THE OIL PAN WAS BENT TO REMOVE. 3. NOISES FROM THE POWER TRAIN THAT WERE LOOKED AT BY A HYUNDAI SERVICE CENTER AND NEVER CORRECTED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10651035

Incident

Oct 29, 2014

Mileage

134,100 mi

WHILE SLOWING DOWN THE CAR BUCKS OR JERKS THE DRIVER FORWARD UNDER 20MPH. I BROUGHT IT INTO HYUNDAI TO CHECK OUT IN JUNE. THEY SAID THAT THEY WOULD RESET THE COMPUTER AND THAT SHOULD ADDRESS THE PROBLEM. AFTER THAT, IT MADE THE PROBLEM WORSE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10627696

Incident

May 1, 2014

Mileage

47,000 mi

DEPRESSED CLUTCH STAYED ON THE FLOOR. PRIED IT UP WITH MY FOOT, IT THEN WORKED. OTHER TIMES THE CLUTCH WOULD NOT RETURN FULLY MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SHIFT GEARS. PUMPING THE CLUTCH SEEMED TO HELP. *TR

NHTSA ID

10627030

Incident

Aug 19, 2014

Mileage

42,500 mi

THIS IS A STICK SHIFT CAR. WHEN PRESSING THE CLUTCH PEDAL, YOU CAN FEEL THAT THE CLUTCH IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY BECAUSE IT IS TOO SOFT WHEN YOU PRESS IT. YOU NEED TO PUMP SEVERAL TIMES TO BE ABLE TO MAKE IT WORK. APPARENTLY HAPPENS MORE OFTEN WHEN THE WEATHER IS REALLY HOT. BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER SEVERAL TIMES. COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG SINCE THE WEATHER AT THE TIME OF CHECKING WAS NOT HOT. *TR

NHTSA ID

10606128

Incident

Jun 14, 2012

Mileage

85,000 mi

PURCHASED CAR BRAND NEW FIRST MONTH I HAD IT KEPT BUCKING WHILE DRIVING, MAINLY FIRST THING IN MORNING, WHILE DRIVING FELT LIKE BRAKES ARE ON FEELS AS IF SOMETHING IS HOLDING BACK CAR FROM GOING, WON'T PASS OTHER CARS PROPERLY NO POWER I COMPLAINED THROUGHOUT PAST YEARS AND NEVER SHOWED ANY PROBLEMS AT HYUNDAI'S SERVICE CENTER EXCEPT LAST TIME WENT THERE WITH HUSBAND WHO DEMANDED THEY FIX TRANSMISSION ISSUES AS WE WERE NOT PICKING UP CAR UNTIL FIXED. RECEIVED A CALL TRANSMISSION CENSOR WAS BAD AND WAS INFORMED THERE WAS A RECALL ON THEM INSTALLED A NEW ONE AND RAN FINE NO PROBLEMS BUT IT STARTED UP AGAIN BUCKING, NO POWER, BRAKES FEEL LIKE ON. *TR

NHTSA ID

10588212

Incident

May 31, 2009

Mileage

100 mi

PLEASE BE ADVISED THAT I PURCHASED SAID VEHICLE NEW AND AT AROUND 35000 MILES I STARTED TO NOTICE THAT WHEN I SLOWED DOWN AND CAME TO A STOP THE TRANSMISSION WOULD JERK ON THE DOWN SHIFT, WHICH IS NOT NORMAL. ON 01-19-2012 I BROUGHT MY CAR TO THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED FROM . I WAS INFORMED THAT THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON AND THAT ONCE MY COMPUTER IS RESET IT SHOULD GO AWAY, AND THERE IS A SERVICE BULLETIN ON THAT ISSUE. ON 03-19-2012 I WAS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE SO THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED WITH FACTORY RECONDITIONED TRANSMISSION. NOW WITH 74000 MILE THE CAR IS BACK FOR THE 5 TH TIME FOR THE SAME TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. THE DEALER HAS MY CAR AND I HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THE DEALER OR HYUNDAI CORPORATION FOR TWO WEEKS. I BELIEVE THAT HYUNDAI CORPORATION KNEW THE PROBLEM EXISTED AND NEGLECTED TO FIX THE PROBLEM OTHER WISE A NEW CAR WITH 35000 MILES SHOULD NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM AND THE MECHANICS DON'T KNOW HOW TO REMEDY THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION. I AM VERY DISAPPOINTED WITH HYUNDAI AND THERE HANDLING OF THIS PROBLEM. I BELIEVE THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE, AND NEW SOFTWARE IS NOT GOING TO FIX THIS PROBLEM, THE BANDS IN THE TRANSMISSION ARE WORN NOW, THE DAMAGE HAS BEEN DONE. THIS IS JUST PUTTING A BAND AID ON A SERIOUS PROBLEM AND A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. ONE DOES NOT ANTICIPATE ANY SERIOUS PROBLEMS WITH A BRAND NEW CAR WITH ONLY 35000 MILES. WHAT GOOD IS A 10 YEAR 100.000 MILE WARRANTY WHEN YOU START HAVING THESE PROBLEM AT 35000 MILES. I HAVE DONE SOME RESEARCH ON-LINE AND THERE ARE OTHERS WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM WITH SAME CAR, I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE.THIS IS A DISGRACE HYUNDAI CORPORATION I PURCHASED SAID VEHICLE FROM ATLANTIC HYUNDAI INC. LOCATED AT 193-205 SUNRISE HIGHWAY, WEST ISLIP NY 11795. I HAVE ALSO CONTACTED HYUNDAI CORPORATION SEVERAL TIMES BUT TO NO AVAIL. *JS

NHTSA ID

10585694

Incident

Jan 19, 2012

Mileage

35,000 mi

I NOTICED A SHUDDERING AT 90,250 MILES, WHILE TRAVELING DURING THE WINTER AT AROUND 30-45 MPH, BUT WAS VERY INTERMITTENT, AND WOULD GO AWAY. THEN ON 10/9/2013 AT 102,515 MILES, FROM PARK, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT ENGAGE INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE. I COULD HEAR THE TRANSMISSION SHIFT, BUT IT WAS NOT DISENGAGING FROM PARK. PER HYUNDAI SERVICE TECHNICIAN, THE TRANSMISSION WAS "JUNK" AND WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED. I CONTACTED HYUNDAI CORPORATE, DURING WHICH TIME I WAS INFORMED THEY DIDN'T HAVE MY INFORMATION IN THEIR SYSTEM AND THAT IN FACT THERE WERE 2 RECALLS THAT THEY FAILED TO NOTIFY ME OF, AND WAS TOLD THAT IF I ALLOWED THE HYUNDAI SERVICE TO DO THE REPAIR RIGHT THEN, THAT I WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR THEIR POLICY REIMBURSEMENT. ONE OF THE RECALLS WAS AN ECM AND TCM SOFTWARE UPDATE IN WHICH SYMPTOMS WERE IMPROPER CLUTCHING AND DE-CLUTCHING OF GEARS WHEN ACCELERATING AND DECELERATING. THAT SHIFT QUALITY OVER TIME CAUSED UNDO STRESS ON THE GEARING CAUSING MY FAILURE. THE REPAIR WAS MADE, I THEN HAD TO PAY UPFRONT, AND A WEEK LATER THEY'VE DENIED MY POLICY REIMBURSEMENT CLAIM DUE TO FLUID BEING THE CAUSE OF FAILURE. I THEN PROVIDED THEM WITH FURTHER DOCUMENTATION SHOWING THAT THEIR OWN TECHNICIAN RE-USED 5 QUARTS OF MY ORIGINAL FLUID ON THE REPAIR ORDER, AND THAT I FOLLOWED THE MAINTENANCE RECORD THAT WAS SUGGESTED BY THEIR OWN TECHNICIANS ADVICE WHEN I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE. DRAIN AND FILL EVERY 30,000 MILES. THE LAST DRAIN AND FILL WAS ON JUNE 14, 2013. HYUNDAI DID NOT PROVIDE ME WITH ANY FLUID ANALYSIS OR SPECS TO SUPPORT THEIR DENIAL OF MY POLICY REIMBURSEMENT. I SAVED THE AGENTS VOICEMAIL OF THE DENIAL IN WHICH SHE STATED DUE TO "COLOR" AND THAT ALONE, WAS THE REASON WHY THE CLAIM WAS DENIED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10553298

Incident

Dec 5, 2012

Mileage

90,250 mi

I HAD TO REPLACE THE REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS. THE ROTORS WERE WARPED FROM THE PADS CONSTANTLY RUBBING ON THEM. CLEARLY THERE IS A PROBLEM HERE WITH THE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS I SEE. MY MECHANIC COULD NOT BELIEVE THE DAMAGE DONE TO THE ROTORS AND TOLD ME THE FRONT BRAKES USUALLY WEAR FIRST. I HAVE ALSO HAD THE VEHICLE IN TWICE FOR THE ROUGH DONE SHIFTING THAT OCCURS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS COLD. THE DEALERSHIP REPROGRAMMED THE TRANSMISSION BOTH TIMES BUT THAT DID NOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM. I ALSO HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE ESC LIGHT STAYING ON BUT THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE REAR WHEEL SPEED SENSOR. *TR

NHTSA ID

10552776

Incident

Apr 18, 2013

Mileage

37,778 mi

ERRATIC SHIFTING. SOMETIMES LURCHES FORWARD INTO A HIGHER GEAR WHEN COMING TO A STOP, NEARLY CAUSING ME TO HIT CAR AHEAD OF ME. ALSO FRONT BRAKE ROTORS ARE WARPED CAUSING RUMBLE. I AM AN EXCEPTIONALLY CONSERVATIVE DRIVER, MILDLY ACCELERATES AND BRAKES GRADUALLY WELL AHEAD OF STOPPING. I HAD THE COMPUTER UPGRADE THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO CORRECT THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING CAR AT SURESKY IN GOSHEN, NY. THIS FAILED TO CORRECT PROBLEM AND I DON'T HAVE THE TIME NOR WANT TO CONTINUALLY SPEND MY SATURDAYS SITTING FOR HOURS IN THE SERVICE AREA WAITING ROOM. I HAVE READ MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ONLINE AND IT SEEMS THAT HYUNDAI CHOOSES NOT TO ADDRESS THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS MY THIRD AND WILL BE THE LAST HYUNDAI PURCHASE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10537116

Incident

Jul 6, 2009

Mileage

50 mi