2012 Hyundai Sonata Driver assistance Problems

In October of 2023, I was driving my 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid to the laundry mat about a quarter of a mile from my home. I stopped at a stop light and all of a sudden, a warning sound burst from my dasher board. The message stated, "Hybrid Warning-DO NOT DRIVE: CHECK BRAKES". The brakes completely stopped working, the pedal was to the floor and the accelerator was stalling. After managing to get the vehicle back to my home, naturally I went to the Dealership (Langdale Hyundai of Valdosta) and informed them of the issue. They informed me there was no issue, charged me for a diagnostic and sent me on my way. Once I provided proof of my car stopping mid-drive, they began to check wiring and such. What they told me the issue was is a Hydraulic Power Unit. I had it replaced, still the same issue "CHECK BRAKES". I only have 116k miles on this car, bought it with 72K in 2021, so I haven't driven it much. It spent 8 months in Hyundai Dealership in Holiday, FL for a brand-new Hybrid Battery in 2022. I have been looking online for anyone that knows more about this issue so I can get it resolved. It turns out there are thousands of people who are just like me. I believe this is indeed a recall issue. I believe this is an issue is an emergency issue, brakes giving out while driving is an issue that needs to be addressed. This has been happening for years, and Hyundai has not done one thing on it. It's happening with newer vehicles as well as older. Langdale Hyundai of Valdosta was not much of a help at all, to be honest, I don't trust their workers at all. I believe they do nothing and charge customers for the max that they can.

NHTSA ID

11632938

Incident

Dec 29, 2024

The driver side seat belt wont click and stay in almost half the time i drive my car… after reading other complaints its looking like this is a common thing. Within the past year ive noticed lots of times that when im going to lock my car with my fob, it wont lock and its because the passenger side lock button on the inside of door is in a stuck between lock/unlock position… resulting in me having to lean over to manually unlock the door even when I’ve unlocked my car with both the fob and inside button… all the sudden i noticed too that my speed control will not work at all and be completely unresponsive most times. It will RANDOMLY work when i try checking it on highway. ive had SO many issues with my taillights going/burning out constantly and now my headlights have gotten really dim. Im scared to drive at night now. They are much more dimmer than a cars should look like usually. Within the past week i just noticed a random big crack in the dashboard on the passenger side as well… noticed that seems to be a common thing and concern of safety with lots of others who own and drive this same vehicle… my first thought was “what if this crack will effect the airbag and make it deploy?” The crack is literally right over and above where the airbag is… plan on trying to take my car to place on OKC that did the anti-theft system software update on my car… but my car has gotten so bad when driving ill be lucky if it makes it there in one piece. My car has started to shake SO bad when im driving!!! Almost “jumping” at times it feels like. This car has been a pretty good car but when there are MULTIPLE complaints of the SAME issues that continuously keep costing us money and its not because of our doing and in fact the manufacturers FAULTY equipment and parts that they used to make these cars… they should most definitely be doing recalls and fixing these problems at no cost!

NHTSA ID

11617074

Incident

Sep 15, 2024

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at undisclosed speeds, the vehicle was jerking abnormally. The passenger's side front tire was extremely hot. The contact stated that the RPM increased to high, and the vehicle lost motive power while driving. The contact stated that while the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle was slow to respond. There was an abnormal electrical burning odor detected. The vehicle was hard to start. The contact stated that the check engine and ABS warning lights were illuminated. On several occasions, the vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to retrieve any DTC trouble codes. The bearing was fine but was replaced at the owner's request. The mechanic test-drove the vehicle for five hundred miles but was unable to duplicate the failure. The mechanic informed the contact that the ECM was fried. The ECM was replaced, but no update was provided. Additionally, the mechanic informed the contact that the wiring harness had a short circuit and that the wiring harness needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure persisted. The manufacturer was contacted, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ID

11603406

Incident

Jun 1, 2022

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Hybrid Warning System: Safely Stop and Do Not Drive. Yes it is available for inspection. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? I lost complete control of braking when the alarm went off, the brake pedal went to the floor, made a grinding sound, was driving at a slow speed and able to pull over and stop the car. Turned car of and turned back on alert went away, slowing started driving and alert returned and loss of brake Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Car is currently at a Hyundai dealership being evaluated, they are unable to reproduce error as of today 1/26/2024 Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Not as of today. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? 1/24/2024 this was the 1st time this error occured.

NHTSA ID

11568067

Incident

Jan 24, 2024

It has been 4 months that I was instructed to park vehicle outside. This is frustrating. I think they should replace the Module and get it over with.

NHTSA ID

11567238

Incident

Sep 20, 2023

I went to start my car up 10 days ago and it began to alarm with a message to check the brake system. My car was stuck and wouldn't drive. This also happened in July 2022 while I was on the highway. I could no longer accelerate and the gas pedal no longer gave power. I had to put on my hazard lights and coast to the far right lane. I took it to the Hyundai dealership near by and they said it wasn't safe to drive. I left it there and was told that Hyundai would replace the part in good faith at no charge but charged me $700 for labor. This is becoming a problem. I was told the car could catch fire while driving or while parked and that I could continue to drive it. I decided not to drive it because I do not feel safe.

NHTSA ID

11552755

Incident

Oct 17, 2023

2012 hyundai sonta The car brakes out of no where.comes to a stop .

NHTSA ID

11548995

Incident

Sep 21, 2023

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the the passengers side tail light failed. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was driven to the independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the tail light needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however the failure reoccurred and was taken back to the independent mechanic where they stated the harness had melted and advised that he go to the dealer. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was confirmed that the passenger's side tail light harness was charred and deformed. The vehicle was repaired but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer for a second time where it was informed that the harness or housing had been scorched and the tail light socket melted. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the accelerator had been depressed but the vehicle was slowing down. The contact managed to drive home safely. The following day the vehicle did not start. The vehicle was towed to the independent mechanic where it was confirmed that the battery failed due to the tail light being illuminated all night. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 78,000.

NHTSA ID

11537679

Incident

Nov 8, 2018

Mileage

78,000 mi

Daughter was driving her car on interstate, doing 75, in the middle of traffic when the car would jerk and then loose power. The gas petal stopped working and the check engine light would come on. She had to make her way over to the shoulder, without causing an accident. Once car gets shut off and you wait a few minutes, you can start it and drive it home. This has happened about 4 times now. We are lucky that this hasn't caused an accident! This last time (yesterday), the check engine light stayed on and we were able to hook up the dianostic reader and it read the code for the crankshaft positioning sensor A circut. It says online that this is a common problem with that car and is very dangerous. How is this not up for a recall? My daughter is scared to drive her car.

NHTSA ID

11504671

Incident

Jan 30, 2023

When I start the vehicle in the morning I leave the neighborhood going around 15mph and the car loses power. I have to let off the gas completely then reapply but it still continues to studder. I applied the slapstick sift mode and noticed it does this in first and fourth gear. In automatic you can’t see it

NHTSA ID

11500793

Incident

Dec 15, 2022

Driving on a freeway when check brake warning appeared. Car speed dropped down to drastically. Alarm was chirping and brakes made a bad grinding noise

NHTSA ID

11494823

Incident

Nov 12, 2022

B pillar separated from the frame during collision causing catastrophic intrusion into the cabin upon impact leading to death of the driver. No other occupants in the vehicle. Multiple investigators noted the B pillar failure upon inspection. Independent, certified crash reconstruction expert also noticed immediately that the B pillar had failed which caused cabin intrusion to an extraordinary degree considering the 2 vehicles involved were going less than 40mph. Vehicle is available for inspection. In addition, edr data reveals that although throttle was engaged, rpm's remained at idle up to the time of impact. Driver pushing on the gas and vehicle not responding.

NHTSA ID

11494128

Incident

Feb 21, 2022

The car starts alarming out of nowhere while driving at 70 mph on the interstate and the Hybrid System Warning - Safely Stop and Do Not Drive along with the wrench, battery light and engine light all appearing on the dashboard to pull over and do not drive when this occurred I lost total control of the vehicle. The brake peddle goes all the way to the floor enabling me to stop and I lost the ability to steer the vehicle as the power steering went out as well while this was happening. I almost got killed as I was on the highway driving at 70 mph. I immediately put on my hazards lights to signal to other drivers that I was having mechanical problems. Thank GOD I was able to pull over without anyone hitting me from behind. I have had major major issues with this car since I purchased it the engine seized up on me in the same manner back in 2020 and the engine was replaced. Then there was an issue with the transmission and that was also replaced. Then the brake booster also failed and had to be replaced as well. Hyundai aught to be ashamed of the production of this vehicle as it is truly a severe risk to the lives of the consumers not just the person who is driving this vehicle but also to those who may be behind someone driving as this could cause a major accident and people could be killed. These cars need to be recalled and they need to get down to what is causing these issues in order to fix the problem. I pray that you all make Hyundai do a recall on this vehicle as I have googled and see that there has been many others that have encountered these same issues. I am filing this complaint in hopes of you all getting involved to do something about this. Any help with this will be greatly appreciated.

NHTSA ID

11492621

Incident

Nov 7, 2022

Approx july 2022 My sonata began to malfunction, first the steering wheel buttons stopped working intermittently off and on unable to turn on and set cruise control, unable to use hands free phone options as well as unable to navigate cluster features, as the time goes on the problem gets worse and eventually do not function ever. I replaced the steering wheel buttons which fixed the issue temporarily only now the vehicle will engage cruise control, accelerate dramatically and continue to gain speed. I am unable to disengage cruise control via the brake pedal, or cancel option or steering wheel. If I depress the brake pedal it will begin to decelerate but once I let off the brake pedal the engine will revv high and gain speed again. Buttons begin to function in a reverse order meaning press cancel, cruise turns on, press set button, cruise will set, press set button cruise will disengage etc. The only way to disengage cruise and rapid acceleration in this dangerous scenario is to Press the on off cruise control button. Immediately stopped vehicle had it towed to dealership, they stated that they could not replicate the problem, however their diagnosis for the problem was due to incorrect brake fluid put in the vehicle and suggested to completely replace the entire brake system of the vehicle I declined as I felt that was not the problem in fact bizarre diagnosis. Only hyundai dealership has ever put any brake fluid in my vehicle... this is completely dangerous as when vehicle suddenly accelerated I was unable to turn it off I almost rear ended a vehicle on the freeway going 70 mph. I no longer feel safe in the vehicle and it sits collecting dust while I make monthly payments.

NHTSA ID

11490933

Incident

Jul 3, 2022

I purchased my 2012 Hyundai Sonata on 4-7-22. The car has had no mechanical work, no accidents and has less than 1000 miles. On 9-16-22 i was driving my car home and was less than five minutes away on the highway. My car began to decelerate, I attempted to stop at a red light but my car would not give me control and the brake was rock solid and would not push down. I also could not turn the car off via the start button as the car would not let me. My engine ESC light came on the dashboard in red and the engine completely halted. To get to safety as i was on the highway with oncoming traffic i steered the car to the right on the ramp .I exited the vehicle as it began to smoke ,i thought it would catch fire so i moved far away and called my boyfriend for help and a tow truck to get the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to College park Hyundai 9500 Baltimore Ave., College park, MD 20740.I looked up my car and noticed there are recalls for this engine and a few other recalls as i told the dealership. The car is currently being inspected and the dealer said they would get back to me. Once the service department received the car they told me the recall most likely will not effect my vehicle. I don't believe that to be true and i was put in danger because of this engine issue with Hyundai.

NHTSA ID

11485855

Incident

Sep 16, 2022

AHB Hydraulic Break Module Failure car only has 60k miles.

NHTSA ID

11473915

Incident

Jun 1, 2021

Motor seized , powered off while driving down the highway at speeds of 55 miles of hour on a hill and would not start back , without warning other than a loud noise right before it shut off.

NHTSA ID

11472661

Incident

May 19, 2022

After an oil change, my car started losing power at the gas and suddenly turned off on me while I was driving and never turned back on! When I tried turning my car back on my engine started smoking

NHTSA ID

11446690

Incident

Jan 4, 2022

After the recent recall repairs, the car started to intermittently getting a message on the dashboard saying ‘Hybrid System Warning - Safely stop and do not drive’ and ‘Check brakes’ and the brake lights came on with a loud chiming beep, the car would stop accelerating and would not go beyond 10 mph, also the breaks would fail to apply correctly and made a loud screeching sound when applied. It used to do have this issue without any warning, while driving or stopped at the light, without any distinguishing pattern. However, it used to go away when the car was restarted multiple times. However now the message is on continuously and doesn’t go away with the restarting the car. After taking to the dealership, they said that the repairs would cost $3000 as the Hydraulic Power Assembly unit has failed. After looking for the issue online, I have found that a lot of the 2011-14 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid have this same issue and seems to be a manufacturing defect. This is a huge life risk for the owners of this car since it can happen while on the freeway and pose a life threatening risk to their life. It is also a huge financial burden for the owners for a manufacturing defect. I would like you to investigate these issues and provide us with a appropriate solution.

NHTSA ID

11446145

Incident

Dec 31, 2021

The rear brake lights burned out can't replace the light because the wiring harness melted and y'all no longer sell replacement wiring harness at the store or dealership for my vehicle make and model I was told I would have to make a out of pocket costly repair to install a new model wiring harness. I keep getting pulled over by the cops cause I don't have break lights. Worse case someone could run into the back of me. This issue is a Hyundai issue. It's so many Hyundai sonata riding around without break lights. Please fix this issue.

NHTSA ID

11432567

Incident

Sep 9, 2021

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 70 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle decelerated independently with the Electronic Stability Control warning light illuminated. The contact was able to drive to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V759000 (Exterior Lighting) however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 141,000.

NHTSA ID

11427103

Incident

Jul 29, 2021

Mileage

141,000 mi

Driving in traffic in town and accelerator pedal quit working. Deceleration happened until I went from 40 mph to 2mph. Then able to accelerate back up to 30mph and happened again until I coasted to a stop. Traction control light came on after second incident. Car was in park and still on. Turned car off, took key outside vehicle and exited vehicle. Car locked itself and brake lights came on and stayed on. This is a danger!!! Can cause an accident, driver has no control over vehicle at random times. Traumatic and scared to drive vehicle now.

NHTSA ID

11423515

Incident

Jul 5, 2021

ABOUT 2 YEARS AGO I NOTICE A LITTLE SCRATCH ON THE DASHBOARD, AFTER A WHILE I SEE THAT IT WAS A DANGER CRASH AFTER THIS TIME NOW ARE 3 BIG SCRATCHES THAT INTERFERE WITH THE DEPLOYMENT AIRBAGS OF BOTH FROM AIRBAGS IF SPLIT COULD COST BIG INJURIES TO THE OCCUPANTS OF THE VEHICLE .HYUNDAY SAID THEY ARE NOT RESPONSABLE FOR THAT DEFECTIVE PART.(PLASTIC) BUT THEY WANT ME TO PAY. ALSO THE LIGHTS NEVER ARE RIGHT TO CAUSE DIFFICULTY AT NIGHT DRIVING ALSO DANGEROUS, THE DEALER SAID THEY ARE OK, BUT THEY ARE NOT IN RIGHT POSITION.

NHTSA ID

11403750

Incident

Mar 31, 2019

BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH PLUNGER DOES NOT RETRACT AS IT SHOULD WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS NOT BEING PRESSED, CAR LOOSES ACCELERATION AND LOOSES POWER. WHEN DRIVING ON CRUISE CONTROL, BREAK WILL DEPRESS AND TURN CRUISE OFF AND ON IN DASH.

NHTSA ID

11398882

Incident

Mar 2, 2021

Mileage

145,000 mi

THE VEHICLE SLOWS DOWN ON ITS OWN AND WILL NOT ALLOW ME TO REV UP EVEN WHEN PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL DOWN. ALSO THE LIGHT FOR TRACTION CONTROL TURNS ON AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS STAY ON ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT WHETHER THE CAR IS ON OR OFF.

NHTSA ID

11398861

Incident

Feb 27, 2021