2012 Hyundai Sonata Powertrain (other) Problems

Knock sensor needs to be replaced upon evaluation of an inspection on March 27, 2026. It failed a mission codes and upon my understanding the knock sensor one circuit range performance pink wonder single sensor is an engine failure as well as I did an ODB test myself on May 19 of 2026 for the Knox sensor as well and the check engine dominator reading at 2111 the the code indicated that bank one Knox and electrical circuit was out of it upper range or had it perform problem for a predetermined period of time and the code is P0326 and the secondary DTC is a combustion vibration sensor a circuit range performance which affects the powertrain. Also, I have switches with the electrical features in the vehicle as far as the ABS and the steering wheel controls and glitching for the cigarette adapter and plug-in area as well on top of the rear passenger side window, having issues with going up and down.

NHTSA ID

11744374

Incident

May 19, 2026

p1326, rod bearing failure and seizure of motor without warning.

NHTSA ID

11735237

Incident

May 1, 2026

I own a 2012 Hyundai sonata with 114000 miles on it. I have had it since 62000 miles and have replaced a lot of parts to keep it running well. My current issue is the hybrid charging system warning light comes on and the hybrid system will stop working when it does this. It has already left me stuck on the side of the road once. When it did this the car stoped running at a stop sign. Luckily I was able to get car off the road. It shows the pull over hybrid charging system error. So i have tried replacing the battery , replacing the main battery fuse on the 12 volt battery and replacing the orange hybrid battery main fuse. The car still does not function properly and have had it diagnosed with a professional shop and they could not resolve the problem.

NHTSA ID

11607636

Incident

Jul 31, 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

There is a widespread issue with the 2012 Hyundai Sonata hybrid transmissions failing as driver's are driving resulting in extremely dangerous and life threatening situations. It is hazardous for drivers, passengers, and other vehicles on the road. I was driving my 2012 Hyundai Sonata hybrid on an expressway when with zero warning the car stopped driving. I easily could have had a car slam into me from behind at a high rate of speed. This was when the car had 79,672 miles on it. The transmission was replaced by Hyundai under warranty. The second transmission on the vehicle has now failed with only 84,984 miles on that transmission. This time, once again, no warning. No engine lights came on or anything. My car began to stop driving on a main highway with a large line of cars behind me. Once again causing a hazardous dangerous condition for me and others. This time, I was able to get to the side of the road. So not only was I in danger while driving and the car failed with zero warning, I was stranded on the side of the road with my very young child in the car. A transmission failing with zero warning with a mother and young child stranded on the side of the road is a secondary hazard to the possibility of us having been hit by a driver behind us as the transmission failed. There are many forums and reports of people having transmission failures with this make and model. Others specifically shared how dangerous of a position it also put them in with no warning. One other gentleman in a forum detailed how he was on an expressway when it happened and how dangerous it was for him. The quantity of not just first transmissions, but second and third transmission replacements failing in the 2012 Hyundai Sonata hybrid and in some cases close model years is alarming. Hyundai needs to take accountability for their poor craftmanship and protect their consumers. This car is a death trap and will get people severely injured or killed.

NHTSA ID

11594132

Incident

Apr 30, 2024

I was driving. The tailpipes started smoking I checked engine oil and it was almost empty. No check engine light came on. The engine could have locked up on me on a state hwy that has a 60mph limit! No warning light. No low oil light. No lights came on at all ever. The car still doesn't have any light on but has oil consumption like I've never experienced. The engine was replaced in 2019 and only has about 63,000 miles on it.

NHTSA ID

11586877

Incident

Apr 17, 2024

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that after parking in the driveway and turning the vehicle off, the husband exited the vehicle and walked around to the passenger side. After opening the front passenger-side door, the vehicle erroneously rolled backward down the driveway and crashed into a tree. During the incident, the husband was knocked to the ground and dragged 20 feet down the driveway. During the incident, the husband sustained a head bruise and laceration, an injured leg, and an injured arm. The front passenger also sustained bruised ribs, a head and left knee injury from the vehicle crashing into a tree. Both persons required medical treatment. The cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The contact was informed that the vehicle was not included in the NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V434000(Power Train). The failure mileage was 112,000.

NHTSA ID

11584511

Incident

Dec 29, 2022

Mileage

112,000 mi

Check engine lights on and says “Warning do not drive the hybrid brakes may fail do not drive “.

NHTSA ID

11555694

Incident

Nov 17, 2023

Car completely shut down suddenly and spontaneously without ANY warning while my husband and I were driving on a very busy major highway at night. We were unable to do ANYTHING to control the car and could have died, been seriously injured, or caused death or injury to other drivers. We were then towed off of the highway after calling for help. We don’t know firsthand exactly what failed. We were aware of our engine burning oil and had been to Huffines Hyundai multiple times previously for an oil consumption test at their recommendation. Upon completion of this test process no solutions for repair were offered, and we were never warned of any danger in driving it. We have found out via our own research that our car has a defective engine. This specific engine has been the subject of at least one class action lawsuit and Hyundai is well aware of its dangers. We have been denied an engine replacement by Hyundai as they are claiming negligence on our part as the reason for failure after we presented a substantial stack of oil change receipts. Not 100% complete, so they make this claim. These cars are death traps and people are dying because this company won’t honor their warranty. Please do something.

NHTSA ID

11549652

Incident

May 15, 2023

This is a 2012 sonata hybrid. The vehicle popped under the hood when my wife was driving to visit her father. My son opened the hood and fire started shooting out from next to the exhaust manifold. The car was just into Gurnee Hyundai for service. They had the car for a month and a half. I still don't think that they did anything when they had it. Anyway, the car burnt completely to the ground in the front engine area. I already contacted Hyundai America, and, even Hyundai and South Korea. This happened on September 8th. I have pictures, I also have the warranty individual who inspected the car before the dealer worked on it, or I have the warranty information. They have the documentation.

NHTSA ID

11546769

Incident

Sep 8, 2023

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle downshifted unintendedly and decelerated. The contact stated that she shifted into neutral(N). The contact pulled over to the side of the road and remained there for several minutes. The contact was able to continue driving; however, the failure recurred while driving. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring increasingly. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure recurred while the vehicle was being test-driven; however, the dealer informed the contact that they could not determine the cause of the failure. The dealer informed the contact that the steering wheel needed to be disassembled to inspect the paddle shifters. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 100,300.

NHTSA ID

11541266

Incident

Feb 23, 2023

Mileage

100,300 mi

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the contact attempted to shift into gear, but the transmission failed to shift as intended. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pressed the release button and the transmission shifted; however, the vehicle was driving abnormally. An independent mechanic was contacted and stated that the vehicle might be experiencing the failure listed in NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V434000 (Power Train) and advised to contact the local dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 170,000.

NHTSA ID

11538738

Incident

Aug 12, 2023

Mileage

170,000 mi

Hybrid System Malfunction. The "Hybrid System Warning! Safely Stop and Do Not Drive" appeared on the vehicle dashboard. While traveling on the highway or in town the vehicle will want to slow down then stop. The dealership's (Wyatt Johnson Hyundai) Clarksville, TN, maintenance tech have troubleshot the vehicle. Since my daughter and I have owned the vehicle, it has been seen by the dealer a few times during this time a transmission replacement was completed for the Hybrid System Malfunction, which did not solve the problem and I had to pay out almost $6,000. Still, same issue arises and also, I was told by another tech that the transmission is sealed and should not have been opened. The only thing we heard from the dealer(Wyatt Johnson Hyundai) was to come and pick up the car. When my son-n-law went to pick up the vehicle, the engine was still torn apart. They said they would fix it and then let us know when it is ready to be picked up. We have not heard anything from the dealer (Wyatt Johnson Hyundai) at all, assuming they are still working on it. Until, we received a letter from Express Auto the the vehicle was towed and reported abandoned. So, I drove to Clarksville, TN and trailered the vehicle back to Las Vegas, NV to have the Hyundai techs here diagnose the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11536479

Incident

Dec 16, 2022

My car is burning oil very fast it has a engine campaign running but Hyundai refuses to fix it .. it cuts while driving it at high speeds

NHTSA ID

11527825

Incident

Feb 8, 2023

I was driving my car at approximately 45 MPH when my car began smoking and overheating and making a knocking sound from the engine. I pulled over and checked but had coolant in the vehicle as I had just got my car serviced 3 weeks prior. I was about to get onto the highway when my car decelerated and the oil lamp and engine light started flickering as my car lost power and started smoking profusely.

NHTSA ID

11513624

Incident

Mar 23, 2023

I came to a stoplight and then tried to go forward and it got to about 20 miles an hour and this horrible knock happened and when I pushed on the gas it just whines I haven't had the money to get it somewhere to be looked at but I'm thinking it's the transmission but when it made that knocking sound it sounded like the whole engine fell out of it and I was in heavy traffic at the time.. you can drive it no problem up until you get 20 miles an hour and then it makes that horrible knocking sound

NHTSA ID

11513504

Incident

Feb 22, 2023

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, and depressing the accelerator pedal the RPM inadvertently decreased. The contact stated that the traction control warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that while exiting the vehicle he noticed that the brake lights were still illuminated. The contact called Cochran Hyundai of Monroeville (4520 William Penn Hwy, Monroeville, PA 15146:(412) 245-4380) and Bowser Hyundai (1001 Clairton Blvd, Pleasant Hills, PA 15236: (412) 469-2100) and made them aware of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with TSB: 15-01-056; however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 50,500. The contact paid for the replacement of the defective part.

NHTSA ID

11484065

Incident

Sep 11, 2022

Mileage

50,500 mi

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that once car has warmed up, while driving at low speed or starting to move after a stop, she vehicle hesitated and stalled while depressing the accelerator pedal. This is a serious risk hazard as the car barely moves at intersections where it is a risk of getting hit by incoming cars. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact had taken the vehicle to multiple independent mechanics as well as hyundai dealerships who were all unable to diagnose the failure due to no warning lights illuminating on the instrument panel and no codes getting registered in the ECU. The contact then got the car evaluated by another Hyundai dealership in order to exchange it for a new vehicle and mentioned this problem. This time the dealership mechanics claimed to have seen this same problem at several occasion and that the cause was failing electric motor (when warming up) which needs to be replaced along with transmission. They also said this failure would eventually lead to the car no longer being usable at all (catastrophic failure of drivetrain) The car was no longer under warranty and total repair cost around $11 000 CAN. This far exceeded the value of the car so the car could not be repaired nor re-sold. The failure pattern started to happen when mileage was approximately 110,000 miles

NHTSA ID

11477085

Incident

Jul 25, 2022

I gave my son this car b/c I thought it was safe and reliable. My son was driving down the road and all of a sudden the lights started blinking and he pulled over. He had to have it towed and repair shop says the engine is locking up and would cost more to replace. This is a paid for car and now we are totally screwed. I really want the manufacturer to honor and fix their issues. I ensured I had this car serviced timely and took care of the car. Now, I am $12K in the whole and will probably go ahead and trade in my other 2017 Hyundai Sonata to avoid anymore of these issues that no one can honor to fix. This car has about 80K miles on it so not too bad, either!

NHTSA ID

11470280

Incident

Jun 9, 2022

The car transmission breaks down prematurely. And dashboard show hybrid system warning safely stop do not drive. Hyundai is asking for $5000 to replace the transmission.

NHTSA ID

11428768

Incident

Jul 23, 2021

I have provided this information already, case number 11424760. I am now submitting further documentation on this safety issue. There was a recall notice from Hyundai, for whatever reason, this was changed to not include our vehicle. We never heard back about the solution & they no longer will replace the engine.

NHTSA ID

11426877

Incident

May 23, 2021

Entered a freeway on-ramp, the engine started to make a slapping noise. I thought it was the fan belt slipping. We began to lose acceleration, had a burning smell We pulled off and had the vehicle towed. Subsequently we discovered that the issue was exactly that which appeared in a published recall notice: Symptoms of the problem can include abnormal knocking noises from the engine; reduced power or hesitation; illumination of the “check engine” light or the engine oil-pressure warning light; or a burning smell, oil leaks, or smoke. In discussing with Hyundai, it was stated that my VIN does not meet a full reimbursement due to the VIN not being included. How is that possible, when the symptoms match the year, Make, model. https://driving.ca/auto-news/news/hyundai-recalls-almost-129000-cars-in-u-s-for-possible-premature-engine-wear

NHTSA ID

11424760

Incident

May 23, 2021

ON 05/26/21 THIS VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO CROWN HYUNDAI FOR AN ENGINE RECALL AND WAS NOT RUNNING. IN FACT, SINCE PURCHASED AT THE AUCTION IT HAS NEVER RAN MORE THAN 30 FEET THEN SUTS OFF. TECH SAID, COMPUTER RESPONDED WITH A FAULTY WHEEL SENSOR, A DEAD BATTERY, AND FAULT ABS SENSOR. I PICKED UP THE CAR AND PUT NEW BATTERY IN IT, AND A LEFT REAR WHEEL SENSOR AND REPORTED BY HYUNDAI. OUR MECHANIC SAID TAKE BACK TO HYUNDAI TO RESET THE ABS SENSOR, SO ON06/24/21 WE DID RETURN THE VEHICLE TO CROWN HYUNDAI AND WAS TOLK NOW THEY COULD NOT SET THE SENSOR AS THE BATTERY WAS THE WRONG TYPE, NOW A CODE FOR A FLAP DOOR AND AN ALLEGATION OF THE VEHICLE BEING WRECKED IN THE FRONT END CAUSING DOOR DAMAGE. MY RIGHT HEADLIGHT HAS ALWAYS BEEN LOOSE BUT NO DAMAGE. NOW THE COMPUTER SAYS THE DOOR PLAP AND FRONT BUMPER DAMAGE IS CAUSING 30 MORE DEFAULTS TO POP UP MY WRECKER DRIVER WILL TELL YOU THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVING BUT WOULD START AND MOVE UNTIL SENSOR SHUT DOWN. NOW IT WILL NOT START OR MOVE AND MORE SENSORS ARE BEING SHOWN.. SERVICE MANAGER SAID ,, I CANNOT TELL YOU NOT TO FIX IT, BUT THERE ARE MORE CODES POPING UP NOW... THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH THIS PICTURE... HE SAID HE HAS SEVERAL MORE HYDRID'S SITTING IN THE BACK THAT ALSO SHOW MANY CODES.

NHTSA ID

11424091

Incident

Jul 9, 2021

My break lights and head lights are constantly blowing out, I've had multiple repair orders to prove this & can have records pulled from my pull overs. My back up camera now has an electrical issue and will no longer come on. Also when I'm driving the gas pedal just stops working while driving!!! Very very dangerous. My car is well kept and maintained there is NO reason for these issues to be happening aside from a manufacturer issue. I know plenty of people with the same year make and model as me and they all have the same issues. There really needs to be recalls put out on these issues as they are a safety concerns and they are putting me and my children in danger every day. I wish I had researched these issues before buying a Hyundai. I WILL NEVER BUY ONE AGAIN especially if these issues do not get resolved.

NHTSA ID

11418184

Incident

May 22, 2021

1 DAY AFTER BUYING VEHICLE. IT FAILED. 1ST DEALER REPLACED 12V BATTERY. THEN DROVE 17 MILES AND IT FAILED AGAIN. DEALER DETERMINED HYBRID BATTERY BAD. 7K FOR NEW ONE. 7 YR OLD VEHICLE NEEDED NEW HYBRID BATTERY. PURCHASED HYBRID BATTERY. 1 YEAR LATER VEHICLE STARTED JERKING ON HIGHWAY. THEN IT COULD NOT GET OVER 40 AND ENGINE WAS REVVING HIGH. TOWEF TO DEALER. THEY DETERMINED FAILED TRANSMISSION AND ELECTRIC MOTOR. PURCHASED USED PARTS AND HAD THEM INSTALLED FOR 4K. NIGHTMARE VEHICLE. AWFUL SUPPORT FROM HYUNDAI. NO WAY I WOULD EVER BUY ANOTHER.

NHTSA ID

11414692

Incident

Apr 5, 2021

Mileage

174,000 mi