Hyundai

Sonata

Midsize Cars · model years 1989 to 2027

Includes Sonata, Sonata AWD, Sonata FWD and 6 more as listed by the EPA.

See all 163 Sonata trims All Hyundai cars

The verdict

Best year: 2027. complaints: 0, below this model's typical 241; recalls: 0, below this model's typical 3.

Worst year: 2002. complaints: 319, about 2x this model's typical 161; recalls: 7, about 2.3x this model's typical 3.

Year by year

Year by year summary for the Hyundai Sonata
Year	Trims	MPG	HP	Fuel cost	Recalls	Complaints	Investigations	TSBs	Top complaints
1989	3Gas	20	no data	$3,350	no data	no data	0	no data	no data
no complaint or recall data on file for 1989
1990	3Gas	20	no data	$3,100	3	16	0	no data	POWER TRAIN 29%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13%, SEAT BELTS 13%
complaints: 16, below this model's typical 120 recalls: 3, in line with this model's typical 3 Score: 83 of 100, where higher is better.
1991	3Gas	20	no data	$3,100	1	29	0	no data	SEAT BELTS 24%, POWER TRAIN 19%, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 16%
complaints: 29, below this model's typical 120 recalls: 1, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 5 complaints reporting a fire: 6 Score: 78 of 100, where higher is better.
1992	3Gas	20	no data	$3,100	1	22	0	no data	POWER TRAIN 14%, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 14%, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 11%
complaints: 22, below this model's typical 120 recalls: 1, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 2 Score: 87 of 100, where higher is better.
1993	3Gas	20	no data	$3,100	1	26	0	no data	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 24%, POWER TRAIN 24%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 18%
complaints: 26, below this model's typical 120 recalls: 1, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 1 Score: 88 of 100, where higher is better.
1994	3Gas	20	no data	$3,100	1	3	0	no data	SEATS 29%, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 14%, EQUIPMENT 14%
complaints: 3, below this model's typical 120 recalls: 1, below this model's typical 3 Score: 92 of 100, where higher is better.
1995	3Gas	21	no data	$2,950	2	66	0	no data	AIR BAGS 18%, POWER TRAIN 18%, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 11%
complaints: 66, below this model's typical 120 recalls: 2, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 12 complaints reporting a fire: 1 Score: 65 of 100, where higher is better.
1996	3Gas	21	no data	$2,950	1	23	0	no data	ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 17%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14%, POWER TRAIN 14%
complaints: 23, below this model's typical 120 recalls: 1, below this model's typical 3 deaths reported in NHTSA complaints: 1 Score: 74 of 100, where higher is better.
1997	3Gas	20	no data	$3,100	2	49	0	no data	FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 24%, POWER TRAIN 14%, AIR BAGS 12%
complaints: 49, below this model's typical 120 recalls: 2, below this model's typical 3 deaths reported in NHTSA complaints: 1 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 3 complaints reporting a fire: 1 Score: 59 of 100, where higher is better.
1998	3Gas	20	no data	$3,100	1	49	0	no data	POWER TRAIN 19%, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 15%, VISIBILITY 14%
complaints: 49, below this model's typical 120 recalls: 1, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 3 Score: 83 of 100, where higher is better.
1999	4Gas	21	no data	$2,950	4	124	0	no data	STRUCTURE 20%, AIR BAGS 17%, ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 13%
complaints: 124, below this model's typical 161 recalls: 4, above this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 23 complaints reporting a fire: 3 Score: 51 of 100, where higher is better.
2000	4Gas	21	no data	$2,950	4	276	0	no data	STRUCTURE 30%, SUSPENSION 18%, AIR BAGS 12%
complaints: 276, about 1.7x this model's typical 161 recalls: 4, above this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 15 complaints reporting a fire: 9 Score: 27 of 100, where higher is better.
2001	4Gas	21	no data	$2,950	3	205	0	no data	STRUCTURE 24%, AIR BAGS 17%, SUSPENSION 10%
complaints: 205, above this model's typical 161 recalls: 3, in line with this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 21 Score: 52 of 100, where higher is better.
2002	4Gas	21	no data	$2,975	7	319	0	no data	STRUCTURE 22%, SUSPENSION 16%, AIR BAGS 13%
complaints: 319, about 2x this model's typical 161 recalls: 7, about 2.3x this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 54 complaints reporting a fire: 4 Score: 0 of 100, where higher is better.
2003	4Gas	21	no data	$2,975	6	199	0	no data	AIR BAGS 18%, STRUCTURE 16%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8%
complaints: 199, above this model's typical 161 recalls: 6, about 2x this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 45 complaints reporting a fire: 2 Score: 28 of 100, where higher is better.
2004	4Gas	21	no data	$2,975	1	202	0	no data	SUSPENSION 20%, STRUCTURE 17%, AIR BAGS 16%
complaints: 202, above this model's typical 161 recalls: 1, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 32 complaints reporting a fire: 2 Score: 54 of 100, where higher is better.
2005	4Gas	21	no data	$2,975	1	165	0	no data	AIR BAGS 26%, STRUCTURE 14%, SUSPENSION 12%
complaints: 165, above this model's typical 161 recalls: 1, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 27 complaints reporting a fire: 2 Score: 61 of 100, where higher is better.
2006	3Gas	24	no data	$2,600	9	1,047	0	no data	AIR BAGS 31%, VISIBILITY 11%, SEAT BELTS 7%
complaints: 1047, about 8.7x this model's typical 120 recalls: 9, about 3x this model's typical 3 deaths reported in NHTSA complaints: 1 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 38 complaints reporting a fire: 9 Score: 0 of 100, where higher is better.
2007	3Gas	24	no data	$2,600	5	696	0	no data	AIR BAGS 29%, VISIBILITY 12%, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC 7%
complaints: 696, about 5.8x this model's typical 120 recalls: 5, about 1.7x this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 20 complaints reporting a fire: 6 Score: 2 of 100, where higher is better.
2008	3Gas	24	no data	$2,600	3	425	0	no data	AIR BAGS 25%, VISIBILITY 12%, ENGINE 9%
complaints: 425, about 3.5x this model's typical 120 recalls: 3, in line with this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 14 complaints reporting a fire: 11 Score: 14 of 100, where higher is better.
2009	3Gas	25	no data	$2,500	2	460	0	no data	SERVICE BRAKES 11%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10%, ENGINE 9%
complaints: 460, about 3.8x this model's typical 120 recalls: 2, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 26 complaints reporting a fire: 11 Score: 17 of 100, where higher is better.
2010	3Gas	25	175	$2,500	2	345	3	50	STRUCTURE 40%, UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9%, ENGINE 7%
complaints: 345, about 2.9x this model's typical 120 recalls: 2, below this model's typical 3 deaths reported in NHTSA complaints: 2 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 19 complaints reporting a fire: 3 Score: 0 of 100, where higher is better. Theft rate: 2.5 per 1,000 produced (federal data, last published for 2014).
2011	4Gas, Hybrid	26.5	198	$2,350	17	3,473	10 (1 open)	253	STEERING 25%, ENGINE 21%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10%
complaints: 3473, about 21.6x this model's typical 161 recalls: 17, about 5.7x this model's typical 3 deaths reported in NHTSA complaints: 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 90 complaints reporting a fire: 117 NHTSA advised parking the 2011 model year outdoors over fire risk open NHTSA investigations: 1 Score: 0 of 100, where higher is better. Theft rate: 1.2 per 1,000 produced (federal data, last published for 2014).
2012	4Gas, Hybrid	27	198	$2,300	11	1,711	9 (1 open)	198	ENGINE 25%, STEERING 13%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10%
complaints: 1711, about 10.6x this model's typical 161 recalls: 11, about 3.7x this model's typical 3 deaths reported in NHTSA complaints: 1 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 40 complaints reporting a fire: 100 NHTSA advised parking the 2012 model year outdoors over fire risk open NHTSA investigations: 1 Score: 0 of 100, where higher is better. Theft rate: 1.1 per 1,000 produced (federal data, last published for 2014).
2013	5Gas, Hybrid	27	236	$2,300	11	2,022	11 (1 open)	200	ENGINE 28%, STEERING 13%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10%
complaints: 2022, about 10.1x this model's typical 201 recalls: 11, about 3.7x this model's typical 3 deaths reported in NHTSA complaints: 1 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 86 complaints reporting a fire: 101 NHTSA advised parking the 2013 model year outdoors over fire risk open NHTSA investigations: 1 Score: 0 of 100, where higher is better. Theft rate: 1.2 per 1,000 produced (federal data, last published for 2014).
2014	4Gas, Hybrid	32	232	$2,000	8	776	9 (1 open)	197	ENGINE 28%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13%, EXTERIOR LIGHTING 11%
complaints: 776, about 4.8x this model's typical 161 recalls: 8, about 2.7x this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 38 complaints reporting a fire: 41 NHTSA advised parking the 2014 model year outdoors over fire risk open NHTSA investigations: 1 Score: 0 of 100, where higher is better. Theft rate: 1.6 per 1,000 produced (federal data, last published for 2014).
2015	5Gas, Hybrid	31	185	$2,000	12	1,202	6 (1 open)	264	ENGINE 37%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11%, UNKNOWN OR OTHER 10%
complaints: 1202, about 6x this model's typical 201 recalls: 12, about 4x this model's typical 3 deaths reported in NHTSA complaints: 2 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 38 complaints reporting a fire: 51 NHTSA advised parking the 2015 model year outdoors over fire risk open NHTSA investigations: 1 Score: 0 of 100, where higher is better.
2016	6Gas, Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid	35.5	185	$1,775	9	886	5	253	ENGINE 44%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11%, UNKNOWN OR OTHER 9%
complaints: 886, about 3.7x this model's typical 241 recalls: 9, about 3x this model's typical 3 deaths reported in NHTSA complaints: 1 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 20 complaints reporting a fire: 31 Score: 0 of 100, where higher is better.
2017	6Gas, Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid	35	185	$1,800	5	876	5 (1 open)	239	ENGINE 38%, STEERING 16%, UNKNOWN OR OTHER 10%
complaints: 876, about 3.6x this model's typical 241 recalls: 5, about 1.7x this model's typical 3 deaths reported in NHTSA complaints: 1 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 12 complaints reporting a fire: 15 open NHTSA investigations: 1 Score: 0 of 100, where higher is better.
2018	6Gas, Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid	35	213	$1,800	2	383	3	208	ENGINE 38%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11%, UNKNOWN OR OTHER 10%
complaints: 383, about 1.6x this model's typical 241 recalls: 2, below this model's typical 3 deaths reported in NHTSA complaints: 1 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 21 complaints reporting a fire: 13 Score: 24 of 100, where higher is better.
2019	6Gas, Hybrid, Plug-in Hybrid	35	185	$1,800	0	172	3	167	ENGINE 39%, UNKNOWN OR OTHER 11%, EXTERIOR LIGHTING 8%
complaints: 172, below this model's typical 241 recalls: 0, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 7 complaints reporting a fire: 6 Score: 72 of 100, where higher is better.
2020	5Gas, Hybrid	32	191	$1,950	4	195	2	120	FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 16%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16%, ENGINE 13%
complaints: 195, below this model's typical 201 recalls: 4, above this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 5 complaints reporting a fire: 1 Score: 53 of 100, where higher is better.
2021	6Gas, Hybrid	31.5	191	$1,975	4	189	2	105	ENGINE 21%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16%, UNKNOWN OR OTHER 15%
complaints: 189, below this model's typical 241 recalls: 4, above this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 15 Score: 56 of 100, where higher is better.
2022	6Gas, Hybrid	31.5	191	$1,975	3	113	1	93	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 16%, ENGINE 15%, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 15%
complaints: 113, below this model's typical 241 recalls: 3, in line with this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 5 complaints reporting a fire: 1 Score: 68 of 100, where higher is better.
2023	6Gas, Hybrid	31.5	191	$1,975	2	102	0	54	FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 24%, ENGINE 21%, POWER TRAIN 12%
complaints: 102, below this model's typical 241 recalls: 2, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 2 NHTSA advised parking the 2023 model year outdoors over fire risk Score: 55 of 100, where higher is better.
2024	4Gas, Hybrid	28.5	191	$2,175	1	55	0	32	ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 22%, UNKNOWN OR OTHER 12%, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 9%
complaints: 55, below this model's typical 161 recalls: 1, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 1 Score: 86 of 100, where higher is better.
2025	5Gas, Hybrid	29	191	$2,300	0	28	0	26	SERVICE BRAKES 16%, UNKNOWN OR OTHER 16%, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 13%
complaints: 28, below this model's typical 201 recalls: 0, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 1 Score: 92 of 100, where higher is better.
2026	6Gas, Hybrid	30.5	no data	$2,200	1	6	0	no data	UNKNOWN OR OTHER 43%, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 14%, POWER TRAIN 14%
complaints: 6, below this model's typical 241 recalls: 1, below this model's typical 3 injuries reported in NHTSA complaints: 2 Score: 90 of 100, where higher is better.
2027	6Gas, Hybrid	30	no data	$2,225	0	0	0	no data	no data
complaints: 0, below this model's typical 241 recalls: 0, below this model's typical 3 Score: 95 of 100, where higher is better.

How the numbers moved

Combined MPG, median1989: 20 to 2027: 30

Owner complaints1990: 16 to 2027: 0

How we score each year

We compare each year of the Hyundai Sonata to the model's own typical numbers, not to other cars. A year reads solid when its recalls, owner complaints, and federal investigations sit at or below what is typical for this model, mixed when some of those numbers run above typical, and avoid when they run far above it. Deaths, reported fires, and an NHTSA advisory to park outside count against a year no matter what this model's baseline looks like.

A year is scored only when NHTSA has both complaint and recall counts for it. Complaint data often lags for the newest years, so a recent year can read not enough data even while its recall count already shows in the table. When the history is too thin, we say not enough data instead of guessing. Service bulletins are routine maintenance guidance from the manufacturer and do not lower a year's score.

Scores run 0 to 100, higher is better. Recall, complaint, and investigation figures come from NHTSA records. Fuel economy, fuel cost, and horsepower figures come from the EPA, shown as the median across the year's trims.

Information is gathered on a best-effort basis from public sources, may be incomplete or out of date, and is not purchasing or financial advice. Verify with the manufacturer or dealer before buying.