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Free public service · Official NHTSA & EPA data

2016 Hyundai Sonata

Verified July 23, 2026Sources: NHTSA · EPA · vPIC

Compare
Safety
5
of 5 stars
Recalls
6
on record
MPG
31
combined

Fatalities reported

Owner complaints to NHTSA include 1 report involving a death. Read the complaint record closely.

Recalls6
Complaints716
Safety
Fuel

Vehicle Summary

2016 Hyundai Sonata

6 recalls
716 complaints
31 MPG combined
5/5 safety rating

Before You Buy

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Safety record at a glance

Recall campaigns
6
Owner complaints
716
Complaints citing a crash
19

These are raw counts from NHTSA records. They are not normalised by how many of these vehicles are on the road, so a model that sold in large numbers will tend to show more of everything. We do not publish a composite safety or reliability score.

6 Recalls on Record

These recalls have been issued by the manufacturer. Contact any authorized dealer to verify they have been completed — repairs are free.

Enter your VIN to check if specific recalls apply to your vehicle.

Safety recalls

6 NHTSA campaigns affecting this model year.

  • 16V726000high

    Visibility issue

    VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

    Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles manufactured December 8, 2014, to August 18, 2015, and Hyundai Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to March 18, 2016, equipped with the panoramic sunroof option. Due to a bonding issue with the sunroof wind deflector, the sunroof panel on the affected vehicles may detach while driving.

  • 17V359000high

    Brake system issue

    PARKING BRAKE:INDICATOR LIGHT

    Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Sonata and Genesis vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the warning light to indicate that the parking brake is applied may intermittently not illuminate in the dash due to corrosion in the switch.

  • 16V615000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS

    Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 28, 2016 through April 12, 2016. The affected vehicles have a driver-side frontal air bag that may not adequately protect the driver's neck from injury in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

  • 16V232000high

    Airbag system issue

    AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

    Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016 to February 22, 2016, and one 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicle manufactured October 15, 2015. In these vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag may be missing a chemical enhancer required for the second stage air bag deployment, resulting in the second stage not deploying in certain crashes. The primary stage will deploy as intended.

  • 15V678000high

    Electrical issue

    ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

    Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to August 21, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with an Antilock Braking System (ABS) warning light intended to warn the driver if there is an ABS malfunction. In the event of an ABS malfunction, the Brake System warning light will illuminate, but the ABS warning light will not illuminate. Since the vehicles have ABS malfunction lights that do not illuminate, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

  • 21V749000high

    Lighting issue

    EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL

    Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sonata, 2016-2017 Sonata Hybrid, and Sonata Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended.

Consumer complaints

716 owner reports filed with NHTSA.

716
Total
19
Crashes
28
Fires
19
Injuries

Most reported components

  • ENGINE457
  • OTHER50
  • BRAKES46
  • ELECTRICAL41
  • STEERING28

Serious Concerns

716 consumer complaints filed with NHTSA. 1 report involves a death. 19 reports involve injuries. 19 reports involve a crash.

Most reported problems

engine problems (stalling, power loss, warning lights)457
miscellaneous issues50
brake problems (soft pedal, noise, failure)46

Specifications & ratings

Specifications

Body class
Large Cars
Drive type
Front-Wheel Drive
Engine
1.6L 4-cyl
Fuel type
Unknown
Transmission
Automatic (AM7)
Seats
0

Fuel economy

28

City

36

Hwy

31

Comb

Annual cost
$1,950
Fuel
Regular Gasoline

NHTSA crash ratings

Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover

Data sources

Explore related

Adjacent model years

All Hyundai Sonata years

Common problems

Hyundai Sonata problems

3,637 owner complaints analysed

Compare with

Systems recalled

Safety timeline

Full timeline
  1. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation EA19001

    Electrical overstress

  2. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation EA21003

    Engine Fires

  3. Investigation closed

    NHTSA closed investigation DP22003

    Loss of Motive Power

  4. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation DP22003

    Loss of Motive Power

  5. Investigation opened

    NHTSA opened investigation EA21003

    Engine Fires