2012 Hyundai Sonata Brakes
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The part of hand break assembly that’s inside the disk break (the drum assembly) fell off when the dealer ( [XXX] Hyundai, Schaumburg, IL) tried to adjusted. I went to the dealer because the hand break stop to function. I suspect very bad design of the whole assembly disk and drum break. Also the dealer stated that all assembly was rusted. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
ACTIVE HYDRAULIC BOOSTER failed while driving. 2012 with 114,000 miles on it. Brand new engine and transmission installed from prior recalls. Hyundai dealership said it was covered under anything and would cost $5K to get fixed.
The grid warning light is coming on and telling me to stop the car. When this occurs the car will lose power and the brakes will start making a grinding noise. My safety was at risk when I was driving on [XXX], Chula Vista, California by Southwestern Community College approaching behind cars at a red light intersection on the second lane to the right going east and the warning light came on. The car started making a grinding noise and to lose power. The intersection was busy and I was barely able to get the vehicle to the right lane to get out of the way of traffic going east. I was blocking the right turn lane onto [XXX] in Chula Vista, Ca I took the vehicle to the dealer and has been confirmed. It first appeared approximately in July / August of 2023. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I believe this is the same issue as the Hyundai recall #170 (activation of the engine management system's brake pedal override feature). While pressing the accelerator, my car will stop accelerating until I let off the gas pedal and then press it again. This is an intermittent issue and unrelated to any fuel delivery system. I confirmed it was a brake pedal issue because my brake lights would not turn off and I could shift out of Park WITHOUT my foot being on the brake pedal. I feel like this could be a pretty big issue for properly signally drivers behind me as well as when I’m trying to drive in heavy or speedy traffic, e.g., merging onto or within interstate traffic.
Emergency brake started engaging while the car is in motion. Usually, 10-15 minutes after starting the car. We were told the hydraulik brake booster pump needs to be replaced. The car is at only 60K miles.
Brake system warning, puts car in limp mode on freeway nearly causing rear end collisions.
The car has been meticulously maintained — I am glad to provide all records of regular service upon request — and lovingly cared for. It came to us in great shape. Until, that is, I drove it for the first time and the brakes failed. I rolled into an intersection. Luckily, there was no traffic and no one was harmed. But I had a very helpless feeling, and I feel incredibly grateful no one was hurt. After taking the vehicle to two mechanics, they independently confirmed that a sensor in the ABS module was failing, leading to a sudden loss of braking. After a cursory internet search, I found that many owners of this model and year of vehicle have encountered this dangerous problem.
while i was driving after picking up my daughters from school the car start giving me a hybrid system warning and a brake message on the dash with brakes not working properly so i stop and get the car tow to my mechanic it was scary since i have my 2 daughter with me my mechanic said the problem is the HECU AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT he tell me there is a recall #251 I call the dealer but they said only cover a fuse no the actual defected part that doesn't make sense I seen a lot of complain of this part going bad hopefully Hyundai do something to make right and fix the actual problem and dont put life on risk like happen to me and my daughters
Brake light appeared intermittently while I'm in the middle of traffic.my vehicle's hybrid system warning light came on aside from the brake light and tells me to pull over and not to drive the vehicle.i towed my car to the dealership for inspection.after inspection done ,the service advisor tells me that they need to change the abs module due to possible internal leaking besides the fuse.they quoted me $3574.71 to fix the abs module excluding other brake components.i asked them to change the fuse only.Abs problem and brake light are still on and vehicle is not drivable.
Hyundai states this vehicle may catch fire while parked or while driving. They have advised not parking inside due to fire risk. We do not feel safe driving the vehicle any more than on local low speed city streets, as it might be impossible to safely pull over should it catch fire while driving at high speeds on a highway. We have been waiting months for Hyundai to fix this, cannot get a straight answer as to when that will happen. They have refused to provide a loaner or rental car, so we are currently stuck with a car that is close to completely useless and apparently presents a fire hazard even while sitting in our driveway. Can NHTSA assist?
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle and depressing the brake pedal, the brakes failed to respond intermittently. The contact was unaware if any warning lights had been illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,000.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle failed to immediately stop, causing the stopping distance to be extended. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000.
Several times a week I get "Hybrid System Warning. Check Brakes" that comes with red flashing light on the dash and beeping noise. When I turn the car off, give it a few seconds and restart the car, it goes away. It has mostly been happening when I am parked so it is not an issue to shut it off and restart. Two days ago, this happened while I have driving on the street and when I applied the brakes, it went down to the floor with grinding noise. I was going about 35 MPH and no cars in front of me so I was able to come to a stop on the street with hazards on. I turned off the car, restarted it and the issue went away. I have researched this online and it looks like many people are having the same issue. Many have taken their vehicle to the dealer to get the issue fixed and the dealer is unable to fix the issue because they cannot recreate the problem. I am afraid that this might lead into an accident and feel like something that Hyundai should do a recall on.
Brake light is stuck on
Vehicle doesn’t stop hard pedal and brake light came on 144k
Driving on freeway and traction control light came on and stays on. Then my car stalls. Additionally, I awakened at 6 am to find my breaks light had been on most the night at no fault of mine. I checked my vin# and being told my 2012 sonata is not part of the recall campaign 136. This is a danger to my life and Hyundai is refusing to correct the problem at their cost.
My 2012 Hyundai Sonata, build date 10/31/2011, experienced the exact issue as described in NHTSA campaign number 15V759000. Note that the campaign covers Sonatas built before my vehicle's build date. The brake pedal stopper pad deteriorated and resulted in the brake lights falsely illuminating at random times. Furthermore, the condition - when occurring - resulted in the car overriding any throttle inputs, making for random inability to provide throttle inputs.
The brakes lights (all three) wont shut off even when the vehicle is not on.
"Hybrid system warning, stop safely and do not drive" and "check brake" alarm. Car immediately went into limp mode (15mph top speed). Luckily, I was not on the highway, but on residential street. Alarm was not recoverable by restarting car. Dealer says its the hydraulic brake booster and will cost $3250 to fix. Vehicle at 80,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that upon depression of the brake pedal, an abnormal grinding noise would emit from the brake pedal without warning. The contact had taken the vehicle to a dealer where they found no fault with the vehicle. The contact had taken the vehicle back to the dealer on multiple occasions where software updates were performed and rotors were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The contact had also taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic and the driver’s side rear brake caliper piston was replaced; however, the repair did not correct the failure. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 35,000.
After driving one day, I noticed the brake lights on without anybody in the car, they would not turn off whatever I tried. The next symptom was the traction control turned off and would not function via dashboard button. the next symptom was, while driving, cruise control turned on without myself doing so, set it's speed and maintained, I was approaching a 4 way stop and depressed the brake expecting cruise control to disengage, it did not, I pressed the brake again this time holding it down while the car continued to revv, the engine continuing to attempt to speed up while pressing the brake. The only thing stopping the car was the on and off button on the steering wheel. I finally came to a screeching halt half way into the intersection, the brakes were locked up and vehicle would not move, the dealership claims no responsibility in anything and blames it in fact on myself putting the wrong brake fluid into the vehicle. I had not put anything into the vehicle, the dealership was the last to touch it when they did a complete engine replacement in Jan 2021. Vehicle is currently in their possession and available for inspection. No warning lights came on and vehicle began to function normally after, and I have not driven it since. I do not feel safe any longer in the vehicle. Dealership wants me to pay for all new brakes, rotors, brake light switch and brake flush, all which I feel is dancing around the real issue of the brakes and the cruise control. This is a real serious safety issue to anyone with this same vehicle and the potential for a serious possibly fatal accident, dealership doesn't seem to think it's a serious issue, and instructed me to drive the vehicle home, I did not!!!!!
WHEN DRIVING THE CAR MAKES AN AWFUL BEEPING NOISE AND SAYS HYBRID SYSTEM MALFUNCTION SAFELY STOP AND DO NOT DRIVE AND THE BRAKE LIGHT IS ON IN THE DASH. WHILE ALL BRAKE FUNCTION IS SUDDENLY GONE AND I HAVE TO STOP WITH THE E-BRAKE. THIS HAPPENED BOTH ON THE CITY STREETS COUNTRY HIGHWAYS AND FREEWAYS AT RANDOM TIMES. I WAS TOLD IT WAS THE HYDROLIC BRAKE PUMP. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE NOVEMBER.
When driving the “Check Brake” warning comes out and the brakes hit the tires allowing for minimal movement of the vehicle. Right after that, a “Hybrid System Warning - Safely Stop and Do Not Drive” comes up. At times, The warnings will continue for days or hours and other times, imthey would just disappear. When bringing the car to the dealer they wouldn’t be able to understand the issue as the warnings suddenly disappear and they would just start guess-repairing the car which can be extremely expensive for us the consumers
A WARNING KEEPS HAPPENING WITH NO CODES IT SAYS TO CHECK BRAKES AND PULL OVER I CAN ONLY GO ABOUT 15 MILES AN HOUR AND THE BRAKES PEDAL HAS A WEIRD GRINDING NOISE LIKE IT'S SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE ABS SYSTEM IT IS VERY SCARY AND IT DOES IT INTERMITTENTLY
At 28,000 miles the ABH pressure sensor failed c1237 Hydraulic Power Unit. Dealership charged $2947.95 for the repair. $2141.55 just for the part. The brakes completely failed and the car required towing.
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Quick Summary
The 2012 Hyundai Sonata has 56 Brakes complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.