32 complaints reported

2018 Hyundai Sonata UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
32
Crashes
1
Fires
2
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Dec 2025

Excessive oil consumption. I am routinely getting notifications of low oil about 1,000 miles before the oil change is due. When I bring it in for an oil change it is nearly empty. No signs of leaks anywhere.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Dec 2025
Jul 2025

My starter failed after 35,683 miles leaving me stranded in a parking lot at night. The life expectancy for a starter is between 100,000and 150,000 miles. Hyundai replaced the part at a cost of $1,139 which is way above what it normally costs to replace a starter. The starter is at the dealership and is not available for inspection. Being stranded in a parking lot made me very uncomfortable and what if the starter had failed in a bad section of town. The problem was confirmed by a Hyundai dealership who replaced the part after I had my vehicle towed to their service department. The only ones who inspected the vehicle was a mechanic at the dealership. There wer no warning lamps or messages, but I did notice the car did not start on the first try before the starter failed. 07/29/2025

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jul 2025
Jul 2025

Panoramic sunroof came loose on highway and bent up 90 degrees making vehicle undrivable.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jun 2025
Mar 2025

I looked up my car on carfax and it shows a 3 different odometer readings. on 10/14/19 it had 15.125 miles. On 03/04/21 it had 61,284 miles. On 02/01/2022 it had 30,371 miles And finally on 3/3/23 it had 38,269 miles. This clearly shows that somewhere along the line, the odometer was changed. My car has been on the shop on several occasions in the less than 2 year time frame

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Apr 2021
Feb 2025

When I bought the car from Mathews in Marion Ohio the car looked like it was already in some form of accident due to a previous owner and I was unaware what caused the accident or any other problems with the vehicle upon buying. I was not presented with a carfax. I have electrical tape at the bottom of my bumper and there’s a problem with acceleration. It accelerates by itself and veers right when I take my hand off the wheel. I’m afraid to drive my car on the highway. I have complained about this problem to Mathews twice. I am now in a loaner until they figure out what’s going on.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Apr 2024
Oct 2023

For now the fifth time in the last 16 months the HEV light and engine light has lit up while the car jerks and sputters and dies. Below is the incident report that I filed on or about August 8, 2022. Again at the end of the day yesterday on October 20, 2023 the same issues still arise for the fifth time. See below for a re-cap of the issues I am once again experiencing after Hyundai claims to have fixed the issues: For the fourth time the HEV light (and others) has come on and the dash has lit up while I was driving, with the last three times leaving us stranded in dangerous road situations with little or no power. The light first came on in July 2020 at 40,089 miles. A dealership reset the codes and I had no problems until June 7, 2022 when the lights lit up on the dash again and the car died and I had to have it towed to a local dealership. They could find nothing wrong with it and checked all the wiring and said none of the codes were coming up and that the car ran fine for them when test driving a day or two after I had it towed. So they released the car back to me deeming it good to go. Then only 19 days later on June 26, 2022 the HEV light among other lit up again and the dash indicated to pull over and cut the car off due to the hybrid system. I had it towed to the nearest dealership again. The then looked at it and said they reset all the codes and everything looked to be good to go. Then AGAIN on Aug 8, 2022 (3rd time in two months), we were put in a dangerous situation trying to get the car off a busy highway when the HEV light (and others) again lit up the dash and our power went almost completely out while the engine jerked violently as we tried to avoid being hit by cars while trying to get off the highway before it completely died on us. Four times now Hyundai dealers have shrugged this off saying "we reset the codes" and we can't find an issue. We have been put in dangerous traffic conditions three of these times.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Oct 2023
Aug 2023 Fire

UNKNOWN. I noticed that there was a check engine light on and I took it to autozone to have it checked out, they told me that it was coming back with the code of an o2 sensor. I thought nothing of it until it started not wanting to start right. On July 1, 2023 I took my car in to the dealership for an oil change and they never said anything about why my car was doing a delayed start. It would eventually start but it took at least a minute. I bought a new battery from walmart to put in my car so that it would not do the delayed start, but it kept doing it anyway. Finally decided to take it to a mechanic and the first time that he started it took at least a minute, he realized that he didn't have his computer (code reader) with him so he turned it off. When he returned with the code reader he plugged it in and started the car then it started smoking, smoking turned into fire that caused the entire underside of my hood to melt including engine, electrical harness, belts, battery and much more. If it wasn't for the mechanic's quick thinking by putting out the fire while calling 9-1-1, the fire would have gone to the fuel tank and exploded. Yes, the safety of others was put at risk.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: May 2023
Apr 2023

The White paint is peeling off the vehicle.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Sep 2022
Mar 2023

Hyundai boosted about their emergency response system included with my vehicle and charged extra. They failed to tell me that they were discontinuing the system. If I crash and need assistance bc I'm unconscious, I won't get it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Dec 2022
Jan 2023

2018 Sonata has white paint peeling on hood of car - only 29,930 miles on car

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jan 2023
Dec 2022

This car will not start when it is cold. I have only had this car for over one year and four months. The car ran perfect up until we began to have extreme cold weather. This is so dangerous because it could be an emergency and my car will not start. I have done my research and discovered that this is an ongoing issue with Hyundai. And nothing has been done about it.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jan 2022
Oct 2022

We drive a 2018 Hyundai Sonata with Hyundai Quartz White Pearl (W8) paint. It has 62000, so just out of regular warranty. Last week I noticed that we were missing a huge chunk of paint on the roof. As a regular passenger of this car, neither of us noticed anything wrong with it until it was gone. It looked like it just bubbled up suddenly and peeled off. We took it into our local Hyundai Dealer and they told us it was out of the 36k mi. paint warranty. They didn't even look at it. We paid for an extended warranty because they served us so well on our other Hyundais up to that point. I called the consumer line like they suggested and found no recalls. When I tried to get a human, I was met with silence. No indication that the call had gone through. I went next door to there collision center and got an estimate anyway. The man there didn't have to see any more than one picture to know that it was a Hyundai. They service multiple of that owner's various different branded dealerships. Obviously, this wasn't his first rodeo with this problem. He quotes $1200 to put a bandaid on the problem. However, there are numerous incidents of consumers facing the same issue with there Hyundai/Kia vehicles. I have a friend who had the same problem on a similar year Acura with pearl paint. I'm filing this complaint because it is obvious that Hyundai/Kia are not going to own up to this. The first class action suit was dismissed and the problem persists. They are still using the paint to this day and the same delamination problems keep appearing. I do not want to be driving down the road and have a huge slab of paint fly off and hit someone else's windshield. This issue needs to be investigated before someone gets hurt, not after.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Aug 2022
Aug 2022

For the past 3 Oil changes, I find myself having to add 5 quarts of oil to my car after driving over 1,000 miles from getting my oil change. This third oil change I have added 15 quarts of oil to my car due the check oil light comes on. When I first purchased this car in March 2021, I didn’t experience this issue. I’ve never had to add oil to my vehicle before an scheduled oil change. Whalen the oil is checked due to the light coming on, it’s boned dry.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jul 2022
Jun 2022

Purchased a certified pre-owned 2018 Hyundai Sonata - found out recently the car is burning/losing oil- A few weeks after having an oil and filter change my oil warning light started flashing while driving.. Checked engine oil and could not believe that oil was almost empty.. Major concern is for major engine malfunction and possible locking up while driving- which could be fatal !!! Now I have to monitor oil levels/consumption every other day- I have contacted Hyundai and they're suggesting that I be without transportation while they take an undetermined amount of time to test the vehicle which is unacceptable !

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: May 2022
Jan 2022

THE OVERHEAD CONSOLE DOES NOT CLOSE. IT DOES IT ALL THE TIME. I KNOW THERE WAS A RECALL ON IT BUT NOT ON THE 2018 MODEL. IT IS A PROBLEM BECAUSE IT BLOCKS YOUR VIEW ON THE RIGHT SIDE THANK YOU

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jan 2021
Dec 2021

I am affected by the new decal in regards to my trunk latch and it urgently needs to be fix. It would not open after multiple attempts and a few days later it started working again and now that it’s open it will not close

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Dec 2021
Nov 2021

UNKNOWN— Engine has been making noises, vehicle keeps breaking down (ENGINE ISSUES, alleged starter) and Hyundai dealerships keep ignoring and not documenting my complaints and passed the vehicle for all inspection after others have documented some of my complaints that I brought to them. They simply didn’t want to do any work because it was covered under bumper to bumper warranty until I threatened to call Hyundai USA with a lawyer and my engine problems were NEVER ADDRESSED or examined by the Hyundai Dealer in my area even though I specifically kept complaining about my car seizing and stopping on me in the middle of the highway with my toddler in the vehicle! It’s doing it again and no one at anything Hyundai cares! I’ve been lied to and passed on for over a year now and the problems list keep getting longer and longer! I was told that the Engine was replaced in March 2019 and that was that..I was dismissed! No more questions asked when I made my complaint directly to Hyundai USA this time!

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Nov 2021
Nov 2021

I purchased my 2018 Sonata on 10/23/21 from South Point Austin with 30-35k miles on it. In the year of owning it, I've had 3 manufacture issues occur. Once on 12/31/20, there was an issue where my car detected an issue, and my maximum speed was 30 MPH while I was on the interstate. It was a sensor issue and covered by my manufacturer's warranty. On 11/11/21, I had to purchase a new starter for $789.26 despite this being a manufacture issue and covered by warranty. There was not a dealership in my area that would look into my car until 2022. They would not cover a rental until at least a diagnosis report came back which they would not begin until 2022. They said the lengthy waitlist for a rental would prevent me from securing a vehicle to use in the meantime. Because I need a functioning car, I had to purchase this out of pocket. On 11/23/21, I had to purchase a new battery. Again, this should be covered by factory warranty, but the dealerships would not look at my car until 2022. I paid $241.14 out of pocket for this. Setting the issue of these unexpected expenses aside, my car does not feel safe to drive and has had several manufacture complications. I had a near fatal accident in my previous Sonata do to a software issue causing the brakes to go out. This line of cars should be looked into for the safety of all.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Nov 2021
Oct 2021

The trunk latch released failed and is malfunctioned. My safety along side passengers were put at risk when the car experienced a flat tire on the highway far from city limits in extremely hot weather and trunk was not opening to get to spare tire/tools. Trunk had to be forcefully opened after hours to finally to get to spare/tools. There was no warnings prior to this failure.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jul 2021
Sep 2021

Coding P0507 Idle air control system Rpm higher than expected P0441 Evaporator emissions incorrect purge flow P0420 Catalyst system below threshold

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Nov 2020
Aug 2021 Crash

1. Accelerator malfunctioned as I removed my foot to hit the brakes. The speed increased. When attempted to hit brakes, would not brake. The brake hardened up and car went through bank glass door and window. 2. It malfunctioned. 3. Vehicle is in the body shop. Will take to dealer when done 4. Police and insurance 5. No warnings

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Aug 2021
Aug 2021

ONE OF MY CONTINENTAL PURE CONTACT TIRES FAILED AT HIGHWAY SPEED AT 4,926 MILES. ALL FOUR TIRES WERE PURCHASED NEW FROM MY DEALER ON 11/25/20. MILEAGE AT THAT TIME WAS 47,314. ON1/21/21 WITH AN ODOMETER READING OF 52,240, ONE TIRE DEVELOPED A LEAK AT THE INTERSECTION OF THE SIDEWALL AND TREAD -- THERE WAS NOTHING STUCK IN THE TIRE INDICATING A PUNCTURE -- YET THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE TIRE. THE TIRE COULD NOT BE FIXED SO I HAD TO BUY A DIFFERENT BRAND TIRE TO REPLACE IT BECAUSE THE TIRE SHOP DID NOT CARRY CONTINENTAL TIRES. WITH THE RECENT RECALL OF MANY TIRES BY CONTINENTAL, I AM CONCERNED THAT MY THREE REMAINING CONTINENTAL TIRES MAY NOT BE DEPENDABLE. I CONTACTED CONTINENTAL DIRECTLY AND WAS TOLD THAT THE PURE CONTACT TIRE IN MY SIZE (215/55SR17) IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL WHILE OTHER SIZES ARE INCLUDED.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jan 2021
Nov 2020

I WAS TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH NO EXISTING PROBLEMS. I DROVE OFF MY INTENDED EXIT WHEN SUDDENLY MY VEHICLE JERKED REALLY HARD, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STARTED BLINKING AND MY CAR STARTED SLOWING DOWN ALMOST TO A COMPLETE STOP. DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO SO I JUST KEPT DRIVING AS THE CAR KEPT JERKING AND SLOWING DOWN ON ITS OWN! I STOP BY AN AUTO ZONE WHERE THE GUY COMES OUT AND USES HIS DEVICE TO FIND OUT THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM HE SAYS THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE THE KNOCK SENSORS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Feb 2020
Sep 2020

I WAS DRIVING ON AN OPEN INTERSTATE USING SMART CRUISE CONTROL WHEN A MESSAGE POPPED UP ON THE DASH SCREEN: SMART CRUISE CONTROL DISABLED. RADAR BLOCKED. WEATHER CONDITIONS WERE DRY AND MY CAR WAS CLEAN. THERE HAD BEEN NO SNOW ACCUMULATION IN MY AREA NOR ANY IN THE AREA IN WHICH I WAS DRIVING. THERE WERE A FEW CARS AROUND. THE CAR THAT WAS IN FRONT OF ME MADE AN EXIT ABOUT A MINUTE AFTER THE MESSAGE AND INDICATOR LIGHTS APPEARED. THE MESSAGE AND INDICATOR LIGHTS RETURNED TO NORMAL AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES. AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER, THE SAME MESSAGE AND INDICATOR LIGHTS APPEARED. THE SKY WAS DARKER WITH A FEW FLURRIES IN THE AIR BUT NO ACCUMULATION. I TURNED OFF SMART CRUISE TO FINISH THE TRIP. I DID NOT EXPERIENCE ANY PROBLEMS WITH SMART CRUISE ON THE 5 HOUR RETURN TRIP. WEATHER CONDITIONS THEN WERE GRAY AND RAINING. THE TRIP IS MOSTLY INTERSTATE BUT THE DESTINATION IS MOUNTAINOUS. I MADE THE TRIP SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE LAST 3 YEARS WITH NO PROBLEMS.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Dec 2019
Mar 2020

TRUNK LATCH LOCKING ARM CAN BREAK WITH FEW MILES ON THE ODOMETER. WHEN THE ARM BREAKS DUE TO IT BEING PLASTIC CONNECTING TO METAL VIA A STRONG TENSION SPRING, THE EMERGENCY TRUNK RELEASE LEVER IS DEFEATED AND THE TRUNK CANNOT BE OPENED, OR CLOSED IF IT BROKE WHILE OPEN.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Mar 2020

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2018 Hyundai Sonata has 32 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.