NHTSA has received 195 owner complaints about the 2020 Hyundai Sonata, or 28.7 per year on the road — fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.71, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 83 model-year 2020 vehicles we track, it ranks #47 of 83 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Hyundai models its rate is 47% lower; against other Midsize sedans it is 24% lower.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2020-02-06 and 2026-10-06. Median delay from incident to filing: 11 days.
195Complaints
28.7Complaints per year on the road
0.71Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
4Recalls
3.6%Share involving a crash or fire
44Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2019) drew 22.1 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2021) drew 32.7 per year, more than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2020 model collected 45 complaints, 20% lower than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Fuel system (23.1% of complaints), followed by Engine (20.0%) and Electrical (18.5%). Fuel system complaints are 5.3 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 7 reports (3.6%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 5 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 53 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was years three to five (35% of incidents). In the last 12 months 44 new complaints were filed, versus 35 in the 12 months before — up 26%.
NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations cover this model year; the most recent is “Pedestrian alert sounds” (defect petition, opened 2023-01-27, closed 2023-08-07).
Complaint index
vs. all tracked vehicles0.71
vs. other Hyundai models0.53
vs. other 2020 models0.76
vs. other Midsize sedans0.76
Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (45)0.8
Parking malfunction. Parked, running car moved itself to reverse and backed up a driveway crossing a dirt road and hitting a fence and post. This car could have hit and severely injured anyone who was in the path while it was reversing on its own.
Electrical · 2026-08-26 · ODI 11759884 · Crash
It was smoking from the engine, I immediately stopped the vehicle. My safety was put at risk immediately while being in the vehicle when the air bags deployed hitting me in the face and causing my face to swell.
Engine · 2026-03-16 · ODI 11724672 · Fire
Fuel system recall (NHTSA 25V796; Hyundai 286/23HYZ2 "Fuel Tank Expansion") on a 2020 Hyundai Sonata, plus the fuel-tank heat shield and rear floor pan area.
Brakes · 2026-10-06 · ODI 11769249
A/C blower motor fan would stop working. Happened twice within less than a year apart. Upon further inspection, multi fuse wiring overheated and melted, ruining fuse and making A/C stop working during 100 temperatures outside.
Electrical · 2026-09-07 · ODI 11762639
I am submitting a safety complaint regarding a recurring, unresolved electrical defect in my 2020 Hyundai Sonata SEL.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-09-03 · ODI 11761900
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2023 Sonata vehicles. A damaged check valve can allow air to enter the fuel tank, causing it to expand and contact hot exhaust components, melting the tank.
Risk: A melted fuel tank can leak, increasing the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the check valve. The fuel tank assembly will be inspected for damage and replaced if necessary. Additionally, dealers will inspect and update the engine control unit software. All repairs will be performed as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed beginning March 13, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 286. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on November 19, 2025.
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020 Sonata and Sonata Hybrid, and 2019 Genesis G70 vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Risk: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the trunk latch and replace the trunk latch base, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 26, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 221/010G.
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020 Nexo and Sonata vehicles. The Remote Smart Parking Assist (RSPA) software may fail to prevent vehicle movement upon detection of an RSPA system malfunction.
Risk: Unintended vehicle movement increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will reprogram the RSPA software, free of charge. The recall began June 3, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 191.
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020 Sonata vehicles produced between October 22, 2019 and February 13, 2020. The tire pressure label inside the driver's door and the owner's manual state an incorrect tire size. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims."
Risk: The incorrect tire information may mislead the vehicle owner to install the wrong tire size, potentially affecting vehicle handling,
increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install new label stickers over the tire pressure label and in the owner's manual, free of charge. The recall began April 22, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 190.
DP22005 · defect petition · ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM · Opened 2023-01-27 · Closed 2023-08-07 · Campaign 22V063000 · Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and ele…
Loss of Motive PowerClosed
DP22003 · defect petition · ENGINE · Opened 2022-09-12 · Closed 2023-12-12 · Model years: 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints i…
