NHTSA has received 6 owner complaints about the 2026 Hyundai Sonata, or 6.0 per year on the road — far fewer complaints than typical (complaint index 0.15, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 73 model-year 2026 vehicles we track, it ranks #19 of 73 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Hyundai models its rate is 89% lower; against other Midsize sedans it is 84% 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
Limited data: fewer than 30 complaints, so shares and indexes are unstable.
Complaints filed between 2026-04-20 and 2026-09-17. Median delay from incident to filing: 19 days.
6Complaints
6.0Complaints per year on the road
0.15Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
1Recalls
33.3%Share involving a crash or fire
6Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2025) drew 15.7 complaints per year, more than this one.
The most common problem area is Unspecified or other (50.0% of complaints), followed by Transmission / powertrain (16.7%) and Brakes (16.7%). Unspecified or other complaints are 5.6 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 2 reports (33.3%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 2 injuries and 0 deaths.
In the last 12 months 6 complaints were filed, versus none in the 12 months before.
I was driving through a high school pick-up line where traffic was moving slowly. My vehicle was operating on adaptive cruise control, and I had my foot resting on the brake in case I needed to stop.
Brakes · 2026-08-30 · ODI 11760790 · Crash
The contact owns a 2026 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while the vehicle door was open, the vehicle shifted into reverse and accelerated in reverse at 30 MPH. The vehicle traveled into a wooded area and the rear of the vehicle struck a tree.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-08-28 · ODI 11760447 · Crash
My sunroof exploded within 100 miles of ownership. My first drive home to be exact. Was determined to be defective by Hyundai.
Unspecified or other · 2026-09-17 · ODI 11765035
While driving on a backroad at about 9am on a sunday morning I heard a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot from inside the vehicle. When i pulled over to look what happened, the sunroof glass had spontaneously shatttered.
Unspecified or other · 2026-08-13 · ODI 11756865
When backing into my parking spot the front driver side tire blew at the side wall. Then a few weeks late the Rear driver side tire started to bubble at the same spot and was showing signs that it was getting ready to blow.
Wheels, tires & suspension · 2026-06-23 · ODI 11746007
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 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.
