87 of the 1,243 complaints about the Hyundai Sonata (7.0%) concern Transmission / powertrain, making it the model's #5 problem area. That share is 0.6× the Transmission / powertrain share across all tracked vehicles.
87Complaints · Transmission / powertrain
7.0%Share of complaints
0.6×vs. all vehicles
22Last 12 months
8.0%Share involving a crash or fire
2Related recalls
Analysis
22 Transmission / powertrain complaints were filed in the last 12 months versus 19 in the 12 months before — up 16%.
7 of these reports (8.0%) describe a crash or fire, with 0 injuries and 0 deaths mentioned.
2 recall campaigns relate to this area, most recently campaign 23V526000 (2023-07-27, model year 2023).
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
Car was parked, full stop, doors shut, seatbelt on. Foot on brake. Car then seemed to lurch forward by itself forward hitting parking cement block.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-02-19 · ODI 11718993 · Crash
My 2021 Hyundai Sonata N Line suffered a catastrophic, sudden total loss of drive power while operating at speed on a public roadway, creating an immediate crash hazard.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-09-28 · ODI 11767539
My Lincoln Nautilus (9,180 miles) logged 6 "Powertrain Malfunction / Reduced Power" alerts in the [XXX] telematics system between XXX (XXX at 7:59 PM and 8:16 PM; XXX at 1:07 PM and 1:39 PM; XXX at 11:16 PM; and XXX at 10:56 AM).
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-09-18 · ODI 11765198
Transmission replaced twice and all of them continue to fail. Several Hyundai service centers are unable to determine the cause and are only able to update/relearn and replace whenever they are able to replicate the issue.
Transmission / powertrain · 2026-09-15 · ODI 11764277
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.
Related recalls
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:FLUID/LUBRICANT:PUMP Campaign 23V526000 · 2023-07-27 · Model years: 2023
⚠ Park-outside / do-not-drive warning
Summary: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2023-2024 Palisade Tucson, 2023 Sonata, Elantra, and Kona vehicles. The electronic controller for the Idle Stop & Go oil pump assembly may contain damaged electrical components that can cause the pump controller to overheat.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will inspect and replace the electric oil pump controller, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed starting September 7, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 246.
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION Campaign 22V746000 · 2022-10-06 · Model years: 2021, 2022
Summary: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Sonata, Veloster N, 2022 Santa Cruz, Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" limited-mobility drive mode may be impaired, when prompted by a transmission oil pump malfunction, which can result in a complete loss of drive power.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the transmission, as necessary. Dealers will also update the transmission control unit software. All repairs will be performed free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 10, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 236.
