AI Damage2023 Hyundai Sonata: common problems
Owners of the 2023 Hyundai Sonata filed 88 complaints with NHTSA, most often about fuel/propulsion system and engine. The maker issued 52 service bulletins for this year. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 88
- involving a crash
- 5
- Technical service bulletins (TSB)
- 52
What fails most often
- 1 Fuel/propulsion system 42% of all complaints
- 2 Engine 32% of all complaints
- 3 Powertrain 19% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
- 5 Forward collision avoidance 10% of all complaints
- 6 Fuel system 8% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 5% of all complaints
- 8 Service brakes 5% of all complaints
- Fuel/propulsion system: 37 complaints (42% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 6.
- Engine: 28 complaints (32% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 5.
- Powertrain: 17 complaints (19% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 11.
- Electrical system: 12 complaints (14% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 19.
- Forward collision avoidance: 9 complaints (10% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner; manufacturer bulletins for this component: 1.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 1.6 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cyl
- 2.5 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- 2.5 L · petrol · turbo · 4 cylnamed in 1 complaints
- 2 L · hybrid · 4 cyl
- automatic, 8-speed
- dual-clutch (DCT), 6-speednamed in 1 complaints
- dual-clutch (DCT), 8-speednamed in 1 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 88 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel/propulsion system | 37 | 1 | 6 |
| Engine | 28 | 1 | 5 |
| Powertrain | 17 | 1 | 11 |
| Electrical system | 12 | 1 | 19 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 9 | 1 | 1 |
| Fuel system | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 4 | 1 | 1 |
| Service brakes | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Backover prevention | 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 2 | 0 | 10 |
| Exterior lighting | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Lane departure | 2 | 0 | 1 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Vehicle doors shut, seat belt on. Not on incline. Pulled into parking spot I use weekly, spot has parking curb. Was at a full stop. Realized I had not pulled into the spot quite far enough, and attempted to inch vehicle forward.
I brang to the dealership 4 times with check engine and misfires and limp mode between 57k and 68k they refused to fix the car under recall 286 and cleared all the codes and continued to make me leave in a unsafe car.
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. Put in reverse to back away and car stayed still...then I tapped the gas again to back up and insted vehicle plowed forward.instead.of reverse ...went over the parking…
Instrument cluster lighting is too bright even on lowest setting. Combined with poor side visibility from headlamps it is easy to hit object or pedestrians when turning on unlit areas. Have run over a curb three times and damaged two wheels because they can't be seen from the overly bright instrument lighting at night.
My concern is a potential unintended acceleration forward as. I was. parking vechicle. Sudden burst of speed, went thru shrubbery and off a 2 foot wall. Felt as if we were taking off a runway in a plane.
Transmission problems began around 60,000 miles (but we didn’t know what it was) — jerking and hesitation, that worsened over time. We took the vehicle in (November 2025 ),at around 109,000 miles at which time they couldn’t find anything. I took it back in December and they recommended the spark plugs.
I’ve experienced a random loss of power while driving on the highway with no check engine light on the dashboard. Lastly, at lower speeds the car will randomly jerk while accelerating with no lights on the dashboard as well.
When left turn signal is selected blinker nor camera comes on and at times it does work. Constantly in and out never steady. This never happened with the right turn signal only the left
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 628 of 2,102 model years in the NHTSA data (top 30% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Sonata has 236 complaints (11 years in the data). This year has 88, below average.
What to check before buying
- Fuel/propulsion system. Fuel smell, leaks, rough running, fuel-system codes.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Manufacturer service bulletins
Bulletin titles as filed with NHTSA.
- Some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil…
Some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure for vehicles diagnosed with this…
- Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil…
Certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. This bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition…
- This bulletin provides information related to a Transmission Control Unit (TCU) software update for some…
This bulletin provides information related to a Transmission Control Unit (TCU) software update for some vehicles equipped with an 8-speed wet dual clutch transmission (8WDCT). The software update revises the touch…
- This bulletin provides information related to the navigation and head unit software changes introduced in…
This bulletin provides information related to the navigation and head unit software changes introduced in the 2026 1st Navigation Map and Software Update. The changes may vary depending on vehicle type, model, and…
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and…
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co…
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding…
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety…
- Some vehicles may exhibit difficulty starting in cold weather
This bulletin provides the procedure to perform an inspection on the starter magnetic switch for potential freezing and, if necessary, replace the starter magnetic switch (solenoid) assembly.
- Some 2019MY and newer vehicles equipped with a front view camera may illuminate certain warning lights and…
Some 2019MY and newer vehicles equipped with a front view camera may illuminate certain warning lights and trigger DTC C272246 fault code for the front camera. In the following cases, the front camera auto-calibration…
- Some Sonata (DN8, DN8A) vehicles may have DTCs P218100, P2181F0, and/or P2181F1 (Cooling System…
Some Sonata (DN8, DN8A) vehicles may have DTCs P218100, P2181F0, and/or P2181F1 (Cooling System Performance) set in the Engine Control Module, resulting in an illuminated Check Engine warning lamp. Follow the procedure…
- Some vehicles equipped with a 2.5L GDI Theta III engine (non-Turbo) may exhibit one or more misfire DTCs…
Some vehicles equipped with a 2.5L GDI Theta III engine (non-Turbo) may exhibit one or more misfire DTCs due to the GDI fuel injectors leaking internally. This may be caused by internal filter breakage in the injector…
- This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the…
This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of…
- This bulletin provides information related to the changes introduced in the 2025 1st Navigation Map and…
This bulletin provides information related to the changes introduced in the 2025 1st Navigation Map and Software Update. The changes may vary depending on vehicle type, model, and navigation system as described in this…
NHTSA lists 52 bulletins for this year; the 12 newest are shown here.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2023 Hyundai Sonata?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: fuel/propulsion system, engine, powertrain. Total complaints: 88. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (28%), loss of power / limp mode (22%), smoke, burning smell, fire (11%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2023 Hyundai Sonata?
NHTSA lists 52 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2023 Hyundai Sonata from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2023 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-04.