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2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In

Safety ratings, recalls, and consumer complaints from NHTSA

NHTSA Safety Ratings

2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in Hybrid 4 DR FWD

Overall
Not Rated
Front Crash
Not Rated
Side Crash
Not Rated
Rollover
Not Rated

Recalls(6)

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles manufactured December 8, 2014, to August 18, 2015, and Hyundai Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to March 18, 2016, equipped with the panoramic sunroof option. Due to a bonding issue with the sunroof wind deflector, the sunroof panel on the affected vehicles may detach while driving.

Campaign: 16V726000

PARKING BRAKE:INDICATOR LIGHT

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Sonata and Genesis vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the warning light to indicate that the parking brake is applied may intermittently not illuminate in the dash due to corrosion in the switch.

Campaign: 17V359000

AIR BAGS

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 28, 2016 through April 12, 2016. The affected vehicles have a driver-side frontal air bag that may not adequately protect the driver's neck from injury in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

Campaign: 16V615000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016 to February 22, 2016, and one 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicle manufactured October 15, 2015. In these vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag may be missing a chemical enhancer required for the second stage air bag deployment, resulting in the second stage not deploying in certain crashes. The primary stage will deploy as intended.

Campaign: 16V232000

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to August 21, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with an Antilock Braking System (ABS) warning light intended to warn the driver if there is an ABS malfunction. In the event of an ABS malfunction, the Brake System warning light will illuminate, but the ABS warning light will not illuminate. Since the vehicles have ABS malfunction lights that do not illuminate, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

Campaign: 15V678000

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:TURN SIGNAL

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sonata, 2016-2017 Sonata Hybrid, and Sonata Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended.

Campaign: 21V749000

Consumer Complaints(158 total, showing 10)

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Vehicle Impact:While driving, the vehicle suddenly displayed a "Check Hybrid System" warning on the dashboard and suffered a complete, sudden loss of propulsion while on the road. The vehicle dropped power completely and would not restart, creating an immediate, severe safety hazard to myself and surrounding traffic.Diagnostic & Component Confirmation:The vehicle was towed to a certified Hyundai dealership (Hyundai of Goshen, Repair Order #6080674). Diagnostic testing confirmed trouble codes P0717 (Input Speed Sensor No Signal) and P0A40 (Drive Motor Position Sensor).The dealership's certified technician explicitly documented that they "followed TSB and found input speed sensor valve body harness is faulty due to heavy corrosion on the sensor connector."Safety Hazard Summary:This is a critical manufacturing and sealing defect where an internal, non-wear component (the transmission valve body wire harness) corrodes prematurely. This corrosion blinds the hybrid control modules to the electric motor's position and output speed. To protect itself, the computer initiates a hard, uncommanded shutdown of the hybrid drivetrain while the vehicle is in motion.Hyundai Motor America was contacted (Case #43225229) but denied any financial or safety assistance because this documented Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) defect has not yet been elevated to a formal safety recall. This sudden powertrain failure presents an unreasonable risk of rear-end collisions and catastrophic highway accidents for 2016 Sonata Hybrid owners.

ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE

EGR needs to be replaced as this is a major engine issue

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Vehicle experiences intermittent DTC C222908 (Integrated Brake Actuator internal circuit malfunction). Warning lights (Brake, ABS, ESC, Hybrid System) illuminate intermittently, brake pedal feel changes, and regenerative braking fails. Dealer confirmed stored code but refused repair stating "no current issue". This is a known failure in 2015-2019 Hyundai hybrids that can lead to sudden loss of hydraulic brake assist and increased stopping distance. Safety critical defect.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

The car will randomly lose acceleration and jerk forward. It will make a beeping noise while the hev system warning flashes on the dash. It also says to turn off engine. While the warning is flashing and engine light is on it goes into a limp mode and you have limited acceleration. It has almost caused multiple wrecks when I go to acceleration from turning or at lights in traffic because I cant go over 20-30 mph. I have turned the car on and off and the hev system and engine light turns off and the car continues to work normal. It eventually comes back on and does the same loss of power/hev warning. It will be random and does not matter on how fast you are going to trigger the warning lights and loss of power.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at 20 MPH, the message "Shut Down" was displayed, and the vehicle lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with engine failure, and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and declined to cover the repair under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 140,600.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle went into LIMP Mode with several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, and the message "Warning - Do not Attempt to Restart" was displayed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure of the engine wiring harness. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and was diagnosed as a failure with the engine wiring harness. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle had been back to the dealer several times. Recently, the contact was informed that the wiring harness was soy-based insulated, and rodents were causing damage to the wiring harness due to the smell. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available.

ENGINE

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated while driving approximately 65 MPH, the check engine warning light was illuminated, and the vehicle stalled. The contact was able to exit the highway; however, the contact was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact had the vehicle towed to a dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that prior to the engine failure, the engine had been replaced two years prior. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 180,000.

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE

While on the highway vehicle started shaking violently, flashing engine light then service hybrid system along with every light on the dash! Car still running poorly, stiff steering very hard to slow down to get to safety! By the time I was able to pull over the engine was knocking and a burning smell was coming from the engine compartment. I popped the hood shut the car off , the exhaust manifold and converter(in one together) was so hot it was glowing! I’m thankful I was able to get to safety without it catching fire because it was on its way there! I called for a tow and sent it to the dealer where Hyundai is replacing the engine.

VISIBILITY

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the driver's side sunroof detached. The contact stated that the sunroof was caught up on the netting in front of the sunroof. The contact stated that the tracks were fractured. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted, and the contact was informed that the repair was not covered under NHTSA Campaign Number: 16V726000 (Visibility). The approximate failure mileage was 103,000.

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