Complaint volume
358 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Hyundai Sonata Complaints
358 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Hyundai Sonata, grouped by component category.
358 Total complaints
18 Crash reports
12 Fire reports
9 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, unknown or other, electrical system,engine. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 18 crash reports, 12 fire reports, 9 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 135 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 37,255 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, unknown or other, electrical system,engine?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Hyundai Sonata?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Hyundai Sonata
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Hyundai Sonata complaints?
18 Crash
12 Fire
9 Injury
1 Fatality
28 Towed
6 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Hyundai Sonata complaint categories?
ENGINE 113
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 32
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 15
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 15
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 11
STRUCTURE 11
ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 8
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7
358 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2023 | ENGINE | I first reported issues with my vehicle to a local Hyundai dealer January 16, 2023. I was advised I couldn’t get an appointment until March 8, 2023. Since March 8, 2023 I have taken my car to the dealer my numerous times for a series of testing over the course of 3 months. I was advised my car was burning too much oil of oil per 1000 miles. I was also advised that the transvalve and engine needed to be inspected by an adjuster to determine a faulty engine in order to get approval from the manufacturer. My car was at the dealer for almost a week. On June 15, 2023 the Hyundai dealership advised the engine was faulty. I was also advised warranty approved for a new engine due to faulty engine/oil consumption. I was advised to pick up my vehicle from the dealership. On June 16, 2023 I picked up my vehicle. I was told by the dealership to keep driving my vehicle until the new engine came in due. I was denied a loaner/rental at the time even though they knew the car had a faulty engine. Immediately after leaving the dealership dealership my car started smoking. I pulled over immediately got out. The car caught on fire and burst into flames. This was a very dangerous safety risk. It caused panic attacks, anxiety, headaches, and lots of sleepless nights. If I hadn’t gotten out sooner I could’ve been severely injured or dead. The car is with the insurance company. A field investigation has been done by the insurance. They determined faulty engine and total loss if the vehicle. It is still available for inspection if needed. There were no warning lamps or messages before the car started smoking or caught fire. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | My 2018 sonata has been stalling out while I’m driving more so when I accelerate.I have a baby that I’m scared to drive with in the car because it does it randomly. It has been happening more & more everyday. I got new parts/starter etc. No codes on dash. Have an appointment next week with Hyundai to take a look. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | ENGINE | Oil consumption problem 2018 Hyundai Sonata | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | ENGINE | After only 38,000 miles, the engine seized up and failed to start. Has been a the dealership where I purchased it for 2 months and has yet to be looked at | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | When driving the car on the highway - "check engine - hybrid system" warning lights come on and indicate hybrid system issue and to shut car off immediately. Extreme safety issue as the car goes from highway speeds to 35MPH almost instantly. This has happened seven times now and Hyundai keeps indicating that technicians are following engineering guidance in fixing the issue related to the knock sensor. The seventh occurrence happened on May 23rd of 2023. First one was in December 2021. As Hyundai is unable to correctly fix the issue I have repeatedly asked for them to replace the car since it is an extreme safety issue but they will not do so. Still waiting for diagnosis of the latest occurrence from May 23rd. Hyundai does not acknowledge that this issue is of safety concern and just indicates that the issue has been fixed each time it occurs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power and stalled in traffic. The vehicle was misfiring, and the RPM was abnormally elevated. While driving 40 MPH, the vehicle stalled again. There were no warning lights illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The contact was adding approximately two quarts of engine oil every two weeks. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle was taken to another local dealer, Twin City Hyundai (3024 Alcoa Hwy, Alcoa, TN 37701, (866) 229-3953) but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not yet contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 33,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 33,000 |
| Apr 2023 | ENGINE | In January, At 65k miles I took my car in for an oil change. I informed them I was putting a quart of oil every month for the last 3 months just to keep the oil light off on my dash. Tech told me all Hyundais are burning oil and to just drive it until the engine blows and I’ll get a free engine replacement through Hyundai. The following month in February, I went to get my back brakes done. Mechanic told me I had no oil left in my car. They filled it up for me. In March, I took my car back to the dealership service center and demanded service. I was told I needed to do a combustion cleaning which would cost $700 and my extended warranty would not cover it because it’s considered general maintenance. I threw a fit and they agreed to do an oil consumption test. A few days ago I hit the 1k miles I was supposed to drive and took my car in for the first check. It was almost 2 quarts low and they said the next step in Hyundais flow chart is the combustion cleaning. They told me 1. It doesn’t actually clean anything and 2. Hyundai says this is the fix to the issue but it doesn’t actually fix anything. They said after, we would do another oil consumption test and then we could submit to Hyundai under “good faith” and ask for an engine replacement. I started researching and see this is a major issue with Hyundais and leave people with a blown engine and Hyundai refuses to cover anything. I traded it in today and got a new car, not a Hyundai! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | Was driving on freeway on the way back from visiting family in different state when rpms dropped off and suddenly lost power. Car began shuddering and check engine light started blinking. Put hazards on and somehow managed to pull over to shoulder. No problems with car or anything to indicate anything was wrong before this. Called to have car towed to dealership where they said there was a software problem and it was falsely indicating low oil levels. ECM was reset and software updated for $233 which they said fixed the problem. Said that carbon deposits may have caused the software to misread and that may have been why there was no indication of problems before. Hope so because i have a long drive back. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | During the drive, check engine lights on then suddenly, HEV warning lights with turn off the engine with critical alert sound. I was drove again after attempting to start several times then again & again... It freaked me out when I drove on the highway, and yet to fixed & afraid to go to the dealer becase of cost & uncertain reasons. This could be big accidents on the highway. | Crash: No Fire: No | 111,325 |
| Mar 2023 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Fuel pump started going out. My brothers vehicle also started going out too in the same vehicle as this. It's clearly a wide issue. Car stalls when gas is at half tank. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Knocking of the engine , engine light continues flashing , lack of acceleration finally feb of this year the turbo blew up an the car stop running all symptoms of knock sensor problems . I’m Taking it to Hyundai on Dixie on Monday in two days an I hope they don’t deny the federal recall an I will have to have a loaner car . They have told me the last 5 years my title was flawed last month they denied saying that an told me my warranty was voided with 41,000 on my car | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | ENGINE | The Engine Failed. It is currently sitting at the local Hyundai Dealership. As it pertains to my safety, the Engine failed while traveling on a Major Expressway in the morning on my way to work. Upon towing the vehicle to the dealership, it was effectively confirmed to me I am not the only person suffering from this problem. The vehicle has been inspected by the dealership and determined to be an engine failure. No warning, no other symptoms prior to this incident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Hyundai boosted about their emergency response system included with my vehicle and charged extra. They failed to tell me that they were discontinuing the system. If I crash and need assistance bc I'm unconscious, I won't get it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | As soon as I start to press on my brakes the vehicle starts violently pulsating and locks up. Took the dealership they said my rotors and brakes were fine and we're unable to give any reason for this. Without brakes I cannot stop my vehicle and it seems like a faulty ABS but no light on dashboard. The engine consumes nearly 5.2 qts of oil in 1000 miles. Being this is not normal I have no idea I was running out of oil as soon as I was changing it which could have led to my entire engine stalling out and causing me to wreck. It's putting my life as well as other people's on the roads and danger | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the brake pedal would depress to the floorboard with the maintenance message displayed on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to a dealer; however, the dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. One day while driving the vehicle, there was an abnormal tapping sound coming from the brake pedal while being depressed. The failure persisted while the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle drove through a concrete post and a fence, causing damages to the post and the fence. The contact stated that the air bags deployed upon impact. Medical attention was not sought at the scene. The contact sustained bruising all over her body. A Police report was filed. The vehicle was driven back to her residence by a neighbor. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed | 30,000 |
| Feb 2023 | ENGINE | Hairline crack in engine oil pan possibly resulting in engine failure | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ENGINE | This car engine has failed on multiple occasions. About 12 months ago, I observed a great loss of coolant. The car would frequently overheat even when I added coolant. Eventually, I was able to have the engine replaced at the dealership where I purchased the car, but this was right at the end of the vehicle's warranty. Even with a new engine installed, I still lose coolant all the time. It does not appear to leak anywhere, but the reservoir is consistently empty. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ENGINE | There is a rod barring warranty on my car for my engine. My engine has completely faulted. Hyundai has informed me that they are going to take at least 3 months to fix it and will not give me a vehicle for the time they have mine. I took my car to the shop to check it out, a week before it went out and Hyundai was fighting it, so I wasn’t able to get it there until it completely went out after trying to figure it out for a week prior | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | I was driving on freeway and all dashboard warning started to flicker on and off simultaneously then my steering wheel locked in place. I was unable to stop or turn wheel and had to maneuver car until it came to a stop. I had to get it towed home. I spoke with dealership and asked me to tow it to them so they can look at it and gave me a report that mention nothing about what I originally told them it did while I was driving but pointed out everything else that was wrong with it that added up to more than $4,500.00 in repairs. Dealership guy got upset that I asked him to email rather than phone calls and didn’t want to answer anything through email only phone calls he was refusing service and kept pushing us to approve all the other expenses without telling me anything about why the car did what it did. He then told me that it was my fault since car was just passed over 100,000 miles and I should’ve known that was going to happen. Luckily nobody got hurt during this. My wife was pregnant at the time and thank goodness nothing bad happened and dealership guy was so unprofessional and rude and just wanted our money rather than help by giving us any answers. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The White paint is peeling off the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2018 Sonata has white paint peeling on hood of car - only 29,930 miles on car | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | STRUCTURE | White paint peeling off vehicle body in large sections | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | ENGINE | I own a 2018 Hyundai Sonata SE. The car now has 60,000 miles on it. I first reported to the Hyundai Dealership that my valves are "chattering" with acceleration up to 35 mph. I was advised my engine was low on oil. I completed a oil change and valves are still chattering. I was advised that the engine is dirty and I would have to pay for an engine cleaning at $350.00 After the cleaning the valves stopped chattering for about 1000 miles then the noise came back. I was then told to complete an oil consumption test. Part 1 of the test my car burned 2 quarts in 1000 miles. Part 2 with a cleaning my car burned .5 quarts after a cleaning, so it passed the oil consumption test. I was told by the dealership that after a couple of oil changes or around 6000 miles the car will burn oil again at the rate of over 1 quart per 1000 miles. The also told me that I would have to do the oil consumption test again. The dealership stated that the engine is faulty and and engine replacement is what needs to happen to correct the problem versus this band aid fix. I was also advised if I wanted to speed up the process don't check the oil between oil changes because it will burn 5 quarts of oil before the next oil change. This will cause the engine to lock up. THE ENGINE IS FAULTY IT NEEDS TO BE RECALLED BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | ENGINE | My vehicle is unable to accelerate past 65mph. I had it towed to a local repair shop whom ran a diagnostic and they are advising there is a hyundai/kia recall on engine. To my knowledge, I was not advise by Hyundai of any recall when my spouse reached out to Hyundai directly. I was on the highway with family traveling back from Christmas vacation when the incident occurred. There was a crash ahead due to the rain so traffic had slowed down. Once I drove passed the accident and attempted to accelerate the engine light appeared I could no longer accelerate. Very scary when your on a 4 lane highway hours away from home. I was able to pull off to the nearest exit for safety as it rained. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2018 Hyundai Sonata Sport+ with 23K miles that has White Pearl exterior paint. The paint (W8 or WW8) is peeling off from several locations (Hood and Roof). This has been a know issue with this type of paint on Hyundai vehicles but manufacturer is not taking any responsibility that paint or paint job is defective. One can google this issue and thousands of user complaints are there of different forums and messaging boards. Example: https://community.cartalk.com/t/2018-hyundai-sonata-paint-peeling/185473/7 https://www.reddit.com/r/Hyundai/comments/zt5lsk/warranty_extension_for_1718_elantrasonata_white/ | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |