Complaint volume
159 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
2020 Hyundai Sonata Complaints
159 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Hyundai Sonata, grouped by component category.
159 Total complaints
4 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
4 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 fuel/propulsion system, unknown or other, electrical system. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 4 crash reports, 1 fire report, 4 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 50 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 22,514 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to fuel/propulsion system, unknown or other, electrical system?
- 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 2020 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.
2020 Hyundai Sonata
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Hyundai Sonata complaints?
4 Crash
1 Fire
4 Injury
0 Fatality
7 Towed
3 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Hyundai Sonata complaint categories?
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 20
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 15
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 8
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE 7
STRUCTURE 7
POWER TRAIN 6
AIR BAGS 5
BACK OVER PREVENTION 5
ENGINE 5
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 5
159 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 2023 | STRUCTURE | Exterior paint is peeling and stripping. Hood, doors, front and rear bumper, side skirts, and front lip. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Paint on hood of car is peeling off, down to bare metal | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | While driving my cars a light starting blinking and my engine light came on and the car lost power This has happened on at least 3 occasions and I had to pull over upon starting the car after a few hours all returned to normal I reported this to dealer and they could not find a problem | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | I took my vehicle into the dealership when it was under 12,000 miles for another issue and mentioned a problem with the headlight on the right fogging up with moisture. I was immediately told that this had to be seen with their eyes because light cost more than $1,000. It has continued for over 1 1/2 years. Early this month, I took a picture at night and in the morning. The service manager wanted to add another hoop; can you get a picture of the water in it? The water is droplets on the light, decreasing visibility on the road. Pictures are attached. There is one picture that shows the left headlight with no issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | ENGINE,STRUCTURE | 2020 HYUNDAI SONATA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO GRINDING NOISE WHILE DRIVING. THE CONSUMER STATED UPON INSPECTION BY TOYOTA, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE UNDERSHIELD HAD COME LOOSE AND DRAGGING. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | STEERING | 2020 Sonata......Steering wheel has started to make a raspy, rubbing noise when turned. When researching this problem on U tube, it is apparently a fairly common problem with Hyundai vehicles. The fix requires that a bearing in the steering be replaced. If not replaced I would imagine that the bearing would eventually seize up and the car could not be steered. I checked with local dealership and they were not aware of the problem and couldn't tell me if it would be covered by my warranty. I only have 9500 miles on the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | VISIBILITY | The Panoramic sunroof has a line fracture crack which exploded for unknown reasons. A rock or any foreign object DID NOT hit the sunroof to cause it to shatter. Residue from the glass shattering got into my eyes. Freeman Hyundai stated that an object hit the sunroof it would not be covered under their warranty. A object did not hit the sunroof and it looks like Hyundai has a history of sunroof shattering unexpectedly. There were no warning signs prior to the sunroof shattering. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The AC Fan in my car quit working. Took it to a repair shop where I was told that the AC Blower Motor went bad. The blower motor was drawing too much amps and caused the blower motor fuse to melt into the wiring harness for the blower motor along with melting several other fuses nearby including the fuse box. The cost to repair this correctly fixing and addressing all parts damaged was $5000. Because my vehicle is out of warranty due to mileage I contacted Hyundai who stated that I had to go and pay another diagnostic fee at a Hyundai Dealership to have them look at it. They continued to tell me that the vehicle was out of warranty but would not assist in providing information to get the issue resolved at no cost to me. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | STEERING,ENGINE | Steering parts being replaced many times, and the engine oil is low after I just got an oil change a week ago. Excessive engine oil usage with no idea where it is going. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her husband was driving 75 MPH, the brake warning light appeared on the instrument panel as the vehicle began to hesitate upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the vehicle decelerated to 20 MPH as her husband pulled to the side of the highway and turned off the vehicle. The contact called the dealer and was given suggestions on how to correct the failure; however, none of the options worked. After some time, her husband restarted the vehicle and the vehicle resumed normal operation. The next day, the contact stated that the brake light returned upon start of the vehicle. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 19,000 |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | When accelerating hard (pedal to the floor) from approximately 55 mph, the transmission may not downshift correctly and loses power causing a safety issue. When attempting to continue accelerate at full throttle, the RPMs hang while simultaneously losing vehicle speed. Other symptoms noticed were slight vehicle jerkiness from RPMs bouncing up and down a couple of hundred RPMs. When letting off of the accelerator to a "normal" depression level, the vehicle upshifts into an appropriate gear and will gain speed (though sluggish). In the same drive (meaning the ignition was not turned off then back on) , if attempting to push accelerator to the floor, the same results happen as stated before. Also in the same drive (after exiting the highway), from a stop at a red light I tested the issue again with the same results. No warning lights, messages, or other symptoms were present to indicate a malfunction. My safety was at risk because I merged onto the highway and noticed another vehicle approaching me at an unsafe pace. Due to the issue, the car had to hit their brakes hard to avoid a crash. This is also a safety risk because if it happens from a stop, the car may fail to accelerate appropriately when turning in front of traffic. The problem has not be reproduced, confirmed or inspected by anyone besides myself. A video of the issue as it occurred was recorded. This issue is not consistent and has happened twice in approximately 3 months. My Hyundai dealership's service department suggested the car may have went into "limp mode." Given the inconsistent nature of the issue, I did not schedule an appointment to have it looked at because I would have been charged if nothing was found. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I first begin having an issue with the idle speed. It would jump up to 1,500 RPM, which is twice the normal 750 RPM level It started almost from the very beginning when I purchased this car new in early 2020. I mentioned it at first oil change at dealer at 3,500 miles. I was told it was normal. In the beginning it would come and go. Sometimes not happening for weeks in-between episodes. Then it started to have the check engine light come on after it would happen and stay on. I took it back while light was still on and they kept the car for several days. Said it was the EPV valve and replaced it. Car operated fine for a few days then started up again. It also started to idle up and down from 1500 down to 500 in a rapid succession. I was able to get it to stop sometimes by turning engine off and them back on. Again I contacted dealership and took car back in. They gave me a loaner car and kept my car for over a month. This time they replaced the computer they told me. I did not have car for more than a week before it started doing it again. It has gradually gotten worse and happens more often now. It has also started to have the Forward Collision Avoidance warning come on in addition to check engine light as well. Just this week it actually just died on me while driving and forced me to pull to side of road. Turn off the engine and restart the engine. This happen 3 times in succession. Dealership does not seem to have any idea on what is going on and have been not very helpful. 3 week wait to get an appointment to bring in and no loaner cars available. This problem with the 2020 vehicle is very dangerous. It can idle up at anytime and car will lurch, requiring forceful brakeing . Car dying while driving and losing power as well. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | while driving to work on 05.20.2022 my sunroof exploded for no apparent reason. I called my insurance company and they told me to take it to my dealership. so I did. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | BACK OVER PREVENTION | Whenever I am close to a Tesla in traffic or at a stoplight, my parking sensors go off. I believe that the frequency of my Sonata parking sensors is being interfered with by Tesla sensors. This could lead to unexpected braking in traffic. This problem has not been reproduced by a dealer or independent service center. It has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. Warning sensors go off. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | POWER TRAIN | Car is 20 months old and in that period the car has experienced on at least 3 occasions a problem with acceleration. After stopping and then attempting to accelerate the transmission had a problem engaging and increasing speed. It took probably 30-40 seconds to get from zero to 25 or so then engaged back to normal. Obviously dangerous if getting onto highway or turning in traffic. Dealership cannot replicate problem so they cannot analyze. Last instance was about 2 months ago March 2022. Similar to other incidents posted here. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | - Shifter system malfunction - Unable to use the shift buttons - Received system error on dashboard that read, "Shifter malfunction! Service immediately." Visited two dealership, who saw a photo of the system error message. Vehicle was inspected by the dealership; however, no support could be given due to the dealership not having a code for the issue. - Dealership was made aware of the issue back in November 2021; however, first available appointment with technician was not until January 2022. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | STEERING | Steering wheel makes whining/scrubbing noise when turning. Steering a vehicle is a critical component of safety and being able to avoid dangerous situations. The problem has been reported, inspected, and confirmed by a dealer. The component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or independent service center. There were no warning messages, lamps, or other symptoms of the problem prior to failure. The problem first appeared when the vehicle was under 15,000 miles. The dealership advised that the worm shaft assembly needs to be replaced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The contact leased a 2020 Hyundai Sonata. The contact state that the radar in the vehicle interacted with the radar in Ford vehicles. While parking in a parking spot there was a beeping sound detected. While at a stoplight with a vehicle in front to the side, the radar engaged when a Ford vehicle drove up. The contact stated while turning nearby another Ford vehicle the radar engaged and the driver applied the brakes. The Forward Collision-Avoidance warning light was illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 6. | Crash: No Fire: No | 6 |
| Nov 2021 | STRUCTURE | On Nov. 2020 my husband and I purchased a new 2020 Hyundai Sonata with 2mls.off the showroom floor at Daytona Hyundai dealership, Daytona Beach,Fl. We moved to Ga.One day in December, I opened the driver side back door to put groceries in the backseat and I noticed water on the door frame at the bottom ,I thought maybe I might have left the window part of the way down and rain came in. a few weeks after that I went into town I was going to put groceries again in the driver side back door and water sitting on the bottom of the frame inside the door . The window was up .So this went on every time it rained. I drove my car to Rome GA at Heritage auto group they sell Hyundai’s And also service them. [XXX] in service department he’s the manager I told him about the door where I was finding water at every time that it would rain. So he told me to bring it back when I was able to leave it. For the next couple months I had a medical emergency with our son that lives in Florida when he lost eyesight. With the specialist diagnosis he had uveitis in both eyes. The first trip was in April 2021 and I 95 southbound in Florida maybe past Saint Augustine we were driving 60 miles an hour the traffic was very heavy and all three lanes, I was in the center. It was within seconds that I seen something rubber in front of me in my lane ,it could not be avoided or I would have caused a accident with other vehicles. I ran over it on the right side front bumper so my son and I decided to drive it on down to Daytona Hyundai in Daytona where we purchased it at. The manager in the service department there inspected my car all the way around and told me the damages to the right front bumper and the plastic air dam he also said that I could leave it there but they didn’t have a loaner for me & they couldn’t give me a timeframe I told him I had to get back to Georgia take care of my husband. He said that I could have it repaired up there. He did finish cutting off the plastic air-dam . INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2021 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC | The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the front of the vehicle was wobbling. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the rotors needed to be resurfaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 11,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 11,000 |
| Oct 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Driving on the Interstate at 65mph the car suddenly goes down to 5mph. Unwanted deceleration! At the same time the dash warning lights come on. Check engine and ABS. This happened 3 times now. 2 times on the Interstate in heavy traffic and once going 35mph on a back road. Miraculously we were able to pull over without any cars slamming into us. This unwanted deceleration happened on July 28, August 18 and Sept 13. Each time after pulling to a safe area we turned the engine off, waited a few minutes and turned it back on. Then resumed normal driving speed. Brought it to the dealer after each time. This shut down started after the car was only 4 months old with 2,983 miles on it.First time they said they couldn't find anything wrong and reset the computer, said if it happens again they will look into it more. The second time they replaced a Body Assy-Throttle and Gasket. The 3rd time they replaced the front wiring assembly control. I have all the repair paper work. We were driving playing Russian roulette wondering when it will happen again. With cars speeding around us we were lucky no one was close on our tail. This is an extremely dangerous situation. Each time it was beautiful sunny weather, two times heading to the beach, 3rd time heading to NH after 2 hrs of driving and one hour stopped, resumed driving for 20 min when it happened. No common denominator. I hope that this is not happening to others. I have reported this issue to Hyundai Motors America and they have offered me $500 and 60 days to release them from any liability or claim. Since I just got my car back finally Sept 20th, I certainly can't say my concerns have been resolved. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | POWER TRAIN | 1.TRANSMISSION DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY AT ALL TIMES. IT SLIPS FROM TIME TO TIME UPON ACCELERATION, (RIGHT AFTER DECELERATION), INCREASING THE ODDS OF A COLLISION WHEN ATTEMPTING TO AVOID OTHER VEHICLES ON A COLLISION COURSE WITH MINE. 2.NOISE FROM STEERING COLUMN 3. THREE TRIPS TO DEALER HAVE BROUGHT NO RESOLUTION | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | LANE DEPARTURE | The driver seat belt pops out sometimes for reasons unknown. The speakers suddenly stop working at random times so I got lost while listening for navigation directions safely paying attention to the road instead of watching the screen for upcoming turns. And the biggest one, a few times I almost crashed into oncoming cars and guard rails because if the road has a dip the sonata decides to jerk hard to the side and overcorrect itself when lane assist is on. When the road is level it just beeps annoyingly loudly when it can't see the lines or you accidentally cross over it, but does not actively assist even tho active lane assist is on. This is a major safety issue!!!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The automatic shut off. When the car is locked I can run it for a total of 20 minutes with auto start, when it's unlocked I can run it for a total of 60 minutes. Sometimes because of my job I need to auto start it and run it for longer to either warm up or cool down and it is unsafe to leave it unlocked. There should be an option for me to turn off the time limit and not have it reset every time I restart the car! When I'm shopping and I need to leave my dog inside for instance and it's 91 degrees outside, I should be able to lock my car and let it run for as long as I need to be in the store without worry it will shut off with him inside and suffocate him in the heat. This is another HUGE safety issue! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | POWER TRAIN | The transmission since we got the vehicle has had random hard shifts. The software updates seemed to have alleviate some of the occurrences. How ever when it does happen now. The whole car shakes while at idle and shifts extremely hard. Almost like braking hard. The problem has not been reproduced at a dealership yet, taking it in ASAP for inspection. Noting relating to the power train has been replaced. Just a software update a while back. No warning lights came on the screen when it happened. My wife was going about 20 miles per hour when she tried to accelerate. It was hesitant than shifted hard, lurching forward than accelerated. When she came to a stop at the next light it was shaking the whole car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |