2018 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

The passenger side seat belt locks up. It can lock up immediately when putting it on or it can lock up if I just lean a little bit forward. It will get tighter and tighter to the point where it is very uncomfortable. I have to unhook the seatbelt and re hook. Sometimes this takes many attempts. This is scary when you are going down the highway at 65mph. The dealership has replaced it twice. They were able to see the problem because my husband drove straight to the dealership once when it locked up on me. The last time they replaced it, no one was in the passenger side until we were leaving for vacation. We didn't even get out of the garage when it locked up again. The dealership was reluctant to replace it. They said all seat belts lock up! Because of Covid my husband and I haven't driven much. Once we started going out again we became aware of the problem.

On May 03, 2022 at approximately 3:30pm I was traveling southbound on Arizona State Route 101 in Tempe, Arizona. I was going about 75 mph, and without no warning my car shut off. I had to pull off to the shoulder of the highway to avoid being struck by other vehicles, and also incase I lost control. My Hyundai picked up nails on 3 of the 4 tires in the process. I barely avoided a fatal accident due to the defect, which I had no idea about.

For the fourth time the HEV light (and others) has come on and the dash has lit up while I was driving, with the last three times leaving us stranded in dangerous road situations with little or no power. The light first came on in July 2020 at 40,089 miles. A dealership reset the codes and I had no problems until June 7, 2022 when the lights lit up on the dash again and the car died and I had to have it towed to a local dealership. They could find nothing wrong with it and checked all the wiring and said none of the codes were coming up and that the car ran fine for them when test driving a day or two after I had it towed. So they released the car back to me deeming it good to go. Then only 19 days later on June 26, 2022 the HEV light among other lit up again and the dash indicated to pull over and cut the car off due to the hybrid system. I had it towed to the nearest dealership again. The then looked at it and said they reset all the codes and everything looked to be good to go. Then AGAIN on Aug 8, 2022 (3rd time in two months), we were put in a dangerous situation trying to get the car off a busy highway when the HEV light (and others) again lit up the dash and our power went almost completely out while the engine jerked violently as we tried to avoid being hit by cars while trying to get off the highway before it completely died on us. Four times now Hyundai dealers have shrugged this off saying "we reset the codes" and we can't find an issue. We have been put in dangerous traffic conditions three of these times.

The issue that I am having with my 2018 Hyundai Sonata is excessive oil consumption. And yes the vehicle is available for inspection. My family and I are put at risk because of the high oil consumption the engine may seize at any time. I have been told that not only is the engine is at risk but also the exhaust system due to the possibility of oil build up there also causing safety issues. The Sonata has been put through an oil consumption test by a local Hyundai dealership. This consists of changing the oil and then at 1000 mile intervals up to 3000 miles the oil level is checked by a dealer mechanic to check for oil loss. During this 1st test period one check had a loss of 3/4 of a quart and another was 1 3/4 of a quart. After this 1st series of tests there was a complete engine cleaning to remove all built-up oil residue within the engine followed the checking of oil levels again every 1000 miles 3 times. Again, oil losses varied from 1 quart to a 1/2 quart loss. I was assigned a case manager to monitor these tests. At the completion of the testing, after 4 weeks of hearing nothing from my case manager even though I had left multiple messages, he called and said that these results were considered normal by Hyundai. Again, all tests were completed by a authorized Hyundai dealership. There were no warning lights or messages but I did hear a slight knocking noise within the engine. I checked the oil on a regular basis after that and noticed the continued loss of oil. The was no smoke coming from the exhaust or no noticeable signs of oil loss on the engine or my garage floor. Although Hyundai recommends oil changes every 7500 miles I had oil changes every 3000 to 4000 miles by my Hyundai dealer. No one else. I also spoke to mechanics other than Hyundai and was told that there was an ongoing problem with Hyundai engines for oil loss. That is why I initiated the oil consumption test with my dealership.

I was driving and tried to make a turn when the steering wheel gave out on me unexpectedly. This lead my car to continue forward onto the other lane of oncoming traffic. The steering wheel signal also turned on. When my car was finally able to turn and I arrived at my destination, I parked my car for 2 hrs. After it was time to leave the battery then died. I was unable to use the key or inside button to open my trunk, and had to wait for assistance. I believe these two issues correlate with the electrical power steering.

On the way home from the produce store today, the engine seemed to stall or seize while I was driving and the car reacted in a jerky manner. I kept going, as I was close to home, but could only travel about 20 mph, and it would periodically feel as if it were about to conk out. Check engine light came on at this point. Made it home, but no longer feel safe driving it. Am online now, searching for what to do. What I experienced sounds like the engine recall problem others have experienced, although my 2018 Hyundai Sonata is not on the recall list. Perhaps it should be.

Purchased a certified pre-owned 2018 Hyundai Sonata - found out recently the car is burning/losing oil- A few weeks after having an oil and filter change my oil warning light started flashing while driving.. Checked engine oil and could not believe that oil was almost empty.. Major concern is for major engine malfunction and possible locking up while driving- which could be fatal !!! Now I have to monitor oil levels/consumption every other day- I have contacted Hyundai and they're suggesting that I be without transportation while they take an undetermined amount of time to test the vehicle which is unacceptable !

2018 Sonata Hybrid May 19 - "Check Hybrid System Turn Engine Off" appeared on the dashboard. Vehicle brought to dealership. May 22 - I pay for a rental vehicle May 26 - Dealer states vehicle is ready and they performed service campaign 966. May 27 - My rental car is returned. Dealer picks me up and I go to dealership. I get into my car and "Check Hybrid System Turn Engine Off" appeared on the dashboard. Vehicle never driven off dealership lot. Dealership pays for my rental this time. June 10 - Dealer states vehicle is ready and they performed service campaign 966 (dealer says there are 2 software updates and the first time they only did 1). I return rental and pick up my vehicle. June 11 - "Check Hybrid System Turn Engine Off" . I go to dealer. Dealer turns off check engine light and tells me vehicle is safe to drive and bring the vehicle back on the 13th (Monday). Dealer affirms vehicle is safe, they cannot get me a car rental today and my vehicle is fine. I drive the vehicle home. Some time later, check engine light comes back on, vehicle loses power (engine cuts off?) and stalls in the intersection. I immediately turn on hazard lights. Depleting the hybrid battery (?) I am able to slowly bring the vehicle into a parking lot right after the intersection before I lose (all?) power. Vehicle is towed to dealer. June 13 - Picked up a 3rd rental car

Driving on Interstate 10 westbound at about 0700. Clear day. No adjacent vehicles. The frontal crash avoidance alert suddenly went off and automated emergency braking activated as I approached an underpass. There were some slightly harsh shadows, but not the worst I have seen and I drive this segment every day. Entire event was very short. No injury or other event occurred.

I was stopped at a red light and when it turned green, I began to accelerate. The car stuttered and the check engine light was blinking. I pulled over and had Autozone run the code. The code is P1326, engine knock sensor. It was put into limp mode and it shook pretty bad in lower gears while accelerating. I had to pull over and let several cars pass me as I couldn't go above 2,000 RPMs. When I got home, I called roadside assistance and had it towed to the nearest dealership. That was this morning (5-4-2022). I just purchased this car used in the beginning of March. I don't have all the records since I just purchased the vehicle used. I just changed the oil last week.