2012 HYUNDAI SONATA Complaints

View complaints related to 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA. The complaints found here are submitted by actual consumers with first hand experience. There are more than 1,630 complaints submitted for the 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA. You can submit your own complaint to the NHTSA or call the Hotline, Monday-Friday 8am to 8pm at (888) 327-4236, TTY: (800) 424-9153.

  • 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID
    - Walnut Hill, FL

    The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that he had changed the battery due to a previous battery failure. The contact stated that when the vehicle was started a warning for "Check Brakes - Hybrid System Warning - Safely Stop and Do Not Drive" message was displayed along with warning beeps. The contact checked the brake fluid level which was full. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked with the engine running and the brake depressed, the contact heard a high-pitched grinding sound coming from under the hood. The contact stated that the brake pedal shaking abnormally. The vehicle was not taken to the local dealer and had not been diagnosed or repaired. The contact no longer drove the vehicle due to the failure. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 128,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA
    - East Meadow, NY

    The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that occasionally while driving 66 MPH and other speeds, the vehicle lost power and decelerated. The contact stated that the power steering was still functional during the failure. There was no warning light illuminated. The accelerator pedal was depressed several times and the vehicle operated normally. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but was happening more frequently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed; however, the mechanic did not recover any fault codes. The mechanic duplicated the failure and informed the contact that there was a hesitation in the engine instead of a loss of motive power. The fuel injectors were cleaned however, the failure recurred. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 84,000.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA
    - San Antonio, TX

    1. The engine failed due to rod knock - rod bearing wear/damage. This vehicle is in the possession of Killeen Hyundai. 2. This engine failure occurred on the highway while my family and I were traveling. 3. The Killeen dealership has confirmed this information over the phone but we do not have documentation of this. We are unable to contact the dealership for any updates or statuses for 2 months now. 4. unknown 5. No warning lights or indicator appeared prior to the issue. This occurred on 12-16-2021.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA
    - Petersburg , PA

    On January 29th I was driving my 2012 Hyundai Sonata to my dads and the check engine light was on. We used a scanner to see what codes were present and there were none so we cleared the light. On February 1st we were driving back from getting tires put on the car and getting the inspection done and the engine seized up with no warning while driving. We got the car towed to freysinger Hyundai in mechanicsburg pa and when they looked over the car they stated that it failed the bearing test and due to the engine failure recall on my car Hyundai should replace it. Hyundai is denying the engine replacement because of the previous owner didn’t do the ecm update when that has nothing to do with the bearings and oil in the car.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA
    - Stockbridge, GA

    Original Report: 1/28/22 to HyundaiUSA Problem with car started day after alignment. First noticed (while going up driveway) pressing accelerator did nothing - press again then OK. Got out to open gate, noticed brake lights on. Later (after dark), came out and brake lights on. Driving home noticed ESC light on - ESC off button had no effect. I found this exact description on "CarComplaints.com" from 2019 and it references recall #136. Next day I cranked the car, and the "ESC off" indicator came on. I was then able to turn off with the ESC off button. Update: 1/29/22 Next day same issue with brake light. Able to reset ESC light but it came back on after driving about 15 miles. I noticed that the issue with the sudden deceleration occurred while going 55 mph. It happened about 3 times in the 5 mile return trip. Releasing the accelerator pedal then pressing again provided acceleration. When I got out of the car, the brake light remained on. Update 1/30/22 The ESC light reset itself automatically when I cranked the car. While warming up the car in the garage, the brake light came on and I tapped the brake to turn off. This happened 4 times. I was pulling out of a side road onto a busy road with limited sight of oncoming traffic. As I started out, the acceleration died, and a car came around the curve/hill. I managed to release the accelerator and re-apply and got out of the driver’s way – he was able to slow down enough to avoid an accident. Issue happened several times while driving to my destination. A few minutes after going inside, the car security horn started sounding. I used the remote to turn off. I went back in, and it started blowing again. I pulled the fuse for the horn from under the hood. The ESC light did not come back on during this trip but the brake light did numerous times. My research found that the brake light switch has been blamed for some of these issues. But a faulty brake light switch would prevent engaging gear shift.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA
    - THOMASTON, GA

    2012 HYUNDAI SONATA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ENGINE FAILURE. THE CONSUMER STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN, IT SHUT OFF CAUSING THE DRIVER TO CRASH INTO A CURB. THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL OF THE VEHICLE WAS BENT. THE CONSUMER REQUESTED INFORMATION PERTAINING TO ANY RECALLS.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA
    - Kyle , TX

    My brake lights constantly burns out and I’m having to repair them every month. My brake lights also stay illuminated when I am pressing the brake which does not show that I am stopping or slowing down. This is a MAJOR safety issue that needs to be repaired

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA
    - New Smyrna Beach, FL

    The contact's son owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her son was driving at various speeds, an abnormal knocking noise would emit from the engine without warning. Upon investigation, her son discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V568000 (Engine) which he linked to the failure. Her son then took the vehicle to a dealer where he was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer was also notified, and her son was informed that the recall on the vehicle had expired. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. The VIN was not available.

    Source: HOTLINE VEHICLE OWNERS QUESTIONNAIRE
  • 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA
    - Heber City, UT

    About a year ago, my 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid had an error with an alarm that would pop up on the screen but was too fast to catch what it said. It would happen a couple of times a month. One day, I was driving about 60 mph and the alarm came on, the car stalled and it said to not drive the car. I was able to roll to a stop on the side of the road. I turned off the car and had it towed to my house. In looking at it, I turned it on and everything seemed fine. This happened another time about a month later. The second time, I just turned off the car, let it sit for a minute and turned it back on. I took it into a dealer and they said they couldn't figure it out and to bring it back if it kept happening. It hasn't had a problem since then until this morning. Here, nearly a year later, I was in the middle of a busy intersection and it gave the error and alarm and the car stalled. I turned it off, let it sit for a few seconds and then turned it back on and backed up. Fortunately, the cars coming at me noticed I couldn't move and stopped! I would pay to have this fixed if they knew what was going on! Everything I see online about this issue, no one knows what is causing it. I wouldn't feel comfortable selling it to someone else knowing this is such a safety issue. It's just a pile of metal at this point.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE
  • 2012 HYUNDAI SONATA
    - Owensboro, KY

    While driving the car started smoking white smoke and locked up. I was unable to get off roadway and almosred caused wreck. Had vehicle towed to dealership they said ut had a recall on it for engine failure. Checked the engine and it was locked up. They submitted the engine replace to hyundai and they denied because I didn't have a software update done prior to engine failure. Had no warning at all.

    Source: NHTSA WEB SITE