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What 157 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (157)Crash / fire / injury (7)Engine (90)Electrical system (46)Transmission & drivetrain (16)Fuel system (9)Brakes (7)Lights (7)Hybrid Propulsion System (5)Speed control (4)Visibility & wipers (4)Driver assistance (3)

Newest first · 157 complaints · page 7 of 7

Dec 3, 2016Lights

ON A DARK OR DIMLY LIT ROAD THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS CREATE A SHARP BOUNDARY LOOKING THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD WITH HEADLIGHT ILLUMINATION ON THE LOWER AREA AND DARKNESS ON TWO THIRDS DOWN FROM THE TOP OF THE VIEWING AREA. IT IS AS IF THE WINDSHIELD HAS A LINE HORIZONTALLY ACROSS IT TWO THIRDS DOWN IN THE FIELD OF VIEW. THE LINE BOUNCES WHEN THE CAR BOUNCES AND DARK UPPER PORTION CAN NOT BE PROPERLY VIEWED THROUGH TO SEE THE ROAD AHEAD. IT IS A SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO POOR VISIBILITY. THE DEALER HAS SAID A FEW TIMES THERE IS NO ISSUE AND NO REPORTED ISSUE. THIS IS A CONTINUOUS FLAW IN THE CAR FROM WHEN WE FIRST PURCHASED IN NOV 2015.

NHTSA ODI 10929758

Nov 1, 2016Speed control

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID. WHEN DRIVING THE VEHICLE UP OR DOWN AN HILL, IT FAILED TO MAINTAIN THE DESIRED SPEED. INSTEAD, THE VEHICLE'S SPEED WOULD INCREASE OR DECREASE 5-6 MPH FROM THE DESIRED SPEED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE VEHICLE'S RESUME FEATURE FAILED TO RETURN THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DESIRED SPEED WHEN DRIVING. THE FEATURE SET THE VEHICLE AT THE AUTOMATIC SET SPEED OF 40 MPH. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE SPEED CONTROL ONLY WORKED ON HIGH INCLINE TYPE OF ROAD CONDITIONS. IN ADDITION, THE RESUME FEATURE FAILED. THE VEHICLE'S COMPUTER SYSTEM WAS RESET; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND BELIEVED IT MAY BE PART OF THE DESIGN FEATURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,000. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10920484

Oct 27, 2016Visibility & wipers

WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON INTERSTATE , MOONROOF/SUNROOF START MAKING AWKWARD NOISE. I NOTED THE MOONROOF HAD CAME OUT OF IT'S POSITION. I HELD WITH ONE HAND AND DRIVE SO THAT OTHER VEHICLES APPROACHING WILL BE SAFE. UNFORTUNATELY I COULD NOT HOLD LONGER DUE TO THE WIND POWER AND IT FLEW BACK AND SHATTERED THE ENTIRE MOONROOF. I JUST WANT THE NHTSA TO BE AWARE OF THIS INCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10919666

Aug 28, 2016Brakes

NEW SONATA HYBRID, OWNED 3 MONTHS, MILEAGE 6,000 MILES. RIGHT REAR BRAKES HAVE LOCKED ON TWO DIFFERENT OCCASIONS AT LOW SPEED WHILE NEGOTIATING A HARD LEFT TURN ON A STATE HIGHWAY. BOTH FAILURES OCCURRED AT THE SAME HIGHWAY LOCATION ABOUT A MONTH APART. WHEN THE RIGHT REAR BRAKES LOCKED, THE VEHICLE WAS HARD TO CONTROL AND AS I WAS NEGOTIATING A SHARP TURN ON A MOUNTAIN ROAD, IT WAS TERRIFYING. IF THERE HAD BEEN OTHER VEHICLES COMING IN THE OPPOSING LANE, THERE VERY EASILY COULD HAVE BEEN A HEAD-ON COLLISION OR WORSE (I.E CAR OVER THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN). CAR WILL BE TAKEN TO DEALER FOR ANALYSIS AND REPAIR.

NHTSA ODI 10899075

Jul 26, 2016Lights

MY CAR HAS BEEN IN MOTION AT NIGHTTIME WITH THE HEAD LIGHTS ON, WHILE DRIVING AT 55 TO 75 MPH THE LIGHT IS SPREAD UP ON MY SIDES INSTEAD OF BEING DIRECTLY IN FRONT WHERE THE FOCAL POINT IS NEEDED THE MOST. I HAVE TAKEN THIS UNIT BACK TO DEALERSHIP SEVERAL TIMES AND STILL THE ISSUE IS NOT RESOLVED, I AM TOLD ITS A PROBLEM WITH THE DESIGN. I TRAVEL MOSTLY ON INTERSTATES AND HAVE 20/20 VISION. MY PREVIOUS CARS LIGHTS DID MAKE MY PATH KNOWN TO ME, WITH THIS CAR, I AM SEEING DEFUSED LIGHT AND IT SCARES ME. I'VE MADE IT KNOWN TO MY LAWYER THAT IF I HAVE A WRECK AT HIGH SPEEDS, THEN AN INVESTIGATION OF THIS MAKE AND LINE OF CARS SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO. AM I IN A CAR THAT IS WAITING TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT? OTHERWISE, I LOVE THIS CAR.

NHTSA ODI 10888842

Jul 7, 2016Electronic Stability Control (esc)

BRAKES AND EMERGENCY BRAKE FAILED. WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON SLOWED DOWN PULLED OFF ROAD AFTER SHORT TIME LIGHTS WENT OFF. THEN BACK ON AGAIN AND AGAIN NO BRAKES WE WERE IN TRANSIT CROSS COUNTRY. TRAVELING 75 MPH, THE SPEED LIMIT,

NHTSA ODI 10883368

Jun 10, 2016Engine

I SAW ENGINE POWERTRAIN PROBLEM LIGHT ON MY CAR SCREEN. SO I WENT TO CAPITAL HILL HYNDAI DEALER. I WAITED MORE THAN 6,5HOUR WITH EATING BREAKFAST AND LUNCH AT NEAR MALL. HYUNDAI EXPLAINED JUST GAS CAP TIGHTING PROBLEM. THEY NEVER EXPLAINED THE PROCESS ABOUT SIX AND HALF HOUR FIXING. I NEED DETAIL EXPLANATION ABOUT SIX HOUR FIXING PROCESS AND SINCERE APOLOGY ABOUT THE ENGINE PROBLEM SIGN IN ONE WEEK AFTER BUYING NEW CAR. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI 10873672

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Working with the data? Download all 157 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 26, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in verdict →