Home · 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-in · Complaints

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)

9 of 157 complaints match · Fuel system · clear filters

Oct 9, 2025Electrical systemEngineFuel system

The car will randomly lose acceleration and jerk forward. It will make a beeping noise while the hev system warning flashes on the dash. It also says to turn off engine. While the warning is flashing and engine light is on it goes into a limp mode and you have limited acceleration. It has almost caused multiple wrecks when I go to acceleration from turning or at lights in traffic because I cant go over 20-30 mph. I have turned the car on and off and the hev system and engine light turns off and the car continues to work normal. It eventually comes back on and does the same loss of power/hev warning. It will be random and does not matter on how fast you are going to trigger the warning lights and loss of power.

NHTSA ODI 11692279

Apr 28, 2022Fuel system

Hybrid system shut down while driving on I5 freeway at 60mph speed. Lost power completly finding myself in a very dangerous situation barely making it to the shoulder without being hit by other cars. This happened twice after 2 recalls performed on the car. Knock sensor replacement and software update. First recall was attempted by Hyundai of Kirkland WA. HEV system failure and multiple lights turned on while driving on the freeway the following day. Car was towed to Lee Johnson in Everett WA and I was told the recall was not performed correctly. After repair, same thing happened the following day. HEV failure and multiple lights turned on finding myself once again in very dangerous situation on the same busy freeway. Manufacturer is not taking this seriously. I see they have lots of vehicles with the same problem. Please investigate this failure before somebody dies. Next will file a police report. Car still at the dealership with no news on what might cause this. Has been at the dealer for over a week.

NHTSA ODI 11462544

Apr 10, 2022EngineFuel system

When entering freeway and needing to get up to speed real quick, the car will accelerate to approximately 50mph and then engine totally cuts out like the gas stopped flowing to it. I then have to let off on the gas considerably or it will not accelerate until I let off on the gas about 1/2 way. I then must "Slowly" accelerate so that it won't cut the engine again. This will happen anywhere if I take off from 0 mph and try to accelerate with peddle eventually going to floor, the car will cut the engine and will feel like its dying until I let off on the gas peddle all the way and then slowly accelerate the vehicle up to speed.

NHTSA ODI 11460292

Dec 7, 2020Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

2016 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID IGNITION ISSUE THE ENGINE IS RATTLING WHILE IDLING AND UNDER ACCELERATION AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS COMING ON. BELIEVE IT IS AN ISSUE WITH EITHER SPARK PLUGS OR IGNITION COIL. SERVICE DEPT SAID BOTH COMPONENTS LOOKED FREE OF DAMAGE UPON INSPECTION.

NHTSA ODI 11378282

Jul 10, 2019EngineFuel system

INTERMITTENT LOSS OF POWER "SPUTTER" AT ANY SPEED WITH SOLID MIL. RELEASING THE THROTTLE CLEARS THE CONDITION AND THE MIL GOES OUT. VEHICLE DRIVES NORMALLY WITH NO WARNING INDICATORS UNTIL NEXT OCCURRENCE. CAUSE UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME, BEGAN HAPPENING A FEW WEEKS AFTER ENGINE LONG BLOCK REPLACEMENT UNDER WARRANTY CAMPAIGN.

NHTSA ODI 11230694

Jun 5, 2018Electrical systemEngineFuel system

I WAS GOING ABOUT 70 MPH IN FULL ELECTRIC MODE AND THE CAR REMOVED ALL POWER FROM MY GAS PEDAL, THERE WAS LOTS OF DINGING SOUNDS AND THE DASH SAID "CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM, TURN YOUR CAR OFF". LUCKILY I WAS ALREADY TO THE FAR RIGHT SO I COULD JUST PULL TOT HE SHOULDER AND STOP THE CAR, THE BREAKS AND STEERING WERE STILL WORKING. TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, HOPING THE MARCH 2018 RECALL IS THE FIX. I HAD TO CALL AAA, ALL BLUE LINK CAPABILITIES STOPPED WORKING AS WELL. 2016 PLUGIN WITH ABOUT 25,000 MILES.

NHTSA ODI 11099959

Apr 24, 2018Electrical systemEngineFuel system

HEV CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM. CAR WOULD NOT START. CAR DROPPED @ DEALER ON 4/16/18 @ 0830. TODAY IS 4/24/18. CAR STARTED AFTER WAITING 15-20 MINS. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STILL ON WHEN DROPPED AT DEALER.

NHTSA ODI 11089970

Apr 18, 2018Fuel system

ENGINE/ELECTRICAL SHUT DOWN OCCURRED ON INTERSTATE AT HIGH SPEED IN TRAFFIC MAY 2017 NARROWLY MISSED BEING HIT FROM BEHIND. MULTIPLE ISSUES WITH CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, RELAY WAS REPLACED. WORKED FOR AWHILE. NOW (APRIL 2018) BACK IN SHOP FOR SAME PROBLEM - ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND WOULD NOT START HAD TO HAVE TOWED TO HYUNDAI DEALER. CHECKED RECALLS, FOUND THEY KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM BUT NO REMEDY FOR IT. WOULD APPRECIATE A BUY BACK PLEASE. CAN'T SELL IT OR TRADE IT KNOWING IT IS DANGEROUS. CASE #10258851

NHTSA ODI 11088803

Jun 12, 2017Transmission & drivetrainEngineFuel system

ABRUPT AND TOTAL LOSS OF ACCELERATION AT FULL THROTTLE AT OR NEAR HIGH RPM SHIFT POINTS. THIS BEHAVIOR CAN BE RELIABLY REPRODUCED BY "FLOORING IT" (ALL THE WAY, INCLUDING KICKDOWN) AND NOT LETTING GO - AS IF ONE IS EXECUTING A PASSING MANEUVER. THE POWER LOSS WILL OCCUR AT THE NEXT SHIFT POINT AFTER KICK DOWN, AND WILL NOT BE CLEARED UNTIL THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS RELEASED AND RE-APPLIED - OR AFTER APPROXIMATELY 15 TO 20 SECONDS AFTER THE OCCURRENCE IF THE DRIVER DOES NOT RELEASE THE PEDAL. IN CASES WHERE THE PEDAL IS NOT RELEASED AFTER THE POWER LOSS, THE VEHICLE WILL SURGE SUDDENLY AFTER THE CONDITION HAS CLEARED AND REPEAT THE BEHAVIOR DESCRIBED ABOVE. THIS BEHAVIOR CAN BE REPRODUCED IN ANY DRIVE PROGRAM MODE (ECO, NORMAL, SPORT,) AND IN BOTH AUTOMATIC AND MANUAL SHIFT SELECTION MODES, AND IS ESPECIALLY PREVALENT AT SPEEDS ABOVE 45 MPH WHERE SUDDEN FULL THROTTLE COMMAND CAUSES KICKDOWN. THE DRIVETRAIN SHOULD RESPOND RELIABLY WHEN IT IS COMMANDED FULL-THROTTLE. A SUDDEN POWER LOSS AT A SHIFT POINT DURING A FULL THROTTLE MANEUVER IS UNSAFE: (1) IT DISORIENTATES THE DRIVER AND; (2) CAUSES UN-COMMANDED, UNEXPECTED, AND RAPID CHANGES IN DRIVING FORCE, WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION, FRICTION, AND REACTION FORCES WHICH COULD LEAD TO A LOSS OF CONTROL.

NHTSA ODI 10994531

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 →