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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)

4 of 157 complaints match · Speed control · clear filters

Oct 23, 2023Electrical systemSpeed controlDriver assistance

HEV WARNING TURN OFF ENGINE SIGN WHILE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE MY CAR LOST POWER AND THE CAR BEHIND ME HAD TO SUDDENLY MOVE OVER THIS IS VERY UNSAFE WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE

NHTSA ODI 11551358

Nov 21, 2022Electrical systemSpeed control

While driving on the highway at speed, I received a red Check Hybrid System error, and immediately lost all acceleration, putting myself and all occupants at risk on a busy interstate highway, as we tried to find a safe way to quickly change lanes and coast to a stop in a safe location. The cause is under diagnosis by a Hyundai Service Center. This was a sudden failure and there had been no previous warning alerting us to substandard system condition.

NHTSA ODI 11494395

Dec 14, 2017Speed controlCrash

HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/Z4THV5A3LRK DYNAMIC CRUISE CONTROL THAT STOPS AND STARTS IN BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC IS WHAT SOLD ME ON THIS CAR. LAMENTABLY, I DID NOT KNOW HYUNDAI EXCLUDES AEB FROM HYBRID LTD ULTRAS. AS THE VIDEO SHOWS, FRANTIC BEEPING FROM THE FORWARD COLLISION WARNING SYSTEM WAS NOT ACCOMPANIED BY ANY BRAKING AT ALL. I SLAMMED ON THEM TOO LATE. I WAS IN DCC MODE WHEN THE WARNING SOUNDED. DCC CAN GRADUALLY SLOW FROM FREEWAY SPEED TO A STOP AND RESUME, BUT FCW APPARENTLY CANCELS DCC'S BRAKING! THIS MUST BE NO MORE THAN A DIFFERENCE IN SOFTWARE BETWEEN GAS-ONLY AND HYBRID LTD ULTRAS BECAUSE ALL SENSING AND CONTROL HARDWARE ARE IDENTICAL. HYUNDAI'S RESPONSE TO MY INQUIRIES ARE JUST REPETITIOUS CONFIRMATIONS OF WHAT I ALREADY DISCOVERED THE HARD AND EXPENSIVE WAY.

NHTSA ODI 11054632

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

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 →