What 758 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Hyundai Sonata

My 2017 Hyundai Sonata Sport Limited 2.4 has a known engine defect causing excessive oil consumption. The vehicle was at an authorized Hyundai dealership for the oil consumption test and had been approved for a new engine replacement. Prior to the repair, I completed $2,300 in maintenance, specifically an oil combustion cleaning and spark plug replacement, which the dealership said was required to perform the oil consumption test. While the vehicle was in the dealership’s custody, it caught fire on 12/19/2025 at World Hyundai Matteson. No one was injured, but the car was destroyed. This occurred while the vehicle was under warranty repair, creating a serious safety risk. I am submitting this complaint to document the fire and the associated safety issue with this engine defect.

NHTSA ODI 11707642

The contact owned a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while on travel, the contact stopped at a local gas station. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, the contact was informed by the store attendant that the vehicle was on fire. The contact noticed the fire came from under the hood compartment and the vehicle was engulfed with flames. The contact stated an off-duty police officer and the store owner attempted to extinguish the fire with fire extinguishers, however, they were unsuccessful. The fire department was called, arrived on the scene, and extinguished the fire but the vehicle was already consumed by the fire. The vehicle and all properties in the vehicle were destroyed in the fire. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned to total loss by the insurance company. A police report was filed. In addition, the contact stated that 75 miles before the fire occurrence, the vehicle was started, and the contact noticed white smoke exiting from under the hood compartment. The contact interpreted it to be frost from the start of the engine being cold. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000

NHTSA ODI 11642137

The contact owned a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact noticed smoke was coming from the engine compartment. No warning light was illuminated. The contact exited the vehicle and discovered that the engine compartment was on fire. The vehicle was not occupied during the fire. The local Fire Department (Cuyahoga Heights Fire Department) came and extinguished the fire; a Fire Department report was filed. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was not drivable and was diagnosed as totaled. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,500. 

NHTSA ODI 11626815

The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and turned off, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated the engine compartment had caught on fire. The contact’s spouse extinguished the vehicle. The local fire department was not contacted, and a report was not filed. however, a cause for the failure was not yet determined. A Police report was not filed. There were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.

NHTSA ODI 11610500

I was taking the car doing the oil consumption test for the 3rd time and I had just got it out the shop one hour before this happen

NHTSA ODI 11566043

I purchased the vehicle in December and the same weak it began leaking oil the window won’t roll down and the car shuts down by itself. It caused me to have an accident and the dealership has repaired it 14 times with the same issue. They are forcing me to drive an unsafe vehicle I need to report this vehicle as unsafe

NHTSA ODI 11528644

The contact owned a 2017 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 30-30 MPH, he saw smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon opening the hood, he saw fire. The contact stated that the fire burned the front end and interior of the vehicle. The contact was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of the fire department. There were no injuries sustained. A fire department report was filed. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot yard where it was totaled. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11501070

The engine rod bearing gave out and cause the car to stop abrubtly. This caused a pile up car accident directly behind me. My car was not hit thankfully but the engine is damaged and Hyundai said they will not replace it even though there is a recall on the engine.

NHTSA ODI 11485549

The Hyundai was started, feint knocking was heard. Progressed louder as vehicle accelerated, engine then stalled, check engine light and oil pressure light turned on and traction control disengaged as the vehicle erupted into a rolling blaze

NHTSA ODI 11459926

Vehicle’s engine began to emit a knocking sound that would increase in volume and speed as engine progressed in speed. Engine suddenly lost power, check engine light began to flash and traction control disabled itself. Vehicle was pulled over and turned off when it immediately began to rapidly self immolate over the course of minutes while the power to the engine was completely disabled.

NHTSA ODI 11459462

Vehicle caught fire while undergoing warranty repairs

NHTSA ODI 11439559

I WAS DRIVING VERY SLOWLY TO MAKE A TURN INTO MY GARAGE WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND HIT THE SIDE OF MY HOUSE BREAKING THROUGH A PATIO GUARD RAIL. THE FRONT WHEELS OF THE CAR WENT OVER THE BULKHEAD. INSURANCE COMPANY SENT A WRECKER TO RETRIEVE THE VEHICLE. THE INSURANCE COMPANY TOTALED THE CAR. THIS UNINTENDED ACCELERATION HAD OCCURRED ONCE WHEN I WAS DRIVING ON A STATE ROAD IN CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED BEYOND THE SET CRUISE CONTROL SPEED. THIS OCCURRED AGAIN ON THE DAY BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. THIS UNINTENDED ACCELERATION HAD ALSO OCCURRED WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING THE CAR WHILE IN SPEED CONTROL.

NHTSA ODI 11180985

MY CAR IS A DEATH TRAP, I HAVE ALREADY BEEN IN ONE ACCIDENT AND TOO SCARED TO DRIVE IT, IT JUST SITS IN MY DRIVEWAY. WHEN YOU MAKE A LEFT TURN AT SAY A RED LIGHT THE CAR GO'S ABOUT 5 FEET AND THEN STOPS FOR 3 SECONDS, PEOPLE BEHIND HONK AT YOU AND THEN THE CAR ROCKETS FORWARD, I HAVE ALREADY BEEN HIT ONCE AND THE OTHER DRIVER TOOK OFF, SO I WAS LEFT WITH THE BILL. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THEY CAN'T FIX IT, EVEN THOUGH IT HAS A POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. PLEASE TELL ME WHAT I CAN DO. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).' *PM

NHTSA ODI 11171232

ON SATURDAY 9/16/17 I WAS AT A STOP LIGHT SITTING STILL WHEN MY CAR STALLED AND WENT DEAD. I LOOKED AT THE DASHBOARD AND SAW THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON. THE BRAKE WAS FROZEN AND BEFORE I COULD RESTART THE CAR IT ROLLED INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. THERE NO DAMAGE TO HER JEEP. HOWEVER MY CAR HIT THE SPARE TIRE AND RACK ON THE BACK OF HER TRUNK, CAUSING DAMAGE TO THE HOOD OF MY CAR, THE GRILL AND LOWER BUMPER. WE DID NOT EXCHANGE INFORMATION, AS SHE DID NOT HAVE DAMAGE TO HER CAR, SO SHE LEFT THE SCENE. I DROVE THE CAR HOME (2 MILES FROM MY HOUSE) AND CALLED THE DEALERSHIP. THEY TOLD ME TO BRING THE CAR IN. I BROUGHT IT IN THE SAME DAY. RAYMOND, THE SERVICE AGENT CAME OUTSIDE TO SURVEY THE DAMAGE AND I TOLD HIM WHAT HAPPENED. HE WENT TO TALK TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AND LATER CAME OUT AND SAID THEY WILL TAKE THE CAR AND PUT IT ON THE MACHINE TO GET A DIAGNOSTIC READING TO SEE WHY THE CAR STALLED. THEY GAVE ME A LOANER CAR AND I LEFT. ON MONDAY, 9/19/17, I RETURNED TO THE DEALERSHIP AFTER I GOT OFF WORK AND WAS TOLD BY RAYMOND THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG THUS FAR. HE SAID HE WANTED TO KEEP THE CAR ANOTHER DAY OR TWO TO TAKE IT FOR A DRIVE AND TRY TO SEE IF IT WOULD STALL AGAIN. I AGREED AND ASKED RAYMOND TO ALSO CHECK THE FUEL INJECTORS, FUEL PUMP, FUEL REGULATOR, AS MY FRIEND WHO IS A CAR MECHANIC SUGGESTED TO ME THAT THIS CAN CAUSE A CAR TO STALL ALSO. HE SAID OKAY. ON TODAY, WEDNESDAY 9/21/17, RAYMOND CALLED ME AND SAID THEY TOOK THE CAR OUT FOR A DRIVE AND IT DID NOT STALL, NOR COULD THEY GET A READING THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WHEN THEY PUT IT ON THE MACHINE. HE SAID HE COULD NOT UNDERSTAND WHY THE CAR WOULD STALL. I ASKED FOR A DIAGNOSTIC REPORT AND HE SAID HE COULD ONLY GIVE ME A COPY OF THE SERVICE TICKET. I AM AFRAID THAT THIS CAR COULD STALL AGAIN AND WHAT IF IT HAPPENS WHILE DRIVING -- IT COULD BE MUCH WORST DAMAGE AND BODILY HARM. PLEASE HELP!

NHTSA ODI 11024819