Hyundai Sonata Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2011 to 2013 and 2015 At least twice the 91.5 complaints of a typical Sonata year. Most described: stalling (2011, 2013, and 2015), engine failure (2012).
Best years: 2019 Under three quarters of the 72.5 complaints of a typical Sonata year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 52 mpg combined, arrived in 2020. Includes the Sonata Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid.

Sonata problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Sonata year drew 91.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of all its ranked years, higher than the median of its years since 2016 (72.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (72.5), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2011 Sonata Avoid Most described: stalling or shutting off	624	3,476	17
2013 Sonata Avoid Most described: stalling or shutting off	238	2,029	11
2012 Sonata Avoid Most described: engine failure or replacement	206	1,714	11
2015 Sonata Avoid Most described: stalling or shutting off	203	1,211	12
2017 Sonata Most described: excessive oil consumption	132	882	5
2016 Sonata Most described: engine failure or replacement	111	889	9
2018 Sonata Most described: excessive oil consumption	101	384	2
2014 Sonata Most described: stalling or shutting off	82	778	8
2023 Sonata Most described: loss of power or limp mode	79	103	2
2021 Sonata Most described: loss of power or limp mode	66	190	4
2022 Sonata Most described: stalling or shutting off and the check engine light coming on	66	117	3
2020 Sonata Most described: the check engine light coming on, then a fuel smell or fuel leak	60	199	4
2010 Sonata Most described: door lock or latch problems	33	345	2
2019 Sonata Best Most described: excessive oil consumption	30	172	0

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Sonata for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	51 mpg Hybrid	1	6
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	47 mpg Hybrid	0	28
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	47 mpg Hybrid	1	58
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	52 mpg Hybrid	2	103
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	52 mpg Hybrid	3	117
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	52 mpg Hybrid	4	190
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	52 mpg Hybrid	4	199
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	42 mpg Hybrid	0	172
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	42 mpg Hybrid	2	384
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	42 mpg Hybrid	5	882
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	41 mpg Hybrid	9	889
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	12	1,211
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	8	778
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	37 mpg Hybrid	11	2,029
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	11	1,714
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Hybrid	17	3,476	4 to 5 stars
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	25 mpg Gas	2	345	Not rated

Best rating leaves out the plug-in hybrid, which EPA rates on gas and on electricity separately. MPG by year lists both ratings.

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2011: 3,476 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Hyundai Sonata
Model year	Complaints
2010	345
2011	3,476
2012	1,714
2013	2,029
2014	778
2015	1,211
2016	889
2017	882
2018	384
2019	172
2020	199
2021	190
2022	117
2023	103
2024	58
2025	28
2026	6

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 25 to 32 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2020. Hybrid: 36 to 52 mpg (2011 to 2026); highest in 2020.

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 32 mpg · hybrid 51 mpg

Show as a table

Hyundai Sonata best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	25	–
2011	27	36
2012	27	36
2013	27	37
2014	27	37
2015	31	37
2016	31	41
2017	31	42
2018	31	42
2019	31	42
2020	32	52
2021	32	52
2022	32	52
2023	32	52
2024	29	47
2025	32	47
2026	32	51

Every Sonata year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Hyundai Sonata vs Toyota CamryMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Hyundai Sonata years should you avoid?

The 2011 to 2013 and 2015 Sonata are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 91.5 owner complaints of a typical Sonata year in its first three years. Owners of the 2011 most often describe stalling. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Hyundai Sonata years?

The 2019 Sonata is the best year: it drew 30 owner complaints in its first three years, under three quarters of the 72.5 complaints of a typical Sonata year since 2016, and it has no open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Hyundai Sonata years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2011 (624) drew the most, then the 2013 (238). Owners of the 2011 most often describe stalling or shutting off.

Which Hyundai Sonata years have the most recalls?

The 2011 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (17), then the 2015 (12). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Four recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired, covering 2011 to 2015, 2023 models. Each year's recalls page lists them first.

What are the most common Hyundai Sonata problems?

In the 12,581 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe stalling or shutting off (1,520 complaints); engine failure or replacement (1,456 complaints); and loss of power or limp mode (981 complaints). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Hyundai Sonata year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 52 mpg combined, first reached by the 2020 hybrid version. The plug-in hybrid, rated separately, gets up to 40 mpg on gas alone and 99 MPGe on electricity.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.