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2005 Hyundai Sonata

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2005 Hyundai Sonata do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 161.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

128 reports with mileage · 37 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Air Bags. Review the 55 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Structure. Review the 30 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Suspension. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

26 crash reports2 fire reports19 injury reports

Air Bags complaints

55 reports
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27,286 miles · Jan 27, 2007
Air BagsCrashInjury

CAR RAN STOP SIGN IN FRONT OF ME. HIT OTHER VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH DIRECTLY ON ITS FRONT AXLE. MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DAMAGE TO FRONT END OF SONATA IN EXCESS OF $4000. *NM

NHTSA ODI #10180886

3,000 miles · Jun 13, 2006
Air BagsService Brakes, HydraulicCrash

HUSBAND DRIVING AT LOW SPEED, CAR IN FRONT OF HIM STOPPED; BRAKES ON SONATA FAILED-HIT BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, BUT SONATA STILL DID NOT STOP; CAR WAS AT THE DEALER (SAVAGE HYUNDAI) THE WEEK BEFORE FOR INSPECTION AND ALL WAS FINE; HUSBAND HIT CAR IN FRONT OF HIM AND THAT PERSON HIT ANOTHER CAR. IN ADDITION, AIR BAGS DID NOT DE…

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HUSBAND DRIVING AT LOW SPEED, CAR IN FRONT OF HIM STOPPED; BRAKES ON SONATA FAILED-HIT BRAKE PEDAL TO THE FLOOR, BUT SONATA STILL DID NOT STOP; CAR WAS AT THE DEALER (SAVAGE HYUNDAI) THE WEEK BEFORE FOR INSPECTION AND ALL WAS FINE; HUSBAND HIT CAR IN FRONT OF HIM AND THAT PERSON HIT ANOTHER CAR. IN ADDITION, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS $6700 WORTH OF FRONT END DAMAGE; TOLD DEALER-SAID HIGH HIT; CALLED HYUNDAI-IMPLIED DAMAGE WAS HIGH AND PERHAPS AIR BAGS SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED, BUT MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT TO FILE A FORMAL COMPLAINT; SAID WE NEEDED PICTURES, ETC.; CAR WAS AT THE HYUNDAI DEALER BEING FIXED; BOTH HYUNDAI DEALER AND HYUNDAI CORPORATE NOT MAKING THINGS EASY. *NM

NHTSA ODI #10159732

26,185 miles · Apr 11, 2006
Air BagsCrashInjury

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE CRASHED AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT TRIED TO AVOID AN ANIMAL IN THE ROAD AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. THE POINT OF IMPACT WAS TO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT WEARING A SEAT BELT AND THE CONTACT'S HEAD BUSTED THE WINDSHIELD. ONL…

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DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE CRASHED AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONTACT TRIED TO AVOID AN ANIMAL IN THE ROAD AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE. THE POINT OF IMPACT WAS TO THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT WAS NOT WEARING A SEAT BELT AND THE CONTACT'S HEAD BUSTED THE WINDSHIELD. ONLY MINOR INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED. THE POLICE WERE AT THE SCENE OF THE ACCIDENT AND FILED A WRITTEN REPORT. ADDITIONAL, PROPERTY DAMAGE WAS TO THE PARKED VEHICLE. UPDATED 5/10/2006 - *NM

NHTSA ODI #10155065

Mileage unknown · Oct 5, 2005
Air BagsCrashInjury

I WAS DRIVING DOWN A ROAD AT 30-35 MPH WHEN I HAD A SIDEWALL BLOW OUT IN MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE, THE BLOW OUT CAUSED MY AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY WHICH HAD KNOCKED ME UNCONSCIOUS FOR A FEW MOMENTS. AFTER CONTACTING HYUNDAI, THEY ADMITTED THEY HAVE HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING BEFORE ON THEIR 2005 SONATAS, THEY HAVE NOT HOWEVER ISSUED A RECALL O…

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I WAS DRIVING DOWN A ROAD AT 30-35 MPH WHEN I HAD A SIDEWALL BLOW OUT IN MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE, THE BLOW OUT CAUSED MY AIRBAGS TO DEPLOY WHICH HAD KNOCKED ME UNCONSCIOUS FOR A FEW MOMENTS. AFTER CONTACTING HYUNDAI, THEY ADMITTED THEY HAVE HEARD OF THIS HAPPENING BEFORE ON THEIR 2005 SONATAS, THEY HAVE NOT HOWEVER ISSUED A RECALL OR A NOTICE TO CONSUMERS WARNING THEM OF THE POSSIBLE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. AFTER BEING UNCONSCIOUS, I HIT 3 PARKED CARS AND PROCEEDED TO ROLL MY CAR UPSIDE DOWN. *NM

NHTSA ODI #10138669

Mileage unknown · Jun 28, 2005
Air BagsSteeringSuspensionCrashInjury

DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SUSPENSION FAILED WHILE DRIVING. THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED BEFORE IMPACT. THE CONTACT DID NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT PART FAILED BECAUSE HE DID NOT HAVE THE VEHICLE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT WAS AT THE REPAIR SHOP. THE TIE ROD END WAS BENT. WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 10-15 MP…

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DT: THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HYUNDAI SONATA. THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT SUSPENSION FAILED WHILE DRIVING. THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED BEFORE IMPACT. THE CONTACT DID NOT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT PART FAILED BECAUSE HE DID NOT HAVE THE VEHICLE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT WAS AT THE REPAIR SHOP. THE TIE ROD END WAS BENT. WHILE DRIVING AT ABOUT 10-15 MPH HEARD LIKE A CRACK, AND THEN THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED, AND VEHICLE HIT A PARKED CAR. THE ROAD CONDITIONS WERE NORMAL ON PAVEMENT. THERE WAS NO IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE PASSENGER SIDE WHEEL OR HUB CAP. THE FAILURE OCCURRED AT NORMAL DRIVING. *AK

NHTSA ODI #10126962

Official recalls

1

09V280000 · Exterior Lighting

Jul 21, 2009

HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 3,011 MODEL YEAR 2005-2007 ELANTRA, TUCSON, SONATA, AZERA AND ACCENT VEHICLES. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO FAIL TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A DEFECTIVE STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY ALSO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFT OUT OF THE "PARK" POSITION. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND IT MAY NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: ANY OF THESE MALFUNCTIONS COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI OF PUERTO RICO CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-787-999-4310.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.