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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.

About this comparison →
165Owner complaints

Model-year median: 161

1Recall campaigns

View recall details →

0Investigations

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How this year compares

Owner complaints by model year

Other model years Selected year
319
2002199
2003202
2004165
20051,047
2006696
2007425
2008
Compare all Sonata years →

Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.

What owners reported most

Air Bags
55Structure
30Suspension
26Electrical System
19Exterior Lighting
17
All reported categories
Engine
6Service Brakes
6Service Brakes, Hydraulic
6Steering
6Unknown Or Other
6Vehicle Speed Control
6Engine And Engine Cooling
5Power Train
5Fuel System, Gasoline
4Visibility
4Wheels
4Seat Belts
3Seats
2Equipment
1Equipment Adaptive/mobility
1Fuel/propulsion System
1Latches/locks/linkages
1Tires
1

Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.

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

Latches/locks/linkages complaints

1 reports
Clear category filter
Mileage unknown · Aug 11, 2008
Air BagsElectrical SystemExterior LightingCrashInjury

THE 2005 HYUNDAI SONATA GLS HAS SEVERAL PROBLEMS THAT SHOULD BE UNDER WARRANTY AND RECALLED, CLOSE TO THE 2006 RECALLS. WE OWN A COMPANY AND HAVE PURCHASED OVER 12 TO 14 HYUNDAIS. WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE SONATA GLS 2005 HAS PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT, SEATBELT RESTRAINT, THE FRONT TIRES ARE CLOSER TO THE BACK & NOT CENT…

Read full complaint

THE 2005 HYUNDAI SONATA GLS HAS SEVERAL PROBLEMS THAT SHOULD BE UNDER WARRANTY AND RECALLED, CLOSE TO THE 2006 RECALLS. WE OWN A COMPANY AND HAVE PURCHASED OVER 12 TO 14 HYUNDAIS. WE HAVE FOUND THAT THE SONATA GLS 2005 HAS PROBLEMS WITH THE AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT, SEATBELT RESTRAINT, THE FRONT TIRES ARE CLOSER TO THE BACK & NOT CENTERED ON THE WHEEL WELL (HAS BEEN THIS WAY SINCE PURCHASED, BUT THEY DO NOT CORRECT.), HAVE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS & THAT UNIBODY TYPE FRAME & SO ON. IN AN ACCIDENT WHERE A TRUCK LEFT THE TAIL GATE DOWN & A LADDER HIT THE WINDSHIELD, THE CAR WAS THEN PARKED, TURNED OFF , THE KEYS TAKING OUT OF THE IGNITION & THEN BEGAN LOOKING FOR THE CELL PHONE THEN PROCEEDED TO OPEN THE DOOR TO GET OUT INFER ALL THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG DEPLOYED WHICH ALSO CAUSED THE FRONT DRIVER'S SEAT BELT TO LOCK UP & CAN NOT BE PULLED OUT TO WEAR. HYUNDAI STATES THAT THIS IS NOT WARRANTED EVEN THOUGH IT WAS DEPLOYED AFTER THE ACCIDENT OCCURED. HYUNDAI HAD A GREAT WARRANTY 10 YEARS AGO. THEY DO NOT STAND UP TO THEIR WARRANTY AS BEFORE & I HAVE FOUND THAT SOME OF THE WARRANTY HAS CHANGED. I HAVE SWITCHED TO TOYOTA. HYUNDAI HAS DONE NOTHING SO FAR TO CORRECT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10237787

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.