NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
What owners actually said
86 reportsMileage unknown · Jan 7, 2026
Power Train
On January 6, 2026, during my morning commute in heavy traffic, my 2023 Hyundai Sonata engine unexpectedly turned off, causing a sudden loss of power. This created an extremely dangerous situation, and I came very close to being involved in a major collision. While I was fortunate to avoid a crash, the incident posed a direct th…
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On January 6, 2026, during my morning commute in heavy traffic, my 2023 Hyundai Sonata engine unexpectedly turned off, causing a sudden loss of power. This created an extremely dangerous situation, and I came very close to being involved in a major collision. While I was fortunate to avoid a crash, the incident posed a direct threat to my safety and life because of the dense surrounding traffic.
NHTSA ODI #11709400
Mileage unknown · Jan 2, 2026
Fuel/propulsion System
Hello Sir/Madam, While driving on Interstate I-75 at approximately 70 mph, the yellow check engine warning light suddenly illuminated. Immediately afterward, the vehicle began to shake violently, lose engine power, and run extremely rough. The vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power, and pressing the accelerator pedal did n…
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Hello Sir/Madam, While driving on Interstate I-75 at approximately 70 mph, the yellow check engine warning light suddenly illuminated. Immediately afterward, the vehicle began to shake violently, lose engine power, and run extremely rough. The vehicle experienced a sudden loss of power, and pressing the accelerator pedal did not result in normal response or acceleration. The throttle input was significantly reduced, making it difficult to maintain speed and safely control the vehicle. At highway speed and in heavy highway traffic, if we had not been able to safely exit the roadway, this loss of control could have put not only the occupants of this vehicle but also other drivers at serious risk. Fortunately, we were already in the exit lane, and a McDonald’s parking lot was located immediately off the exit. This allowed us to leave the highway quickly. Otherwise, this situation could have been extremely dangerous in active, heavy highway traffic. As the vehicle continued to shake, a strong smell of gasoline and a burning odor entered the cabin, raising concerns about a possible fire hazard. We safely stopped the vehicle in the McDonald’s parking lot and then shut the engine off due to the severity of the symptoms. After shutting the vehicle off, we attempted to restart it, but the engine would not start. The vehicle had to be towed to a Hyundai service center for inspection. The Hyundai service center later confirmed that the failure was caused by a faulty fuel injector, and they have changed all 4 injectors as I attached receipt from Hyundai This failure created a serious safety risk due to sudden loss of engine power, reduced accelerator response, severe shaking at highway speed, and fuel and burning odors inside the cabin. Regards
NHTSA ODI #11708428
Mileage unknown · Dec 10, 2025
Engine
My car was having an issue where it was losing all the coolant, causing my engine to overheat twice while driving down the highway. Unfortunately I couldn't find a leak anywhere and there was no fluid leaking in my garage. I lost an entire reservoir of coolant overnight. After taking my car to the dealership to get repaired, I w…
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My car was having an issue where it was losing all the coolant, causing my engine to overheat twice while driving down the highway. Unfortunately I couldn't find a leak anywhere and there was no fluid leaking in my garage. I lost an entire reservoir of coolant overnight. After taking my car to the dealership to get repaired, I was told that it was leaking my coolant into the exhaust system and burning it up. I was also told "it was a know issue, they had a bulletin from Hyundai on how to fix the problem, and Hyundai completely redesigned the part to stop the leak and it had to be special ordered." I was without my car for a week and left with a $1300 bill as apparently it was not covered by my warranty. I have no idea how a known issue is happening so frequently that requires a nationwide bulletin and a part redesign, yet somehow is recalled. Especially considering it left me stranded on the side on the side of the highway in Indiana during a snow storm but someone seriously needs to investigate it.
NHTSA ODI #11704347
Mileage unknown · Nov 20, 2025
EngineFuel/propulsion System
I am reporting a serious coolant system defect on my 2023 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid with about 13,500 miles. The vehicle develops an internal coolant leak while driving. Coolant burns off and white steam/smoke comes out of the exhaust, especially during acceleration. When this happens, the coolant level drops quickly, the interior h…
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I am reporting a serious coolant system defect on my 2023 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid with about 13,500 miles. The vehicle develops an internal coolant leak while driving. Coolant burns off and white steam/smoke comes out of the exhaust, especially during acceleration. When this happens, the coolant level drops quickly, the interior heater stops working, and the car soon displays an engine overheating warning, forcing me to stop driving. This has happened multiple times and makes the vehicle unsafe. When I checked under the hood, coolant was at a low/empty level after overheating events. The car becomes undriveable once the alarm appears. I took the vehicle to a Hyundai dealer, and even though the vehicle is only 2 years old, they told me it was “out of warranty.” I had to pay about $1,500 for repairs, and since the dealer refused a loaner, I paid $250 for a rental car. I called Hyundai USA on 9/13/2025 and opened Case Number XXX. Hyundai acknowledged they are aware of coolant issues on the Sonata Hybrid but said no recall exists. This issue appears widespread. Many other owners report the same symptoms: white exhaust steam, coolant smell, coolant loss, no interior heat, and engine overheating. Hyundai released TSB 23-EM-009H, describing a failure where coolant leaks internally in the Exhaust Heat Recovery System (EHRS), causing white smoke and overheating—matching my symptoms exactly. This defect is a safety hazard because overheating can occur suddenly while driving, risking engine damage or breakdown in traffic. I request NHTSA investigate this issue as a potential recall-level defect on the 2023 Sonata Hybrid. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11700476
Mileage unknown · Nov 18, 2025
Electrical SystemEngine
Car stalls and shuts down while shifting to park or reverse and when slowing to turn or stopping. Also the media screen will black out and not work at times.
NHTSA ODI #11700089
Mileage unknown · Nov 7, 2025
Fuel/propulsion System
Fuel injectors cause car to lose power while driving in traffic, on the highway which can cause accidents. This event happened twice one while entering the highway and one while going past a light. Neither caused an accident at the time. The car both times were taken to the dealership and the fuel injectors had to be replaced bo…
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Fuel injectors cause car to lose power while driving in traffic, on the highway which can cause accidents. This event happened twice one while entering the highway and one while going past a light. Neither caused an accident at the time. The car both times were taken to the dealership and the fuel injectors had to be replaced both times. The first time was in December 2024 at 12k miles
NHTSA ODI #11698142
73,245 miles · Nov 6, 2025
Fuel System, Gasoline
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the fuel mileage abnormally increased from 320 to approximately 431. An unknown message was displayed, and the contact received a notification on the Mobile App about a diagnostic trouble code for the EVAP sensor. The vehicle was taken to th…
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The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, the fuel mileage abnormally increased from 320 to approximately 431. An unknown message was displayed, and the contact received a notification on the Mobile App about a diagnostic trouble code for the EVAP sensor. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the EVAP system valve was stuck open. The dealer replaced the EVAP system, and the dealer then determined that the fuel tank was swollen due to the failure. The contact stated that the rear seat sensor was malfunctioning and was causing a warning light to illuminate erroneously, which the dealer related to the fuel tank swelling and lifting the metal underneath the seat. The dealer also replaced the fuel tank. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and covered the repairs. The failure mileage was approximately 73,245.
NHTSA ODI #11697927
Mileage unknown · Oct 26, 2025
EngineFuel/propulsion System
The fuel injectors failed on my Hyundai Sonata in two instances. Once on 5/23/24 and once on 9/7/25. During the first instance, I was driving on a local road when the accelerator stopped working and the engine started sputtering. We were fortunately able to stop at a nearby parking lot before the engine completely stopped workin…
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The fuel injectors failed on my Hyundai Sonata in two instances. Once on 5/23/24 and once on 9/7/25. During the first instance, I was driving on a local road when the accelerator stopped working and the engine started sputtering. We were fortunately able to stop at a nearby parking lot before the engine completely stopped working. During the second instance, I was also driving through a local road when the accelerator stopped and the engine started sputtering again. This time, we weren't able to reach a safe stopping point and the engine died on the road. My family was with me at the time, so we had to push the car in neutral to the closest safe space. In both cases, our safety and the safety was others was put at risk as the car become unable to accelerate, and the car stops moving. We had to get out on the road and push the car with oncoming traffic. The problem was confirmed by the dealer in both cases, and they replaced the fuel injectors in both cases. So far, they've replaced 3 out of the 4 fuel injectors so I still drive in fear of another fuel injector causing a breakdown while I'm driving. There were no warnings or symptoms prior to the failure so there was no way to know to stop driving and to stop in a safe spot. We were fortunate to be able to move the car to a safe place for both instances, but if this had happened on the highway or secluded location, our lives could've been at risk. I've requested Hyundai to replace the last fuel injector but they're refusing to do so. I only feel safe driving in local roads or short highway trips as I fear for the reliability of my car, my safety, and the safety of others.
NHTSA ODI #11695686
Mileage unknown · Oct 17, 2025
Fuel/propulsion System
While driving at highway speed, my vehicle suddenly lost power due to fuel injector failure and could not be restarted, creating a serious safety risk for myself and others in high-speed traffic. This is the second vehicle of the same year and model that I’ve owned to experience the exact same injector failure. In the first case…
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While driving at highway speed, my vehicle suddenly lost power due to fuel injector failure and could not be restarted, creating a serious safety risk for myself and others in high-speed traffic. This is the second vehicle of the same year and model that I’ve owned to experience the exact same injector failure. In the first case, one injector was replaced under a Hyundai service bulletin before I sold the vehicle. This second occurrence confirms that the issue is not isolated and should be escalated to a formal safety recall. The most recent failure was diagnosed and repaired by Hyundai, confirming the problem (this time replacing all injectors). The vehicle has not been inspected by police, insurance, or other outside representatives. There were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms prior to the failure—it occurred without any warning, significantly increasing the risk of a crash
NHTSA ODI #11694028
Mileage unknown · Sep 27, 2025
Fuel/propulsion SystemUnknown Or Other
Filled gas tank up on Friday [XXX] about 10am as leaving Boca Raton, FL to head North to New Port Richey, FL. About 30 minutes later the gas mileage said there was only 90 miles left in the tank. Stopped at the next gas station to make sure nothing was leaking, added a little more until it clicked, basically full again. Got to a…
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Filled gas tank up on Friday [XXX] about 10am as leaving Boca Raton, FL to head North to New Port Richey, FL. About 30 minutes later the gas mileage said there was only 90 miles left in the tank. Stopped at the next gas station to make sure nothing was leaking, added a little more until it clicked, basically full again. Got to approximately [XXX] near Morris Bridge in Tampa area, the car started to decelerate and then all the engine lights came on and car was shutting off, was able to pull to the left side of the road and Looked into the back seat noticed the back seat was rising. Looked under the back of the car and the frame looked like it was pushing up into the backend of the car. DOT was called out to the scene as it appeared the car could have exploded. This could have killed my [XXX] daughter (which was who was driving the car) or other people on the road. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11690061