2012 Hyundai Sonata reliability

Is it reliable?

The 2012 Hyundai Sonata has 1,556 complaints with NHTSA after 15 years, or 60 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Sonata years here — over the median of the other years, which is 22. NHTSA has 8 recalls on file, including Engine, Pretensioner, and Anchorage.

Complaints

1,556

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (567 of 1,556), then Steering (301) and Electrical system (234). Those filings include 51 that report a crash, 95 that report a fire, 29 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2013

The 2013 Sonata has 1,909 complaints, 71 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2012 Hyundai Sonata. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (8)

Recall Engine 2018-12-28 · NHTSA campaign 18V934000

Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2013-2014 Santa Fe Sport vehicles previously repaired under recall numbers 15V-568 and 17V-226. The high pressure fuel pipe that connects to the fuel pump outlet may have been damaged, misaligned, or improperly torqued during the engine replacement procedure, allowing fuel to leak from the pipe.

Remedy Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the fuel pipe, as necessary, free of charge. The recall began March 1, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's recall number for this recall is 180.

Recall seat belts, pretensioner 2018-02-27 · NHTSA campaign 18V137000

Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Sonata and 2011-2012 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. On February 27, 2018, Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) notified NHTSA that they were recalling 154,753 model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. On April 18, 2018, Hyundai expanded the recall to include an additional 425,305 model year 2012-2013 Sonata and 2011-2012 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. In the event of a crash, the air bag control unit (ACU) may short circuit, preventing the frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying.

Remedy Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install an external wire filter kit, free of charge. The recall began October 15, 2018. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 174.

Recall seat belts, pretensioner 2017-10-04 · NHTSA campaign 17V617000

Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2011-2015 Sonata Hybrid vehicles previously repaired under recall campaign 17V-152. The seat belt linkages for both front seat belts may detach from the seat belt anchor pretensioners.

Remedy Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will again verify the connection between the seat belt linkage and the pretensioner and additionally install a warning label to prevent future seat belt linkage detachment, free of charge. The recall began November 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 169.

Recall seat belts, front, anchorage 2017-03-08 · NHTSA campaign 17V152000

Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2014 Sonata and 2011-2015 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the seat belt linkages for both front seat belts may detach from the seat belt anchor pretensioners.

Remedy Hyundai will notify owners and dealers will inspect the connection between the seat belt linkages and the seat belt anchor pretensioners, repairing them as necessary, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 7, 2017. Owner's may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for the recall is 160.

Recall exterior lighting, brake lights, switch 2015-11-16 · NHTSA campaign 15V759000

Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model 2011-2012 Sonata vehicles. The brake pedal stopper pad can deteriorate allowing the brake light switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released.

Remedy Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake pedal stopper pad with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 6, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 136.

Recall Engine 2015-09-10 · NHTSA campaign 15V568000

Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Sonata vehicles manufactured December 11, 2009, to April 12, 2012 at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama and equipped with either a 2.0 liter or 2.4 liter Gasoline Direct injection engine. In the affected vehicles, metallic debris may not have been fully removed during manufacturing of the engine crankshaft. If the debris was not completely removed, oil flow may be restricted through the connecting rod bearings, causing connecting rod damage. A worn connecting rod bearing will produce a metallic, cyclic knocking noise from the engine and possible engine failure.

Remedy Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the vehicles and replace the engine assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Additionally, Hyundai Motor America will increase the warranty for the engine sub-assembly (short block) to 10 years/120,000 miles for both original and subsequent owners of 2011 and 2012 Sonatas manufactured at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama equipped with 2.0 liter and 2.4 liter Gasoline Direct injection engines. Interim notifications were mailed to owners starting on October 8, 2015. A second notification will be mailed when parts are available. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059 or by visiting www.HyundaiUSA.com/Campaign132. Hyundai's number for this recall is 132.

Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2014-07-18 · NHTSA campaign 14V434000

Summary Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Sonata vehicles manufactured December 11, 2009, through May 29, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable may detach from from the shift lever pin.

Remedy Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, repair the connection between the shift cable and shift lever, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 123.

Recall air bags, side and window 2012-07-24 · NHTSA campaign 12V352000

Summary Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Hyundai Sonata passenger cars, manufactured from January 24, 2012, through June 21, 2012. The curtain side airbags on these vehicles may inflate without deployment command due to an error during manufacturing.

Remedy Hyundai dealers will notify owners, and dealers will replace the curtain side airbags free of charge. This recall began on August 31, 2012. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.

Complaints by component (1556 total)

Engine

567

Steering

301

Electrical system

234

Air bags

169

Service brakes

151

Exterior lighting

141

Fuel and propulsion system

Powertrain

Speed control

Seat belts

Structure

Suspension

Electronic stability control (ESC)

Wheels

Fuel system, gasoline

Visibility

Tires

Engine and engine cooling

Forward collision avoidance

Visibility and wipers

Hydraulic brakes

Adaptive and mobility equipment

Seats

Hybrid propulsion

Traction control

Equipment

Back-over prevention

Diesel fuel system

Fire-related

Latches, locks, and linkages

Parking brake

Show 23 more Show less

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated, the engine started knocking, and smoke emitted from under the hood. The contact…"
Engine · filed 2026-07-31
"Vehicle engine caught fire in April 2026! Tow company sold for parts without my permission! Immediately after gaining possession of my car. I didn't have comprehensive insurance, only basic. I had a brain bleed stroke…"
Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-07-30
"Diagnosed 07/20/2026 with catastrophic oil ring failure requiring engine replacement. Engine can stall due to oil degradation/absence of causing uncontrolled vehicle handling and fire. This would put myself and others…"
Engine, Fuel and propulsion system · filed 2026-07-29
"See attached document for complaint."
Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-07-22
"As I was merging onto the interstate I put my foot on the gas pedal to give it a little more gas then usual to get pulled out and all of a sudden all the lights on the dash board illuminated and it slowly lost all power…"
Unknown or other, Engine · filed 2026-07-15

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2012 Hyundai Sonata 4 DR FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	5 stars
2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid 4 DR FWD	5 stars	4 stars	5 stars	5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
Sonata	2.4L, 4-cyl	Manual 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	24	34	27 MPG	$2400
Sonata	2L, 4-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	22	33	26 MPG	$2500
Sonata	2.4L, 4-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	24	34	27 MPG	$2400
Sonata hybrid	2.4L, 4-cyl	Automatic 6-speed	Front-wheel drive	34	39	36 MPG	$1800

Specs and fitment

7th generation (LF), 2012–2019

Body styles Sedan

Oil 5W-20 or 0W-20 (2.4L and 2.0L turbo per manual) , 5 qt capacity

Tire size 205/65R16 to 245/45R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

Owner complaints for early years in this span (especially 2013) concentrate on the engine. Safety recall 17V-226 covers certain 2013-2014 Sonata and Santa Fe Sport vehicles: machining errors during engine manufacturing may cause premature bearing wear that can seize the engine; dealers inspect and replace the short block as needed. Safety recall 22V-312 (replacing 20V-121) covers certain 2013-2014 Sonatas whose low-pressure fuel hose between the low-pressure and direct-injection pumps may crack from engine-bay heat and leak fuel; dealers replace that hose. Safety recall 18V-934 covers certain 2011-2014 Sonatas previously remedied under 15V-568 or 17V-226 whose high-pressure fuel pipe may have been damaged or mis-torqued during engine replacement and can leak; dealers inspect and replace the pipe as needed. Safety recall 16V-956 covers a small build of 2017 Sonatas (and Elantras) whose driver frontal air-bag inflator end seal may be missing; dealers replace the driver frontal air-bag module.

Compare

Next year 2013 Hyundai Sonata See every Hyundai Sonata model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2012 Hyundai Sonata reliable?

What are common problems with a 2012 Hyundai Sonata?

Is the 2012 Hyundai Sonata more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2013 Sonata has 1,909 complaints, 71 per year. The 2012 has fewer complaints per year than the 2013.

Has the 2012 Hyundai Sonata been recalled?

The 2012 Hyundai Sonata has 8 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2012 Hyundai Sonata?

Owners have filed 1556 complaints about the 2012 Hyundai Sonata with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2012 Hyundai Sonata get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2012 Hyundai Sonata is 29 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Sonata take?

Viscosity and capacity depend on engine and model year; use the generation specs here and confirm in the owner’s manual.

Which Sonata years had the engine bearing safety recall?

Safety recall 17V-226 covers certain 2013-2014 Sonatas (and Santa Fe Sport) for premature engine bearing wear; dealers inspect and replace the short block as needed.