2021 HYUNDAI SONATA HYBRID Problems & Recalls
Detailed safety information and owner complaints
Problem Breakdown
Compare to Other Years
Common Problems
Owned car since 09/2024 with 64K miles. Battery system (12V/hybrid system) has shut down and died 47 times since 04/2025 - no shut downs before then. Car with ~69K miles at that time. Dealer had car six weeks (05/17 to 07/05/2025) and it died “a number” of times and report that Hyundai claims t...
This is on my 2021 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited - for the 7th time the vehicle has been completely dead and unresponsive. I have had to gain entry to the vehicle using the manual key and press the "jump" button to get the vehicle to start. The Hyundai dealership ran a bunch of battery updates to th...
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? RANDOM TOTAL ELECTRICAL FAILURE (DOORS WON'T UNLOCK, CAR UNRESPONSIVE) How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? DIFFICULT TO GAIN MANUAL ENTRY TO CAR, PARTICULARLY IN DARK SITUATIONS Ha...
Every day the car is dead, have to take the manual key out pop door cover off unlock car manually push the 12v reset button and hold fob to start/stop button for car to work again. Happens daily.
12v battery dying randomly
Air flow check engine light alerted and source was faulty fuel injector which required replacement of 4 fuel injectors.
Overheated engine alarm came on while I was on the freeway on a rainy day. Vehicle was towed to Hyundai dealership in which service technician found that the part preventing water from leaking into the muffler was broken. Hyundai dealership has ordered replacement part but it is on backorder. The...
Coolant system leaks in to the engine or exhaust system, which is evident in white smoke exhaust and coolant level dropping. In my situation, I required an entire container of coolant to perform a daily commute, and the reservoir was empty by the time I made it to the dealership. Car is rendered und...
My 2021 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid seems to be leaking coolant into the exhaust system. Various reports online indicate that this is a consistent issue with 2020-2022 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid models. A lot of the reports indicate that owners have tried getting theirs cars repaired for the same issue I have ...
My 2021 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid seems to be leaking coolant into the exhaust system. Various reports online indicate that this is a consistent issue with 2020-2022 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid models. A lot of the reports indicate that owners have tried getting theirs cars repaired for the same issue I have ...
EHRS Coolant Leak- problem started in [XXX] when engine overheated. The weather in Michigan in inclement and being stranded in the intense cold can lead to loss of life. I had it towed to a Hyundai dealership that was unable to find the problem and in attempting to "find a leak" used the incorrect ...
the car randomly goes into dead or limp mode and unable to start. need to jump start it to come alive. No codes shown once its jumstarted. it has happened at random on several occasions.
When the vehicle is turned off the 12v Lithium battery will die. This is a intermittent occurrence that has happened approximately 7 times since [XXX]. Today is December 12, 2024. The car is currently at All Start Hyundai dealership in Pittsburg, CA. This dealership initially denied the car had a pr...
On three separate occasions, while going very fast (60-78 mph), the automatic emergency braking system turns on. The warning lights flash and there is some type of warning noise. I don't even know if it starts to break because it scares me so much, I just press the gas. It turns off within a couple ...
On three separate occasions, while going very fast (60-78 mph), the automatic emergency braking system turns on. The warning lights flash and there is some type of warning noise. I don't even know if it starts to break because it scares me so much, I just press the gas. It turns off within a couple ...
The BMS module within my cars hybrid system failed causing a parasitic drain on the hybrid battery. The dealership where the work was performed would have to be contacted for pictures. The hybrid battery system swole to a dangerously inflated level and did not produce any codes for an OBD reader t...
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. The contact stated that the key fob was inoperable and after using the key to manually open the door. The contact stated that the vehicle failed to start while pressing the START/STOP button. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, but the cause of t...
Mileage: 24,000
On three separate occasions over the last two months, while driving, an alert comes on that says check hybrid system then the vehicle powers off. When this happens, you lose the ability to accelerate break steer, and I have been lucky each of those three times and that I was in a situation where the...
On three separate occasions over the last two months, while driving, an alert comes on that says check hybrid system then the vehicle powers off. When this happens, you lose the ability to accelerate break steer, and I have been lucky each of those three times and that I was in a situation where the...
Coolant leak acting like blown head gasket. Coolant was leaking into the exhaust system. Defective EHRS system
The car randomly loses power and stalls on the expressway and it states that something is wrong with the hybrid system
The vehicle, after parking, is nonresponsive to the key fob, nor will it start. This can happen at anytime and anywhere. Dealer said "It is possible the integrated 12v battery into the hybrid battery may be faulty. No codes or tests can confirm the issue. The dealer said the key fobs tested ok." My ...
The vehicle, after parking, is nonresponsive to the key fob, nor will it start. This can happen at anytime and anywhere. Dealer said "It is possible the integrated 12v battery into the hybrid battery may be faulty. No codes or tests can confirm the issue. The dealer said the key fobs tested ok." My ...
The vehicle, after parking, is nonresponsive to the key fob, nor will it start. This can happen at anytime and anywhere. Dealer said "It is possible the integrated 12v battery into the hybrid battery may be faulty. No codes or tests can confirm the issue. The dealer said the key fobs tested ok." My ...
My battery has died twice, so dead that I can’t even unlock to car with the remote. The first time I had it jumped and took it to the dealership where they were unable to find anything wrong with it and they told me if it happened again to have it towed in so they could diagnose it while the batte...
Randomly the car will get a message when driving starting “ Check Hybrid system. Turn engine Off” and the car isn’t able to accelerate when this happens. When you cut the engine off the car is unable to start again until it is jumped. I’ve confirmed the battery isn’t the issue however some...
215/55R17 94V BSW. . Contacted Michelin about two (2) of the four (4) tires DO Not have the date of manufacture on side wall. These tires are direction specific. They should known that. Maybe the date of manufacture is on the inside wall but they should known the the tire is DIRECTIONAL and be ...
Driving 70 mph, warning lights and alarms "Hybrid System Failure" "Vehicle shutting down" and then it does. No lights, no hazards, no power. Push button battery restart starts it again with no visible issues. Driving 30 mph, warning lights and alarms "Hybrid System Failure" "Vehicle shutting down" ...
Driving on the freeway when we got a notice on the dash that we needed to pull over and the vehicle shut down due to a fuse,/battery issue.
My car will power off randomly, or will seem as though there is no power. I have to revert back to the manual key to enter the vehicle and hit the 12vlt reset to power it back on. This happened at least 3 times. Once while operating the vehicle, and twice while the vehicle was left parked. This is n...
My car will power off randomly, or will seem as though there is no power. I have to revert back to the manual key to enter the vehicle and hit the 12vlt reset to power it back on. This happened at least 3 times. Once while operating the vehicle, and twice while the vehicle was left parked. This is n...
Integrated 12v battery in hybrid system keep draining out. I have to manually open the car and reset it every time in order to be able to drive.
The Battery dies randomly and requires the physical key to unlock the door. It is a hybrid, so it has a 12 volt battery button that jumpstarts the car. While driving the vehicle, the battery meter on the dashboard will show a near-full battery and then a near-empty battery within a few minutes. T...
The Battery dies randomly and requires the physical key to unlock the door. It is a hybrid, so it has a 12 volt battery button that jumpstarts the car. While driving the vehicle, the battery meter on the dashboard will show a near-full battery and then a near-empty battery within a few minutes. T...
the car keeps randomly dying (not during driving "yet") it happens at least once or twice a week of where i go to ride my car and it is completely dead, i have to unlock the door using the key fob manually and push the "Reset 12v battery button" inside the car. i have tried to have Hyundai service...
The Battery dies randomly (like I have to open the car with they physical key to access the car dead) there isn't a pattern. I have taken it to the dealership and they can't diagnose it because they cant replicate the issue and say nothing is wrong. Sometimes the car dies while I'm INSIDE and just h...
The Battery dies randomly (like I have to open the car with they physical key to access the car dead) there isn't a pattern. I have taken it to the dealership and they can't diagnose it because they cant replicate the issue and say nothing is wrong. Sometimes the car dies while I'm INSIDE and just h...
Integrated 12V battery dies with no warning and requires manual keyed process to get in to the vehicle. Once inside, the battery reset button needs to be pressed to have the solar battery start the vehicles electric system. After a few minutes the engine takes over to start charging the battery. ...
Initially had loss of cabin heat. Later, vehicle randomly overheated. Repair shop replaced EGR due to finding confidant buildup of water/coolant mix. Within one week, problem returned. Dealer notified me that while replacing another part they found a TSB for coolant leakage into exhaust that was...
Hyundai 2021 Sonata Hybrid. Blown head gasket. Reported 1,000 miles after warranty expired. Car was in the shop for Hybrid battery issues. Repair completed. 2 weeks later smoke coming from the exhaust. Hyundai says blown head gasket - will not honor warranty as I was just a few thousand miles ...
Antifreeze is coming out of the exhaust. Heater is only blowing cold air. Repair shop said it is a common problem with the Hyundai hybrids. Was told I had to take it back to the dealership. The y repair shop said this is very common and is wondering why a recall has not been issued by the NTHSB....
Antifreeze is coming out of the exhaust. Heater is only blowing cold air. Repair shop said it is a common problem with the Hyundai hybrids. Was told I had to take it back to the dealership. The y repair shop said this is very common and is wondering why a recall has not been issued by the NTHSB....
The vehicle has been turning completely off after use for over a year now. At first it would happen every now and then at the beginning and all you'd have to do was restart the car manually. Now every time the car is turned off it needs to be restarted manually now. The car will also shut itself o...
The vehicle has been turning completely off after use for over a year now. At first it would happen every now and then at the beginning and all you'd have to do was restart the car manually. Now every time the car is turned off it needs to be restarted manually now. The car will also shut itself o...
My vehicle's heat stopped working suddenly. A short while later, I received and overheat warning for the engine. I had to stop repeatedly on the shoulder of the highway to allow the car to cool so I could move it to a safe space at the next exit. The dealer has confirmed that the coolant was leak...
While driving, engine alerted that it was overheating. Pulled over and coolant was very low, so I refilled it and then while driving to my family's garage to use the lift, saw white exhaust smoke. Took it to an independent mechanic, and in the ~10 mile trip there, over a quart of coolant had been bu...
While driving, engine alerted that it was overheating. Pulled over and coolant was very low, so I refilled it and then while driving to my family's garage to use the lift, saw white exhaust smoke. Took it to an independent mechanic, and in the ~10 mile trip there, over a quart of coolant had been bu...
the coolant reservoir has been dropping showing levels below min even after topping it off
My 2021 Sonata Hybrid Limited has been in the shop for over 3 months. At least 4 times while driving on city streets, I'd receive an error stating problem with hybrid system please turn off vehicle. Car would go into limp mode giving me just enough power to pull off to the side of the road (if possi...
My 2021 Sonata Hybrid Limited has been in the shop for over 3 months. At least 4 times while driving on city streets, I'd receive an error stating problem with hybrid system please turn off vehicle. Car would go into limp mode giving me just enough power to pull off to the side of the road (if possi...
Battery keeps dying randomly. Approximately once every other week and I drive 12k miles a year… dealership reassures me it’s find. Found numerous reports of other Sonota Hybrid users experiencing a similar issue.
Discovered that I had no engine heat to use in the cabin with cooler outside temps. Checked coolant tank. Was nearly bone dry. 2021 hybrid is under warranty with only 35K miles on it and regular scheduled maintenance. Have also noticed puffs of white smoke upon easy acceleration and switching from b...
This car is a Hybrid The car has a 12V battery reset system which stops the 12V battery from draining to zero voltage. This is a design feature. However, since purchasing this car we have had Hybrid Engine Failure warnings happen 3 times, in 2 months. When this happens the car engine shuts down, no ...
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he received an alert indicating that the engine was overheating and to pull over. No warning lights were illuminated. The contact then veered to the side of the road and waited approximately 15 min...
Mileage: 32,547
Incident sounds similar to those experienced with the dual clutch transmissions. November 2022, all of the vehicle warning lights were on and remained on. The vehicle would not move and the transmission selector/shifter was locked in place. Working with the local service/dealership, the vehicle was...
When I arrived in the parking lot and selected the R (reverse), the vehicle stayed in the D (Drive) although that it was moving backwards and was able to park it. The shift selector was stuck in DRIVE (Drive) leaving the vehicle on but not operational. After several attempts to allow the vehicle to...
When I arrived in the parking lot and selected the R (reverse), the vehicle stayed in the D (Drive) although that it was moving backwards and was able to park it. The shift selector was stuck in DRIVE (Drive) leaving the vehicle on but not operational. After several attempts to allow the vehicle to...
When I arrived in the parking lot and selected the R (reverse), the vehicle stayed in the D (Drive) although that it was moving backwards and was able to park it. The shift selector was stuck in DRIVE (Drive) leaving the vehicle on but not operational. After several attempts to allow the vehicle to...
The cabin heater started blowing cold air in February. One shop said the car was low on coolant and topped it off. I made an appointment to take the car to a dealer because it's still under warranty (<37k miles). I had to wait 3 weeks. A few days before my appointment, the cabin heater started blo...
Engine oil plug backed out while driving causing loss of all engine oil in the mountains. Drive time was one hour when oil lamp turned on as we reached our destination. Oil check stick had no oil on it and the whole undercarriage and rear of the car was covered in engine oil. Made an attempt to refi...
The forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control failed as the first 2 activated when there were no oncoming collisions in front of me and the nearest cars around me were 1/4 of a mile away. The cruise control failed as it turned back on after the vehicle veered...
The forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control failed as the first 2 activated when there were no oncoming collisions in front of me and the nearest cars around me were 1/4 of a mile away. The cruise control failed as it turned back on after the vehicle veered...
The forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control failed as the first 2 activated when there were no oncoming collisions in front of me and the nearest cars around me were 1/4 of a mile away. The cruise control failed as it turned back on after the vehicle veered...
Very loud car alarms sounded, e.g., it sounded like a something like a red alert in an old Star Trek episode. warning light indicated engine overheated, extreme exhaust/smoke bellowed out from rear of car while decelerating on highway exit ramp. My wife and I were inside the car during this event. ...
On Wednesday, October 6th, I was driving full speed (65mph) on a major highway. Multiple lights on the dashboard came on. The LCD display screen for music, apps, etc. went black. More lights came on and others went off on the dash display. I let off the accelerator and steered the car. The fuel effi...
On Wednesday, October 6th, I was driving full speed (65mph) on a major highway. Multiple lights on the dashboard came on. The LCD display screen for music, apps, etc. went black. More lights came on and others went off on the dash display. I let off the accelerator and steered the car. The fuel effi...