Lemon Law Check › 2016 Hyundai Sonata

2016 Hyundai Sonata Problems, Recalls & Complaints

The 2016 Hyundai Sonata has 6 NHTSA recall campaigns and 712 owner complaints filed with federal regulators, with complaints concentrated in engine. Owners whose Sonata has needed repeated repairs for the same warranty problem may qualify for a buyback or compensation under state lemon laws.

Most-reported problem areas

Complaint counts by vehicle system, from 712 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata:

Engine326 complaints
Electrical system73 complaints
Unknown or other60 complaints
Power train57 complaints
Steering33 complaints
Service brakes29 complaints

What owners told federal regulators

"My car is involved in the class action lawsuit because of engine failure and fire with my 2016 hyandia sonota. i have concerns with the above issue because of knocking in the engine and using 1 quart of oil every 400 miles. hyandia extended the power train settlement for life …"
— owner complaint filed with NHTSA, 12/31/2021
"At stop sign to turn left, started and steering wheel would not turn. felt like loss of power steering. fortunately, no other cars around, i put gear in reverse to back up before hitting ditch on other side of road. i turned off car, restarted and wheel worked. stopped on ma…"
— owner complaint filed with NHTSA, 12/31/2020
"My 2016 hyundai sonata experienced a sudden engine failure while in operation with no prior warning lights or symptoms. the engine seized unexpectedly, creating a safety risk. this failure appears consistent with known engine defects affecting hyundai sonata vehicles of this m…"
— owner complaint filed with NHTSA, 12/30/2025

NHTSA recall campaigns (6)

Visibility:sun/moon roof assembly
11/10/2016 · 16V726000
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles manufactured December 8, 2014, to August 18, 2015, and Hyundai Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to March 18, 2016, equipped with t…
Parking brake:indicator light
05/06/2017 · 17V359000
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Sonata and Genesis vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the warning light to indicate that the parking brake is applied may intermittently not illuminate in the dash due to c…
Air bags
24/08/2016 · 16V615000
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 28, 2016 through April 12, 2016. The affected vehicles have a driver-side frontal air bag that may not adequately protect the driver…
Air bags:frontal
21/04/2016 · 16V232000
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016 to February 22, 2016, and one 2016 Sonata Hybri…
Electrical system: instrument cluster/panel
20/10/2015 · 15V678000
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to August 21, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with an Antilock Braking System (ABS) warning light intended to w…
Exterior lighting:turn signal
24/09/2021 · 21V749000
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sonata, 2016-2017 Sonata Hybrid, and Sonata Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the mul…

Recall repairs are performed free of charge at franchised dealers. Check your specific vehicle with the free VIN recall checker.

Has your Sonata been in the shop repeatedly?

If the same warranty problem has needed 2+ repair attempts — or your Sonata has spent 30+ days out of service — it may qualify for a buyback, replacement, or cash compensation under your state's lemon law. Manufacturers pay the legal fees in most states, so the case review costs you nothing.

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Frequently asked questions

What are the most common problems with the 2016 Hyundai Sonata?

Based on 712 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most-reported problem areas for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata are engine, electrical system, unknown or other.

How many recalls does the 2016 Hyundai Sonata have?

NHTSA lists 6 recall campaigns for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata. Recall repairs are always free at franchised dealers regardless of warranty status.

Is the 2016 Hyundai Sonata a lemon?

A specific vehicle qualifies as a lemon based on its own repair history, not the model's overall record. If your Sonata has had engine or other warranty problems repaired 2–4 times without success, or has spent 30+ days in the shop, it may qualify under your state's lemon law — attorneys evaluate this free of charge.

Researching this car as a buyer instead? Read the full Carivo review of the 2016 Hyundai Sonata.

All recall and complaint figures on this page come directly from National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) federal records for this make, model, and year, fetched at page build time and cached daily. Complaint excerpts are owner-submitted reports to NHTSA, lightly truncated. Carivo is an independent data site, not a law firm; lemon law eligibility is determined solely by attorneys under your state's statute.