2015 HYUNDAI SONATA — Complaint #2177794
Open-data reference.
NHTSA Complaint about ENGINE filed February 17, 2026
NHTSA complaint #2177794 (ODI reference 11718641) concerns a 2015 HYUNDAI SONATA and was filed on February 17, 2026. The owner reports the failure occurred on February 6, 2026. The report was geocoded to South Carolina based on the filer's self-reported location. The affected component is categorized as engine, one of NHTSA's standardized taxonomy codes used to group defect patterns across make, model, and year.
The filer flagged the following severity indicators: crash: no, fire: no, injuries: 0, fatalities: 0. No crash, fire, or fatality was associated with this report, which places it in the early-warning stream rather than the priority-review stream. Because a VIN was supplied, this complaint is tied to a specific vehicle and not just a model-year cohort.
Individual complaints are consumer-submitted and unverified by NHTSA engineers — the agency's role at this stage is to collect, index, and make them searchable. What matters for federal action is the pattern: when many owners of the same HYUNDAI SONATA cohort independently describe similar engine failures, defect investigators have grounds to open a PE and request manufacturer data. Related filings for the same vehicle and component appear below, and the detail page for the full 2015 HYUNDAI SONATA shows the complete component-level complaint distribution alongside any active investigations or recalls.
Complaint Description
Component/System Failed: Engine â connecting rod bearing failure consistent with Hyundai Theta II engine defect subject to federal recalls and Consent Orders. The vehicle previously received Recall Campaign 953 (KSDS software update), intended to detect premature rod bearing wear. The engine is currently knocking and has been diagnosed as requiring replacement. The vehicle and engine are available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: Rod bearing failure can cause sudden engine seizure or stall while driving, creating a significant crash risk due to loss of power steering and braking assist. Engine failure DID occurr despite prior recall software update, indicating potential recall remedy ineffectiveness. Sudden stalling in traffic placed myself and others at risk of collision. Dealer Confirmation: Hyundai of North Charleston confirmed through warranty history a prior engine replacement request (PA) was submitted by a previous owner but denied. The recall repair was never perform
Complaint Details
| NHTSA Complaint ID | 2177794 |
| ODI Number | 11718641 |
| Date Filed | February 17, 2026 |
| Failure Date | February 6, 2026 |
| VIN | 5NPE24AF8FH |
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Source: NHTSA Vehicle Complaints Database. Component taxonomy and severity codes are standardized by NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation.
Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.