HYUNDAI GENESIS · model year

2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS

127 NHTSA complaints, 5 crash reports, and 3 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2016HYUNDAIGENESIS carries 127 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 5 crashes, 6 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 fatalities. For crash performance, NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program gave this cohort an overall Not Rated/5 rating, with Not Rated/5 front crash, Not Rated/5 side crash, and 5/5 rollover scores derived from standardized barrier and dynamic tests.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2016 GENESIS is electrical system with 27 filings, followed by engine (25) and unknown or other (12). Concentration in one or two component groups is the classic signature of a systemic defect; a flat distribution usually reflects normal aging, warranty complaints, or isolated build-plant variability. This model year has 3 active recall campaigns, which means the manufacturer is obligated to remedy the covered defect at no charge for the life of the vehicle — the full NHTSA campaign numbers are listed below.

NHTSA currently has 37 investigation files overlapping the 2016 GENESIS, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should pair the counters above with the complaint-by-year trend on the parent model page — a spike in a single year often tracks to a platform refresh, a new transmission supplier, or an updated ECU calibration. Use the related-complaint feed below to read raw owner narratives before deciding whether any pattern here affects your specific use case.

127
Complaints
5
Crashes
6
Fires
4
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

127 filings

Crashes Reported

5 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

At or below the fleet median complaint volume.

NHTSA NCAP overall: Not Rated/5 — Not rated · Front: Not Rated/5 · Side: Not Rated/5 · Rollover: 5/5

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM27
ENGINE25
UNKNOWN OR OTHER12
EXTERIOR LIGHTING11
POWER TRAIN9
STEERING6
STRUCTURE:BODY5
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM4
SERVICE BRAKES4
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC4
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL3
AIR BAGS3
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)2
SEATS2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING2

Recalls (3)

24V10700013/02/2024

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:SOLENOID

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Genesis, 2017-2019 Genesis G80, Genesis G90, and 2019 Genesis G70 vehicles. Water may enter the starter solenoid and cause an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.

21V16000010/03/2021

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Genesis and 2017-2020 Genesis G80 vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and short circuit.

17V35900005/06/2017

PARKING BRAKE:INDICATOR LIGHT

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 corrosion in the switch.

Recent Complaints

20260215FireSEATS

Passenger seat caught fire while vehicle was parked in attached garage and self-extinguished. Insurance deemed vehicle total loss due to extent of damage.

20260205ENGINE

The oil pressure light illuminates at low RPMs and turns off under a load or higher RPMs. In checking Hyundai Genesis forums, this is a common failure/fouling of the oil pressure switch. Oil level is fine; it is the switch that fails, giving the owner a false sense of low oil and potential catastrophic engine damage. Unfortunately, the engine design requires a very expensive disassembly of the engine manifold and other parts to access and replace this small switch.

20260117ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Oil light appears when at a stop and goes off when accelerating. was told by mechanic this is a sensor problem common to my vehicle.

20260117ENGINE

Oil light appears when at a stop and goes off when accelerating. was told by mechanic this is a sensor problem common to my vehicle.

20260117UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Oil light appears when at a stop and goes off when accelerating. was told by mechanic this is a sensor problem common to my vehicle.

20260117ENGINE

Was told by mechanic their was a possibility for fire with the starter mechanism.

20260117ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Was told by mechanic their was a possibility for fire with the starter mechanism.

20260110ENGINE

Engine oil light comes on and turns back off. Car has 97,000 miles and has regular oil changes.

20251216STEERING

Steering becomes stuck in a curve and doesn't return to center. This creates a very dangerous condition when the steering "unsticks" and causes the car to veer from side to side. Condition is caused by a failure inside the electric power steering rack.

20251017FireENGINE

Dear NHTSA, I am filing this complaint to formally report a serious vehicle safety hazard and to express concern over how Hyundai/Genesis has handled it. My 2016 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 AWD experienced a n engine compartment fire originating from the starter motor, which subsequently melted the engine wiring harness and surrounding components. This fire could have easily caused serious injury or death, as it occurred shortly after starting the vehicle. Fortunately, I was able t o shut the vehicle off and get t o safety before the flames spreadThe dealership and Genesis Customer Care opened a case (Case #41642221) but later informed me that this was "not related" to the existing Hyundai/Genesis recall involving the same starter and wiring harness fire risk. Their explanation was that my incident was merely a "coincidence" - despite the identical cause and symptoms described in the recall documentation. This reasoning is unacceptable, irresponsible, and ignores the fundamental issue: the fir

20251017FireELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Dear NHTSA, I am filing this complaint to formally report a serious vehicle safety hazard and to express concern over how Hyundai/Genesis has handled it. My 2016 Hyundai Genesis 3.8 AWD experienced a n engine compartment fire originating from the starter motor, which subsequently melted the engine wiring harness and surrounding components. This fire could have easily caused serious injury or death, as it occurred shortly after starting the vehicle. Fortunately, I was able t o shut the vehicle off and get t o safety before the flames spreadThe dealership and Genesis Customer Care opened a case (Case #41642221) but later informed me that this was "not related" to the existing Hyundai/Genesis recall involving the same starter and wiring harness fire risk. Their explanation was that my incident was merely a "coincidence" - despite the identical cause and symptoms described in the recall documentation. This reasoning is unacceptable, irresponsible, and ignores the fundamental issue: the fir

20250617LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Genesis. The contact stated that upon arriving to his destination and attempting to retrieve his child from the vehicle, the driver's side rear door failed to open. No warning lights were illuminated. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 134,000.

Mileage: 134,000

20250219STEERING

After car was taken to dealership to fix recalls on the drive home the car lost steering mid turn directly after fuses which were part of the recall started clicking then car completely shut off in the middle of the road

20250219ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

After car was taken to dealership to fix recalls on the drive home the car lost steering mid turn directly after fuses which were part of the recall started clicking then car completely shut off in the middle of the road

20250219ENGINE

After car was taken to dealership to fix recalls on the drive home the car lost steering mid turn directly after fuses which were part of the recall started clicking then car completely shut off in the middle of the road

20250210POWER TRAIN

Oil Pressure Light comes on when car is up to temp and idling. Took to dealership on 2/5 and they believe it is the sensor and quoted $1500.00 to replace it.

20241219AIR BAGS

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Genesis. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact became aware that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 133,000.

Mileage: 133,000

20241119SERVICE BRAKES

The car's auto hold brakes locked by themselves and could not be released.

20241115ENGINE

The oil pressure sensor is causing a oil light. This is a known issue on these cars and engines due to a faulty sesnsor. There even is a recall in Korea for the same cars; however, there is not one in the US.

20241021ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

On [XXX], after driving on a rainy day (with a flood warning reported by NWS), I noticed a strong burning smell in the garage the next day, and my car wouldn’t start. Unable to get it running, I had it towed to a nearby repair shop, where they found burn marks on the starter and starter harness. The repair costs were significant, so I filed a claim with my insurance under my comprehensive coverage. The following day, the insurance adjuster informed me that Hyundai had issued a recall (RECALL 254, 24V 107000) related to my issue and advised me to take the vehicle to Hyundai for repair. I had the car towed to the Hyundai dealer in Cumming. However, after diagnosing the vehicle, Hyundai of Cumming stated that it was not subject to the recall. I believe this incident is clearly part of the recall, as shown in the attached photos from the local repair shop. Since Hyundai of Cumming claimed it wasn’t covered, my insurance company requested a detailed explanation and additional photos, b

Compare 2016HYUNDAIGENESIS to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS have?
The 2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS has 127 NHTSA complaints, 5 crashes, 6 fires, 4 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS?
The 2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS received an overall NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5, front crash rating of Not Rated/5, side crash rating of Not Rated/5, and rollover rating of 5/5.
Are there any recalls for the 2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS?
Yes, the 2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS has 3 recall(s). The most common affected component is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY:SOLENOID. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS?
The most-complained component for the 2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM with 27 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE and UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
Is the 2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS safe to buy?
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. The 2016 HYUNDAI GENESIS has an NHTSA safety rating of Not Rated/5. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.

Vehicle Safety Guides

Data as of 2025. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.