Total Complaints
7 filings
Hyundai Sonata · model year
1994 Hyundai Sonata
7 NHTSA complaints. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
- Complaints
- 7
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1994 Hyundai Sonata posts top-5% complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 3%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1994HyundaiSonata carries 7 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1994 Sonata is seats with 2 filings, followed by engine and engine cooling:engine:gasoline (1) and seat belts:front:retractor (1). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 37 investigation files overlapping the 1994 Sonata, and 1 remain open. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
7
Complaints
0
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1994 Hyundai Sonata
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
Crashes Reported
0 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| SEATS | 2 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 1 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR | 1 |
| STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP | 1 |
| VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS | 1 |
| EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC. | 1 |
Recent Complaints
19960411SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR
THE DRIVIER SIDE SEAT RETRACTOR SOMETIMES DOESN'T RETRACT, SOMETIMES THE RETRACTOR LOCK YOU IN. *AK CONSUMER STATES BELT LOCKS SO HARD ONE CAN NOT MOVE. POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED, HARD TO TURN AND NOISY. DOOR WINDOW WOULD NOT COME UP INTERMITTENTLY, WINDOW SWITCH WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. DRIVER SIDE SEAT MOVES WHILE DRIVING. ANTENNA WOULD NOT GO UP ALL THE WAY. *SLC
19960411STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP
THE DRIVIER SIDE SEAT RETRACTOR SOMETIMES DOESN'T RETRACT, SOMETIMES THE RETRACTOR LOCK YOU IN. *AK CONSUMER STATES BELT LOCKS SO HARD ONE CAN NOT MOVE. POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED, HARD TO TURN AND NOISY. DOOR WINDOW WOULD NOT COME UP INTERMITTENTLY, WINDOW SWITCH WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. DRIVER SIDE SEAT MOVES WHILE DRIVING. ANTENNA WOULD NOT GO UP ALL THE WAY. *SLC
19960411SEATS
THE DRIVIER SIDE SEAT RETRACTOR SOMETIMES DOESN'T RETRACT, SOMETIMES THE RETRACTOR LOCK YOU IN. *AK CONSUMER STATES BELT LOCKS SO HARD ONE CAN NOT MOVE. POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED, HARD TO TURN AND NOISY. DOOR WINDOW WOULD NOT COME UP INTERMITTENTLY, WINDOW SWITCH WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. DRIVER SIDE SEAT MOVES WHILE DRIVING. ANTENNA WOULD NOT GO UP ALL THE WAY. *SLC
19960411VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
THE DRIVIER SIDE SEAT RETRACTOR SOMETIMES DOESN'T RETRACT, SOMETIMES THE RETRACTOR LOCK YOU IN. *AK CONSUMER STATES BELT LOCKS SO HARD ONE CAN NOT MOVE. POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED, HARD TO TURN AND NOISY. DOOR WINDOW WOULD NOT COME UP INTERMITTENTLY, WINDOW SWITCH WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. DRIVER SIDE SEAT MOVES WHILE DRIVING. ANTENNA WOULD NOT GO UP ALL THE WAY. *SLC
19960411EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL:RADIO/TAPE DECK/CD ETC.
THE DRIVIER SIDE SEAT RETRACTOR SOMETIMES DOESN'T RETRACT, SOMETIMES THE RETRACTOR LOCK YOU IN. *AK CONSUMER STATES BELT LOCKS SO HARD ONE CAN NOT MOVE. POWER STEERING PUMP REPLACED, HARD TO TURN AND NOISY. DOOR WINDOW WOULD NOT COME UP INTERMITTENTLY, WINDOW SWITCH WORKS INTERMITTENTLY. DRIVER SIDE SEAT MOVES WHILE DRIVING. ANTENNA WOULD NOT GO UP ALL THE WAY. *SLC
19951201SEATS
BOTH FRONT SEAT RAILS ARE WEAKENING ALLOWING SEAT TO ROCK BACK AND FORTH. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
19950606ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
OIL IS DISAPPEARING WITH CAUSE UNKNOWN. DEALER HAS HAD VEHICLE FOR MONTHS TRYING TO DETECT CAUSE. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS. TT
Compare 1994HyundaiSonata to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations 1 Open
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1994 Hyundai Sonata have?▼
The 1994 Hyundai Sonata has 7 NHTSA complaints, 0 crashes, 0 fires, 0 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1994 Hyundai Sonata?▼
The most-complained component for the 1994 Hyundai Sonata is SEATS with 2 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE and SEAT BELTS:FRONT:RETRACTOR.
Is the 1994 Hyundai Sonata safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. 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.
Data vintage: August 2026. 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.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1994 Hyundai Sonata; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.