HYUNDAI SONATA · model year

2009 HYUNDAI SONATA

610 NHTSA complaints, 29 crash reports, and 2 active recalls for this specific cohort.

NHTSA overall rating

Not crash-tested

New Car Assessment Program

The 2009HYUNDAISONATA carries 610 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 29 crashes, 16 fires, 40 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.

Component-level analysis is where model-year complaints become actionable: the top complaint category for the 2009 SONATA is service brakes with 64 filings, followed by electrical system (57) and engine (56). 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 2 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 2009 SONATA, 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.

610
Complaints
29
Crashes
16
Fires
40
Injuries
0
Deaths

Total Complaints

610 filings

Crashes Reported

29 reports

Source

NHTSA ODI

Federal complaints database

Complaints vs. fleet median (215)

Above median complaint volume — review patterns below.

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
SERVICE BRAKES64
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM57
ENGINE56
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)51
UNKNOWN OR OTHER48
POWER TRAIN37
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC31
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL31
STRUCTURE:BODY31
AIR BAGS28
STEERING24
SUSPENSION21
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM14
EXTERIOR LIGHTING12
VISIBILITY/WIPER11

Recalls (2)

13V35400012/08/2013

SUSPENSION:REAR

Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 1, 2005, through January 21, 2010; and model year 2006-2011 Azera vehicles manufactured September 27, 2005, through November 22, 2010 originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois,

13V11300001/04/2013

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburo

Recent Complaints

20260203POWER TRAIN

Passenger seat belt doesn’t click in. Miss fire Poor acceleration Exhaust leak Power lost Mechanic can’t find the problem Check engine light on

20260203ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Passenger seat belt doesn’t click in. Miss fire Poor acceleration Exhaust leak Power lost Mechanic can’t find the problem Check engine light on

20260203VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Passenger seat belt doesn’t click in. Miss fire Poor acceleration Exhaust leak Power lost Mechanic can’t find the problem Check engine light on

20260128VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

Once the car gets slowed down and reaches 20 mph of speed by applying the brake or not. It gives a sudden jerk, which causes immediate reduction in speed.

20260128ENGINE

Once the car gets slowed down and reaches 20 mph of speed by applying the brake or not. It gives a sudden jerk, which causes immediate reduction in speed.

20260106SERVICE BRAKES

Brakes seize up while driving and then cannot move the vehicle. This causes a dangerous situation while driving and then breaks lock up and cannot move car even though vehicle is on and then stopped for a stop light. Car must then be turned off and sit for about 30 minutes so it can unseize and when that happens, you can then resume driving and then check engine light comes on. Brake lights were staying on even when vehicle is shut completely off. ABS and ESC lights stay on consistently and never turn off. Vehicle brake switch was replaced at Carolina Hyundai of high point, NC. So break lights have been repaired. They had to order the stop switch lamp replacement for recall as it was never done and will be fixed in next week. 3 door handles fell off and cannot open the rear driver side door at all. Window electric system won’t let windows go up and down and had to make a latch pull string to open driver door. Passenger door will not open at all and no handle and is a dangerous situat

20260106UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Brakes seize up while driving and then cannot move the vehicle. This causes a dangerous situation while driving and then breaks lock up and cannot move car even though vehicle is on and then stopped for a stop light. Car must then be turned off and sit for about 30 minutes so it can unseize and when that happens, you can then resume driving and then check engine light comes on. Brake lights were staying on even when vehicle is shut completely off. ABS and ESC lights stay on consistently and never turn off. Vehicle brake switch was replaced at Carolina Hyundai of high point, NC. So break lights have been repaired. They had to order the stop switch lamp replacement for recall as it was never done and will be fixed in next week. 3 door handles fell off and cannot open the rear driver side door at all. Window electric system won’t let windows go up and down and had to make a latch pull string to open driver door. Passenger door will not open at all and no handle and is a dangerous situat

20260106ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Brakes seize up while driving and then cannot move the vehicle. This causes a dangerous situation while driving and then breaks lock up and cannot move car even though vehicle is on and then stopped for a stop light. Car must then be turned off and sit for about 30 minutes so it can unseize and when that happens, you can then resume driving and then check engine light comes on. Brake lights were staying on even when vehicle is shut completely off. ABS and ESC lights stay on consistently and never turn off. Vehicle brake switch was replaced at Carolina Hyundai of high point, NC. So break lights have been repaired. They had to order the stop switch lamp replacement for recall as it was never done and will be fixed in next week. 3 door handles fell off and cannot open the rear driver side door at all. Window electric system won’t let windows go up and down and had to make a latch pull string to open driver door. Passenger door will not open at all and no handle and is a dangerous situat

20250903ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Engine leaking oil from the front cylinder bank’s valve cover or leaking from the valve cover’s gasket onto the alternator. A sufficient amount of oil could damage the alternator resulting in illumination of the charging system warning lamp and disablement of the charging system. If the vehicle is continually driven with a disabled charging system, the engine can shut off, increasing the risk of a crash.

20250903ENGINE

Engine leaking oil from the front cylinder bank’s valve cover or leaking from the valve cover’s gasket onto the alternator. A sufficient amount of oil could damage the alternator resulting in illumination of the charging system warning lamp and disablement of the charging system. If the vehicle is continually driven with a disabled charging system, the engine can shut off, increasing the risk of a crash.

20250903ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Oil Leak on Alternator Engine leaking oil from the front cylinder bank’s valve cover or from the valve cover’s gasket onto the alternator. An unknown amount of oil damaged the alternator resulting in illumination of the charging system warning lamp and disablement of the charging system. If the vehicle is continually driven with a disabled charging system, the engine can shut off, increasing the risk of a crash.

20250903ENGINE

Oil Leak on Alternator Engine leaking oil from the front cylinder bank’s valve cover or from the valve cover’s gasket onto the alternator. An unknown amount of oil damaged the alternator resulting in illumination of the charging system warning lamp and disablement of the charging system. If the vehicle is continually driven with a disabled charging system, the engine can shut off, increasing the risk of a crash.

20250903SERVICE BRAKES

Brake Calipers are getting stuck often damaging the rotors and pads. This happens even for new calipers and rotors that won't last more than one year after replacement. The parts were original from manufacturer. The rear and front brakes were randomly getting stuck on one wheel after a period of using brakes. This put the vehicle in danger of getting fire from overheating rotors or increasing the risk of a crash because of an unusable brake system. This incident has repeated over time from 2017 till 2025 inducing big spendings for fixing brakes

20250228CrashAIR BAGS

The contact owned a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle was turning the corner. It was unknown if any warning lights were illuminated. As a result, the vehicle was T-boned by a vehicle that was turning the corner, then crashed and the vehicle came to a stop at an unknown location. Most of the impact was received from the front passenger side. The other divers speed was unknown. None of the air bags deployed. The contact suffered injuries to the head and the lungs when she impacted the steering wheel. The contact was taken to the hospital by an ambulance. The contact's daughter was in a coma and had brain trauma and a punctured lung. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The other vehicle owner was injured as well, the extent of his injuries was unknown. There was no property damage. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 140,000.

Mileage: 140,000

20241227UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Excessively cracked dashboard. The entire dash in my 2009 Hyundai Sonata is cracked and a replacement has been denied by Hyundai USA. A cracked dashboard could cause reduced structural integrity. The dashboard is a structural component designed to help absorb and distribute some of the forces in a collision. Cracks can compromise this ability to perform this function potentially increasing the force experienced by the occupants and the and other parts of the vehicle. It can also cause increased risk of debris and shrapnel. During a collision the cracked dashboard may break apart more easily causing sharp or jagged pieces to become projectiles inside of the cabin these fragments can pose a serious injury risk to occupants. It can also result in an impaired airbag deployment. Many vehicles have airbags in the dashboard a severely cracked dashboard could obstruct or improperly deploy airbags for example the air bag may not fully deploy reducing its effectiveness and the dashboard may pun

20241211STEERING

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the steering wheel suddenly became stiff and failed to turn in either direction. No warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that an appointment was scheduled with the dealer to inspect the vehicle. The vehicle was not yet diagnosed or repaired. Upon further investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 10V426000 (Steering); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 151,000.

Mileage: 151,000

20240529FireENGINE

5/18/24 in the afternoon, driving the car on freeway. the car lost power. AC stopped. Heat and check engine lights came on. Pulled car to shoulder. Driver’s window was foggy. Smoke coming from front. Exited the car. Flames seen underneath front of car and passenger compartment. Smoke worsened and within minutes 10 foot high flames engulfed the car. Fire department had to extinguish the flames. And California Highway Patrol blocked off several lanes. The vehicle totally was incinerated. I filed a police report number 240518LA2144. I do not have the report yet. It is not ready. It was filed with the California highway patrol.

20240529FireUNKNOWN OR OTHER

5/18/24 in the afternoon, driving the car on freeway. the car lost power. AC stopped. Heat and check engine lights came on. Pulled car to shoulder. Driver’s window was foggy. Smoke coming from front. Exited the car. Flames seen underneath front of car and passenger compartment. Smoke worsened and within minutes 10 foot high flames engulfed the car. Fire department had to extinguish the flames. And California Highway Patrol blocked off several lanes. The vehicle totally was incinerated. I filed a police report number 240518LA2144. I do not have the report yet. It is not ready. It was filed with the California highway patrol.

20240221FireSTRUCTURE:BODY

Vehicle sat in driveway for one week while on cruise. The day of return the sonata caught on fire without any person touching the car for one week. Brother who’s house it was at was woken by neighbors at 7sm. Home had minor damage, but it could of been bad if it was in someone’s garage. Fire started in engine and console. Fire department could not find out a reason. Car was totaled. Had to rent a car to get home that was 2 hours away. Never had an issue with this vehicle in the 12 years I owned it.

20240221FireAIR BAGS

Vehicle sat in driveway for one week while on cruise. The day of return the sonata caught on fire without any person touching the car for one week. Brother who’s house it was at was woken by neighbors at 7sm. Home had minor damage, but it could of been bad if it was in someone’s garage. Fire started in engine and console. Fire department could not find out a reason. Car was totaled. Had to rent a car to get home that was 2 hours away. Never had an issue with this vehicle in the 12 years I owned it.

Compare 2009HYUNDAISONATA to Similar Vehicles

NHTSA Investigations 1 Open

View all investigations

Frequently Asked Questions

How many complaints does the 2009 HYUNDAI SONATA have?
The 2009 HYUNDAI SONATA has 610 NHTSA complaints, 29 crashes, 16 fires, 40 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
Are there any recalls for the 2009 HYUNDAI SONATA?
Yes, the 2009 HYUNDAI SONATA has 2 recall(s). The most common affected component is SUSPENSION:REAR. Recalls are issued by NHTSA and manufacturers must provide a free remedy.
What are the most common problems with the 2009 HYUNDAI SONATA?
The most-complained component for the 2009 HYUNDAI SONATA is SERVICE BRAKES with 64 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include ELECTRICAL SYSTEM and ENGINE.
Is the 2009 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.

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.