2012 Hyundai Genesis

Typical pattern

4.8% of complaints about the 2012 Hyundai Genesis came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2012 vehicle — around the middle of the 201 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 6.0 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine (71 complaints), typically at 6.0 yr or about 60,400 miles.

Complaints: 376
Median age at failure: 6.0 yr
Median mileage: 56,085 n=307
Crash / fire / tow: 6.1% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Engine

71 reports · 60,400 mi

6.0 yr

Electrical system

47 reports · 58,000 mi

5.9 yr

4.3%

Power train

40 reports · 55,000 mi

6.0 yr

Other

34 reports · 65,500 mi

6.9 yr

2.9%

Service brakes, hydraulic

33 reports · 77,000 mi

7.8 yr

Service brakes

32 reports · 55,560 mi

6.5 yr

6.2%

Exterior lighting

24 reports · 40,000 mi

4.3 yr

Speed control

15 reports · 35,728 mi

3.5 yr

13.3%

Steering

15 reports · 65,000 mi

5.9 yr

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

16V117000 2016-02-29

Visibility:windshield wiper/washer:motor

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2012 Genesis vehicles manufactured August 1, 2011, to April 30, 2012, and 2011-2013 Equus vehicles manufactured July 10, 2011, to June 12, 2012. The windshield wiper motor cover seal on the affected vehicles may degrade allowing corrosion on the wiper motor's circuit board. The corrosion can cause intermittent or total loss of wiper function.

Inoperative wipers during inclement weather can decrease driver visibility, increasing the risk of a crash.

13V489000 2013-10-29

Service brakes, hydraulic:fluid

Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Genesis vehicles manufactured April 30, 2008, through March 28, 2012. The vehicles may contain brake fluid which does not protect against corrosion of the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU).

If the module corrodes, reduced brake effectiveness may result, increasing the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Service brakes, hydraulic 67,724 mi 5.3 yr in service

THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES COMPLETELY TO THE FLOOR. BRAKES ACT AS IF FAILING. DEALER DIAGNOSED BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER DEFECT, REQUIRING REPLACEMENT OF THE MASTER CYLINDER. MILEAGE ONLY 67,000 MILES.

Service brakes, hydraulic mileage not reported 6.2 yr in service

BH GENESIS SEDAN HECU INSPECTION AND BRAKE FLUID REPLACEMENT (RECALL 114). BRAKE FAILING, DEALER DIAGNOSIS (ATTACHED) SAID THAT THE BRAKE FLUID HAS ALREADY BEEN CHANGE BEFORE I BOUGHT THE CAR AND THAT THE HECU THAT IS FAILING SHOULD BE AT MY CHARGE. CAR ONLY HAS 70,000 MILES, 5 YEARS OLD , I ARGUED THAT THIS UNIT SHOULD NOT BEEN FAILING AND THAT THEY MAY HAVE TAKE TOO LONG TO CHANGE THE FLUID THAT CAUSED CORROSION. HYUNDAI WAS FINE FOR RECALL LONG OVERDUE. ATTACHED IS DIAGNOSIS, RECALL FROM NHTSA AND FINE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP.

Service brakes, hydraulic 32,789 mi 6.3 yr in service

MY ABS BRAKE MODULE FAILED ON TUESDAY AFTERNOON 12/13/17. I HAD VERY LITTLE BRAKING POWER, PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR. I BOUGHT IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID THE BRAKE MODULE NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. WE WERE GOING STRAIGHT AND ALMOST HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF US. I BOUGHT THE GENESIS IN OCT. 2011 NEW. IT IS A 2012 WITH 32,789 MILES.

Power train 1,500 mi 7 mo in service

VERY BAD KNOCKING WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THIS OCCURRED WHILE CLUTCH PEDAL WAS DISENGAGED AND TRANSMISSION IN NEUTRAL. *JS

Other Genesis model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.