2017 Hyundai Sonata Plug-IN Hybrid

No clear pattern

19.6% of complaints about the 2017 Hyundai Sonata Plug-IN Hybrid arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2017 vehicle, but with only 51 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is engine (17 complaints), typically at 5.0 yr or about 12,470 miles.

Complaints: 51
Median age at failure: 5.0 yr
Median mileage: 12,470 n=22
Crash / fire / tow: 0% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

21V749000 2021-09-24

Exterior lighting:turn signal

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sonata, 2016-2017 Sonata Hybrid, and Sonata Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended.

A turn signal that activates in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.

18V166000 2018-03-12

Hybrid propulsion system

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016-2018 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. These vehicles are equipped with a Voltage Protection Device (VPD), designed to protect the high voltage battery module, that may activate inadvertently.

If the VPD activates while the vehicle is being operated in Electric Vehicle (EV) mode, there may be a loss of power, increasing the risk of a crash.

In owners’ own words

Engine 33,250 mi 2.7 yr in service

I WAS DRIVING MY HYUNDAI 2017 SONATA PLUGIN HYBRID ON THE HIGH WAY IN HEV MODE AND SUDDENLY I FELT SEVERE VIBRATION IN MY CAR. THEN I CHANGED MY ENGINE TO EV MODE AND IT WAS FINE. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. EVERY TIME THE GAS ENGINE CAME ON THE CAR STARTED VIBRATING AND NON RESPONSIVE TO GAS. I DROVE ABOUT 10 MORE KM TOWARDS HOME ON ELECTRIC ONLY ENGINE AND THEN GOT IT TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. IT FELT LIKE ENGINE LOST ITS POWER. I RECENTLY CHANGED THE VOLTAGE PROTECTION DEVICE ON THE CAR AS A RECALL. ALL SERVICES WERE DONE ON TIME AND CAR HAD ONLY 33000 KM.

Engine 75,000 mi 4.0 yr in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 HYUNDAI SONATA PLUGIN HYBRID. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, SHE HEARD AN ABNORMAL SOUND. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT DROVE TO HER RESIDENCE. THE CONTACT STATED SHE HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO HARRISONBURG FORD, INC. (3155 S MAIN ST, HARRISONBURG, VA 22801; (540) 434-0700), WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH NEEDING THE ENGINE TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 75,000.*DT

Engine mileage not reported 4.9 yr in service

The engine started knocking on the freeway and all the lights in the car went off. The engine failed and I barely made it off the freeway. I was almost hit by two cars trying to get to a safe place. The engine has the same issue as the other morsels that have recalled the engine for the same rod failure issue but Hyundai has not extended the recall to the plug in hybrid. This model also bends to be recalled because it is a danger to all owners and other drivers. Hyundai declined to repair the defective engine.

Other Sonata Plug-IN Hybrid 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.

2017 Hyundai Sonata Plug-IN Hybrid

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Sonata Plug-IN Hybrid model years

How to read this