2018 Hyundai Sonata

Typical pattern

6.4% of complaints about the 2018 Hyundai Sonata came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2018 vehicle — around the middle of the 182 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 5.4 yr in service. The most-reported system is engine (210 complaints), typically at 5.9 yr or about 20,000 miles.

Complaints: 551
Median age at failure: 5.4 yr
Median mileage: 20,000 n=200
Crash / fire / tow: 11.1% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Engine

210 reports · 20,000 mi

5.9 yr

Electrical system

59 reports · 20,500 mi

5.1 yr

16.9%

Other

58 reports · 16,000 mi

4.7 yr

5.2%

Power train

40 reports · 47,575 mi

6.5 yr

15%

Fuel / propulsion

31 reports · 127,961 mi

7.3 yr

3.2%

Exterior lighting

22 reports · 300 mi

1.4 yr

Speed control

19 reports · 8,916 mi

1.9 yr

31.6%

Structure

16 reports · 32,000 mi

4.8 yr

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

21V619000 2021-08-06

Latches/locks/linkages:trunk lid:latch

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Sonata, 2016-2018 Sonata Hybrid, 2018-2020 Accent, and 2016-2017 Azera vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."

A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

In owners’ own words

Exterior lighting 200 mi 4 mo in service

THERE IS A BLACK LINE ACROSS THE ROAD WITH TWO BUMPS IN IT WHEN YOU ARE DRIVING AT NIGHT.IT ALSO SEEMS THAT THERE IS LIMITED FIELD OF VISION COMPARED TO MY OTHER CAR.ALSO THE HEADLIGHTS FOG UP INSIDE OCCASIONALLY. BROUGHT IT IN TO DEALER, THEY SAID NOTHING IS WRONG.IT OCCURS WHEN DRIVING THE CAR,WHEN IT IS STATIONARY YOU CAN SEE THE BLACK BUMPS WHEN SHINING THE LIGHTS AGAINST A WALL.

Exterior lighting 200 mi 6 mo in service

WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT WITH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS THERE IS VERY DISTINCT SHADOWS IN FRONT OF CAR. IT IS VERY DISTRACTING AND HYUNDAI TSB 18-BE-003 SAYS IT IS NORMAL WITH LED AND INSTRUCTS DEALERS TO NOT TRY ADJUSTMENT

Exterior lighting 300 mi 9 mo in service

THE HEADLIGHTS ON MY 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA SHOW TWO BLACK NOTCHES AND A BLACK LINE ABOUT 30 FEET IN FRONT OF THE CAR IN LOW LIGHT CONDITIONS. IT IS VERY DISTRACTING AND DANGEROUS AS THESE SHADOWS DART ACROSS YOUR PATH AS YOU MAKE TURNS OR GO UP HILLS. HYUNDAI SERVICE COULD SEE THE NOTCHES, BUT SAID "THE SYSTEM IS WORKING WITHIN SPECIFICATIONS AT THIS TIME". SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED BECAUSE OF THESE UNSAFE LIGHTS.

Structure mileage not reported 4 mo in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HYUNDAI SONATA. WHILE DRIVING, THERE WAS A GLARE ON THE DASHBOARD THAT CAUSED A REFLECTION ON THE WINDSHIELD AND OBSTRUCTED THE CONTACT'S VIEW. A LOCAL DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ADVISED OF THE FAILURE VIA U.S. MAIL; HOWEVER, THE CONTACT HAD NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. *BF *TR

Other Sonata 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.