2015 Hyundai Sonata: engine and transmission complaints
VERY HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
69%
738 of 1,076 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
69% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2015 Hyundai Sonata are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. Well over half of everything owners reported is the drivetrain. That is a severe model-level pattern; every model year we track at this level has a documented failure behind it.
Worse than 91% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 67 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 65%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE05/21/20213 INJURED
I was driving to work as I normally would from the University I attend. About half way to my destination the check engine light illuminated and right when I was about to find a safe place to stop the car abruptly stopped in the middle of the Highway and stalled on one of the most dangerous highways in the U.S. being US…
2 days ago my car had red orange like engine light came on while i am driving on [XXX] near [XXX] . next to [XXX] my car stopped running so I pull over and I call my local mechanic who sold me the car. JS AUTO In SANTA ANA, CA. He came in a towing truck. [XXX]. ALSO [XXX]. THEY WORK IN JS AUTO REPAIR MECHANIC SHOP. HE…
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER08/09/2017CRASH2 INJURED
HELLO, UNINTENDED ACCELERATION: MY 2015 HYUNDAI SONATA SUPERNATURALLY FLEW FORWARD WIDE OPEN AND CRASHED INTO MY HOUSE. 3 OR 4 AIRBAGS WENT OFF AND WHOLE FRONT END BAD. MY WIFE AND I WERE INSIDE WITH SEAT BELTS ON. WE HAD JUST DRIVEN BACK AND PULLED IN THE DRIVEWAY. I PUT IN PARK. THEN I DECIDED TO PULL UP A COUPLE FE…
Three of 738 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (9)
VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles manufactured December 8, 2014, to August 18, 2015, and Hyundai Sonata veh…
PARKING BRAKE:INDICATOR LIGHT
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Sonata and Genesis vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the warning light to indicate that the parking brak…
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactur…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2015 Hyundai Sonata
Ask the seller whether the engine has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown stalling, loss of power, rough idle, oil consumption or a check-engine light.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many engine faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the engine.
9 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A engine already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle.
