2021 Hyundai Sonata: engine and transmission complaints
HIGH COMPLAINT SIGNAL
51%
63 of 124 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
51% of relevant owner complaints filed with NHTSA on the 2021 Hyundai Sonata are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is a model-level pattern, not bad luck.
Worse than 66% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 6 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 48%).
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
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM06/22/20255 INJURED
I bought this car in June 2013 for its safety and its Amazing warranty and all the features that it has Hyundai manufacture had an obligation as a consumer service and failed to send notification of any recalled to us in regards to a recall High pressure, fuel pump, and fuel rail Fuel system engine, gas tank This is a…
POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION A08/26/2026
Massive loss of coolant in closed loop cooling system Heat soak. Fail safe mode
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM08/16/2026
I took my vehicle in for the safety recall due to an expanding fuel tank on 08/03/2026. I received my vehicle back on 8/12/2026. Hyundai performed an improper repair on the vehicle that will not correct the fuel tank expansion. They replaced the same check valve that was replaced last time I brought the vehicle in for…
Three of 63 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 (4)
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe and Sonata vehicles equipped with 2.5L turbocharged engines. Fuel may leak at the pipe connection…
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been proper…
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Sonata, Veloster N, 2022 Santa Cruz, Elantra N, and Kona N vehicles. The vehicle's "fail-safe" l…
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2021 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.
4 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. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.
