2011 Hyundai Sonata: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Jul 21, 2026 · Airbags, Fuel system · CA

I purchased fgis car from a used car dealership, for over $6,000.00 , which is not a ton of money, but plenty enough to not have instant issues. Since my purchase in june 30, 2026, i have already had all of these issues occur. There is white smoke coming from the left tail pipe, it is sluggish when you push on the gas, there is black soot constantly on my rims that is extreamly hard to remove, the high pressure fuel pump jas failed, I can tell because the oil is higher then it was when o had the oil freshly changed, and it smells of gasoline.inside the oil. The exhaust has stron smell of gasoline. My steering wheel has a loud clinking noise everytime I go over a speed bump on pull into my driveway. Just so many items consistently needing repair or replacement, even though I just had the fuel system cleaned, the oil changed, and filters, and.oil filter too. I checked to see if any of my issues are covered by a recall warranty, because they all are recalled items for my car year, make, and model, but apparently Hyunfai is only covering these dangerous recall items for ul to 10 years. These items shkuld be covered longer, because my carfax states that at least one of these recalled items had already been changed in 2018, and is already broken again!! Hyundai should have covered these extreamly high wear out car parts for a longer period of time, or for the life of the vehicle, if every 5 years your replacing a $1000.00 part, not including labor, like the (HPFP) I was quoted by auto zone for over that price point!! "Ridiculous"! Another item is the air bag cover on the driver side windows area, of the body frame it is loose and keeps un-clipping, i am afraid that it is going to possibly just go off and kill me or something!! Very disappointed right now, that i cannot get any of these recalled items replaced by the manufacturer!!

Filed Nov 25, 2025 · Engine · 137,600 miles · AR

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and making a left turn, the vehicle experienced a loss of motive power. The contact was able to restart the vehicle; however, an abnormal knocking sound was heard, and there was smoke coming from under the hood. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to a nearby residence, where it temporarily remained. The contact attempted to drive the vehicle a few miles to qualify for towing, per the vehicle insurance provider. The vehicle was towed to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a rod bearing failure. The vehicle was not repaired due to insufficient engine oil maintenance records. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V746000 (Engine). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 137,600.

Filed Aug 22, 2025 · Engine · CA

This car has been having white smoke since i got it the smoke coming from the exhaust smells like oil burning.

Filed Aug 14, 2025 · Engine · TN

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle jerked, and the vehicle failed to accelerate as intended while depressing the accelerator pedal. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, while driving 35 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. The contact opened the hood, and there was smoke coming from the valve cover and coolant reservoir. The contact waited for the engine to cool down and the vehicle was able to restart. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, after turning off the vehicle after arriving at work, there was an abnormal bubbling sound coming from underneath the hood. The contact opened the hood and there were bubbles coming from the radiator. Prior to the failure, the contact had replaced the radiator, due to the engine overheating. Two weeks later the radiator hose detached. The contact stated that the fluid leaking from the radiator was dark brown and seemed to be mixed with slush. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who determined that there was foreign parts inside the radiator. The contact was informed that the radiator needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. A mobile mechanic arrived at the residence and confirmed that the radiator needed to be replaced and an unknown valve on top of the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure became progressively worse, and the vehicle was no longer driven. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Jun 20, 2025 · Engine · 112,000 miles · MD

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated after the vehicle was serviced, while driving 50 MPH and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle lost power. The contact pulled over to the side of the road while awaiting towing assistance. The contact stated that while waiting on the tow assistance, the contact became aware there was smoke coming from the engine. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact stated that several warning lights were illuminated. Neither a dealer nor an independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 112,000.

Filed May 23, 2025 · Electrical, Engine · OK

The vehicle just died out of nowhere. Would not start back up. Has a clicking noise when trying start and then had a burning smell.

Filed Feb 23, 2025 · Engine · MS

UNKNOWN, Makes a disturbing sound upon starting the vehicle like something inside the engine rattling, access oil consumption and burning smell , replaced valve cover gasket, still smelling oil burning

Filed Oct 30, 2024 · Electrical · WI · fire · 2 injuries

The contact owned a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her husband was driving at 60 MPH, the instrument panel started flickering, the engine started to rev, and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle veered to the side of the road and was parked. The contact then noticed that there was smoke coming from the vehicle and proceeded to open the hood of the vehicle. Soon after, flames were discovered coming from under the vehicle. The contact and her husband removed all personal items and watched from a safe distance. The fire department arrived at the scene however the vehicle was entirely consumed by the fire. The ambulance also arrived at the scene however no medical attention was provided since there were no physical injuries. The contact and her husband sustained emotional distress due to the incident. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Sep 19, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · NV · fire

Car spontaneously caught fire while turned on. First smoke started coming from under the hood. Within three - five minutes, the car erupted in flames followed by a minor explosion that burned more than half of the car causing a total loss.

Filed Jul 23, 2024 · Electrical · UT · fire

On [XXX], I smelled a chemical burning smell. We searched the house for about 5 minutes and finally went to the garage. As my husband opened the garage door he said the car is on fire. I looked and smoke was pouring out of the inside. He ran, opened the door and flames came bursting out. He immediately took off to get the fire extinquisher from the kitchen and I called 911. The fire department came and put the flames out. Upon inspection, the dashboard had a fire and the extreme heat had melted the entire dash. The fire chief and my husband were trying to figure out what had happened. The car was not running at the time. A little earlier, my husband had an air compressor plugged into the cigarette lighter. When he finished filling a tire, he unplugged the compressor, put the compressor in the car on the floor and turned the car off. Then later, as I described there was a fire. My husband and the fire chief inspected the engine which had no damage. The were specifically looking for the fuses. All fuses were in tact. In researching I discovered the the Hyundai Sonata had issues and new about the problems. We purchased the car in March and were not aware of any recalls, nor were the previous owners. I have spent the last 6 weeks in communication with Hyundai who led me on a wild goose chase and has refused to take responsibility for the fire. The are trying to blame in on the compressor which was not even plugged in. I was made aware of several class action law suits, but have not been able to find any information. I have kept all communication with Hyundai and have requested the recorded phone conversations also. The car is still in my driveway. Obviously all the electrical is destroyed and not fixable. I was trying to avoid lawyers and just get Hyundai to own up to the problem and take responsibility to pay what I paid for the car. I can get copies of all email communication. I attached the final email received yesterday. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION A

Filed May 13, 2024 · Body, Engine · TX · fire

Driving from home to a shopping center, approximately 25 miles, I did not observe any unusual noises nor smoke nor dashboard warning lights. Once I parked and shut off the engine in the shopping center parking lot, I observed a small amount of thick, white smoke coming from the hood on the front passenger side of my car, and then the smoke abruptly stopped. I was concerned enough that I decided I should probably move my car to a parking space a bit further away from the store I planned to go into in order to be further away from other vehicles. I started the engine again, and once again, no smoke nor unusual noises nor warning lights. I drove around to the next parking aisle and parked in a different parking space. Once I turned off the engine again, the smoke then immediately started from the right side of the hood again and quickly smoke started coming from the left side of the hood. I was quickly trying to grab my things to get out of the car as I saw the paint starting to peel off of the hood of my car. I was barely able to get out of my car as fire flames and very thick white smoke were then emerging from the hood. A person in the parking lot called 911 for me, and the local fire department arrived and put the fire out that destroyed my car. I am in the process of securing the Fire Marshall's lengthy report. At the present time, my vehicle is at our home where we paid to have it towed.

Filed Apr 21, 2024 · NJ · fire

Not sure what component is responsible but the car caught fire while driving on [XXX]. Started smoking and then shut off. Limped car to the shoulder and got out. Saw from underneath that it was on fire and called 911. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)