After losing power and getting horrible gas mileage, I took car into dealer. I was told it was the waste gate for the turbo and that it was not covered with my wrap around coverage that I paid extra for. With this comes the possibility of a firs as the car will heat up because the air can not escape. Hyundai should cover this under warranty and after reading all the other stories the same as mine, a recall needs to be done. I will never buy another hyundai!!!
2011 Hyundai Sonata fuel system complaints
Page 5 of 6: complaints 101 to 130 of 135, newest first, as owners wrote them.
When I was driving 70 MPH with two bars left on the gas gauge (dashboard said distance to empty: 80 miles) , the car suddenly lost power and engine was turned off. When I try to start the car, I noticed that it was out of gas. I put a gallon of tank and it worked. Hoping that it was just one time problem, I was driving it carefully filling gas when it had three bars left on the gauge. A week later, while driving 25 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning when there were 4 bars (130miles to empty on the dash). Took it to the dealership and they told me be replace the fuel pump for $1,000 which I declined at the moment. I had 63,000 miles on the car and found out that many sonata 2011 are having the similar problem.
I was traveling to return my vehicle to southern states hyundai on state highway 70 in durham, north carolina when suddenly, and without any warning, my vehicle exploded. At the time of the explosion, I was traveling approximately 50 m.p.h. Not able to see through the windshield and unable to breath because of the smoke, I pulled off the highway and jumped from the car.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 hyundai sonata. While driving 25 MPH, the vehicle shut off without warning. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic who, after diagnosing the failure, contacted a local dealer and reported that the pigtail on the fuel pump failed and burned. The dealer stated that the vehicle was out of warranty. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vehicle was not under warranty. The VIN was unknown. The failure mileage was 57,543.
At random times the fuel gauge will show the car is totally empty and the fuel warning light starts flashing even if the car has over half a tank. After sometime it might go back to normal. When flashing empty and I get gas, the tank will trigger the pump that it's full after only a couple of gallons and the gauge will show the tank is full. I have started resetting the trip odometer after each gas station visit, and making sure I don't go over 150 miles.
Check engine light came on. Test shows it is the fuel sensor. Fuel gauge inside fluctuates.
Gas guage not registering correctly was told by dealer it is a sensor, but then failed after testing. Mechanic retesting, says fuel unit not registering on cluster. Fault in "cluster" so gas guage is not working. Wants to charge $1482 to replace, says not warrantied
I started up my car and realized that my gas gauge wasn't correct especially when I filled the gas the night before. So I turned off the car and turned it back on and the numbers was just jumping around and the gas light would pop on etc. As of today my car is still doing it and it has me concerned
Fuel gauge has stopped showing the proper amount of fuel in the car. Car was filled at a local station, entered the roadway, low fuel light began to flash. Fuel gauge has not worked properly since. Brought the car to the dealer, was told by dealer that this is a known issue but is not considered a recall item. Repair was quoted at over $600 to replace the fuel module.
Oil light blinked on and off twice. Car was making a knocking noise. Stopped to check oil; absolutely no oil in the vehicle. No sign of leak; no smoking; no other indication of problem. Put 3 quarts of oil in the car. Knocking sound was worse. Drove car home and haven't driven it since. This is one of many problems I've had with this car. I get regular oil changes. I haven't had the car looked at yet due to cost and out of warranty. I've read other complaints of loss of oil resulting in complete engine failure. There was absolutely no indication that the oil was even low which I attribute to the faulty electrical system since I've had problems with that as well. It's my opinion that this car is unsafe to drive. I've read this year model has over 900 problems while other year models have average of 230 something problems. Obviously, this car should be completely recalled and replaced by hyundai dealer.
The fuel pump module has high resistance at the connector and burned a hole through it. *the connector burned* that should not have happened, this could have caused an explosion or a fire to start...this is not normal wear and tear and is a safety hazard....the part was manufactured wrong and should not have worn out. We are thankful that we are still alive.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 hyundai sonata. When the accelerator pedal was depressed, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. In addition, the contact smelled a strong fuel odor. The dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 69,000.
I filled up my car on thursday after filling it up the first time I started the car the gauge read full, later on while drive the fuel gauge said 3/4 full even though I had driven a few miles. The next day after taking my kids to school I stopped to run an errand. I get back in my car to start it up and the gas light is on and the fuel gauge says empty. After driving a few miles the gas gauges went up to 1/4 then eventually 1/2 tank. The gauge had been showing 3/4 full a few times in the past few weeks after filling up but this is the first time it's shown as empty.
Fuel gauge is not working properly. When gas is filled, it display the full tank gauge. But after ~ 100 mile drive, the fuel gauge drops to empty tank with alarm sign. At first it happened very rarely, but now (69000 mile), every time the fuel gauge drops to empty tank once it is drive >100 mile after full tank.
The car was parked. Started and backed up I proceeded forward at 10-15 MPH in a parking lot and the car just died would not start I had plenty of power lights etc but it would not turn over. Had to have the car towed. A car only four years old should not have a safety issue like this. This is a safety issue biz if we had rode in the car for 10 minutes and it stalled we would have been on a very dangerous section of a highway that would most certainly ended with an accident and even a worse scenario . For you to have no warning a signal or a bell but for it to just shut off. I have enjoyed the car for the most part but between a oil sensor going a few year ago and the car died the same way in the middle of an intersection and the car going dead again in the course of the vehicle moving I seriously would not recommend or consider buying a sonata again I hope this note has some effect on fixing this problem before fatalities occur. (now I also have a huge repair bill for a problem that so obviously a faulty part.
On 5 occasions my car has temporarily stalled/lost power for an instant, always at freeway speed within 10 miles of my home. The sensation is as if the car had run into something heavy on the pavement. It violently pitched my wife and I forward and I expect that we would have hit the dash had we not been wearing seatbelts. After exiting the freeway in all cases, the car had barely enough acceleration to drive more than 25 MPH for the couple of miles to the dealer. The dealer claims that they cannot repair a problem which they cannot duplicate. I understand this but find it difficult to believe that hyundai has never heard of this issue before. I strongly feel that my vehicle is unsafe and needs to be repaired under the manufacturer's warranty. I am only 30,000 miles into a 100,000 mile warranty.
At various times, when filling the car with gas, a very strong gas smell is in the car cabin. I have not been able to determine any common precipitating factors. Happens sporadically when adding various amounts of gas.
Car stopped several times during highway driving, causing driver unnecessary stress that she would be involved in deadly accident. Had to move to shoulder area during rushhour traffic several times, in the dc area. Multiple attempts to get issues addressed with dealerships in dc/md. Told many reasons why the sudden stops. Had to pay off of pocket for rental, never addressed to satisfaction of owner. Major, major problems with sudden stops without any warnings.
I am reporting a second incident that occurred after the date of the first incident I previously reported in my earlier complaint. As noted in my earlier complaint, the car had experienced catastrophic engine failure. I had the car taken for repair to the hyundai licensed dealer and automotive repair service center operated by hyundai burlingame (1025 rollins road, burlingame, ca 94010). The repair center explained the engine would have to be completely replaced and so would the fuel intake valve. A new engine and intake valve were installed in the car. On 10/2/2013, the repair work was completed and my spouse picked up the car and returned to our residence. On 10/3/2013, my spouse was driving the repaired car to work during the morning commute on southbound I-280 in the bay area when the car began to make loud clanging noises and violently shake and shudder. My spouse was able to pull of the highway just as the car again experienced catastrophic engine failure and the engine began releasing very heavy dark smoke. As the engine failed, the power to the steering went out and this made the car difficult to maneuver. The car was towed to the nearest authorized hyundai dealer and service repair center, stevens creek hyundai (4425 steven creek blvd., santa clara, ca 95051). Stevens creek hyundai opened the hood of the car and examined the engine. Steven creek hyundai told my spouse there was a high pressure gasoline leak and gasoline had been spurting on the hot engine and also that there was some sort of catastrophic engine failure.
When filling the car, gas spills out of the neck filler. The issue with this s that is virally always results in spoiled gas and gas being placed on users clothes and/or shoes - causing a potentially sever fire hazard.
Since july 2010 this car continually gets an odor of gasoline inside. I have had it to the dealer and each time I am there they report that no one knows what the problem is. When this smell gets bad it gives me headaches. This is both a health issue and potentially a fire hazard. Just a few minutes ago I once again called the dealer, conicelli hyundai of conshocken pa, and they said there was no solution yet. I would be surprised if others have not complained to you as there are many comments on-line about this situation.
1) within three months of buying this car, starting issues began. Generally on the second start of the day. First start of the day usually involves high engine revving somewhere in the neighborhood of 2,500 RPM. After a short trip, ignition will no click over attempt to restart. Usually second or third try result in a start. Despite dealer replacement of starter, fuel pump and battery, the problem continues periodically. 2) rear brakes needed replacement at 24k miles. Wear was uneven: left brake was grinding into rotor and right brake was only about 50 percent worn. Had dealership check for possible faulty calipers, but they claimed they found no issues and would not cover under warranty. In contrast, the car still has the original front brakes.
Beginning of october 2012 I kept hearing rattling, clanking noise coming from under the hood. I took the car to a hyundai dealer where I live october 26, 2012 . They checked out the car and told me because the engine light didn't come on, they couldn't find a code to fix the car and to bring the car in when the engine light comes on. I kept driving the car and hearing the same noise. I took it to meineke to get an oil change november 14, 2012. Drove the car approximately 3 weeks and still heard the noise. I took it to another hyundai dealer . They said the car didn't have any oil and meinke forgot to put the drain plug back in, therefore it messed up the engine, and that's why I heard the noise. I kept telling them, I heard the noise before the oil change. I took it back to meinke and showed them the paper hyundai gave me, they gave me my money back and apologized. Still hearing the noise, I took it back to the first hyundai dealer and they said it was engine problems and I had to pay the diagnostic fee because my warranty was voided due to meineke. I refused to pay the fee because my car is under warranty. They wouldn't give me my car back until I paid, we argued back and forth and I called the police and they gave me my car back, but told me not to come back on their property. I then took the car to where I purchased it and same thing. They said to try a gas additive 3 times, if that doesn't work, get an oil consumption test in my area where I live. I need my car fixed and no one will fix it. Hyundai blames meineke and meineke blames hyundai. They're saying because of no engine light on, they can't see the problems, but one dealer said it was the engine another saying gas problems. Bottom line, if the first hyundai dealer had kept my car, I wouldn't be going through this. How can I resolve this?
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 hyundai sonata. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate as the contact depressed the acceleration pedal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer inspection where it was advised that there was a failure with the fuel pump. The fuel pump was replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle surged when driving and pulled to one side abnormally. The vehicle was taken to dealer who stated that the transmission needed to be replaced. The failure mileage was 22,000 and the current mileage was 28,710.
There is a smell of gas/engine fumes notable in the vehicle on occasion. The problem does not happen consistently, however there are some common factors to when the smell in noticeable. These factors include: 1) the engine must be hot, generally having been driven for at least 15 minutes or more. The smell is never noticeable when the engine is cold, such as after sitting overnight. 2) the vehicle must be either moving at very slow speeds of 25 m.p.h. To clear out the cabin air, followed by activating the HVAC recirculation button will lessens immediate recurrence the smell to some extent. Finding ways to "mask" the smell are of lesser concern than determining why the smell exists in the first place. The vehicle has been in for this concern twice, with neither trip to the service bay having resolved the concern. While it does not appear to be an issue causing immediate danger (no noticeable fuel leaks or signs of fire), the smell of gas and engine fumes entering the passenger cabin is a bit concerning, both from a potential fire hazard in the future, and/or exposure to carbon dioxide and other noxious fumes while operating the vehicle. I will return the vehicle for a third visit to resolve this concern.
Loss of power, car shuts down, 'check charging system' alarm/chime with alarm symbols on dash display for battery, check engine and wrench icons. Have to pull off the highway somehow (in midst of heavy traffic) to shut car completely off and restart. On third incident (one day after second), car would not restart for 10 minutes and check engine icon remained lit. Every incident has been while traveling at high rate of speed in commuter highway traffic. Very frightening and dangerous experience for driver and safety hazard to others when it occurs.
Driving on the freeways at roughly 45mph with air conditioning on without hard acceleration. Vehicle had roughly 7300mi. Vehicle lost power and decelerated, check charging system light turns on, several lights were flashing and the vehicle was beeping. I drove on to the shoulder and came to a stop. I took a short video of the dash before turning off the vehicle and turning it back on. It operates fine after this incident. This incident has occurred twice, the second time more error lights were shown but otherwise identical to above, traveling roughly 65mph on a highway with air conditioning off it occurred at roughly 7700 miles.
The vehicle (2011 hyundai sonata 2.0t) leaks gas at the rear of the vehicle after fill up. This can continue after 2 bars removed off from fuel gauge. It has leaked in the garage, which inturn has got gas fumes in the house. There is also an extremely strong odor of gas in the cabin. We have to drive with the windows down to clear the fumes. This is an extremely dangerous situation that the hyundai dealership is not taking serious. Will it take an explosion for someone to do something about the problem. I have read numerous complaints about similar issues. This needs to be investigated before someone is hurt. This problem happens every time that we fill up the car. The vehicle has been into the dealership 3 times for this complaint.
I have a 2011 hyundai sonata hybrid, have had several problems with "check charging system" failue, been into dealership 3 times over a period of two months. Picked car up last thursday, hopefully no more problems. The car would just die in traffic under speeds of 40mph, happen to me at least 6 times, you would have to come to a complete stop, put in park and click engine off (which is not running anyhow) and then restart and proceed. With traffic in dfw the way it is, this was a huge safety issue.
I agree with the other complaints about the fuel fumes. My husband had mentioned to me while I was warming my car that the smoke coming from the tail pipe was very strong. I then begin to notice fumes inside the vehicle and thought I was just imaging things. The highway safety commission need to look into to these complaints before someone get killed. I get sick and tired of going to the dealers and they claim nothing is wrong with the car. Hyundai need to wake up and look into these complaints.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2011 Hyundai Sonata?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history