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2011 Hyundai Sonata: jerking or lurching

61 of the 3,380 complaints about the 2011 Hyundai Sonata describe jerking or lurching.

owner complaints
61
of this car's complaints
2%
typical mileage
55,600
recalls
1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 33 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below

Jerking or lurching by model year

What owners say

Filed Jul 1, 2026 · Engine · CA

Rod bearing issue due to particles in engine causing engine to not accelerate as normal and jerk when goes over 10 MPH can’t exceed 50 miles causing safety issues and knocking/clicking noise took it to Hyundai and was informed it is apart of the recall but wont replace engine my vehicle has ALL the same issues as the Hyundai recall but my VIN isn’t registered on the site for recall on carfax it shows a pattern of the previous owners being car in for maintenance and engine issues but engine never being replace under recall

Filed Jan 22, 2026 · Engine, Steering · 138,000 miles · NC

The contact owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 65 - 70 MPH, there was a grinding sensation coming from the front wheels, and the grinding sensation was felt in the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the rod bearings and hubs had failed, causing the grinding sound. The contact was informed that the rod bearings and hubs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic, and the vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds the following day, there was a loud grinding sound coming from the vehicle. The sound also occurred while the vehicle was parked. While attempting to accelerate from 25 - 35 MPH, the engine started knocking, and the vehicle clunked and jerked. The vehicle decelerated, and the contact pulled over to the side of the road. The contact became aware that the accelerator pedal was not operating as needed. While on the side of the road, the contact turned off the vehicle and attempted to restart the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The vehicle was towed to a certified mechanic, who diagnosed that the engine had failed, and the mechanic recommended the engine replacement. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was towed to a different dealer, Capital Hyundai of Greensboro (801 E Bessemer Ave, Greensboro, NC 27405), and the contact was informed of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 15V568000 (Engine). The vehicle was not repaired because the manufacturer stated that the maintenance history was not satisfactory enough to warrant an engine replacement. The failure mileage was approximately 138,000.

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 Dec 14, 2024 · Engine · OH

After my car gets going and warms up, the engine has a problem. When it is time for the engine to shift to a higher gear, it makes a revving sound like the clutch has been pushed in and the gas pedal is being pushed. This mostly happens around 25 and 45mph. When you hit the as to make it stop it jerks and sometimes skids. If you take you foot off the gas it stops, but also slows down. When you hit the gas again it jerks again. If you try to speed up to get it to stop, it jerks again and this time pretty badly.

Filed Oct 1, 2024 · Airbags, Engine · AL

Car is overheating. Took it to a mechanic They replaced the thermostat but car is still overheating, jerking and so much more. The mechanic wants to charge more to fix it. I got a second opinion from another mechanic and after he reviewed the paperwork from the first mechanic. He searched my vin number and told me to contact this number because my vehicle is on a recall list. So I need someone to contact me about where and how we can get my vehicle fixed.

Filed Mar 31, 2024 · Engine · NC

Hyundai Theta II engine has known defects with excessive engine oil consumption. Numerous consumers have complained of this issue as it appears widespread to the entire line of Theta II engines. A recent class action has limited the scope of the recall but an easy search can see it impacts (or has the potential to impact) nearly all Theta II (six gen) engines from Hyundai. The issue is that the scope of the recall needs to be widened to cover others who are impacted who currently have no recourse. Many are facing the same situation, which can easily be found with a brief search online. [XXX] At this time the issue is the car stalling at unknown times, fire from oil being displaced in other areas and various other issues due to improper and unusual oil consumption. The best situation would be to force Hyundai to review and expand the scope of their recall immediately. I found that I had excessive oil consumption which was causing my car to grind and shift heavily sometimes jerking on the highway. While I didn't crash, that possibility did exist when my car continually grinded heavy between shifting. I took my car to the dealer where they confirmed this issue. However, Hyundai declined to remediate. There are no warning lights and this could easily result in a crash, or fire. Hyundai has records of my maintenance, as my car is only serviced by the dealership where the car was purchased and I am the original owner. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 19, 2023 · Transmission · MO

I was driving my vehicle and a warning light indicating hybrid system charging failure warning. The vehicle had intermittent power problems and would not move appropriately in relation to the pushing the gas pedal. It would not go then would jerk forward. I was finally able to pull over to the side of the road safely. I turned my car off and when turned back on the error message failed. This happened on two other occasions. Later there was a whining noise when shifting into second gear. I took in for service and the hyundai dealership told me the transmission needed to be replaced. My safety and others were at risk due to loss of ability to drive the vehicle appropriately due to loss of power.

Filed Sep 14, 2022 · IL

Car accelerates randomly. Makes a sort of "vroom" sound and lurches forward. Causing my vehicle to run into my friends garage door. Also noticed acceleration at various times while moving.

Filed Oct 28, 2021 · Engine · GA

I was driving my car regularly one day and out of nowhere my car just shut off. When I started it back up I heard a knocking noise and it got louder as I went faster. So I pulled over and checked to see where the sound was coming from and it came from the engine. So when I started the car back up, on the way home the car was hesitating to move right and kept jerking. I also noticed the engine light and engine oil light came one so I went to go check it out. When I did the shop said the engine is blown and that there are recalls on my type of car. When I searched to see if there was I found out my car had none. But the exact same thing that happens to those cars happened to mine.

Filed Sep 4, 2021 · Steering · WI

There is looseness/excessive play in the steering, causing a jerkiness motion side-to-side with minimal movement of the steering wheel. There is also a clunking noise when turning and when going over bumps in the road, sometimes the bumps cause the steering wheel to jerk to the side resulting in the car veering to the left or right. When this occurs traveling at a higher speed, I'm afraid it could result in either veering into the ditch or into oncoming traffic. I had my mechanic inspect the issue, thinking it was a suspension problem, but was informed it was a faulty "steering column flexible coupler" that is a known issue with this particular vehicle. This steering issue seems to be getting worse and worse by the day.

Filed Feb 19, 2021 · Engine · 137,722 miles · FL

Tl* the contact owns a 2011 hyundai sonata. The contact stated that while his wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle started to jerk and hesitated to accelerate. The contact's wife stated that an abnormal noise was coming from the engine. The contact diagnosed the vehicle at his residence and retrieved dtc code: p1326 (check engine knock sensor failure). The contact's wife drove the vehicle to her residence. Allen turner hyundai (6501 pensacola blvd, pensacola, fl 32505) was contacted and informed the contact that a diagnostic test was necessary to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign number: 15v568000 (engine) as a possible solution to the failure however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that over 125,000 miles the recall repair was expired. The failure mileage was approximately 137,722.*dt

Filed Mar 8, 2020 · Engine · 141,562 miles · AR

It jerks time to time we took it to a local hyundai dealership and they said they checked transmission and test came back fine. I have a 3 year old and the intermittent jerking scares us. It happens when it has difficulty shifting sometimes. Don't know when to expect it. It cut off one day in city streets then started back. On highway it doesn't have as many problems , but every now and then I have to manually shift on highway. It is a hybrid sonata 2011

Service bulletins that may apply

Related recalls

Power train: automatic transmissionReported July 18, 2014 · 883,000 vehicles affected
What is wrong
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2011-2014 Sonata vehicles manufactured December 11, 2009, through May 29, 2014. In the affected vehicles, the transmission shift cable may detach from from the shift lever pin.
Risk
If the transmission shift cable detaches, the transmission gear selection may not match the indicated gear and the vehicle may move in an unintended or unexpected direction, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, when the driver parks the vehicle, despite selecting the 'PARK' position, the transmission may not be in 'PARK.' If the vehicle is not in the 'PARK' position and the parking brake is not applied, there is a risk the vehicle will roll away as the driver and other occupants exit the vehicle or anytime thereafter. A vehicle rollaway increases the risk of injury to exiting occupants and bystanders.
Remedy
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, repair the connection between the shift cable and shift lever, free of charge. The recall began in September 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑800‑633‑5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 123.

Recall number 14V434000 · Recall details

Questions about the 2011 Hyundai Sonata jerking

Is jerking or lurching a common problem on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata?

61 of 3,380 owner complaints about the 2011 Hyundai Sonata (2%) mention jerking or lurching. The model year with the most reports is 2011.

Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata?

There is 1 recall and 33 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.

Other symptoms on the 2011 Hyundai Sonata

Engine failure 335Stalling 310Steering noise 302Knocking 265Airbag light 243Pulling 193Check engine light 183Won't start 126Loss of power 120Harsh shifting 118Fire or smoke 117Headlights 103Oil consumption 63Power steering loss 60Adaptive cruise 53Warning lights 43No deployment 38Grinding brakes 33Key fob 33Coil spring 32Door locks 32Fuel pump 32Hesitation 30Fuel gauge 28Fuel smell 28Steering lock-up 28ABS 23Ball joint 22Won't shift 21Sudden acceleration 21Seat belt 19Overheating 18Brake failure 14Shudder 13Slipping 13Battery drain 11Fuel leak 11Sunroof shattered 11Transmission failure 11Tire blowout 10Whining noise 6Wipers 6

All model years of the Hyundai Sonata

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