The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while her sister was driving at various speeds, there was an abnormal, fuel odor coming from the vehicle. Despite the odor, the contact's sister resumed normal driving operation and later refueled the vehicle. After fueling the vehicle, the fuel odor was stronger, and the tire pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact's sister pulled over to inspect the vehicle, but found no failure. The next day, upon starting the vehicle, there was smoke coming from under the hood of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where the mechanic immediately smelled a fuel odor and later discovered a fuel leak while inspecting the vehicle. The mechanic showed the contact the fuel leak and diagnosed the vehicle with a defective fuel system. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V934000 (Engine, Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact attempted to reach the manufacturer but was unsuccessful. The failure mileage was 192,000.
2013 Hyundai Sonata engine complaints
Page 4 of 27: complaints 71 to 100 of 778, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Losing oil somewhere in the engine and the oil smells like fuel.
With no warning light indication the Sonata lost all power on I-75 South near Dayton Ohio. After tow & vehicle I inspiration the engine was said to be dead. There is a recall for the 2015 for the SAME issue.
On freeway accelerated and it stalled the attempted to push button start all dash light were on and then it completely started smoking and that was from the starter getting to hot and died and nothing engine won't turn over so vehicle has no to started since
The contact owned a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact smelled fuel and noticed smoke coming from the engine compartment with no warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the engine had caught on fire. The contact stopped the vehicle, and the contact and the two passengers quickly jumped out of the vehicle. The contact stated one of the passengers sustained a minor leg injury, and medical attention was provided. The fire was extinguished by the Fire Department. A fire report was filed, and a fire report number was not provided. The origin of the fire was not yet determined. A Police report was filed. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 95,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle shut off with an audible warning chime and several unknown warning lights illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact was able to restart the vehicle soon after failure. The contact stated that on another occasion, while depressing the brake pedal, there was an abnormal ticking sound coming from the vehicle, and the engine shut off. The contact was unable to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The dealer was notified of the failure, and the contact was informed that there was only an anti-theft recall on the vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact discovered the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) and linked the failure to the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 92,000.
My Hyundai vehicle experienced a sudden engine failure due to a known defect in Hyundai’s Gasoline Direct Injection (GDI) engine. This engine issue is part of a widely documented safety concern that causes rod bearing wear, leading to stalling or catastrophic failure while driving. Despite the dealership confirming it’s consistent with the known defect, Hyundai denied assistance solely because my title is branded, even though the engine failure is unrelated to any crash or damage. Hyundai has replaced engines for others with branded titles, proving the inconsistency in their handling of a serious safety problem. This defect poses a risk of stalling in traffic, engine fires, and potential accidents. The vehicle shut down completely, and I believe this violates federal safety standards.
I purchased a 2013 Hyundai Sonata in 2022. I never had any problems or warning signs of vehicle until late Feb 2025. The engine begin to making a knocking sound and stalling almost causing my son to have an accident. After researching the issue I found that there had been a law suit filed against this company for the engines in those vehicles and that they had placed a limited lifetime warranty on the engine in my vehicle. I reached out to Hyundai and they assured me that my vehicle was covered under the TXXI warranty due to the class action suit filed against them. Next they set up an appointment for me to take the vehicle to the local Hyundai dealership which was Bentley Hyundai in Huntsville, Alabama. I had the vehicle towed there in March 2025 and was immediately met with unprofessional dialogue on my arrival. I explained that an agent from Hyundai corporate had set and appointment for that day but was told that they had no knowledge of it. They received the car and stated that diagnostics had to run on it and that they had to send the paperwork back to corporate for approval to replace/repair the engine. About a week later after unsuccessful attempts to contact the dealership, I was informed that my claim was denied due to maintenance neglect. Once I asked for further clarification the associate told me that it “looked like the oil had never been changed in the vehicle”. I assured him that it had been maintained properly since the date I purchased it. They pulled the carfax and was able to verify all of my maintenance records and that the vehicle never went over 5000 miles before oil changes. I then asked to speak to a supervisor as the rep began to be very disrespectful in his tone and language (which was always by text and not phone). The service manager that I spoke to after this helped escalate the situation to the appeals department. This was a known issue for these motors and the fact that they would put my family’s lives in jeopardy is upsurd.
while driving on the highway the engine caught fire.
So my car started to stall when I started it an when I started goin down the road like it wanted to die. Then I started to smell gas very strong so had a code tester put to my car an i have 6 permanent codes. An not only that im smelling oil strong an noticing big oil spots under my car. So I look under the hood an behind the turbo I see oil behind an underneath the turbo. I definitely didnt feel safe driving but now its not even drivable. I purchased it couple months ago from an individual an i cant belive the amount of problems this car has. Im a single mom an trying to support my family an its hard to now with a non running car. I've put quite a few parts hoping it would fix some of the problems an nothing has. I absolutely love the car an very beautiful but unfortunately to many problems with it. Eninge, gas leaks, timing
My car starts making noise then i pull over. my car completely shuts off and i tried to restart it, didn’t start. My engine i think is ruined
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed the vehicle with engine failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 18V934000 (Engine, Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
Unknown, caught fire. 😳
The car engine was sputtering and the check engine light came on. I was notified by a repair shop that the problem may relate to an engine recall. I called Hyundai about the recall and they advised me to take the vehicle to Cardinale Hyundai in Corona. I did take it there. Testing showed that the issue was, in fact, the same issue that was part of the recall (I believe it is called the internal engine bearing failure). HOWEVER, the Hyundai dealer then advised that, due to owner neglect, the problem will not be fixed by Hyundai. I firmly dispute Hyundai's contention!
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact had received an undisclosed the federal safety agency recall campaign, and the vehicle was repaired under the recall. The contact stated that the check engine warning light had been illuminated since the vehicle was picked up from the dealer after the recall repair. The contact stated that on a separate occasion, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed and determined that the engine had seized. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact then towed the vehicle to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle remained at the dealer and had not been driven since. The approximate failure mileage was 150,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the low oil warning light illuminated, the vehicle had been in for service just days prior to the warning light being illuminated. After a visual inspection of the oil dipstick, the contact observed that the oil level was abnormally low. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Cooling), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 110,000.
On [XXX], in Washington, D.C., my 2013 Hyundai Sonata experienced sudden engine failure, leaving the vehicle inoperable. My goodwill repair request was denied within 30 minutes, without a proper inspection of the rod bearings (a known failure point covered under the TXXI extended warranty) or the fuel pipe recall—a known issue that could pose a fire hazard. Hyundai cited suspected maintenance neglect, but I have documentation of regular synthetic oil changes. Despite having over 200,000 miles, a Firestone inspection from September 2024 confirmed the vehicle was in good condition prior to the failure. Additionally, Hyundai Theta II engines are widely known to suffer from excessive oil consumption, a defect that can lead to premature engine failure even in well-maintained vehicles. Hyundai has replaced engines in vehicles with similar mileage under the same extended warranty, yet in this case, no proper inspection was conducted before denial. Safety Concerns: The fuel pipe recall was not inspected, raising concerns about whether unresolved recall defects are leading to engine failures or fire risks. The airbag clock spring, covered under Hyundai’s TXXA extended warranty, was not inspected, despite the airbag light being illuminated, potentially affecting airbag deployment in a crash. The vehicle failed without warning lights or error messages, creating an unsafe situation. Hyundai’s failure to inspect recall-related issues before denying repairs could impact other affected vehicles on the road. I request that the federal safety agency: Ensure Hyundai properly inspects recall-related components before denying repairs. Investigate whether Hyundai is improperly denying warranty and recall-related repairs, even in cases where similar vehicles have received replacements. Determine if the unresolved fuel pipe recall and airbag clock spring defect pose broader safety risks. This issue has been reported to Hyundai corporate, but no proper inspection has been performed. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATIO
I had an issue on my car where engine oil level is getting low day by day, then I have visited service center to solve they have said to change spark plug, pcv value and also done fuel induction service , said me to come after 1000 miles then after I had a another problem where my car RPM is increasing and speed is getting low. I have visited the service center again saying catalytic converter issue and asked me to pay 3000$ to do repair before that I have paid 700$ but mentioning you one thing till now I have spend 2000$ for the same issue what was happen. Today as now my car is issue to move in toll road it is very hard to move. And also Hyundai is denying my request and saying me I am out of warranty. My car has 94000 miles as for today. Please help me out from this I am struggling with the issue.
submitting a formal complaint to the federal safety agency regarding unresolved safety defects in my 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. Despite Safety Recall 251 issued in December 2023 for an ABS fire hazard, my vehicle continues to experience sudden loss of acceleration, engine shutdowns, and persistent dashboard warnings. Failed Recall Repairs & Lack of Transparency Since receiving the recall notice, my vehicle has been serviced multiple times at Thompson Hyundai in Dundalk, MD, yet the defects persist. When I requested service records to verify recall repairs, I was told that Thompson Hyundai’s acquisition by Heritage prevents them from providing full documentation—only three edited records missing key details. This raises concerns about: 1.Whether recall repairs are actually resolving safety defects. 2.Hyundai’s failure to maintain proper repair documentation. 3.The risk that other Hyundai vehicles remain unsafe due to incomplete recall fixes. Life-Threatening Breakdowns & Financial Hardship Since Hyundai’s supposed “fix,” my vehicle has broken down at least eight times, including major highways and intersections. On [XXX], on [XXX], my car suddenly lost power in heavy traffic, nearly causing a multi-vehicle accident. As a result: •I lost my job due to missed work from repeated breakdowns. •I suffered severe emotional distress, including PTSD-like symptoms and asthma attacks requiring medical attention. •I am facing financial instability from lost income and costly rental vehicles. Request for the federal safety agency Investigation Given Hyundai’s failure to resolve these defects, I urge the federal safety agency to: 1.Investigate whether Hyundai’s recall repairs fully resolve the defect. 2.Review dealerships’ recall documentation practices. 3.Determine if further regulatory action is needed to protect consumers. I am pursuing direct resolution with Hyundai but am bringing this to the federal safety agency in the interest of public safety. I appreciate your review and look forward to your response. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost automotive power. The contact stated that while reaching over the passenger seat, the gear shifter was knocked into a lower gear and would not switch back into the drive gear. In addition, the contact stated she managed to pull over the shoulder of the road before going over a curb and crashing into a grass field which brought the vehicle to a stop. No warning lights illuminated. A police report was not filed. The contact did not sustain or seek medical attention for any injuries. The vehicle was towed to a local independent mechanic where it was left for diagnoses and repairs. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) however the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 83,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that there was white smoke coming from the exhaust pipe. While driving at approximately 45 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact coasted right into the neighborhood and stopped in front of the neighbor's home. The vehicle remained parked. The contact stated that the front driver’s side seat belt failed to lock in the latch intermittently. The contact spoke with the dealer, before the failure, who confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); because the vehicle was previously inspected under the recall and it was deemed that the engine did not need to be replaced, and that the recall was closed. The dealer was not contacted after the failure. The vehicle was diagnosed or repaired for engine or seat belt failures. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 169,000.
While driving the vehicle under normal conditions, the vehicle lost power. Eps, and oil lights came on engine completely shut off. I changed belt, alternator and starter. It rolled over 3 times and seized. There doesnt appear to be a rod slung, or cracks in the block, but ive spent almost 2000 dollars trying to get it running and have another 1300 in parts waiting to rebuild the motor.I know there is a recall on the motors, but never received mail or any attempt at engine replacement.
Burns excessive oil/excessive oil consumption
I have a recall for the rod bearing , I drop off my car at AutoNation Hyundai North Richland Hills . Before 3 days to replace the engine because last time I changed the oil on Firestone the technician show me a metal on the oil and that coming from the rod bearing wear also when I cold start the vehicle I listen a rod bearing noise coming from the engine for a while , AutoNation Hyundai North Richland Hills called me today and say that the engine pass the rod bearing test and that is not right maybe it’s now but will not last like that , also i don’t want to drive the vehicle with this safety recall and get crashed when the bearing fail . I just need a help to replace this engine due to this recall I didn’t pickup the vehicle from the dealer location till I got a response from you .
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that over time the vehicle became slow to start and that the engine was rattling and shaking abnormally at start-up. The contact stated while driving at undisclosed speeds, the check engine warning light remained illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where the vehicle was diagnosed and the contact was informed that there was oil inside cylinder #1, causing a loss of compression. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V226000 (ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING); however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 125,000.
Fuel pump failed on long distance travel. Never been notified of issue. Fuel failed to inject itself as vehicle loss power. Along with engine.
my car broke down and now the car does not pick up speed and rattles when i press the gas pedal.
Having to add 1-2 quarts of oil per month and engine knock noise has started and been louder when oil is low.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. While driving approximately 55-60 MPH, the vehicle lost motive power, and the vehicle decelerated. The vehicle regained power, and the contact was able to continue driving at slower speeds. While driving at various speeds, the vehicle stalled and went into LIMP Mode before regaining power approximately 3 to 4 times. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The contact had spoken with another dealer, Sheehy Hyundai of Waldorf (2910 Robert S. Crain Hwy, Waldorf, MD 20601) and it was confirmed that the VIN was not under recall. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure and opened a case. The manufacturer related the failure to the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 17V226000 (Engine and Engine Cooling); and referred the contact to the dealer. The failure mileage was 126,000.
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving at approximately 40 MPH, there was an abnormal sound coming from the engine. The contact stated that the failure occurred increasingly while driving at higher speeds on the freeway. The contact could not confirm whether there was any warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was determined that the abnormal sound was coming from the engine base. The mechanic informed the contact that they could not repair the vehicle. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.
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