The right-rear passenger door will not open from either the inside or outside of the car. This happened suddenly with no warning. It was instantaneous. I went to go pick my toddler from daycare and when we were returning to the car, the right-rear passenger door will not open after unlocking the car with my key fob. All the other doors (3) could be opened with the key fob or without the key fob from inside the car. I tried to open the right-rear paasenger door from the inside and it still will not open. Additionally, you can hear the locking system on the door moving when locking and unlocking the car with the key fob but the door simply won't open. This is a safety issue because it hinders my ability to quickly get to my toddler in case of an emergency.
2013 Hyundai Sonata: doors won't lock, open or latch
20 of the 1,921 complaints about the 2013 Hyundai Sonata describe doors won't lock, open or latch.
- owner complaints
- 20
- of this car's complaints
- 1%
- typical mileage
- 85,000
- recalls
- 0
Doors won't lock, open or latch by model year
What owners say
I have a 2013 Hyundai Sonata 4 door sedan. I am unable to open the driver's left hand door to exit the car after turning off my vehicle. Only way I can open door to exit is to lower the window while motor still running, reach outside and grasp door handle from outside to open and Push/pull handle which doesn't allow me control over the door. Then I have to raise window with door standing open before I am able to turn off the ignition and exit my car. In Case of an emergency this is unsafe for driver and passengers. In this instance, I was trapped inside a hot car in Texas summer heat. In another instance, I could have had an accident and would have been unable to exit to safety. I searched for recall to this model which is covered for Hyundai Sonata manufactured in other years but my vehicle 2013 make is not included in same recall for exact same issue. There was no warning lamp, messages prior to failure. I have googled this "condition" and learned that this is a common problem for Hyundai Sonatas.
The left rear door won't open from the inside or from outside. The door just suddenly stopped working without any warning or without any damage to the door, or to the key FOB. I use it to transport an elderly person or sometimes my grand kids, it is dangerous especially if someone has to exit the car immediately.
Within a span of 6 months, 3 out of 4 doors on this car failed. The interior handle on the driver's side snapped off; it crumbled apart and sliced through the hand of the person opening the door. This occurred while the car was in park. Within 6 months the door latches on both rear doors froze and made it impossible to open the doors. This meant that no one could enter or exit through the rear of the car. Children needing to ride in the car would have to climb through the front to get to the back but would be unable to open the doors to exit, since the door latches failed. Though this is an older car, it is gently used and, at most, is driven 13 miles a day to and from work. Rear doors had rarely been used when they broke.
All 4 of my door lock actuators have failed since, 1 year in to owning the vehicle. There is a safety concern in not being able to get into or out of the vehicle due to the locks failing. As well as, making me a target for theft. Sometimes the locks will lock, other times they will not. I once put my dogs in the car and the locks would not open back up, it was terrifying. The component has not been checked yet, but I see there was a recall but my Vin was not included for some reason. This happens without warning.
Vehicle driver and passenger door handles will not open from the outside despite being unlocked. No damage occurred to handles. Handles worked one day and stopped working the next. Huge safety risk, if there is an accident, the driver and passenger are completely inaccessible.
My rear drivers side door will not open. I cannot get my grandson out of his car seat without walking to the passenger side of the car. If there was an accident, first responders would not be able to reach anyone in the backseat behind the driver's seat. This is a common problem with this make/model vehicle. I asked the dealer to try to open it for me, but wouldn't even look at it for without a $185 charge. No one else has inspected the vehicle. There were no warnings, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
Currently, Hyundai has issued a notification for extended warranty on a 2016 Hyundai Tucson and the Hyundai ELANTRA for an issue with the door latch system. However, this problem is occurring in several other Hyundai models. I own a 2016 Tucson and also a 2013 Sonata. the problem starts out usually when you try to open the door you have to pull the handle 2 to 3 times before it opens eventually it will not open at all. I had the problem fixed on the Tucson it was still under warranty, however, my 2013 Sonata rear driver side door just stopped opening from both the inside or the outside. I’ve watched videos on how to get the door open and I’ve looked up how to get it fixed. If I take it to the dealer it can cost up to $1500 which I don’t have. I don’t understand why it’s not a safety recall. I currently have one grand child who sits in a car seat in the back, and I only have one way of getting her in and out through the opposite door that opens , in another week, I will have a second grandchild to put in my car. I cannot install both car seats and use them if only one door opening. This is a safety hazard in all their vehicles. They use the same latch mechanism on all of their vehicles, if you look at YouTube, you’ll see hundreds of Tucson videos and if you search sonata you’ll find the same latch problem with sonatas. When I took my Tucson to be repaired, I asked about the Sonata and the repair person said if there’s no recall, I would have to pay to have it fixed. This is a safety issue because you can close your door and drive then Stop your car and try to open your door and it won’t open, and it is impossible to climb from the front seat to the backseat in a Sonata . There is no warning, It just happens. please look into this I need my doors fixed and I cannot afford $1500 to fix one door!
This is the second time the car does not register that is in parking and the motor is off. The electric system does not shuts off, everything that is electric stops working, as well as the door locks, which if your are inside the car it is very dangerous because even to unlock the door manually is hard. The car won't unlock with the electric key, the radio stopped working, and the rear view camera as well. The car keeps saying to put on parking because it does not register that it is on parking and it will beep the whole time without shouting off causing the battery to die completely. I dropped of the car at the dealer on Tuesday June 21 around noon time, but I have not heard anything from them. Today is June 23rd I called them at 9:46 am, but they have not returned my phone call yet to let me know what is wrong with the car. Prior to this incident with the electric system, the car will make strange noises and immediately after the breaks vibrate. I am concerned about my safety.
passenger rear door will not open, not from the inside or outside of the vehicle
Door latch driver side not locking
Passenger door handle broke and the car is not accessible from outside. It has to be open from inside.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2013 Hyundai Sonata door locks
Is doors won't lock, open or latch a common problem on the 2013 Hyundai Sonata?
20 of 1,921 owner complaints about the 2013 Hyundai Sonata (1%) mention doors won't lock, open or latch. The model year with the most reports is 2010.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2013 Hyundai Sonata?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2013 Hyundai Sonata
Engine failure 243Stalling 184Knocking 172Check engine light 163Fire or smoke 108Loss of power 95Steering noise 92Headlights 69Won't start 65Pulling 50Oil consumption 49Harsh shifting 45Jerking 36Warning lights 36Hesitation 33Fuel smell 30Airbag light 29No deployment 29Fuel leak 23Fuel pump 22Adaptive cruise 21Brake failure 21Grinding brakes 21Sudden acceleration 17Sunroof shattered 17Coil spring 16Overheating 16Seat belt 15Won't shift 15Power steering loss 14ABS 13Key fob 12Steering lock-up 12Ball joint 8Battery drain 8Backup camera 6Spongy pedal 5
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2013 Hyundai Sonata?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history