2018 Hyundai Sonata: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Jun 19, 2026 · Engine · NJ · fire

Vehicle caught fire after repeatedly taking it to Hyundai for service . I complained about the oil consumption and knocking noises while the vehicle was still under warranty and it was denied.

Filed Jan 29, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · GA · fire

Unknown what system failed. The vehicle is at an impound lot and can be inspected on request. Police and fire department were on the scene. Police did provide a report # , and fire department provided a fire rescue case number. Safety of driver was put at risk due to the fire and potential for burning or even death. Other drivers could have been at risk if traffic had not allowed for quick movement to side of the road. No warning lamps had been on prior to the drive and none prior to fire. First indication was a burning smell while driving. As pulling over, another driver honked to alert to fire he could see from rear of ca,. before I noticed the flames. Upon getting out of car first flames I saw appeared to be coming from under passenger side of car. The fire department arrived about 15 minutes after pulling to side of the road. The car was fully engulfed in flames. They then extinguished the fire. Police saw vehicle and insurance will examine. Apparently this is a known issue in Hyundai of which this vehicle had no open recalls pertaining to such.

Filed Jan 6, 2026 · Engine · NC

Engine oil consumption issues. My 2018 Hyundai Elantra falls within the dates of this issue. I had an oil consumption issue done and the dealership claimed it passed. I have to put oil in my car every 3 weeks and change spark plugs at the same time because of engine leaking oil in to them. My engine light is always on, knocking and pinging sound, poor performance issues, and blue smoke coming out of tail pipe. I have stuck on the side of the highway several times and have misses work because of the ongoing issues with the engine. How can a oil consumption issue pass and i have all these issues. I have spent several hundreds of dollars on oil, spark plugs, frequent oil changes and tows. There was only 85,000 miles when I started to notice the problem and had only owned it for 6 months.

Filed Jul 8, 2025 · Electrical · 125,000 miles · AL · fire

The contact owned a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that upon her daughter reaching her destination, she observed brown smoke emanating from the engine compartment. Within a short while, the vehicle became completely engulfed in flames, prompting a bystander to attempt to extinguish the fire with a fire extinguisher, but was unsuccessful. Local emergency services arrived and were able to extinguish the flames. A fire report was filed, and it was indicated that the fire may have been electrical, but an exact cause had not been determined. A police report was filed, and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and deemed a total loss by the contact's insurance provider. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 125,000.

Filed Jul 7, 2025 · Engine · DE · fire

My 2018 Hyundai Sonata caught fire unexpectedly while parked. The engine suddenly began smoking, then the vehicle ignited and was severely damaged. I am still financing the vehicle through Capital One. After researching, I discovered that my vehicle’s engine is part of a known Hyundai recall due to fire risk (Theta II engine defect). I had no prior warning or engine-related issues that would have predicted this. I strongly believe the fire was caused by a manufacturing defect, and I’m requesting that the federal safety agency investigate Hyundai’s handling of this issue and ensure victims like myself are compensated — even if not physically injured. I can provide photos, a fire report, and additional documentation if needed. Please let me know the next steps or if I qualify for any related recall recovery programs.

Filed Jul 10, 2024 · Brakes · 105,000 miles · VA · crash · fire · 11 injuries

The contact owned a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, a pedestrian alerted him that the vehicle was on fire. The contact noticed that the rear portion and driver side of the vehicle was on fire. While traveling around a curve the brakes became inoperable the contact jumped out of the vehicle. he contact sustained injuries to his left shoulder and leg and medical attention was provided. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle continued to roll as it was burning. The vehicle crashed into a dirt mound at the end of a hill. The fire department was on the scene to extinguish the fire. There were four gallons of fuel on the ground. The vehicle was towed to tow lot. There was no police report fire or air bag deployment. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The insurance company deemed the vehicle a total lost. The failure mileage was approximately 105, 000.

Filed May 5, 2024 · Engine · TX

Hello, I am the original owner for my 2018 Hyundai Sonata. I have now had numerous issues with this vehicle that has now left me stalled on the highway twice resulting in a near accident and the vehicle being towed twice to a dealership. I am now having issues with oil consumption with me needing to put in at least 1q per week to ensure the reading on the dipstick is above “L”. I have my vehicle serviced at the Hyundai dealership and they first brought to my attention at 90k miles that when I would go in for my scheduled oil changes the engine was nearly dry. I took my vehicle to a Midas to have it inspected for an oil leak with their mechanics twice saying there was not an oil leak. It was the mechanic here at Midas that informed me of the oil consumption issues Theta II Hyundai engines have been experiencing and to take it into the dealership to see what can be done. This has been an issue my dealership has known about, but they are refusing to assist stating the vehicle is now out of warranty at 104k miles. I have the receipts proving the vehicle has been maintained according to the manufacturers recommendation. My vehicle now will fill with the smell of burning oil when I’m driving, I’ve had the spark plugs replaced once and the new spark plugs are already coated in oil and my vehicle lurches when I’m accelerating to get onto the highway. I feel very unsafe driving this vehicle and fear it’s a matter of time before it leaves me stranded on the highway again.

Filed Mar 17, 2024 · Electrical, Engine · KY

I own a 2018 Hyundai Sonata 2.0 turbo I paid cash for it in [XXX] with 2011 miles on it for 24,000 cash didn’t start having problems until 2022 then the I kept hearing a knocking on the left front wheel. I had it look at several places because the Hyundai of Louisville dealership kept telling me my title was branded I didn’t know what that meant till I took my title to the tag office and had the sheriffs department check the title out and it was an still is 100 % clean then my engine kept getting worse an in may of 2023 the engine stopped working I had the car towed to the local dealership and they couldn’t even look at it till Aug of 2023 the they told me I shot out a code 99 and they refused to update my software for the knock sensor system and wouldn’t honor the regular 60,000 miles warranty my car only had 48,000 miles on it . They didn’t bother telling me about the faulty GDI 2.0 turbo engine in August of 2023 I had to research it and find out on the internet that it’s a excessive oil consumption problem with this faulty engine. I had my car stolen for 6 days in April of 2023 and everything was taken out of my glove box an trunk . My oil change receipts were kept in an envelope in the glove box and were stolen with all my car registration an insurance papers . So the dealership refused my free engine replacement because I don’t have all my oil change receipts and blamed me for the oil being out of the engine which is due to the faulty GDI 2.0 turbo engine the dealership has now had my car 300 days I’ve been walking to and from my work I can’t afford a new engine all I want is me free engine replacement I have all the articles printed of all the engine problem with the cars catching on fire or just stop running period . I need some representation on having the Hyundai of Louisville Kentucky on Dixie highway to get me my free engine replacement they want 14,000$ for a new engine. I’m extremely mad and frustrated with this entire situation I have retained a lawyer. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM O

Filed Jul 10, 2023 · Engine · TN · fire

I first reported issues with my vehicle to a local Hyundai dealer January 16, 2023. I was advised I couldn’t get an appointment until March 8, 2023. Since March 8, 2023 I have taken my car to the dealer my numerous times for a series of testing over the course of 3 months. I was advised my car was burning too much oil of oil per 1000 miles. I was also advised that the transvalve and engine needed to be inspected by an adjuster to determine a faulty engine in order to get approval from the manufacturer. My car was at the dealer for almost a week. On June 15, 2023 the Hyundai dealership advised the engine was faulty. I was also advised warranty approved for a new engine due to faulty engine/oil consumption. I was advised to pick up my vehicle from the dealership. On June 16, 2023 I picked up my vehicle. I was told by the dealership to keep driving my vehicle until the new engine came in due. I was denied a loaner/rental at the time even though they knew the car had a faulty engine. Immediately after leaving the dealership dealership my car started smoking. I pulled over immediately got out. The car caught on fire and burst into flames. This was a very dangerous safety risk. It caused panic attacks, anxiety, headaches, and lots of sleepless nights. If I hadn’t gotten out sooner I could’ve been severely injured or dead. The car is with the insurance company. A field investigation has been done by the insurance. They determined faulty engine and total loss if the vehicle. It is still available for inspection if needed. There were no warning lamps or messages before the car started smoking or caught fire.

Filed Oct 31, 2022 · Engine · OH · fire

The contact's son owned a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while her son was driving at 68 MPH with a passenger in the front passenger seat, he noticed a burning odor and he noticed smoke coming inside the cabin through the AC vents. There was no further information provided. The contact's son pulled into a gas station and saw fire underneath the hood. The contact's son and the passenger immediately exited the vehicle. The contact's son was able to extinguish the fire with the assistance of bystanders who used fire extinguishers. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was then repossessed by the auto financing bank. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could not assist as the failure was caused by a missing oil cap. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Oct 12, 2022 · 112,000 miles · CA · fire · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle caught fire without warning. No warning lights illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The fire department was notified and was able to extinguish the fire. The origin of the fire was unknown. The contact sustained a burn to her inner left ankle. Medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The dealer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was deemed totaled by the insurance. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 112,000.

Filed Jul 29, 2022 · Engine · IL

The issue that I am having with my 2018 Hyundai Sonata is excessive oil consumption. And yes the vehicle is available for inspection. My family and I are put at risk because of the high oil consumption the engine may seize at any time. I have been told that not only is the engine is at risk but also the exhaust system due to the possibility of oil build up there also causing safety issues. The Sonata has been put through an oil consumption test by a local Hyundai dealership. This consists of changing the oil and then at 1000 mile intervals up to 3000 miles the oil level is checked by a dealer mechanic to check for oil loss. During this 1st test period one check had a loss of 3/4 of a quart and another was 1 3/4 of a quart. After this 1st series of tests there was a complete engine cleaning to remove all built-up oil residue within the engine followed the checking of oil levels again every 1000 miles 3 times. Again, oil losses varied from 1 quart to a 1/2 quart loss. I was assigned a case manager to monitor these tests. At the completion of the testing, after 4 weeks of hearing nothing from my case manager even though I had left multiple messages, he called and said that these results were considered normal by Hyundai. Again, all tests were completed by a authorized Hyundai dealership. There were no warning lights or messages but I did hear a slight knocking noise within the engine. I checked the oil on a regular basis after that and noticed the continued loss of oil. The was no smoke coming from the exhaust or no noticeable signs of oil loss on the engine or my garage floor. Although Hyundai recommends oil changes every 7500 miles I had oil changes every 3000 to 4000 miles by my Hyundai dealer. No one else. I also spoke to mechanics other than Hyundai and was told that there was an ongoing problem with Hyundai engines for oil loss. That is why I initiated the oil consumption test with my dealership.