The entire dash cluster including the radio display cuts off and back on while driving. The only way I can describe it, is that the car seems to act like it was turned off then back on again. Initial lights when you start the car come on, seatbelt lights, initial startup dash lights, headlight indicator, headlights, radio, drive setting, everything turns off and back on while driving. Lasts for anywhere from 5-15 seconds. this has been going on for over a year now and the dealership has been made aware and have attempted to recreate the incident without success. It doesn't happen with any one way of driving, it happens at random times and so quickly, no photo evidence is able to be obtained. This most recent incident I did have a dashcam installed and it powered off and back on as it does when the vehicle is turned on and off. A different situation that my car has been having that is unable to be recreated is that the windows will lock up and not go down as well as when this happens the doors either remain locked unable to be unlocked or don't lock at all. This has also been reported to the dealership and they held my vehicle for a week attempting to recreate it without success even though I have multiple video evidence of this occurrence. I do not have pictures, but do have videos and it will not let me upload videos.
2024 Hyundai Sonata: headlights failing or too dim
10 of the 48 complaints about the 2024 Hyundai Sonata describe headlights failing or too dim.
- owner complaints
- 10
- of this car's complaints
- 21%
- recalls
- 1
Headlights failing or too dim by model year
What owners say
I was traveling along [XXX]. This is a dangerous road it has hills and curves. I was driving my 2024 Hyundai Sonata, where all of a sudden headlights went off and the infotainment center went off I couldn’t see anything on the road. Luckily I was right by a gas station (Circle K). This isn’t the first time this has happened with this car. Three different times, I was on the express way and almost crashed because the exterior lights and headlights shut off while driving.I couldn’t see a thing and I drifted off the road. I thought I was dead I literally saw my life flash before my eyes. I’m honestly scared to drive this car at night. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
While driving on the highway on 4/4/26 at 10:40 pm the dashboard and the headlights went out. The outage lasted about 5 seconds and then they came back on. I drove another 40 minutes and did not have another problem. My safety was put at risk because I could not see the road and others could not see me! There were no warnings prior to the problem. This is the second time in a year that this incident has happened. The first time was in September 2025.
While driving the vehicle the other night, the cars electrical system completely shut off for a few seconds before popping back on. The whole car inside and out went completely black. It was around 10pm on a dark country road. I had the seat heater on high and the defrost on high because it was cold. It appeared to happen when the auto high beams were supposed to engage. Instead of them engaging, the whole cars electrical system just shut off. No headlights, no instruments, interior lighting, console display, nothing worked. The car was in battery mode at the time, and it sounded like the whole car just shutoff. I took my foot off the accelerator wondering what happened, and before I could understand what was going on, everything came back on. It did not prompt me to start the vehicle again. The auto on/off brights never worked like they were supposed to again either. I had to manually engage and disengage them. Thankfully it was just me on that stretch of road going 30mph at the time or it could have ended badly.
While driving the dashboard headlights and all safety systems shut off for a brief period and then reset and if driving at night this leaves you completely in the dark till the system resets. All lights exterior and interior all the safety sensors, adaptive cruise control everything shuts off. Anything tied to the electrical system shuts off. The only thing that remains running is the engine.
The exterior lights such as head lights and brake lights aswell as all interior electronics shut off at random intervals while driving posing a serious danger early in the morning and at night.
I was sold a 2024 Hyundai Sonata SEL and while driving on the road multiple times the car completely shut off. By this all lights inside AND outside the car turned off (Headlights, interior lights and all) car was still rolling and I pulled over each time as all systems rebooted. It claimed that all seatbelts were off with the warning sign. Had to unbuckle and buckle all seatbelts for this warning to go away. Since the car completely shut off this put other drivers, my passengers, and myself at danger due to visibility. Luckily there was no traffic at the time but this keeps happening and it is worrying me.
I purchased this vehicle brand new off of the lot February 2024. Since then, I have had two incidents where in the middle of driving my vehicle has completely shut off. The first experience, I was driving 50+ mph. First my headlights went out, my engine shut off, my dashboard shut off, and I was cruising without power or control over my vehicle for about 5 seconds before everything turned back on. I took my car to the dealership where they “could not confirm concern” after driving around for 15 miles trying to recreate the issue. They stated no codes or issues were shown on their end and returned the car to me. 6 months later during late October, my car did the same thing. I was driving 40+ mph and my car shut off in the middle of me driving. I contacted my dealership to inform them it happened again. They told me they did not have any available appointments to bring my car in. Out of frustration I did not bring it in until a few weeks ago for a regular check up. I gave them the exact date and time that my vehicle shut off and they again could not find the issue that caused the car to turn off. I was informed by a Hyundai representative that he anticipates this issue getting worse as it happened twice in the first year of owning it. That when it happens again to get my car towed by Hyundai roadside assistance and straight to the dealership. As stated, I lose complete control of the vehicle. Luckily both instances I have been on a straight road but I have concerns that this could happen at the wrong time leaving my injured.
The automatic high beams feature seems to work through the camera by the rearview mirror. But the issue is when this camera is blocked, all of the safety systems that use the camera will be disabled as they normally will be since the camera cannot see, but the automatic high beams function will still stay on, the indicator light for it will be green meaning that the system is operating normally. As a result of this, the automatic high beam system keeps the high beams on at ALL times because it thinks that it is dark enough because it doesn’t see any light through the camera. This could potentially increase the risk of a crash because the driver may not realize that the high beams are NOT turning off when approaching another vehicle or when a vehicle is coming the opposite direction, which can blind other drivers on the road. This needs a recall to resolve this problem.
When driving early in the morning while it was still dark outside, the car had what seemed to have been a sudden loss of electrical power. The audio for the radio cut off, then the screen for the radio and speedometer went blank, and the headlights also went out. This all lasted for a couple seconds when this happened and then everything came back on fine. I normally would think that this is a defective alternator which it probably is and would be covered under warranty, but after researching this problem I found out that it is a common issue with the 2024 Sonata. I feel that this warrants a safety recall which I seriously doubt will happen but it needs to. If it causes problems with headlights shutting off at night then this is a safety issue. Who knows what will happen if the headlights shut off on you at night and you couldn’t see where you were going because of it?
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
Exterior lighting: brake lights
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024 Hyundai Sonata vehicles. The software for the brake lights may cause the brake lights to flash and not illuminate properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
- Risk
- Flashing brake lights may cause confusion for other drivers on the road, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the rear brake light software, free of charge. Additionally, Hyundai will release the software update over-the-air (OTA). Owner notification letters were mailed September 12, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑855‑371‑9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 267.
Recall number 24V583000 · Recall details
Questions about the 2024 Hyundai Sonata headlights
Is headlights failing or too dim a common problem on the 2024 Hyundai Sonata?
10 of 48 owner complaints about the 2024 Hyundai Sonata (21%) mention headlights failing or too dim. The model year with the most reports is 2011.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2024 Hyundai Sonata?
There is 1 recall and 2 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
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