Are there open safety recalls?
6 open
Ask the seller for proof each was fixed. Repairs are free — and there’s also an open investigation.
FREE VEHICLE RESEARCH
The 2016 Hyundai Sonata has 6 NHTSA safety recalls on file, 716 owner complaints, and gets about 41 mpg combined. Here's the full free record from NHTSA and the EPA.
FREE PUBLIC RECORD · U.S. GOVERNMENT DATA
2016 Hyundai Sonata
- Engine 4-cyl 2L
- Drive Front-Wheel Drive
- Fuel Regular
- Body Midsize Cars
Should you worry?
Be careful
Serious flags in the public record. Read below, and verify recall work was done.
What do owners report?
1 death reported
Out of 716 owner reports. Read the Owners section before you buy.
How did it score in crash tests?
5 out of 5 stars
5 is best. This model scored well in government crash tests.
Open recalls · nearby years
Same make and model. This car is the 2016.
- 20147recalls
- 20159recalls
- 2016 · this car6recalls
- 20173recalls
Based on free U.S. government safety data · checked August 23, 2026.
SAFETY
Will it protect people in a crash?
These are government crash-test scores. 5 stars is best. They rate this year and model, not your exact car.
- Overall
- 5 / 5 stars
- Frontal
- 5 / 5 stars
- Side
- 5 / 5 stars
- Side pole
- 5 / 5 stars
- Rollover
- 4 / 5 stars
Factory safety & driver-assist equipment
- Stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane-departure warning
- Optional
Tested as: 2016 Hyundai Sonata 4 DR FWD
Open safety recalls
6 openA recall means the manufacturer must fix a safety problem for free at a dealer. Ask the seller for proof the work was done.
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Visibility
11/10/2016
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles manufactured December 8, 2014, to August 18, 2015, and Hyundai Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to March 18, 2016, equipped with the panoramic sunroof option. Due to a bonding issue with the sunroof wind deflector, the sunroof panel on the affected vehicles may detach while driving.
How they fix it: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair the wind deflector anchor plate, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 152.
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Parking Brake
05/06/2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Sonata and Genesis vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the warning light to indicate that the parking brake is applied may intermittently not illuminate in the dash due to corrosion in the switch.
How they fix it: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the parking brake switch, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 164.
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Air Bags
24/08/2016
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 28, 2016 through April 12, 2016. The affected vehicles have a driver-side frontal air bag that may not adequately protect the driver's neck from injury in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."
How they fix it: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began October 14, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 148.
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Air Bags
21/04/2016
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016 to February 22, 2016, and one 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicle manufactured October 15, 2015. In these vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag may be missing a chemical enhancer required for the second stage air bag deployment, resulting in the second stage not deploying in certain crashes. The primary stage will deploy as intended.
How they fix it: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on May 5,2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 144.
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Electrical System
20/10/2015
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to August 21, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with an Antilock Braking System (ABS) warning light intended to warn the driver if there is an ABS malfunction. In the event of an ABS malfunction, the Brake System warning light will illuminate, but the ABS warning light will not illuminate. Since the vehicles have ABS malfunction lights that do not illuminate, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."
How they fix it: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the ABS control unit software, free of charge. The recall is expected began on November 30, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 134.
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Exterior Lighting
24/09/2021
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2017 Sonata, 2016-2017 Sonata Hybrid, and Sonata Plug-In Hybrid vehicles. The Smart Junction Box (SJB) software logic may not properly interpret the signals received from the multifunction switch, which could cause the turn signal to activate in the opposite direction of what the driver intended.
How they fix it: Dealers will update the SJB software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed November 19, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 210.
The government also has an open investigation on this model. Look it up on nhtsa.gov before you buy.
From NHTSA (U.S. safety agency) · checked August 23, 2026.
OWNERS
What problems do owners report?
People file these with the government when something goes wrong. They show patterns, not a diagnosis of any one car for sale.
Owner reports · nearby years
Same make and model. This car is the 2016.
- 2014743reports
- 20151,130reports
- 2016 · this car716reports
- 2017759reports
716 owner reports on file
19 crash mentions 28 fire mentions 19 injury mentions 1 death mentions
Parts mentioned most often. Longer bar = more reports. Counts are out of 716 total reports.
- ENGINE 329 of 716
Cylinder 3 misfire code and rough idle/driving car tries to stall out, engine is consuming a quart of oil every 500 miles and has 30psi compression in cylinder 3. Car only has 129k miles
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 73 of 716
Car just stated making g noise went into lp.mode now saying k ock sensor
- UNKNOWN OR OTHER 60 of 716
Both rear doors will not open. The door locks stopped functioning so we are not able to open and close both rear back doors. In addition, the right rear door window stopped rolling up and down.
- POWER TRAIN 58 of 716
After the emissions 9c2 recall car hesitant when changing an Hyundai has knowledgement of the problem but don’t have a fix
- STEERING 33 of 716
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated while driving 5 MPH and making a turn into a parking lot, the steering wheel seized, and the vehicle came to a stop. The contact was able to push the vehicle to a parking space with
- SERVICE BRAKES 29 of 716
I began braking and the brakes locked up. Braking to the floor and the car would not stop resulting in a car crash
Bars are sized relative to the most-mentioned part on this list, not to 100% of all cars.
From NHTSA owner complaints · checked August 23, 2026. Anyone can file a report; they are not verified repairs.
FUEL COST
What does it cost to drive?
EPA estimates for this year and model. Your real cost depends on gas prices, how you drive, and how far you go.
Showing
Figures below are for the Hybrid SE version.
Combined MPG · nearby years
Same make and model. This car is the 2016.
- 201427mpg
- 201531mpg
- 2016 · this car41mpg
- 201731mpg
$1,500
estimated fuel cost per year if you drive about 15,000 miles
Miles per gallon. Higher is cheaper to drive.
City driving 39 mpg
Highway driving 42 mpg
Combined (typical mix) 41 mpg
Over 5 years, compared to an average new car
This model is estimated to save about $3,500 on fuel.
Spends more Saves more
- Passenger space
- 106 cubic feet
- Cargo space
- 13 cubic feet
From EPA fueleconomy.gov · checked August 23, 2026.
HOW IT WAS BUILT
Factory details
What’s on the build record for this VIN or model.
Engine
4-cyl 2L
Drivetrain
Front-Wheel Drive
Transmission
Automatic (AM6)
Fuel
Regular
See all factory details (7)
- Engine
- 4-cyl 2L
- Cylinders
- 4
- Displacement
- 2 L
- Drivetrain
- Front-Wheel Drive
- Transmission
- Automatic (AM6)
- Body
- Midsize Cars
- Fuel
- Regular
From EPA and NHTSA vehicle records · checked August 23, 2026.
What this free check does not include
We only show free U.S. government data: safety recalls, owner reports, crash tests, and fuel economy. We do not show prior accidents, flood or salvage titles, odometer rollback, insurance history, or a “should you buy” verdict on a specific listing. For that kind of check on one car for sale, use the VINly app.
BEFORE YOU BUY
What to check on this car
Confirm the recalls were fixed
This model has 6 open NHTSA recalls (including the visibility). Recall repairs are free at the dealer, so ask the seller for proof the remedy was performed, or verify by VIN at nhtsa.gov before you buy.
Have a mechanic check the engine
Owners report problems with the engine more than anything else on this model. Call it out specifically during a pre-purchase inspection.
Watch for a pending investigation
NHTSA has an open investigation covering this model. A recall can follow an investigation, so check nhtsa.gov for the latest before you commit.
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Test-drive the basics
Cold start, full-lock steering both ways, firm brakes with no pulsing, smooth shifts, and every electronic feature. Warning lights should come on at key-on, then go out.
-
Check the title and the VIN
Confirm the title status in hand matches the listing, and that the VIN matches across the dash, door jamb, and title. VINly does not show ownership or accident history, for that, run a paid report like Carfax.
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Ask the seller the right questions
Why they are selling, any service records, accident or panel-repaint history, how many owners, and whether any open recalls were completed.
See the full used-car inspection checklist. None of this replaces a hands-on inspection by a mechanic.
FOR SALE NEAR YOU
2016 Hyundai Sonata listings
Quick answers
What is recalled on the 2016 Hyundai Sonata? +
NHTSA lists 6 safety recalls for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata, including the visibility. See the full list above, and confirm by VIN at nhtsa.gov.
What gas mileage does the 2016 Hyundai Sonata get? +
The EPA rates the 2016 Hyundai Sonata at 41 mpg combined (39 city / 42 highway), about $1,500 a year in fuel.
How safe is the 2016 Hyundai Sonata? +
NHTSA's NCAP program gives the 2016 Hyundai Sonata 5 out of 5 stars overall, with 4 stars for rollover resistance.
What do owners complain about on the 2016 Hyundai Sonata? +
Owners have filed 716 complaints with NHTSA for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata, including 19 involving a crash. The most-reported area is engine.
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