2002 Hyundai Sonata Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 51 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2002 Hyundai Sonata, 16% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 67,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (63% of reports).
- 51air bags complaints
- 67,500median miles at failure
- 22mention a crash
- 17mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 17%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 32 of 51 complaints (63%)
- Bags deploy: mentioned in 5 of 51 complaints (10%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 30 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 51 complaints, 22 mention a crash, 17 an injury.
Hyundai Sonata air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Sonata | 1 | 6% | — |
| 2023 Sonata | 1 | 1% | 140 |
| 2021 Sonata | 4 | 3% | — |
| 2020 Sonata | 7 | 4% | 1,768 |
| 2019 Sonata | 9 | 6% | 60,000 |
| 2018 Sonata | 4 | 1% | — |
| 2017 Sonata | 22 | 3% | 30,000 |
| 2016 Sonata | 21 | 3% | 58,500 |
| 2015 Sonata | 25 | 2% | 64,989 |
| 2014 Sonata | 31 | 4% | 75,000 |
| 2013 Sonata | 104 | 5% | 86,900 |
| 2012 Sonata | 170 | 11% | 83,900 |
| 2011 Sonata | 419 | 12% | 92,800 |
| 2010 Sonata | 20 | 6% | 42,109 |
| 2009 Sonata | 30 | 7% | 55,000 |
| 2008 Sonata | 137 | 32% | 71,500 |
| 2007 Sonata | 257 | 37% | 75,800 |
| 2006 Sonata | 435 | 42% | 70,000 |
| 2005 Sonata | 55 | 33% | 68,500 |
| 2004 Sonata | 46 | 23% | 74,000 |
| 2003 Sonata | 43 | 22% | 65,253 |
| 2002 Sonata | 51 | 16% | 67,500 |
| 2001 Sonata | 47 | 23% | 63,000 |
| 2000 Sonata | 43 | 16% | 65,500 |
| 1999 Sonata | 31 | 25% | 59,750 |
| 1998 Sonata | 6 | 12% | — |
| 1997 Sonata | 8 | 16% | 36,059 |
| 1996 Sonata | 3 | 13% | — |
| 1995 Sonata | 15 | 23% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Air bags:side/window
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the supplemental restraint system (srs) side impact air bag satellite sensors may be too sensitive to some lateral accelerations that are not caused by side impacts to the vehicle, such as forcefully slamming a door closed.
Risk: Inadvertent deployment of a srs side impact air bag when a side impact crash has not occurred could increase the risk of injury to the seat occupant.
Fix: Dealers will replace the side impact air bag satellite sensors. Owner notification began july 8, 2002. Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
My roommate got into a t bone type accident she was going at least 25mph and the air bag did not deploy but it hit hard enough to rip the core support off, we have pictures. She did not take the ambulance but she's will probably go to the er later
Tl* the contact owns a 2002 hyundai sonata. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 mph, the vehicle hit a pot hole and the passenger air bag deployed inadvertently. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate…
Air bag lite stays on, had no accidents, or crashes, dealer wanted me, to spend a arm and leg to replace the module control unit. I sensed, that that may not be the problem, i took it to a independent shop, and had it diagnosed, with a scanner, and the scanner showed a code bd1406 ppd. Which stands…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2002 Hyundai Sonatas have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 51 owner complaints about air bags for the 2002 Hyundai Sonata (16% of the 320 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2002 Hyundai Sonata air bags?
Yes: 1 safety recall list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 67,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2002 Hyundai Sonata?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 32 of 51 complaints, followed by “bags deploy” (5).
Other 2002 Hyundai Sonata problems
- Structure problems (88)
- Suspension problems (63)
See all 2002 Hyundai Sonata problems or air bags problems across all Sonata years.