2008 Hyundai Sonata Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sonata years
- Far more complaints than other years 11th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 425 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Hyundai Sonata. That ranks 11th out of 32 Sonata model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (137 complaints, 32%), typically at around 71,500 miles. Complaints mention 19 crashes, 11 fires, 14 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 4 defect investigations involving it.
_%E2%80%93_f1_08012026.jpg){kind=link}
- 425owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 4NHTSA investigations
- 19complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 Hyundai Sonata problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 137 | 32% | 71,500 | “air bag” (61%) | — |
| Visibility problems | 67 | 16% | 49,803 | “sun visor” (55%) | — |
| Engine | 48 | 11% | 114,000 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 32 | 8% | 79,500 | — | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) | 30 | 7% | 76,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 30 | 7% | 25,948 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 30 | 7% | 60,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 21 | 5% | 81,622 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 21 | 5% | 88,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 20 | 5% | 78,000 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 19 | 4% | 79,374 | — | — |
| Structure | 15 | 4% | 73,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 14 | 3% | 61,500 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 14 | 3% | 35,029 | — | — |
| Suspension | 9 | 2% | 105,500 | — | — |
| Seats | 8 | 2% | 62,600 | — | — |
| Tires | 8 | 2% | 24,500 | — | — |
| Steering | 6 | 1% | 142,000 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 4 | 1% | 105,000 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 4 | 1% | 71,500 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 4 | 1% | 37,006 | — | — |
| Equipment | 3 | 1% | 45,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 0% | 97,568 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 2 | 0% | 31,515 | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 1 | 0% | 3,000 | — | — |
| Equipment Adaptive/mobility | 1 | 0% | 58,597 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 0% | 23,226 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 Hyundai Sonata recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Suspension:rear
Problem: Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 1, 2005, through January 21, 2010; and model year 2006-2011 Azera vehicles manufactured September 27, 2005, through November 22, 2010 originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Road salt and water can enter portions of the rear crossmember, leading to corrosion of the crossmember steel. This may lead to detachment of one of the rear control arms.
Risk: Control arm separation may suddenly change the rear wheel alignment, affecting the handling of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair or replace the crossmember assembly. The recall began on October 8, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai Customer Care Center at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall number is 113.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Problem: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
Air bags
Problem: Hyundai is recalling 393,308 my 2006-2008 sonata vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system which features an occupant classification system (ocs) in the right front seat. The purpose of the ocs is to disable the right passenger seat front air bag when it detects the presence of a child restraint system or small child in the right front seat. The right front air bag is disabled to prevent injuries to a child that may result from a right front air bag inflation during a crash.
Risk: Misclassification of a small stature adult as a child in the right front passenger seat may cause the right front air bag to not inflate in an accident that merits air bag deployment and may result in injury to the right front occupant.
Fix: Dealers will verify that the ocs does not properly recognize a properly seated adult occupant. After verification, dealers will remove the right front seat cushion assembly and ship it to an evaluation and repair facility. This facility will evaluate and repair or reprogram the seat cushion and ocs as necessary. The recall is expected to begin on or about may 26, 2008. Owners may contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Loss of Motive Power (DP22003) — opened Sep 12, 2022, closed Dec 12, 2023.
- Throttle control system vulnerabilities (DP21003) — opened Nov 12, 2021, closed Jun 20, 2023.
- Seat Belt Buckle Electrical Malfunction (PE14023) — opened Jul 22, 2014, closed Dec 1, 2014.
- Rear Control Arm Failure (PE13007) — opened Mar 25, 2013, closed Aug 20, 2013, led to recall 13V354000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Car has a B1448 (ACTIVE) Passenger Occupant Detecting System (PODS) Circuit Fault Related to the passenger detecting pad in the front passenger seat problems started at 120,000 miles
I find replacing the light bulbs for head lights and brake lights and flood lights more often than any other cars I have owned. The steering wheel makes a noise when turning left. And a noise is getting louder not sure what itâs related to.
Bought in 2023 @ 98k miles. Have had trouble with 1.it would only start in drive, then that seems to have self corrected. 2. In drive, car would not accelerate properly, and would slow as though I was braking, but no foot on brake. Had rear brake sensor replaced, seemed better for a while. 3…
On November 4, 2024 while coming to a stop in traffic, the brake pedal went to the floor without any warning. Just prior to using the brakes, there was no feeling of softness in the pedal, and no indication a low pedal situation, and there was no indicator of pending brake failure. The brake light…
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V161000 (Air Bags); however, the dealer informed the contact that he had to pay for a diagnostic test prior to…
Other Hyundai Sonata years
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Sonata | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 Sonata | 17 | 0 |
| 2024 Sonata | 46 | 1 |
| 2023 Sonata | 87 | 2 |
| 2022 Sonata | 94 | 3 |
| 2021 Sonata | 134 | 4 |
| 2020 Sonata | 179 | 4 |
| 2019 Sonata | 162 | 0 |
| 2018 Sonata | 374 | 1 |
| 2017 Sonata | 765 | 3 |
| 2016 Sonata | 727 | 6 |
| 2015 Sonata | 1,151 | 9 |
| 2014 Sonata | 749 | 7 |
| 2013 Sonata | 1,915 | 9 |
| 2012 Sonata | 1,557 | 8 |
| 2011 Sonata | 3,377 | 14 |
| 2010 Sonata | 345 | 2 |
| 2009 Sonata | 460 | 2 |
| 2008 | 425 | 3 |
| 2007 Sonata | 696 | 5 |
| 2006 Sonata | 1,047 | 9 |
| 2005 Sonata | 165 | 1 |
| 2004 Sonata | 202 | 1 |
| 2003 Sonata | 199 | 6 |
| 2002 Sonata | 319 | 7 |
| 2001 Sonata | 205 | 3 |
| 2000 Sonata | 276 | 4 |
| 1999 Sonata | 124 | 4 |
| 1998 Sonata | 49 | 1 |
| 1997 Sonata | 49 | 2 |
| 1996 Sonata | 23 | 1 |
| 1995 Sonata | 66 | 2 |
See all Hyundai Sonata problems by year, every Hyundai model, or the Hyundai VIN decoder.
Similar Hyundai models
Embed this 2008 Hyundai Sonata badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Hyundai Sonata?
Owners most often report air bags, visibility, engine problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 137 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Hyundai Sonata?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 Hyundai Sonata a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Sonata model years, the 2008 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.