2009 Hyundai Sonata Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Sonata years
- Far more complaints than other years 10th of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 2 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 460 complaints with NHTSA about the 2009 Hyundai Sonata. That ranks 10th out of 32 Sonata model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is service brakes (64 complaints, 14%), typically at around 66,500 miles. Complaints mention 21 crashes, 11 fires, 26 injuries. There are 2 safety recalls covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 3 defect investigations involving it.
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- 460owner complaints
- 2safety recalls
- 3NHTSA investigations
- 21complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2009 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Service Brakes problems | 64 | 14% | 66,500 | “rear brakes” (27%) | $770 |
| Electrical System problems | 61 | 13% | 80,248 | “valve cover gasket” (11%) | — |
| Engine problems | 56 | 12% | 108,300 | “valve cover gasket” (14%) | — |
| Electronic Stability Control (esc) problems | 51 | 11% | 92,625 | “esc off” (39%) | — |
| Unknown or Other | 48 | 10% | 80,000 | — | — |
| Power Train | 41 | 9% | 38,889 | — | — |
| Structure | 40 | 9% | 72,115 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 34 | 7% | 27,020 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 31 | 7% | 50,500 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 30 | 7% | 55,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 26 | 6% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 25 | 5% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 14 | 3% | 90,962 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 14 | 3% | 82,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 11 | 2% | 69,500 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 9 | 2% | 61,500 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 8 | 2% | 95,000 | — | — |
| Visibility | 8 | 2% | 48,500 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 1% | 13,500 | — | — |
| Equipment | 6 | 1% | 32,320 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 6 | 1% | 59,250 | — | — |
| Tires | 6 | 1% | 24,450 | — | — |
| Wheels | 6 | 1% | 33,000 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 1% | 117,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 0% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2009 Hyundai Sonata recalls (2)
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.
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.
- 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.
My 2009 Hyundai Sonata was taken to the Hyundai of Lincolnwood dealership on May 19th. The certified technician formally diagnosed severe structural corrosion on both front and rear subframes (engine cradles), declaring the vehicle completely unsafe to drive. The dealership is withholding the…
Passenger seat belt doesnât click in. Miss fire Poor acceleration Exhaust leak Power lost Mechanic canât find the problem Check engine light on
Once the car gets slowed down and reaches 20 mph of speed by applying the brake or not. It gives a sudden jerk, which causes immediate reduction in speed.
Brakes seize up while driving and then cannot move the vehicle. This causes a dangerous situation while driving and then breaks lock up and cannot move car even though vehicle is on and then stopped for a stop light. Car must then be turned off and sit for about 30 minutes so it can unseize and…
Engine leaking oil from the front cylinder bankâs valve cover or leaking from the valve coverâs gasket onto the alternator. A sufficient amount of oil could damage the alternator resulting in illumination of the charging system warning lamp and disablement of the charging system. If the vehicle…
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 | 180 | 4 |
| 2019 Sonata | 162 | 0 |
| 2018 Sonata | 374 | 1 |
| 2017 Sonata | 766 | 3 |
| 2016 Sonata | 727 | 6 |
| 2015 Sonata | 1,153 | 9 |
| 2014 Sonata | 750 | 7 |
| 2013 Sonata | 1,916 | 9 |
| 2012 Sonata | 1,558 | 8 |
| 2011 Sonata | 3,377 | 14 |
| 2010 Sonata | 345 | 2 |
| 2009 | 460 | 2 |
| 2008 Sonata | 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 | 320 | 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
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Hyundai Sonata?
Owners most often report service brakes, electrical system, engine problems. The top one, service brakes, accounts for 64 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2009 Hyundai Sonata?
Yes, 2 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2009 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 2009 has far more complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.