2016 Hyundai Sonata Engine Problems
Owners have filed 452 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2016 Hyundai Sonata, 62% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 82,500 miles. The words owners use most often: “oil consumption” (16% of reports).
- 452engine complaints
- 82,500median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- $4,750typical repair cost reported by owners
- 52%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.
- Oil consumption: mentioned in 73 of 452 complaints (16%)
- Spark plugs: mentioned in 24 of 452 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical engine repair on the 2016 Hyundai Sonata at $4,750, and half of them between $1,400 and $8,700.
Based on 20 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2021–2025), converted to 2026 dollars with the U.S. consumer price index. These are owners' own figures, not a quote: they include dealer quotes, and owners who file complaints often faced larger repairs, so they can run higher than typical shop prices. Prices vary by shop, region and warranty coverage. How we calculate this.
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 129 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 452 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 19 a fire.
Hyundai Sonata engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Sonata | 2 | 12% | — |
| 2024 Sonata | 3 | 7% | — |
| 2023 Sonata | 28 | 32% | 5,540 |
| 2022 Sonata | 25 | 27% | 15,000 |
| 2021 Sonata | 34 | 25% | 44,000 |
| 2020 Sonata | 31 | 17% | 30,849 |
| 2019 Sonata | 87 | 54% | 90,000 |
| 2018 Sonata | 212 | 57% | 19,750 |
| 2017 Sonata | 384 | 50% | 74,400 |
| 2016 Sonata | 452 | 62% | 82,500 |
| 2015 Sonata | 628 | 55% | 65,000 |
| 2014 Sonata | 302 | 40% | 84,000 |
| 2013 Sonata | 738 | 39% | 96,000 |
| 2012 Sonata | 567 | 36% | 92,000 |
| 2011 Sonata | 967 | 29% | 100,000 |
| 2010 Sonata | 29 | 8% | 70,000 |
| 2009 Sonata | 56 | 12% | 108,300 |
| 2008 Sonata | 48 | 11% | 114,000 |
| 2007 Sonata | 41 | 6% | 114,000 |
| 2006 Sonata | 44 | 4% | 100,000 |
| 2005 Sonata | 6 | 4% | 96,728 |
| 2004 Sonata | 5 | 2% | 130,000 |
| 2003 Sonata | 3 | 2% | 131,000 |
| 2002 Sonata | 5 | 2% | 145,000 |
| 2001 Sonata | 1 | 0% | 20,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Sonata. While the contact's daughter was driving 55 MPH, the engine seized. The contact stated that the failure had occurred while the contact's two minor grandchildren were inside the vehicle during the failure. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The…
While driving on the freeway, the check engine light started flashing and the gas pedal became useless. This put the driver and the passenger of the car in massive danger as they could no longer accelerate on the freeway. Luckily, they were able to get off the freeway without causing an accident…
I am concerned that the engine may seize or stall without warning while driving, creating a risk of crash, injury, or death. The Theta II engine defect is known to cause engine seizure, stalling, and fire. Hyundai has denied warranty coverage based on mileage and second-owner status â both of…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2016 Hyundai Sonatas have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 452 owner complaints about engine for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata (62% of the 727 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 2016 Hyundai Sonata engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 82,500 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
How much does it cost to fix engine problems on the 2016 Hyundai Sonata?
Owners report a typical cost of $4,750 (half paid between $1,400 and $8,700), from 20 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2016 Hyundai Sonata?
The most frequent phrase is “oil consumption”, in 73 of 452 complaints, followed by “spark plugs” (24).
Other 2016 Hyundai Sonata problems
See all 2016 Hyundai Sonata problems or engine problems across all Sonata years.