Hyundai Sonata Exterior Lighting Problems
Owners have filed 1,013 complaints with NHTSA about exterior lighting problems on the Hyundai Sonata across 27 model years. The 2011 model year has the most (248). The words owners use most often: “turn signal” (6% of reports).
- 1,013exterior lighting complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 13mention a crash
- 6mention an injury
- 7related recalls
- $550typical repair cost reported by owners
- 39%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.
- Turn signal: mentioned in 58 of 1,013 complaints (6%)
- Low beam: mentioned in 54 of 1,013 complaints (5%)
How much does it cost to fix?
Owners who wrote down what they paid or were quoted put the typical exterior lighting repair on the Hyundai Sonata at $550, and half of them between $360 and $890.
Based on 22 NHTSA complaints about this problem alone that state a repair bill or quote (2009–2026), 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 exterior lighting problems happen?
Based on 600 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 1,013 complaints, 13 mention a crash, 38 a fire, 6 an injury.
Hyundai Sonata exterior lighting complaints by model year
| Model year | Exterior Lighting complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 Sonata | 6 | 13% | — |
| 2023 Sonata | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2020 Sonata | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2019 Sonata | 18 | 11% | 1,600 |
| 2018 Sonata | 22 | 6% | 293 |
| 2017 Sonata | 20 | 3% | 24,000 |
| 2016 Sonata | 38 | 5% | 55,500 |
| 2015 Sonata | 38 | 3% | 57,850 |
| 2014 Sonata | 120 | 16% | 69,306 |
| 2013 Sonata | 197 | 10% | 81,684 |
| 2012 Sonata | 141 | 9% | 100,000 |
| 2011 Sonata | 248 | 7% | 73,000 |
| 2010 Sonata | 10 | 3% | 1,500 |
| 2009 Sonata | 14 | 3% | 90,962 |
| 2008 Sonata | 20 | 5% | 78,000 |
| 2007 Sonata | 35 | 5% | 48,221 |
| 2006 Sonata | 45 | 4% | 68,000 |
| 2005 Sonata | 17 | 10% | 80,000 |
| 2004 Sonata | 5 | 2% | 74,723 |
| 2003 Sonata | 3 | 2% | 112,500 |
| 2002 Sonata | 2 | 1% | 129,500 |
| 2001 Sonata | 1 | 0% | 28,159 |
| 2000 Sonata | 2 | 1% | — |
| 1999 Sonata | 3 | 2% | — |
| 1998 Sonata | 1 | 2% | 43,000 |
| 1997 Sonata | 2 | 4% | — |
| 1996 Sonata | 1 | 4% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (7)
Exterior lighting:brake lights
Model years: 2024
Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2024 Hyundai Sonata vehicles. The software for the brake lights may cause the brake lights to flash and not illuminate properly. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 108, "Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment."
Risk: Flashing brake lights may cause confusion for other drivers on the road, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the rear brake light software, free of charge. Additionally, Hyundai will release the software update over-the-air (OTA). Owner notification letters were mailed September 12, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 267.
Electrical system:software; exterior lighting:turn signal
Model years: 2015, 2016, 2017
Problem: 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.
Risk: A turn signal that activates in the opposite direction of what was intended by the driver increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Model years: 2011, 2012
Problem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model 2011-2012 Sonata vehicles. The brake pedal stopper pad can deteriorate allowing the brake light switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released.
Risk: If the brake light switch plunger does not retract as it should when the brake pedal is not being pressed, the brake lights may stay illuminated preventing accurate communication to rearward following vehicles that the vehicle is slowing or stopping. Additionally, if the brake switch plunger is not retracted, then the transmission can be shifted out of PARK without depressing the brake pedal. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake pedal stopper pad with an improved part, free of charge. The recall began on January 6, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 136.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Model years: 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
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.
Exterior lighting
Model years: 2005, 2006, 2007
Problem: Hyundai is recalling 3,011 model year 2005-2007 elantra, tucson, sonata, azera and accent vehicles. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to fail to illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause the brake lights to remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released. A defective stop lamp switch may also affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature so the transmission would not be able to be shift out of the "park" position. It may also cause the electronic stability control (esc) malfunction light to illuminate, and it may not deactivate the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed.
Risk: Any of these malfunctions could lead to a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. The recall began on september 2, 2009. Owners may contact hyundai of puerto rico customer service at 1-787-999-4310.
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
Model years: 2006, 2007
Problem: Hyundai is recalling 532,633 my 2006-2007 accent, entourage, sonata, my 2007 azera, elantra and santa fe, my 2005-2007 tucson and my 2007-2008 veracruz vehicles. The stop lamp switch in the affected vehicles may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause the brake lights to remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released. A stop lamp switch malfunction may also affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature so the transmission shifter would not be able to be shifted out of the park position. It may also cause the electronic stability control (esc) malfunction light to illuminate, and it may not deactivate the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed.
Risk: Any of these malfunctions, alone or in combination, may lead to a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. The recall began on june 29, 2009. Owners may contact the hyundai customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.
Exterior lighting:headlights
Model years: 2006
Problem: On certain passenger vehicles, the inner bezels of the headlamps were not properly assembled which may cause the turn signal lenses to be improperly positioned.
Risk: An improperly positioned turn signal lens may reduce the intensity of the turn signal illumination, reducing its visibility to oncoming traffic, which may result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the left and right headlamp assemblies free of charge. The recall began on june 26, 2006. Owners may 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.
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, a bystander notified the contact that the brake lights were inoperable. An independent mechanic was contacted. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed and determined that the brake light…
When left turn signal is selected blinker nor camera comes on and at times it does work. Constantly in and out never steady. This never happened with the right turn signal only the left
I had taken my Sonata to Mike Miller Hyndia in Peoria,I'll and they agreed to do the recall although they had my vehicle for two weeks. They did not service it and when I picked it up they said I had to drive it till the service engine light come on. I was driving it five days later and heard a…
On the freeway at night when headlights and back lights quit working. Got off freeway and were able to temporarily fix it. A few months later while parked in driveway and not in use for a couple of days, lights came on without our knowledge and drained our battery. Neighbor alerted us to the…
I was traveling along [XXX]. This is a dangerous road it has hills and curves. I was driving my 2024 Hyundai Sonata, where all of a sudden headlights went off and the infotainment center went off I couldnât see anything on the road. Luckily I was right by a gas station (Circle K). This isnât…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Hyundai Sonatas have exterior lighting problems?
No. NHTSA has 1,013 owner complaints about exterior lighting for the Hyundai Sonata. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Hyundai Sonata exterior lighting?
Yes: 7 safety recalls list exterior lighting. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
How much does it cost to fix exterior lighting problems on the Hyundai Sonata?
Owners report a typical cost of $550 (half paid between $360 and $890), from 22 complaints that state a repair bill or quote, in 2026 dollars.
What do owners say about exterior lighting problems on the Hyundai Sonata?
The most frequent phrase is “turn signal”, in 58 of 1,013 complaints, followed by “low beam” (54).
Other Hyundai Sonata problems
- Engine problems (4,702)
- Steering problems (2,363)
- Air Bags problems (2,045)
- Electrical System problems (1,975)
- Structure problems (1,066)
- Power Train problems (1,050)
- Service Brakes problems (901)
- Fuel/propulsion System problems (768)
See all Hyundai Sonata problems.