NHTSA Safety Recalls
2012 Hyundai Sonata Recalls
The 2012 Hyundai Sonata has 8 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on December 28, 2018.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2012 Hyundai Sonata. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 8
- Owner complaints
- 1,558
- Crashes reported
- 51
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
95 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2012 Hyundai Sonata, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
8 recalls on the 2012 Hyundai Sonata
Engine
- Campaign
- 18V934000
- Reported
- December 28, 2018
- Vehicles affected
- up to 150,730
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013–2014 Sonata, 1 other model
Seat belts: pretensioner
- Campaign
- 18V137000
- Reported
- February 27, 2018
- Vehicles affected
- up to 580,058
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013 Sonata, 1 other model
Seat belts: pretensioner
- Campaign
- 17V617000
- Reported
- October 4, 2017
- Vehicles affected
- up to 443,545
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013–2014 Sonata, 1 other model
Seat belts: front: anchorage
- Campaign
- 17V152000
- Reported
- March 8, 2017
- Vehicles affected
- up to 977,778
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013–2014 Sonata, 1 other model
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
- Campaign
- 15V759000
- Reported
- November 16, 2015
- Vehicles affected
- up to 304,900
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2011 Sonata
Engine
- Campaign
- 15V568000
- Reported
- September 10, 2015
- Vehicles affected
- up to 470,000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2011 Sonata
Power train: automatic transmission
- Campaign
- 14V434000
- Reported
- July 18, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 883,000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2011, 2013–2014 Sonata
Air bags: side/window
- Campaign
- 12V352000
- Reported
- July 24, 2012
- Vehicles affected
- up to 29,767
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2013 Sonata
2012 Hyundai Sonata complaints by year
NHTSA has received 1,558 owner complaints about the 2012 Hyundai Sonata, the newest on October 15, 2026. Of these, 51 describe a crash (3%) and 95 a fire; owners reported 38 injuries and 1 death.
In complaints about the 2012 Hyundai Sonata, the component group named most often is the engine (36%), followed by the steering (19%) and the electrical system (15%).
2 of the 2012 Hyundai Sonata's 8 recalls also concern the engine.
Where 2012 Hyundai Sonata owners gave the mileage (993 complaints), the median was 80,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine567
- Steering301
- Electrical System235
- Air Bags170
- Service Brakes151
- Exterior Lighting141
Complaints received, by year
| 2011 | 18 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 60 | |
| 2013 | 42 | |
| 2014 | 59 | |
| 2015 | 120 | |
| 2016 | 128 | |
| 2017 | 130 | |
| 2018 | 198 | |
| 2019 | 194 | |
| 2020 | 142 | |
| 2021 | 118 | |
| 2022 | 117 | |
| 2023 | 95 | |
| 2024 | 67 | |
| 2025 | 43 | |
| 2026 | 27 |
Complaints about the 2012 Hyundai Sonata peaked in 2018, when NHTSA received 198. 19% arrived between 2011 and 2015, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2012 vehicles, the 2012 Hyundai Sonata drew 2.9× the complaints of the median Hyundai Sonata year in the same window: 2nd highest of the 23 ranked years.
That makes 2012 one of the Hyundai Sonata years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★★
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 5/5
The 1,558 complaints about the 2012 Hyundai Sonata are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Hyundai Sonata by model year
Other 2012 Hyundai models
Newest record on this page: October 15, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted