2010 Hyundai Sonata: problems, recalls and what it’s worth

Known problems on the 2010 Hyundai Sonata

No generation-wide weak spot is flagged in GarageIntel’s research for this year and model. A specific car can still have its own problems, so get it inspected.

2010 Hyundai Sonata recalls

NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for the 2010 Hyundai Sonata. Repairs are free at a dealer for the brand, and a dealer can confirm by VIN which were already done.

• Lights

  Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash.

  Details 13V113000

  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.

  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.

• Suspension

  Control arm separation may suddenly change the rear wheel alignment, affecting the handling of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Details 13V354000

  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.

  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.

2010 Hyundai Sonata safety investigations and free repairs

No open safety investigations.

Free repairs to ask about (warranty extensions):

• Steering: Hyundai has announced an extended warranty for the motor driven power steering (MDPS) coupling on the following vehicles: ?

A dealer for the brand can check these by VIN.

Source: NHTSA, Sep 24, 2026.

2010 Hyundai Sonata safety and fuel

From NHTSA’s crash tests and the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov.

What owners complain about

345 complaints filed with NHTSA for this year and model, which is a lot.

Other Hyundai Sonata years

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024