2012 Hyundai Sonata Hyundai Sonata 2012

We are 103,000+ car owners sharing real-world car information.

Join Us

2012 Hyundai Sonata repairs by problem area

Engine (20%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (12%)

Brakes and Traction Control (5%)

Suspension and Steering (18%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (26%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (11%)

Other (7%)

Select a problem area

Show all problems

Need advice about a specific Hyundai Sonata problem?

Chart based on 163 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2012 Hyundai Sonata.

2012 Hyundai Sonata electrical repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (3%)

$500 - $999 (5%)

$100 - $499 (23%)

< $100 (70%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 40 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2012 Hyundai Sonata 4dr Sedan

turbocharged 274hp 2.0L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

56000 mi

US $438
Making noise. 
70060 mi

C $400
Transmission "up shift" paddle stopped working, a failure which rendered the driver unable to manually select gears. Car dropped off with request to replace part. Dealer wanted to correctly diagnose the problem first. Diagnosis cost 260$. I asked Dealer to replace both paddles while we were at it. Actual repair cost 50$. 
4000 mi Changed expansion valve, but it did not fix problem 
4500 mi Change a/c compressor. This fixed the problem. Adjusted panoramic roof. (they uninstalled inside roof panels) Change a/c compressor. This fixed the problem. Adjusted panoramic roof. (they uninstalled inside roof panels) 
28000 mi Sounded like a blown speaker. Dealer determined that the radio needed to be replaced. 
18300 mi

US $10
Radio lost all volume, thought it was fuse. Needed reset with paper clip, reset hole upper left hand corner of unit. Mechanic kind enough to charge me nothing for this during other maintenance. 
18500 mi

US $120
Battery slowly died over a week of use in cold weather. 4 years into ownership, battery replacement not unusual. 
15500 mi Nav System defective. Operates correctly on a random basis 
Battery dead 2 days in a row. Defective battery-at least 1 dead cell-replaced under warranty while I waited. 
49000 mi AC compressor makes intermittent excess noise and intermittly blows warm air 
82000 mi Also still have problem with AC working. 
42000 mi

US $58
Tire pressure sensor 
46000 mi AC hose broke and lost refrigerant. AC blew hot at all times. 
90000 mi

US $250
AC was working intermittently, sometimes working fine, other times not working at all. Mechanic replaced AC pressure control valve in AC compressor. Problem solved. 
8700 mi XM radio constantly displays "loading XM" and will not load XM. Dealer said XM radio connection was loose in the radio/antennae. They tightened the connection which fixed it for a week, now XM still does not work. 
12000 mi Radio replaced due to faulty XM module. Radio is working now. However the dealer damaged the dashboard near the radio while installing the new radio. I had to bring the car back to the dealership to get the dash fixed to how it was before. 

Return to top

2012 Hyundai Sonata 4dr Sedan

198-horsepower 2.4L I4 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

104500 mi

US $105
Left side (Rear) tail light harness. Socket tension was scorched and lost tension. 
124000 mi

US $354
Vehicle will loose acceleration sometimes. Other times, the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) will turn on without human interaction. Scan Tool Error Code C1513. It is alleged that the acceleration and deceleration is caused by a burnt Rear harness Cable - (Replaced). Acceleration and deceleration and ESC dash light is intermittent. Acceleration and deceleration will occur between 25 and 70 MPH. ESC dash light will turn on after 1 mile in the morning. Due to inertia at 7o MPH you will not feel the loss of engine power, however you will loose the capability to accelerate whilst at the same time the RPM drops to zero. You will notice the change between 25 and 40 MPH. 
36700 mi Steering wheel controls not working/working occasionally. 
89000 mi

US $463
Car would not start from work location. Had car towed to shop. Replaced starter. Replaced washer fluid pump 
109000 mi Airbag control unit had to be modified due to recall 
125000 mi

US $700
Starter failed. Required replacement 
40300 mi A button on the steering wheel would sometimes not work. They replaced all the buttons on the wheel in a few hours and for free. 
63000 mi

US $1100
AC compressor failure 
135000 mi

US $500
Compressor clutch valve 
31000 mi

US $80
Battery replaced. 
32000 mi

US $50
3rd headlight issue in 2 years... Said It was a bulb but issue was intermittent. Not sure it is resolved. 
42300 mi

US $25
5th lighting failure in 2.5 years! 
44300 mi 6th lightbulb since buying the car! They say that's normal but doesn't seem like it to me. 
46500 mi

US $130
7th and 8th light bulbs that have went out! Terible and annoying. Expensive to replace all these. 
59000 mi

US $50
Another bulb out. #9 in 4 years. 
63000 mi

US $50
10 lightbulbs that has had to be replaced! Unbelievable. Never had this many problems on any other car. This time, driver side front headlight was out, and I got pulled over by a cop for the third time and the time that I've owned this car, about five years. This car has a weird if not defective electrical system, bad lightbulbs, or some combination of the above. 
10000 mi Cruise Control 
60300 mi Stereo system has gone out for the second time. Dealer claims its not under warranty. 

Return to top

2012 Hyundai Sonata 4dr Sedan

166-horsepower 2.4L I4 Hybrid 6-speed shiftable automatic FWD

1000 mi BlueLink never has reported mileage. Radio failed to power on this week. Pulling fuse and reinserting restored radio, and now BlueLink is showing correct mileage. 
6400 mi Radio was shorted internally and had to be replaced. 
6000 mi Bought the car in the dead of winter, no idea that A/C didn't work, took to dealer, they recharged, everything OK now. 
66000 mi

US $300
A/C pressure was below half of factory specifications. On an earlier trip down South, the A/C was barely working, and at one point, after a ten minute stop after five hours of driving, it blew tiny chunks of ice out of the far right passenger side vent. Since recharge, it's worked fine on another Southern trip, but they put in a dye when they added coolant, so it would be possible in the future to know where a leak was occurring. $200. 
48000 mi

US $450
bad cell in 12v battery 

Return to top

2012 Hyundai Sonata 4-door

4-cylinder automatic 2WD

8200 mi Parked not used for two days--battery completely dead--dealer charged battery and said battery in good health and holding 600cca as battery is required--??what could have caused the battery to be dead??--what can I do? 

Return to top

See TrueDelta's information for all Sedans
See TrueDelta's information for all Hyundai models.

2012 Hyundai Sonata Electrical Problems

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2012 Hyundai Sonata problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.