2025 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Problems & Complaints

On April 8, 2026, I returned to my brand-new 2025 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Limited (purchased as a new ccar on February 10th 2026)_after being away from March 31 to April 6, 2026 (approximately 7 days of normal parking). The vehicle was completely dead — the 12V auxiliary battery had fully discharged. The car remained fully locked. The hood release lever and the 12V battery reset button are both located inside the cabin and were therefore inaccessible. Following the instructions in the owner’s manual, three adults attempted to remove the plastic cover over the mechanical keyhole on the driver’s door handle. None of us could pry or slide the cover off. Hyundai Roadside Assistance dispatched a locksmith. The locksmith had to use an air-inflation wedge tool to force the door open. Once inside, he pressed the interior 12V reset button and the vehicle then operated normally. This incident demonstrates a complete failure mode: the 12V system can die after only a short period of inactivity, and the mechanical emergency-access design makes it extremely difficult (or impossible for multiple people) to enter the vehicle without professional forced entry or risk of damage. The combination left me stranded with no practical way to regain access to my new car. I believe this is a safety-related defect because it creates an unreasonable risk of the driver being unable to enter or operate the vehicle after normal parking, potentially in emergency or critical situations. Hyundai has issued Service Campaign TEBA / TSB 25-01-076H for battery drain on 2025 Sonata Hybrids, but it does not address the mechanical key-cover access failure that turned the drain into a total lockout. It is also not clear the the TEBA is a complete solution to the battery drain problem.

On [XXX] while entering 2 car garage with no other cars in garage, the subject vehicle which is a HEV, changed from the electric drive mode to gasoline mode at the garage door and driveway apex. Immediately, the vehicle uncommandedly surged forward from approximately 1mph. The vehicle impacted a large refrigerator and small table causing severe front end damage. No airbags deployed and I was not injured. Although, my neck is sore from whiplash. Seatbelts were employed and vehicle was being operated at less than 1mph, standard for entering a two car garage. There were no warnings, lights, or sounds from the multi function display or any system emergency braking applied immediately before the collision.Just a violent surge forward that I could not quickly apply the brakes to avoid this collision. It is my feeling something electronic failed to operate or was unable to understand the driving environment at the time of impact. The change in driving mode from electric to gasoline was very abrupt and instantly resulted in the surge forward with no concern for what was a potential collision hazard ahead. Severe damage was done to front end only. Resulting in a very high repair cost and may likely result in the vehicle being considered a "total loss". This is currently ongoing with insurance and collision repair facility. Unresolved currently. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

take.a break warning light is a hazard and distraction and is not accurate at all. i am not a new driver but this id not s safety feature it is such a distraction and is not consistent. i am not going in and out of the lane and even with both hands on the wheel it still goes off about every 90 seconds even at the beginning if some drives after about 3 miles. it is nig consistent and causes you to panic at times when the alarm sounds there is absolutely no way to disarm this. i am [XXX] and do the safe driving course every four years. this is a menace and i do t expect any results but i will not keep this car. going to trade it in on american car. my third and kadt hyundai INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The emergency rear collision detection system is able to be turned off, but automatically turns on when the car starts. There are situations where the car detects an object and it prevents me from reversing. I disabled this because I use my eyes and have accepted the risk of running into something. I had to move in a hurry two days ago, I tried to reverse out of the way, but the car prevented this when I thought I had already shut it off. Meanwhile I'm getting screamed at to move while I fumble through menus just so I can drive the car I bought. This is dangerous to have automatically on everytime the car starts.

Lump on driver seat, under right buttocks. Feels like hard steel poking up on right side of seat , predominantly under right side.

The Inattentive Driving Warning goes off excessively, causing distraction even in heavy traffic. Over a 2 hour drive, the Inattentive Driving Warning would alert approximately every 30 minutes regardless of traffic or driving conditions. The sound, which lasted approximately 1 to 2 seconds, and alert display caused me to momentarily turn my attention to the instrument cluster, rather than the road, while I was traveling at highway speeds in variable traffic. Previous model years allowed you to turn off this function, but this is no longer the case. Hyundai even confesses the inaccuracy of the system within the manual and has sent out notice of ways to lower incidences on different models vehicles.

The dash warning "Consider Taking A Break" fires off randomly. This is a distraction as when I'm in traffic, driving well within my lane, no sudden changes, it will alert and I look down as I assume there may be a more serious problem. It takes my attention from the road often. This feature cannot be disabled. I've contacted the manufacturer and the local dealership. The local dealership suggested that there is a way to do it but they cannot tell me as it could be a liability. I don't see how it would be a liability as it is me doing the disabling. If anything that could be corrected with a statement I'd need to click stating I know the added risk of disabling this or something. It's annoying and at worst, may cause an accident as it pulls the driver's attention from the road. I'm hesitant to let anyone else drive the vehicle as they may be less prepared for the warning and may cause confusion as they try to determine what it is.

The gear shifter design on this Hyundai model is dangerously counterintuitive compared to industry norms. It nearly caused me to drive off a cliff. I encountered a serious safety issue with the gear selector design. In most vehicles — including Mercedes, GM, and even pickup trucks — pushing the gear selector down engages forward drive, and up engages reverse or park. Hyundai has reversed this logic. In a rushed moment, I instinctively pushed the shifter down expecting to go forward (as in most cars), but the Hyundai was in reverse. I stepped on the gas and nearly backed off a cliff. This design is not just unfamiliar — it's opposite of established standards. Drivers with muscle memory from other vehicles like ANY pickup truck, MB, or GM EV are at real risk of making fatal errors. I strongly urge NHTSA to investigate whether this shifter design meets safety and human factors standards. At a minimum, Hyundai should issue a UI/UX recall to standardize shift direction or implement safeguards to prevent this kind of mistake.

The 12 v battery drains repeatedly causing the car to be without power . Requires opening the car with a manual key . Happens within as little of 3 days of not being driven . Dealer stated battery was without issues has continued to occur . Loses potential safety risk as entry into car becomes compromised especially if cold outside