2022 Hyundai Sonata: What to check before buying

Sudden loss of drive power is the main complaint. The engine revs but the car stops accelerating, sometimes at highway speed. A restart or a shift through Park often brings power back. Two complaints involve crashes, and one is tied to recall 22V746000, which covers a transmission oil pump fault that can disable the limp-home drive mode. Overheating under acceleration is a second pattern, with high oil temperature, fans that keep running and limp mode. Some owners blame a failed ITMS. Other reports describe stalling at stops, hard first-to-second shifts and oil pan gasket leaks.

Dead 12-volt batteries are the main problem, mostly on the hybrid. The car goes completely dark after sitting a few days. The key fob stops working, and owners have to use the mechanical key and the battery reset button. Dealers often cannot duplicate the fault, and replacement batteries sometimes fail again. Several owners report the car shutting down while driving or showing hybrid system warnings. Other reports cover a failed junction box that disables locks and signals, flickering door controls, mirrors moving on their own, a dead blower and stored driver-assist fault codes.

Fuel injectors fail often. The engine misfires, shakes, smells of gasoline and loses power, sometimes stranding the car on the highway. Failures appear as early as 4,100 miles and often come back, with some cars getting injectors twice or all four replaced. One report says a failing injector leaked gasoline into the oil. Separate complaints describe swelling fuel tanks, one causing frame damage and another bringing a $3500 tank replacement bill. One tank reportedly exploded after recall work. On solar-roof hybrids, owners report a faulty solar DCDC converter and a bulging hybrid battery.

Most of these reports involve recall 25V796000, and the repair part is not yet available. Owners describe the engine revving on its own, jerking, stalling while driving and failing to restart. ABS, traction control and collision-avoidance warnings light up at the same time. Dealers replace valves, gaskets or spark plugs in the meantime, but the problem comes back. One car went back to the dealer repeatedly for the same fuel valve failure without a lasting repair.

Fuel injector trouble shows up here as well. The engine jerks violently, loses power or shuts off at highway speed and sometimes will not restart until after a tow. Several owners have had injectors replaced more than once under warranty, only for the jerking and poor fuel economy to come back. A second group reports overheating warnings under acceleration, fans running on high after shutdown, coolant loss with no visible leak and heavy white exhaust smoke. Dealers often cannot find a cause. Isolated reports mention knocking shifts and the engine stopping while driving.

Unintended acceleration at low speed is the main concern. In two crash-related complaints, the car surges forward while pulling into a parking space and jumps the concrete stops, one at about 1250 miles. Another owner reports the engine revving and the car lunging at around 20 mph until automatic braking steps in. Other reports describe the opposite: hesitation or sudden speed loss with the pedal pressed. In one of those cases, a failed injector filled the cabin with fuel fumes. One owner linked hesitation to recall 22V746000, though that car was not included in the recall.

Both complaints describe crashes, with 5 injuries in total. In one, the car does not stop in time for a stopped vehicle on the highway. In the other, the system applies full braking without ABS engaging, and the car slides into the vehicle ahead. The two failures point in opposite directions, too little braking in one case and braking that locks the wheels in the other. Both end in rear-end collisions.

Rear wheel bearings and hub assemblies deform early, and one report finds damage by 2400 miles. Symptoms include rear wheels that wander, shaking and a jumping feel while driving. The second complaint is crash-related. Under braking on a ramp, the car loses control and hits a curb, and the front wheel ends up loose from the suspension with a broken rotor and a hanging caliper. With only two complaints, no broad pattern is established.

Windshields crack without any impact, in one case twice within 4 months of ownership. That can also affect the safety equipment mounted to the glass. The other complaint describes washer fluid that will not spray on either side in freezing weather, so the windshield cannot be cleaned. That failure occurred at 400 miles. With only two complaints, these look like isolated problems rather than a widespread one.