2010 Hyundai Sonata Problems, Recalls & Reliability
Verdict
GoodComplaint Index
47/100
#9 most-complained of 16 Sonata years
The 2010 Hyundai Sonata ranks 9th of 16 model years with a complaint index of 47 and a "Good" verdict relative to other Sonata years. It has 345 complaints, 2 recalls, and its top problem area is Structure & Body at 50% of complaints.
- Complaints
- 345
- Recalls
- 2
- Crashes / fires
- 19 / 3
- Injuries / deaths
- 19 / 2
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 25
- 21 city / 32 hwy
Top 2010 Hyundai Sonata problems
NHTSA owner complaints by component group. Groups with 15+ complaints have their own page.
- Structure & Body171 (50%)
- Brakes42 (12%)
- Engine40 (12%)
- Other39 (11%)
- Electrical System24 (7%)
- Transmission & Powertrain21 (6%)
- Airbags20 (6%)
- Steering15 (4%)
- Suspension, Wheels & Tires14 (4%)
- Fuel System12 (3%)
What owners report
- Owners report exterior door handles breaking or needing replacement, sometimes repeatedly on the same vehicle.
- Some drivers describe the car lurching backward or accelerating suddenly without touching the gas or accelerator pedal.
- Several owners say front or side airbags failed to deploy during moderate-speed collisions, including one crash reported as fatal.
- A few complaints describe the vehicle losing control and swerving at highway speed before a crash.
- One owner reported the brake pedal failing to stop the vehicle, resulting in a multi-vehicle collision.
2010 Hyundai Sonata recalls
2 NHTSA recall campaigns list this model year.
- NHTSA 13V354000Aug 12, 2013Suspension, Wheels & Tires364,502 vehicles
Suspension:rear
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.
Risk: Control arm separation may suddenly change the rear wheel alignment, affecting the handling of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
- NHTSA 13V113000Apr 1, 2013Electrical System1,712,336 vehicles
Exterior lighting:brake lights:switch
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.
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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.
2010 Hyundai Sonata fuel economy and fuel cost
- City
- 21 MPG
- Highway
- 32 MPG
- Combined
- 25 MPG
- Annual fuel cost (EPA)
- $2,600
- 15,000 mi/yr
- Fuel
- Regular
- Current regular gas
- $4.32/gal
- national avg.
EPA figures; median across configurations of this model year. Estimate your own cost with the fuel cost calculator.
2010 compared with other Sonata years
Frequently asked questions
- Is the 2010 Hyundai Sonata reliable?
- Compared with other Sonata model years, the 2010 has a complaint index of 47 and a "Good" verdict, ranking 9th out of 16 years tracked. Its complaint volume and recall count are lower than most later Sonata years like 2011-2013.
- What are the most common problems with the 2010 Hyundai Sonata?
- Structure & Body issues make up 50% of complaints, followed by Brakes at 12% and Engine at 12%. NHTSA also lists 20 complaints related to Airbags, with 10 associated crashes.
- Does the 2010 Hyundai Sonata have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2010 Sonata: one covering the crossmember assembly under Suspension, Wheels & Tires, and one covering the stop lamp switch under Electrical System. Neither is a do-not-drive recall.
- At what mileage do 2010 Sonata problems typically show up?
- The median mileage at failure across all complaints is 65,034.5 miles. Structure & Body issues have a median failure mileage of 68,000, while Transmission & Powertrain issues appear earlier, at a median of 47,500 miles.