2010 Hyundai Sonata Reliability Data: Problems & Recalls
Good The 2010 Hyundai Sonata has a complaint index of 45, ranking 12th of 21 model years, and earns a Good verdict. NHTSA logged 345 complaints, mostly Structure & Body issues, along with 2 recalls and no do-not-drive orders.
Based on NHTSA complaints per model-year, not a reliability rating. Methodology
YearToAvoid Scorecard
- Complaint Index
- 45/100
- #12 of 21 Sonata years
- Verdict
- Good
- vs. other years of this model
- Complaints
- 345
- unique NHTSA reports
- Recalls
- 2
- distinct NHTSA campaigns
- Crashes
- 19
- reported in complaints
- Fires
- 3
- Injuries
- 19
- Top issue
- Structure & Body
- NHTSA overall rating
- Not rated
- EPA combined MPG
- 25
- 21 city / 32 hwy
- Injuries / deaths
- 19 / 2
Top 2010 Hyundai Sonata problems
Share of this year’s NHTSA 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%)
A complaint can list more than one component, so shares add up to more than 100%. Shares are % of complaints.
What owners report
- Owners report exterior door handles breaking or needing replacement, sometimes more than once on the same car.
- Some drivers describe the transmission engaging reverse or lurching backward without touching the gas pedal.
- Several owners report sudden unintended acceleration while backing out of parking spaces or at low speed.
- Multiple complaints describe frontal or side-impact crashes where the airbags failed to deploy, including one reported fatality.
- A few owners report the brakes or vehicle behaving unexpectedly while depressing the brake pedal, leading to multi-vehicle crashes.
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?
- Based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls, the 2010 Sonata ranks 12th out of 21 model years with a complaint index of 45 and a Good verdict, meaning it performs better than most other Sonata years.
- What is the biggest problem with the 2010 Hyundai Sonata?
- Structure & Body complaints are the largest category, making up 50% of complaints (171 of 345), mostly reported around 68,000 miles.
- Does the 2010 Hyundai Sonata have any recalls?
- NHTSA lists 2 recalls for the 2010 Sonata, one for a suspension crossmember assembly and one for a stop lamp switch in the electrical system. Neither is a do-not-drive recall.
- How does the 2010 Sonata compare to other Sonata years?
- The 2010 model's complaint index of 45 is far lower than the 2011 Sonata's index of 100, which is the worst year, and it sits between the 2008 (index 40) and 2018 (index 50) model years.
- Did the 2010 Hyundai Sonata have airbag problems?
- NHTSA received 20 Airbags complaints for the 2010 Sonata, tied to 10 crashes, with reports of airbags failing to deploy during collisions, including one fatality.