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KLUNK
KLUNK

2018 Hyundai Sonata

The Verdict

37 Check Engine

The 2018 Hyundai Sonata has 375 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are engine (231 complaints) and body (83 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 37/100, it earns a "Check Engine" rating. If you're shopping for a Hyundai Sonata, consider the 2025 model year which has 95% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2025 has 95% fewer complaints

View the 2025 Hyundai Sonata dashboard →

37

Klunk Score: Check Engine

More complaints than most vehicles. Known issues exist — budget for potential repairs.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
200015911613515
200110518483219
200217725664611
2003851456359
20041081454179
2005621172164
2006370744929317
200724198291579
200814655161558
200918193748031
201022428353919
201113041147391096118
201243111830664751
201351110933190848
20141204417437531
2015251519969655
2016120358746518
2017261156041217
201883153623110
201931130982
2020543308114
2021384155918
2022214114514
2023935638
20241921834
202564143

By Category

Engine
231
Body
83
Electrical
36
Brakes
15
Transmission
10

By Severity

1
177
2
167
3
1
4
29
5
1

Worst Problems

Compare Against

See how the 2018 Hyundai Sonata stacks up against rivals.

Complaints

Engine 1

The vehicle experiences a severe delayed start/extended crank condition before finally starting. This is caused by a loss of fuel pressure prime due to the defective fuel filter housing leaking internally, creating an unpredictable and unsafe vehicle operation hazard. The dealership is denying coverage under the 15-year/150,000-mile extended warranty (Campaign TXXS), claiming the issue is a standard fuel pump failure while completely ignoring that the integrated fuel filter housing defect causes this exact failure."

4d ago
Engine 2

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The paint is peeling off the car, when I went to the dealership they said this is a known problem for 2015-2018, but they can't fix it there is no recall. It is causing rust. The valve cover gasket leaks oil and caused spark plugs to blow twice. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The valve cover has caused my wife to be stuck on the side of the road early morning and my child to break down in another state. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The dealer stated both of these are known issues for these years, 2015-2018. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? We took the car into the dealership for inspection. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? There was no warnings for either item.

21d ago
Engine 2

Hyundai dealership confirms I am in need of a new engine due to large oil consumption which is a known issue on 2018 Hyundai Sonata engines. Hyundai will not approve repairs because I am the second owner and vehicle is out of the 5 year warranty period. I only have 52K miles on my vehicle.

1mo ago
Engine 1

One engine valve has lost pressure and is not repairable

1mo ago
Body 2

Vehicle has been making a clunking noise (front passenger area). Brought to independent service center where they determined that the strut tower is failing. Current mileage 66000. Appt set for Checkered Flag Hyundai to evaluate on 9/11/2026.

1mo ago
Engine 1

My car stalls while driving and then I try to restart it but nothing happens. After reading online about the fuel pump issues and extended warranty related to the fuel pump I took the car in for repair. My car has 75,000 miles and the extended repair on this is for 150,000 miles/15 years. The dealer is refusing the repair because my car has a branded/ theft title. The car wasn't damaged just stolen. This is creating a serious safety concern and should be repaired by the dealer. Thank you for your time.

1mo ago
Engine 2

Since I had Service Campaign 9C2 completed, the car hesitates to start, does a mini-lurch upon cold start and runs rough. Two weeks ago, it was put in park, lurched backwards, then died. The starter and battery have been replaced but this has not helped. The car ran fine before this update was done.

2mo ago
Engine 1

The paint on all parts of the car is completely coming off down to bare metal. It’s as if the car wasn’t prepped to receive paint. Every Hyundai I pass that’s white the paint is coming off. There is also an internal engine oil leak where I’m losing 4qts of oil a week.

2mo ago
Engine 1

I recently had the 9C2 Emissions recall update performed on my car, and since the update my car drives like total garbage after a cold start. It hesitates to accelerate, it bucks when trying to accelerate, and it’s to the point the engine is about to stall. I took it back to the Hyundai dealership and they said they are aware of the issue, but there is no fix from Hyundai at this time. This is a major safety concern, as the car barely wants to accelerate after a cold start. Please have Hyundai fix this safety issue.

2mo ago
Engine 1

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, there was an abnormal fuel odor inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and was diagnosed with an inoperable low-pressure fuel pump. The contact was informed that the low-pressure fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The contact stated that the manufacturer had issued an extended warranty coverage for the failure. The failure mileage was 92,000.

3mo ago
Body 1

The computer system malfunctioned; the front panel warning was "Stop vehicle and check regen. brakes". I put my car in drive and when I hit the gas pedal the car reversed instead of going forward. I got it towed to the dealer at Piazza Hyundai in Limerick PA. The service did not provide me with an explanation about the warning and showed little concerns to the issues, I was given a month time frame for looking at my car. I consider this a safety issue as the car did not respond appropriately to D and R, I suspect a computer failure.

3mo ago
Engine 2

The lower aluminum engine oil pan developed a structural hairline fracture ("micro-crack") directly along the factory casting ridge adjacent to the drain plug. The component failed without any external impact, road hazard, scraping, or underbody damage. The failure was officially confirmed and documented by Eckert Hyundai during a service visit on July 13, 2026 (Case #42971835). Following the dealer oil service, the fracture degraded into an active, worsening oil drip that requires a catch tray under the vehicle to capture leaking fluid. The vehicle is currently available for inspection. Safety Risk: An active engine oil leak poses a significant safety hazard. Rapid or continuous loss of engine oil can cause sudden oil starvation, severe engine seizure, or total power loss without warning while driving at highway speeds, increasing the risk of a crash. Furthermore, dripping oil contacting hot exhaust or engine components presents a potential fire hazard. Prior Symptoms / History: This vehicle has a well-documented history of severe internal engine issues and thermal stress, including excessive oil consumption (running 1.2 quarts low in 1,127 miles), valve cover gasket failure, and severe drivetrain vibrations from failing front axles. The excessive internal crankcase pressure and thermal stress from these underlying defects contributed directly to the material fatigue and structural failure of this aluminum oil pan.

3mo ago
Engine 2

Fuel line leak, car is parked, fire hazard, a mechanic has been there to inspect

3mo ago
Engine 1

I purchased my vehical at Car Culture in Warren, Oh. The dealer said to only take it there for maintenance, so I did as required. Whenever the check engine light came on I would bring it there and they would say it was a sensor and they fixed it. And one day it started miss firing and the light came on again. When I took it to the dealership, they said it needed oil to bring it in every 2 weeks to top the oil off. And so I did that and finally the car was getting worse at 122,000 miles. When I took it there they said it needed a new motor!!!. They NEVER told me of a recall or a sensor replacement needing done by hyundai. Iam now stuck with a $13,000 loan on a car worth nothing without paying $5,000 on a "possible" fix for their negligence. I have a [XXX] old son, fiancee, morgage and a job im struggling to get to, because I was never notified of a possible recall on my year, make and model of car. Please help me. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

3mo ago
Engine 4

Vehicle caught fire after repeatedly taking it to Hyundai for service . I complained about the oil consumption and knocking noises while the vehicle was still under warranty and it was denied.

4mo ago
Engine 1

Check engine light solid/engine failure while driving. 2018 Sonata SE purchased new in fall 2018. Around 50,000 miles started noticing oil level drop and had to add more before next scheduled change. Dealership service center said I just had to shorten the mileage between changes which didn't seem appropriate for a vehicle with 50,000 miles but I did. Continued to have oil consumption problem with no signs of leak, no burning oil smell or exhaust issues. Dashboard display would go off and when I immediately checked dipstick there was barely any oil so I'd add more then go in for full change. At 67,000 or so miles in June 2026, without oil display going off the engine light was now solid. Got to reputable service center near my home and oil was under a quart left yet the warning lamp hadn't gone off. They ran the engine error code P0304 and was misfire #4 cylinder and after compression test, #3 was very low and #4 very high. NOT drivable at that point then towed to dealership so yes, available for inspection by NHTSA at the dealership. For now they claim a 'tune up' is needed for spark plug replacement, valve cover gasket replace and fuel induction service that's my cost to incur which seems to just be fixing the damage of an engine oil consumption problem not fixing the issue that caused the damage. The engine seized/stalled without warning while I was driving the vehicle (granted at low speed in my neighborhood when the engine light turned on). I would not say the engine warning lamp occurred prior to the engine fail, it happed at the same time. This should not happen for a vehicle with my mileage and regular maintenance. I looked up NHTSA for potential recall or other helpful information and started to see extremely similar scenarios to mine and wanted to add complaint as well. This is getting very expensive outside of whatever cost the dealer wants as a fix with rental car needed and tow services. Thank you for your consideration of this engine safety issue.

4mo ago
Body 1

I was only in the car for about 4 minutes then came to a stop light. Once the light had turned green I pressured down on the gas, my car rolled for a second then died on me, causing it to go into accessory mode. Instantly three lights came on: the check engine light, battery light, and low oil light. The car would take at least 5 seconds to turn back on then would fall back into accessory mode randomly. Tried to jump the car 4 times, issue still remains. What sucks about this is that the mechanic shop can’t even figure out what’s wrong. They thought it was the high pressure fuel pump..turns out it’s not.

4mo ago
Engine 2

Following completion of Service Campaign 9C2 (ECU software update, TSB 25-01-087H) at a Hyundai dealership, my 2018 Sonata immediately exhibited drivability changes that were not present before the service. Symptoms include altered shift timing, hesitation, and rougher throttle response — particularly noticeable during the first several minutes of driving. These symptoms began on the first drive after the recall update was applied and have been consistent since. The vehicle was returned to the dealership for inspection. No underlying mechanical issue was found, confirming the drivability change is directly attributable to the ECU software update. The vehicle has been maintained strictly per Hyundai's manufacturer-recommended schedule and had no prior drivability issues. I am aware that numerous other owners of Theta II-equipped vehicles (Sonata, Santa Fe, Tucson) have reported identical symptoms following 9C2. At least one dealership has reportedly acknowledged this as a known post-update issue that Hyundai is working to resolve. The altered throttle and shift behavior poses a safety concern, as unexpected hesitation during acceleration affects predictable vehicle control in traffic. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

4mo ago
Engine 1

The contact The contact stated that when taken the vehicle for a service campaign repair and shortly after went for recall r The vehicle does not run properly on cold starts, the RPMs increase rapidly and slow down, vehicle jerks forward once beginning to drive.. The vehicle does not have this issue once the vehicle is warm. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The approximate. Failure mileage was 47,575.

5mo ago
Engine 1

Engine blown out malfunction took two dealer Hyundai Folsom Lake stated rings are bad sludge buildup in engine and stayed at Hyundai motor America denied engine replacement due to knowledge under Theta two engine extended warranty settlement of 150,000 MI 15 years I'm still within warranty but are still being denied had numerous of issues with vehicle oil consumption knock knock sensor replace and other maintenance done since purchase vehicle brand new in 2018

5mo ago

375 total

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