2012 Hyundai SONATA Hybrid consumer reviews

2012, 15 years and 560,000 km has done me well. minimal maintenance. oil change every 6k km. 4>3gear knock / slip at cruising speed started last year, 1500$ engine gasket quote sealed its imminent fate.

Problem after problem after problem. xxx. This was my first Hyundai,I’m a Honda guy. As soon as I save up for another car I’m going right back to Honda and never leaving again.

I have owned the Hybrid Sonata for 6 years got it at 68k miles it's currently at 161k. While the vehicle is comfortable, the gas mileage(only 40-50mpg in winter months, 30-35 the rest of the time) and drive is only ok(a little loud and slow to speed up). The transmission on this car sucks, I've had to replace the engine twice due to rod bearing issues. Each time the car just stalled in the middle of the highway without warning. While the first time it was replaced as a recall, the 2nd time I had to complain to Hyundai customer care for 8 months before they finally Ok'd the replacement at an 80/20% split... there is a class action lawsuit against Hyundai for the rod bearings! BE AWARE. Separately if you ever want to take this car for any parts to be replaced you will get turned away at any repair shop because that hybrid engine is integrated everywhere... Know that you can only take it to a dealership because no one will even touch this vehicle unless someone is Hybrid certified. It sucks because dealerships always have a multi-week backlog so you are just SOL. When there wasn't any issue basic maintenance was just fine to keep it going. Needless to say, I don't suggest anyone buy Hyundai, they aren't reliable. I've literally had about 1 year of being unable to drive this car simply because of the Customer Care, and the fact that dealership can't even service a car within a couple days. I'd honestly laugh and clap if Hyundai went out of business, and this is from someone who meticulously took care of that vehicle regarding: suggested part replacements, oil changes, maintenance services, at either the dealership or take5. No one deserves to deal with any of that!

This car is spacious with plenty of leg room, stylish on the outside while super efficient on gas and affordable at the pump. Its dependable, comfortable, and easy to drive. I'd buy another!

Drives so smooth and gets amazing gas mileage. Perfect for driving long and short distances. Worth the money I have invested. Treated very nicely for the 3 years I’ve owned it.

I really love the whole car! Had it for 2 years with no regrets. Oh yeah, it’s also a Hybrid! I average 35-40mpg. Highly recommend! 👍

This is a great sedan and super comfortable. It's a nice simple design with easy to use technology. We have 6 cars and 4 drivers so I just don't need it. It's a great car.

When I first bought this car two and a half years ago, I was thrilled with my purchase. It was extremely low mileage (under 40,000), and you couldn't beat the fuel mileage for a vehicle this size. It was not uncommon for me to get over 40mpg on long highway trips. I moved to a rural area about a year after I bought the car, and that's when I started to begin to have some problems. This car doesn't do well on gravel roads in the winter time as when there is ice, snow, or during spring thaw, it doesn't hold to the road as well or handle like you'd want it to. It did, however, start in just about any weather, including after sitting outside overnight in -32 degree temperatures! Overall, it was the most dependable car I ever had, only needing routine service, (which I kept at Hyundai's recommendations) until about a month ago. Once the car hit 90,000 miles, driving with my two sons, ages 9 and 5, without warning, we felt something "give" in the right front of the car. No warning lights, no messages, no nothing. I was able to pull the car into a fast food parking lot, and discovered motor oil all over the inside of the right front wheel well and the entire engine compartment. After having the vehicle towed to a local garage, I was informed there was a huge hole in the engine and the engine would need to be completely replaced! Upon the suggestion of the mechanic, I called Hyundai's Customer Care line and told them what happened. They asked to have the car brought to the nearest Hyundai dealer, which was over an hour from where the car had broken down. A friend of mine towed it for me. The Hyundai dealer confirmed the hole in the engine and that they had never seen anything like this. I "escalated" the issue with Hyundai Customer Care, and had an extremely difficult time going back and forth with Hyundai. On one call, when I asked to speak to a supervisor when I wasn't getting anywhere with the representative, he became rude, belligerent, and refused to put me on with his supervisor, or to give me his name so I could file a complaint. On another call with another representative, they tried to go back on a promise to pay for a rental car while I was waiting for them to make up their mind. I had to put some pressure on them to get them to stay true to their word on that. While Hyundai admitted that there was a recall for the engines on the regular 2012 Sonata 2.4L Theta II engines, that didn't extend to the Hybrid version of the car! Never mind there are several complaints and an open investigation with the National Highway Traffic Safety Adminstration of similar issues of engine failure on the Sonata Hybrids, caused by a manufacturing defect, some of which led to fires! After nearly three weeks of wrangling with and getting run around from Hyundai's Customer Care and finally, some help from the Hyundai Dealer, I was finally able to get Hyundai to agree to replace the engine with a remanufactured one on Hyundai's dime. They are still insisting that the car was out of warranty and I shouldn't have been entitled to an engine replacement, but are doing this as a "goodwill gesture". I am still waiting to get my car back from the shop, but I am not sure how much longer I will be keeping it before trading it for something else. Folks, if you are thinking about Hyundai, yes, they've come a long way with their designs to make a very attractive looking vehicle. In particular with the Sonata Hybrids. But, after this, and having such negative experience with Hyundai Customer Care, and having such a catastrophic issue out of nowhere, this will be my first and last Hyundai. Stay away from these cars. It's difficult to find someone willing to work on the Hybrids.

I love the gas mileage and the Ultimate Package. It has been very reliable. The glass ceiling has been wonderful from fall to spring in FL. The front row rolls back to air, the back seat is a glass ceiling when the cover is retracted.

the car is stelth quiet. It's also very quick because it has a gas motor and 190 hp electric motor. When you need acceleration both motors kicked in. 45 miles to the gallon. The car is absolutely spotless