I owned a 2011 Sonata. Purchased new, daily drove it for 5 years/72,000 miles. It was my first Hyundai product and most likely my last. It had 5 recalls during those 5 years. One was to have a couple of stainless brake lines replaced. You could see the lines from the top side with the hood up and looking straight down. The dealer said they would do it at my next oil change. I asked how long it would take, they said it would be a 4 hour job. When I asked why, they said they had to remove several components from the engine to swap out the lines. I asked why they couldn't go underneath, they said no access. Uh, okay. Never had the recall done since the lines weren't leaking.
It had a constant electrical issue where the belt would squeal and the battery light would come on when driving in heavy rain. Asked the dealer about it at the 30,000 miles service. They said if it needed a new belt, it would not be covered under warranty since that is a wear item. They came back and said the belt and tensioner were fine and there was no issue. I asked why the battery light would come on, they said it was normal and not to worry about it. Great design! Lived with that for 5 years.
The thermostat failed, and was replaced under warranty with a new thermostat and a "redesigned" housing. Have never had a thermostat fail on any other car in over 30 years of driving.
Interior squeaks and rattles galore.
Non-warranty repairs were expensive. Dealer service started out superb, but as Hyundai popularity grew their service quality really went downhill fast. It was not uncommon to have to go back a couple of times before issues were properly fixed.
By the time I traded it, it was using 1 quart of oil every 800 miles (2.4L GDI), the headlights were delaminating/pealing, and the car was generally just slowly falling apart. It was serviced regularly every 5,000 miles at the dealer. I did engine and cabin air filters, wiper blades, and light bulbs myself since the dealer wanted an absurd amount of money for those services. Replaced the battery myself as well.
When I went shopping for a new car in 2015, I went ahead and test drove a Sonata 2.0T. The dealer acknowledged at the time that "we know your ownership of your 2011 may not have been the best experience, but we believe that the new 2.0T would totally change your opinion." After a 20 minute drive, I just couldn't bring myself to do another 5+ years with another Hyundai product. They even offered $6,000 off the top, and then with the trade-in the price for the 2.0T would have been a steal. I walked away.
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