Your vehicle report
2004 Hyundai Sonata
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 202
- Received Sep 2004 to Apr 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Frame rusts and corrodes through41 complaints · 20% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Airbag warning light stays on23 complaints · 11% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbags fail to deploy in crashes15 complaints · 7.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #09V124000Hyundai is recalling 188,282 my 2001-2004 sonata and my 2001-2004 XG300 and XG350 vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of 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 applied in these jurisdictions during the winter months may result in progressive, internal corrosion of the front sub-frame on the vehicles, and may result in thinning or perforation of the sub-frame steel. The corrosion is frequently visible and often discovered during inspection or routine maintenance, and owners may also hear noises or notice tire misalignment and steering pull. If these signals are undetected or unheeded, the corrosion may progress and the forward mounting of the lower control arm may detach from the sub-frame.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 22 crashes, 2 fires, 32 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 15 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
1 more problem
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 5 |
| 2005 | 8 |
| 2006 | 11 |
| 2007 | 4 |
| 2008 | 10 |
| 2009 | 21 |
| 2010 | 12 |
| 2011 | 10 |
| 2012 | 6 |
| 2013 | 11 |
| 2014 | 20 |
| 2015 | 17 |
| 2016 | 15 |
| 2017 | 11 |
| 2018 | 6 |
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 7 |
| 2023 | 5 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 2 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 2 |
| Total | 202 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 41 | 20% | 90.2× | NHTSA recall #09V124000 |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 23 | 11% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 15 | 7.4% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 10 | 5.0% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 7 | 3.5% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 7 | 3.5% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 7 | 3.5% | – | |
| Paint peels off roof and hood | 5 | 2.5% | – | |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 4 | 2.0% | – | |
| Suspension struts and shocks wear out early | 4 | 2.0% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| TPMS valve stems break or leak | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Manual clutch wears out or fails early | 3 | 1.5% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 3 | 1.5% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #09V124000April 16, 2009188,282 vehicles affected
suspension
Hyundai is recalling 188,282 my 2001-2004 Sonata and my 2001-2004 XG300 and XG350 vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of 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 applied in these jurisdictions during the winter months may result in progressive, internal corrosion of the front sub-frame on the vehicles, and may result in thinning or perforation of the sub-frame steel. The corrosion is frequently visible and often discovered during inspection or routine maintenance, and owners may also hear noises or notice tire misalignment and steering pull. If these signals are undetected or unheeded, the corrosion may progress and the forward mounting of the lower control arm may detach from the sub-frame.
If that happens, the vehicle may lose drive power to the wheels, and the front wheel may make contact with the fender or wheel well, thereby increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will measure the thickness of the front sub-frame and inspect the front sub-frame for corrosion damage and, if necessary, the front sub-frame will be replaced with a new sub-frame that incorporates additional holes in the upper and lower panels. If the front sub-frame does not require replacement, the dealer will add drainage holes to the sub-frame and will treat the sub-frame with rust-proofing material to stop the corrosion process. This procedure will be performed free of charge. The recall is expected to begin during april 2009. Owners may contact the Hyundai customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2004 Hyundai Sonata.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN