Your vehicle report
2005 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
- 165
- Received Apr 2005 to Jun 2025
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Frame rusts and corrodes through33 complaints · 20% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Airbag warning light stays on32 complaints · 19% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Airbags fail to deploy in crashes14 complaints · 8.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #09V280000Hyundai is recalling 3,011 model year 2005-2007 elantra, tucson, sonata, azera and accent vehicles. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to fail to illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause the brake lights to remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released. A defective stop lamp switch may also affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature so the transmission would not be able to be shift out of the "park" position. It may also cause the electronic stability control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate, and it may not deactivate the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed.
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: 26 crashes, 2 fires, 27 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 11 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Body, doors & glass
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 |
|---|---|
| 2005 | 6 |
| 2006 | 5 |
| 2007 | 13 |
| 2008 | 5 |
| 2009 | 6 |
| 2010 | 16 |
| 2011 | 9 |
| 2012 | 10 |
| 2013 | 8 |
| 2014 | 18 |
| 2015 | 10 |
| 2016 | 11 |
| 2017 | 13 |
| 2018 | 14 |
| 2019 | 8 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 1 |
| 2023 | 4 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 1 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 165 |
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 | 33 | 20% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 32 | 19% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 14 | 8.5% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 9 | 5.5% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 6 | 3.6% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 4 | 2.4% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 4 | 2.4% | – | |
| Brake pedal sinks due to leaking lines | 4 | 2.4% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 4 | 2.4% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 3 | 1.8% | – | |
| Brake lights fail or stay on | 3 | 1.8% | – | NHTSA recall #09V280000 |
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 #09V280000July 21, 20093,011 vehicles affected
exterior lighting
Hyundai is recalling 3,011 model year 2005-2007 elantra, tucson, Sonata, azera and accent vehicles. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to fail to illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause the brake lights to remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released. A defective stop lamp switch may also affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature so the transmission would not be able to be shift out of the "park" position. It may also cause the electronic stability control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate, and it may not deactivate the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed.
Any of these malfunctions could lead to a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. The recall began on september 2, 2009. Owners may contact Hyundai of puerto rico customer service at 1-787-999-4310.
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 2005 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