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#BS-2016-HYUSON-240B

2016 Hyundai Sonata

Based on reports from 946 owners and 6 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
946
Crashes
37
Fires
42
Recalls
6
TSBs
215
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 946 complaints, 37 crashes, 42 fires, and 6 recalls. Complaint rate is 4.4x the class average.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

excessive oil consumption

28 complaints • Severity 7.9/10

$X,XXX
2

paint peeling

7 complaints • Severity 7.7/10

$X,XXX
3

check engine light on

3 complaints • Severity 8/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the EngineHIGH

429 owners reported engine issues — failures commonly reported around 62K miles.

!Inspect the ElectricalMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

88
0–30K
72
30–60K
79
60–90K
67
90–120K
33
120–150K
12
150K+

Peak failure range: 0–30K miles (88 reports) • Median: 62K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Engine (429 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Engine429 (45%)
Other87 (9%)
Electrical84 (9%)
Drivetrain53 (6%)
Brakes46 (5%)
Lights37 (4%)
Steering33 (3%)
Structure:body30 (3%)

2016 Hyundai Sonata: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Engine Issues

Engine complaints account for 45% of all reports filed for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata, with 429 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 62,100 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 62K-mile mark.

Electrical Issues

Electrical complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata, with 84 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to electrical-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Drivetrain Issues

Drivetrain complaints account for 6% of all reports filed for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata, with 53 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to drivetrain-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Brakes Issues

Brakes complaints account for 5% of all reports filed for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata, with 46 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to brakes-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

36
16
35
17
28
18
72
19
71
20
115
21
141
22
206
23
94
24
124
25
24
26

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata. Recent trend: decreasing.

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Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (6 recalls)

15V678000Nov 2015

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: INSTRUMENT CLUSTER/PANEL

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to August 21, 2015. The affected vehicles are equipped with an Antilock Braking System (ABS) warning light intended to warn the driver if there is an ABS malfunction. In the event of an ABS malfunction, the Brake System warning light will illuminate, but the ABS warning light will not illuminate. Since the vehicles have ABS malfunction lights that do not illuminate, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 135, "Light Vehicle Brake Systems."

16V232000Jun 2016

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016 to February 22, 2016, and one 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicle manufactured October 15, 2015. In these vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag may be missing a chemical enhancer required for the second stage air bag deployment, resulting in the second stage not deploying in certain crashes. The primary stage will deploy as intended.

16V615000Oct 2016

AIR BAGS

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 28, 2016 through April 12, 2016. The affected vehicles have a driver-side frontal air bag that may not adequately protect the driver's neck from injury in the event of a crash. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 208, "Occupant Crash Protection."

16V726000Nov 2016

VISIBILITY:SUN/MOON ROOF ASSEMBLY

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicles manufactured December 8, 2014, to August 18, 2015, and Hyundai Sonata vehicles manufactured May 28, 2014, to March 18, 2016, equipped with the panoramic sunroof option. Due to a bonding issue with the sunroof wind deflector, the sunroof panel on the affected vehicles may detach while driving.

17V359000Aug 2017

PARKING BRAKE:INDICATOR LIGHT

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Sonata and Genesis vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the warning light to indicate that the parking brake is applied may intermittently not illuminate in the dash due to corrosion in the switch.

+ 1 more recall in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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The worst model year for the Hyundai Sonata is the 2011 — worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is engine.

2016 Hyundai Sonata vs. Class Average (Midsize Cars)

This vehicle

946

Class avg

213

4.4x the class average — significantly more complaints than typical midsize cars vehicles.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume — popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 946 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 6 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

Other Hyundai Sonata Model Years

20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016201520142013201220112010200920082007200620052004200320022001200019991998199719961995199419931992199119901989198819871986
View all Hyundai Sonata years →

2016 Hyundai Sonata: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2016 Hyundai Sonata?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2016 Hyundai Sonata is related to the engine, with 429 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2016 Hyundai Sonata reliable?
The 2016 Hyundai Sonata has 946 complaints, 37 crash reports, and 42 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is 4.4x the class average — higher than typical for its segment.
How much does it cost to fix 2016 Hyundai Sonata problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 2016 Hyundai Sonata have any recalls?
Yes, the 2016 Hyundai Sonata has 6 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Hyundai Sonata problems start?
Based on 351 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 62,100 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 0–30K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records — then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence — what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you — no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 946 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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