Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 1991 Hyundai Sonata, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Seat belts9
- Power train7
- Engine and engine cooling6
- Electrical system5
- Service brakes, hydraulic3
- Unknown or other2
- Wheels1
- Steering1
- Air bags1
- Visibility1
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 5 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
In the United Kingdom
0 cars built in 1991 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 1 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
In New Zealand
1 1991 cars are on the New Zealand register.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Recalls
THE MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT CAN TRAVEL SLOWLY OR CHATTER IN THE TRACK AND MAY EVENTUALLY STOP TRACKING AND BECOME INOPERATIVE.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Hyundai told its dealers about the 1991 Hyundai Sonata: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 54161 | PROVIDED PROCEDURES FOR THE INSTALLATION OF A BLOCK HEATER. *YC |
| 54113 | SHOP MANUAL CORRECTION ON CYLINDER HEAD BOLT TORQUE SPECIFICATION. *YC |
| 51905 | SHIFT CONDITION CAUSED BY SHORT CIRCUIT IN INHIBITOR SWITCH. *TW |
| 37965 | 1991 CALIFORNIA SPECIFICATION SONATA CATALYTIC CONVERTER EMISSION CAMPAIGN (23). *TW |
| 10230904 | This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes or during normal driving operation. |
| 10189989 | This bulletin provides the inspection procedure and repair guidelines for certain vehicles listed below. |
| 10183963 | This bulletin describes the procedure to inspect and identify fluid which may appear around the brake caliper area. |
| 10183960 | This bulletin provides tire vibration service procedures, including how to optimize vehicle vibration performance. For all wheel/tire balance claims, the Tire Balance Data Sheet must be fully completed including imbalance and Road Force Variation (RFV) data. The Data Sheet can be found at the end of this bulletin. |
| 10174808 | This bulletin provides information on identifying dealer stock vehicles with either: A Battery SOC alert - low Battery State of Charge (SOC) at or below 50%. A 30 Day alert - vehicle has not started and reported an SOC in 30 days. |
| 10169370 | The Blind Spot Detection (BSD) or Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW) is a system that measures the speed of and distance from the following vehicles by using two magnetic wave radar sensors attached in the rear bumper. The BSD/BCW detects vehicles within the blind spot zone and gives off an alarm (visual and audible). The two magnetic radar sensors provide these functions for BSD/BCW: ? Senses other vehicles in the BSD/BCW zone and turns on the BSD/BCW warning lamp for the driver. The warning lamp starts blinking, along with an audible sound, when the driver turns on the turn signal lamp to en |
| 10082725 | THIS BULLETIN PROVIDES INFORMATION ON COMPONENTS, ATTRIBUTES, AND PRECAUTIONS OF THE 7-SPEED DRY-TYPE DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION (DCT). |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
CHARGING SYSTEM FAILURES
PASS.RESTRAINT SYSTEM FAIL
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation