Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2006 Hyundai Sonata, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags435
- Visibility156
- Seat belts102
- Electrical system86
- Suspension86
- Electronic stability control (esc)57
- Service brakes51
- Exterior lighting45
- Structure44
- Engine44
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 38 injuries and 1 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 71 2006 Sonata vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 40 people died inside them, and 7 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2006 Hyundai Sonata failed the safety check 2.59% of the time — 11% more often than the average 2006 passenger car (2.34%). Median odometer at inspection: 121,025 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the Netherlands
44 first registered in 2006 are on Dutch roads; 2% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €27,765.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde23
- Overmatige vloeistoflekkage overige vloeistoffen13
- Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt12
- Stadslicht werkt niet (goed)11
- Band onvoldoende profiel10
- Schijf-, trommelrem loopt niet vrij9
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht8
- Drager/bevestigingsmiddel van remvoering raakt trommel/schij7
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
74 cars built in 2006 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 49 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
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 122 of these cars first registered in 2006 took their annual MOT test. 57% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2006 the figure was 56%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2006 |
|---|---|---|
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 19.7% | 21.5% |
| Brakes | 13.1% | 13.1% |
| Suspension | 13.1% | 17.3% |
| Tyres | 10.7% | 7.4% |
| Visibility | 7.4% | 7.3% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 2.5% | 6.6% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
169 of these cars first registered in 2006 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 237,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
379 2006 cars are on the New Zealand register; 9% arrived as used imports, 91% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 9.4–11.0 L/100 km (about 21–25 mpg US), CO₂ 216–253 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sonata · Full-size · Regular gasoline | 11.0 | 7.5 | 9.4 |
| Sonata · Full-size · Regular gasoline | 11.3 | 7.8 | 9.7 |
| Sonata · Full-size · Regular gasoline | 13.0 | 8.6 | 11.0 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
7 Transport Canada recalls for the 2006 Hyundai Sonata.
| 2018033 16 Jan 2018 | Brakes On certain vehicles equipped with an anti-lock brake system (ABS), the ABS module remains powered on when the vehicle is turned off. If moisture were to enter t… |
| 2013280 12 Aug 2013 | Structure On certain vehicles, road salt can corrode the rear crossmember assembly, which may ultimately lead to separation of the control arm at the mounting point. Thi… |
| 2009120 23 Apr 2009 | Lights And Instruments On certain vehicles, the stop lamp switch may have been incorrectly installed during vehicle assembly. This could prevent proper brake lamp operation. Failure … |
| 2008140 28 Apr 2008 | Airbag On certain vehicles equipped with an advanced airbag system, the Occupant Classification System (OCS), installed in the right front seat of the vehicle, may mis… |
| 2006117 24 May 2006 | Lights And Instruments Certain vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of CMVSS 108. Improper dimensions of front turn signal lens mounting bosses affect lens photometric perfo… |
| 2005253 1 Sept 2005 | Seats And Restraints During a government 65 km/h 40% offset frontal barrier test, the driver's seat belt may have interfered with the manual front seat back recliner knob, inadverte… |
| 2005205 11 Jul 2005 | Brakes On certain vehicles, while cornering under conditions where Electronic Stability Control (ESC) activation may not be needed, a sensitive ESC may cause the engin… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2006-2011 Hyundai Azera and 2006 Hyundai Sonata vehicles. Water may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short .
Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 1, 2005, through January 21, 2010; and model year 2006-2011 Azera vehicles manufactured September 27, 2005, through November 22, 2010 originally sold in, or currently registered in, 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 and water can enter portions of the rear crossmember, leading to corrosion of the crossmember steel. This may lead to detachment of one of the rear control arms.
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.
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 532,633 MY 2006-2007 ACCENT, ENTOURAGE, SONATA, MY 2007 AZERA, ELANTRA AND SANTA FE, MY 2005-2007 TUCSON AND MY 2007-2008 VERACRUZ VEHICLES. THE STOP LAMP SWITCH IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES MAY MALFUNCTION. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A STOP LAMP SWITCH MALFUNCTION MAY ALSO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION SHIFTER WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFTED 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.
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 393,308 MY 2006-2008 SONATA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED AIR BAG SYSTEM WHICH FEATURES AN OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. THE PURPOSE OF THE OCS IS TO DISABLE THE RIGHT PASSENGER SEAT FRONT AIR BAG WHEN IT DETECTS THE PRESENCE OF A CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM OR SMALL CHILD IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. THE RIGHT FRONT AIR BAG IS DISABLED TO PREVENT INJURIES TO A CHILD THAT MAY RESULT FROM A RIGHT FRONT AIR BAG INFLATION DURING A CRASH.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE AIR BAG WARNING LABEL INSTALLED ON THE SUNVISORS HAD LOST ADHESION TO THE SUNVISORS AND HAD DISTORTED OR SEPARATED FROM THE SUN VISORS.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE INNER BEZELS OF THE HEADLAMPS WERE NOT PROPERLY ASSEMBLED WHICH MAY CAUSE THE TURN SIGNAL LENSES TO BE IMPROPERLY POSITIONED.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE FRONT SEAT BELT MAY INTERFERE WITH THE MANUAL SEAT BACK RECLINER KNOB AND COULD CAUSE THE FRONT MANUAL SEAT BACK RECLINER TO INADVERTENTLY RELEASE.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.3 LITER ENGINES AND ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC), THE ESC MAY HAVE BEEN PROGRAMMED TO BE OVERSENSITIVE TO THE ONSET OF OVERSTEERING WHILE DRIVING ON BANKED CURVES, CAUSING INADVERTENT APPLICATION OF THE FRONT OUTSIDE BRAKE WHEN ESC ACTIVATION MAY NOT BE NEEDED.
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 2006 Hyundai Sonata: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10251285 | This bulletin contains information about the proper removal of the windshield wiper blade protective cover on all models. If the protective cover is not removed correctly, there is a possibility of the rubber insert and rail spring becoming partially separated on the inner side of the wiper blade, which could lead to poor wiping performance and/or possible scratching of the windshield glass. Follow the procedure in this bulletin to properly remove the windshield wiper blade protective cover on all new wiper blades. |
| 10247189 | This bulletin provides important checkpoint guidelines when performing engine oil and filter change services. |
| 10235566 | Hyundai applies a Paint Protection Film (PPF) on new vehicles before delivery to dealerships. It provides a barrier between the paint and contaminants, such as rail dust, acid rain, and industrial fallout. In rare cases, the paint can become clouded under the PPF. These spots are the result of moisture trapped between the PPF and the paint. |
| 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. |
| 10217258 | Effective June 2, 2008, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 110 (FMVSS 110) established a threshold for correcting load carrying capacity information indicated on tire placards when vehicle weight has been increased before retail sale. This limit is the lesser of 1.5% of GVWR or 100 pounds. If the total added weight exceeds the lesser of the limit, a label must be added to the driver-side B-pillar within 25mm (1 inch) of the original tire placard. |
| 10217251 | Follow the guidelines outlined in this bulletin to inspect and clean or replace certain components of the engine intake system accordingly during engine short block or sub-assembly replacement. |
| 10196546 | Hyundai approves only the ATF, DCT gear oil and IVT gear oil specified in the vehicles owners manual. Use of other ATF may result in improper shift quality or other drivability conditions. Use of other DCT and IVT gear oil may result in reduced durability. Hyundai does not approve the use of any aftermarket ATF or gear oil additives. |
| 10190044 | This bulletin provides the service procedure for engine connecting rod bearing clearance testing. Perform the procedure outlined in this bulletin to fulfill the Bearing Clearance Test inspection requirements to determine next required steps. |
| 10190038 | This bulletin provides best practice recommendations when performing brake service procedures. |
| 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. |
| 10178175 | This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to moisture accumulation in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. The 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. |
| 10176182 | This bulletin provides information on tire maintenance best practices and procedures for dealers and customers to maximize tire life and performance. |
| 10176178 | This bulletin describes the general guidelines to help disinfect and protect vehicle exterior/interior surfaces using recommended safe chemical products. |
| 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. |
| 10174807 | The automatic transmission warranty repair policy authorizes in-dealership repairs of the following components for both OEM (new) and remanufactured automatic transmissions: |
| 10173546 | This bulletin describes the general guidelines to disinfect and protect vehicle interior surfaces using certain safe chemical products. |
| 10172142 | This bulletin describes the requirements for all wheel alignment and/or vehicle tracking claims and best practices when diagnosing and conducting alignment-related repairs for all models and model years. |
| 10170883 | This bulletin provides guidelines to inspect the USB, head unit, and multi-box for common connection conditions. 2. This bulletin presents guidelines to inspect for common Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connection conditions. 3. This bulletin provides physical differences between the USB 2.0 port and USB 3.0 port. |
| 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 |
| 10167253 | This bulletin provides instruction detailing the proper methodology for scanning and uploading captured GDS data files to the Techline Repository. Compliance with this bulletin ensures that the GDS data files are correctly transferred and matched with a Techline Case number. |
| 10160098 | This bulletin provides the procedure to write the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) during the replacement of the Engine Control Module (ECM) or Powertrain Control Module (PCM). Once the VIN has been programmed to the ECM/PCM, it cannot be removed or overwritten. |
| 10154545 | This bulletin provides information for inspecting and replacing front or rear wheel bearing hub assemblies for any model Hyundai vehicle. This procedure is applicable when there is noise such as a whirring/roaring/grinding/rumbling/etc. that gets louder when driving with more speed. |
| 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
Loss of Motive Power
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
Seat Belt Buckle Electrical Malfunction
Rear Control Arm Failure
STOP LAMP SWITCH FAILURE
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation