Diagsheet

Midsize sedans · model years 2014 to 2024

Hyundai Sonata vs Honda Accord: problems and reliability

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Accord looks better on 4 and the Sonata on 3.

Hyundai Sonata

Hyundai Sonata

4,426 complaints · 28 recalls

Honda Accord

Honda Accord

6,285 complaints · 18 recalls

Newest report Sep 24, 2026 · checked Sep 27, 2026

Counts are not adjusted for sales. The more cars of a model there are on the road, the more complaints it draws, so the raw totals above say a lot about sales. Everything below compares shares of each model's own complaints, the mileage problems start at, recalls per model year and each model's years against its own median.

Scorecard

Measure, 2014 to 2024SonataAccord
Complaints that report a crash3.6%4.2%
Complaints that report a fire3.3%0.7%
Complaints that report an injury2.1%2.7%
Median miles when problems are reported58,00041,000
Recall campaigns per model year2.51.6
Do-not-drive recalls20
NHTSA investigations95

The shaded side is lower (for miles, higher). Values within about a tenth of each other count as too close to call.

What owners complain about

The system Sonata owners complain about most is engine; for the Accord it is electrical. Complaints citing engine make up 49% of all Sonata complaints, against 20% on the Accord. The Accord leans the other way on collision avoidance: 14% of its complaints, against 1.9% for the Sonata.

Hyundai SonataHonda Accord

Engine49%20%
Electrical14%26%
Fuel and propulsion8.0%11%
Transmission and drivetrain9.9%6.1%
Collision avoidance1.9%14%
Brakes5.0%11%
Steering8.3%7.4%
Exterior Lighting6.0%3.4%
Speed control4.1%4.4%
Structure4.3%2.9%

Share of each model's complaints that cite each system, from NHTSA's own component codes. One complaint can cite several systems, so the shares add up to more than 100%.

The most reported problems

The most reported problem on the Sonata is engine failure (19% of its complaints). On the Accord it is brake wear (11% of its complaints), against 5.0% on the Sonata.

ProblemSonataAccord
Engine stalls or loses power while driving18% 806most in 2015 · 68k mi11% 661most in 2018 · 66k mi
Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing19% 829most in 2015 · 84k mi4.0% 251most in 2018 · 93k mi
Check engine light or misfire14% 619most in 2015 · 80k mi8.4% 528most in 2018 · 85k mi
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early5.0% 223most in 2015 · 39k mi11% 713most in 2018 · 22k mi
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails2.1% 9345k mi11% 678most in 2022 · 36k mi
Burns oil or oil level rises11% 470most in 2017 · 62k mi0.5% 3174k mi
Engine overheats or leaks coolant1.4% 6274k mi8.1% 512most in 2018 · 94k mi
Battery dies or the car will not start2.1% 91most in 2014 · 50k mi6.6% 414most in 2014 · 50k mi

Share of each model's own complaints, with the count beside it. "Most in" links to the symptom sheet for the model year with the most reports of it, and the mileage is the median from reports that gave one.

When problems start

Accord owners report problems earlier. Half the Accord complaints that give a mileage come before 41,000 miles; for the Sonata the halfway point is 58,000. 44% of Sonata reports and 57% of Accord reports come before 50,000 miles. Older model years have had longer to reach high mileage, so a window that runs to recent years pulls both medians down.

Hyundai SonataHonda Accord

Under 25k27%33%
25k to 50k16%23%
50k to 75k19%19%
75k to 100k16%11%
100k to 150k17%10%
Over 150k3.8%3.3%

Share of the complaints that state a mileage: 2,148 for the Sonata and 2,759 for the Accord.

Worst and best years

The 2015 Sonata draws 3.7 times the complaints of a typical Sonata year for its age. The 2018 Accord draws 4.0 times the complaints of a typical Accord year for its age.

Hyundai Sonata

Every Sonata model year

Honda Accord

Every Accord model year

Hyundai SonataHonda Accord

Each model year against its own model's median. Sonata: 2014 2.2, 2015 3.7, 2016 2.6, 2017 3.0, 2018 1.6, 2019 0.8, 2020 1.0, 2021 0.9, 2022 0.7, 2023 0.9, 2024 0.6. Accord: 2014 1.4, 2015 1.0, 2016 1.1, 2017 1.0, 2018 4.0, 2019 1.7, 2020 1.0, 2021 0.7, 2022 1.0, 2023 0.4, 2024 0.9.2014 Sonata: 2.2 times its median2014 Accord: 1.4 times its median'142015 Sonata: 3.7 times its median2015 Accord: 1.0 times its median'152016 Sonata: 2.6 times its median2016 Accord: 1.1 times its median'162017 Sonata: 3.0 times its median2017 Accord: 1.0 times its median'172018 Sonata: 1.6 times its median2018 Accord: 4.0 times its median'182019 Sonata: 0.8 times its median2019 Accord: 1.7 times its median'192020 Sonata: 1.0 times its median2020 Accord: 1.0 times its median'202021 Sonata: 0.9 times its median2021 Accord: 0.7 times its median'212022 Sonata: 0.7 times its median2022 Accord: 1.0 times its median'222023 Sonata: 0.9 times its median2023 Accord: 0.4 times its median'232024 Sonata: 0.6 times its median2024 Accord: 0.9 times its median'241x

Each bar is that model year's complaints for each year on the road, divided by the same figure for a typical year of the same model (the dashed line). Measuring each model against itself takes the sales gap between the two out of the picture, so they can share a scale. Years too new to judge are left out.

Recalls and investigations

The Sonata draws more recalls: 2.5 campaigns per model year against 1.6 for the Accord. A recall counts once however many cars it covers, so this figure does not grow with sales the way complaint totals do.

Hyundai Sonata

28 recall campaigns and 9 NHTSA investigations across these model years. Most recalled: transmission and drivetrain (4), fuel system (4) and seat belts (3).

  • Do not drive 14V-368 (service brakes, hydraulic), model years 2015
  • Do not drive 14V-325 (steering), model years 2015
  • 25V-796 (fuel system) covers 4 model years
  • 21V-749 (exterior lighting) covers 3 model years

Investigations

  • EA25005: Dtn air bag inflator rupture (open)
  • DP22003: Loss of motive power (closed)
  • EA21003: Engine fires (closed, led to a recall)

Honda Accord

18 recall campaigns and 5 NHTSA investigations across these model years. Most recalled: fuel system (4), seat belts (3) and electrical (2).

  • 23V-858 (fuel system) covers 10 model years
  • 26V-332 (airbags) covers 7 model years

Investigations

  • EA24002: Inadvertent automatic emergency braking (open)
  • RQ24006: Front seat belt assemblies may be missing the rivet that secures the quick connector and wire plate (closed)
  • PE22003: Inadvertent automatic emergency braking (closed)

Whether a particular car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Crashes, fires and injuries

Crashes turn up in about the same share of complaints on both (3.6% and 4.2%). Fire reports: 148 for the Sonata and 43 for the Accord. Complaints on file report 5 deaths in the Sonata and 3 in the Accord for these model years.

Hyundai SonataHonda Accord

Report a crash3.6%4.2%
Report a fire3.3%0.7%
Report someone hurt2.1%2.7%

Share of each model's complaints in which the owner reported it. These are owners' own accounts as filed with NHTSA, and one report on its own doesn't prove a defect.

Questions

Is the Hyundai Sonata or the Honda Accord more reliable?

On the 7 measures below that do not grow with sales, the Accord looks better on 4 and the Sonata on 3. NHTSA complaint totals cannot settle it alone: the Sonata has 4,426 complaints and the Accord 6,285 for model years 2014 to 2024, and those totals follow how many of each were sold.

Which has more recalls, the Sonata or the Accord?

The Sonata has 28 recall campaigns and the Accord 18 across model years 2014 to 2024. The Sonata draws more recalls: 2.5 campaigns per model year against 1.6 for the Accord.

What are the most common problems on the Sonata and the Accord?

The most reported problem on the Sonata is engine failure (19% of its complaints). On the Accord it is brake wear (11% of its complaints), against 5.0% on the Sonata.

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