2015 Hyundai Sonata · symptom sheet
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard
- 41owner reports
- 50,000median miles
- 0involved a crash
Newest report Jul 4, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
134 of the 1,144 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 41 of those describe transmission shudder.
Tick what matches of 41 reports
Transmission shudder on other Sonata years
No other Sonata model year has enough reports of transmission shudder for a sheet of its own. See every Sonata year.
What this problem usually is
This is the biggest drivetrain group on the site: a transmission that shudders, slips, hesitates or bangs into gear. It's the everyday version of transmission trouble, where the car still drives but doesn't drive right, and it has three narrower sheets of its own for jerking, hesitation and slipping.
What got replaced
Few of these reports name the part that was replaced.
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2015 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
The affected vehicles may have been assembled with an incorrect left axle shaft which may result in the shaft separating from the transaxle differential.
All 9 recalls on the 2015 Hyundai Sonata, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 16,000 and 69,000 miles, from the 28 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 5 service bulletins or notices for the 2015 Hyundai Sonata that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
This TSB provides a procedure to diagnose and replace, if necessary, an automatic transmission with Incorrect Ratio DTC (transmission clutch slip in gear above limit) listed on Page 2.
If you are servicing an applicable vehicle with the following symptoms and DTC, follow the Service Procedure on Page 4.
This TSB provides a procedure to diagnose and repair a transaxle for the following Incorrect Ratio DTC (transaxle clutch slipping more than 200 rpm in gear).
If you are servicing a vehicle with a transmission slipping concern, follow the Service Procedure shown below and perform a stall test. This TSB provides a procedure to test each clutch in the transmission.
1 more on the 2015 Hyundai Sonata page.
What owners wrote
“Multiple times, when the car start up and is put in to reverse, there is no throttle response. Simultaneously, it can not be put into the manual gear select mode and the car lurches into second gear.”
Filed Jul 27, 2022
“The vehicle's transmission seems to be slipping or something. As you begin to come to a stop, the vehicle bogs down and you can not accelerate. There is a long hesitation and then suddenly it kicks in and jars the car. This happens on a daily basis. The vehicle is also burning through oil at an unprecedented rate.”
Filed Feb 8, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 0 of 41 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Paid for this repair before a recall covered it? How recall reimbursement works
Other problems on this car
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 250 reports
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 226 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 171 reports
- Burns oil or oil level rises 83 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 76 reports
- Engine rattles or ticks 48 reports
- Vehicle fire 44 reports
- Power steering cuts out or goes heavy 36 reports
- Seat belt or seat problems 35 reports
- Hybrid or EV system warning, loss of power 32 reports
- Fuel pump failure 30 reports
- Multiple warning lights come on at once 29 reports
- Engine leaks oil 29 reports
- Airbag warning light or recall 25 reports