2016 Hyundai Sonata · symptom sheet
Engine stalls or loses power while driving
- 148owner reports
- 82,015median miles
- $750median quote
- 2involved a crash
Newest report Sep 15, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
532 of the 725 complaints on this car are about the engine. 148 of those describe stalling. Only engine failure is reported more often on this car.
Tick what matches of 148 reports
Stalling on other Sonata years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.
What this problem usually is
Stalling reports are some of the most alarming on the site. The engine quits while the car is moving, sometimes on a highway and sometimes at a stop. Many owners say it restarted right away and the dealer found no stored code, which is part of why these complaints pile up before anything gets fixed.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the battery (14 reports), the ignition coil or plugs (13 reports) and the engine (11 reports).
Recalls and investigations
One recall on the engine covers the 2016 model year. A recall on the same system isn't always the same failure, so read the defect text.
The affected vehicles are equipped with an Antilock Braking System (ABS) warning light intended to warn the driver if there is an ABS malfunction.
All 6 recalls on the 2016 Hyundai Sonata, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Sonata
Loss of motive power. Closed dec 12, 2023.
Engine fires. Closed feb 5, 2024, led to recall 23V-877.
Non-crash vehicle fires. Closed dec 22, 2021, led to recall 20V-061.
Non-crash vehicle fires. Closed may 10, 2019, led to recall 18V-907.
Scope and timeliness. Closed dec 22, 2021, led to recall 17V-226.
Charging system failures. Closed oct 31, 1994.
What owners paid
21 of the 148 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $400 to $5,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 39,000 and 111,404 miles, from the 77 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2016 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.
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.
What owners wrote
“Cylinder 3 misfire code and rough idle/driving car tries to stall out, engine is consuming a quart of oil every 500 miles and has 30psi compression in cylinder 3. Car only has 129k miles”
Filed Jul 13, 2026 · 129,000 miles
“Timing chain failure at 150k. Unknown cause prior to failure at around 135k miles. Only intermittent vibration or mild vibration while accelerating (pass. Side) Sudden loss of power going into limp mode with check engine light flashing.”
Filed Aug 13, 2023 · 135,000 miles
“Had previous issue with HEV warning light and took to dealer. But While driving down the road last night, the HEV light on the dash comes on and beeps, the car sputters then the brakes slam on and the car immediately shut off in the travel lane. Turn car back on put into drive and same thing happens. Vehicle was towed to Dealer.”
Filed Sep 30, 2022
“We were on a road trip and the car was on cruise control. I stopped accelerating and lost power. We had it towed to the nearest aaa approved mechanic. They ran the codes and found P132600- knock signal range performance. The technician found heavy metal contamination in the oil. The motor needs to be completely replaced”
Filed Apr 14, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 2 of 148 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 failure, knocking or rod bearing 191 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 122 reports
- Burns oil or oil level rises 113 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 46 reports
- Engine rattles or ticks 37 reports
- Hybrid or EV system warning, loss of power 27 reports