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2006 Hyundai SonataProblems, recalls & complaints

NHTSA has logged 1,047 owner complaints about the 2006 Hyundai Sonata, most often about the air bags. It is covered by 9 safety recalls, and for recall 18V-026 the manufacturer reports only 37% of affected cars repaired.

2006 Hyundai Sonata
20
CarFlaw IndexYear to avoid4.0× the Sonata median · #5 of 35 years by complaints
Safety recalls9Lowest repair rate 37%Owner complaints1,04775 with a crash, fire or injuryTypical failure mileage70kAir bags, median miles

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer recall reports, through December 22, 2025. Updated daily. Photo: Mr.choppers, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Complaints by system

Where the 2006 Hyundai Sonata has problems

1,047 complaints grouped by the system owners reported.

Box size = number of complaints naming that system. Darker = larger share. One complaint can name more than one system.
Complaints by system
SystemComplaintsCrash, fire or injury
Air bags43520
Visibility1561
Seat belts1026
Electrical system861
Suspension863
Electronic stability control (ESC)571
Service brakes515
Exterior lighting450
Engine445
20 other systems31026

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Complaints are submitted by the public and are not verified by NHTSA.

9 recalls

2006 Hyundai Sonata recalls and how many were fixed

Each ring shows the share of affected cars repaired, from the manufacturer’s latest quarterly report to NHTSA. Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.

37%repaired · 2019 Q2

Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip

Recall 18V-026 · Jan 9, 2018 · 87,854 vehicles · 32,381 repaired

Risk. An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the car is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

56%repaired · 2015 Q1

Suspension: rear

Recall 13V-354 · Aug 12, 2013 · 364,502 vehicles · 203,437 repaired

Risk. Control arm separation may suddenly change the rear wheel alignment, affecting the handling of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Show 5 more recalls
–no report yet

Air bags

Recall 08V-161 · Apr 10, 2008 · 393,308 vehicles

Risk. MISCLASSIFICATION OF A SMALL STATURE ADULT AS A CHILD IN THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT MAY CAUSE THE RIGHT FRONT AIR BAG TO NOT INFLATE IN AN ACCIDENT THAT…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Other: labels

Recall 06V-234 · Jun 26, 2006 · 43,301 vehicles

Risk. IF THE LABELS ARE DISTORTED OR MISSING, THE DRIVER OR FRONT SEAT PASSENGER WILL NOT HAVE INFORMATION AVAILABLE THAT MAY HELP PROTECT THEM IN THE EVENT OF A…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Exterior lighting: headlights

Recall 06V-180 · May 22, 2006 · 463 vehicles

Risk. AN IMPROPERLY POSITIONED TURN SIGNAL LENS MAY REDUCE THE INTENSITY OF THE TURN SIGNAL ILLUMINATION, REDUCING ITS VISIBILITY TO ONCOMING TRAFFIC, WHICH MAY…

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Front assembly: recliner

Recall 05V-377 · Aug 29, 2005 · 36,000 vehicles

Risk. THE INADVERTENT RELEASE OF A FRONT SEAT BACK RECLINER MAY RESULT IN INJURY TO VEHICLE OCCUPANTS.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

–no report yet

Electronic stability control: automatic (asc)

Recall 05V-316 · Jul 7, 2005 · 1,970 vehicles

Risk. THIS MAY CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO SLOW AND MAY AFFECT THE PATH THAT THE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING.

Problem, fix and repair progress →

Recalls apply to specific cars. To see whether a recall is still open on yours, enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with Hyundai.

Mileage at failure

When do air bags problems start?

70kmiles, median

Based on the odometer reading in 352 air bags complaints. 76% were reported before 100,000 miles.

median0k50k100k150k200k+
60under 30k miles267under 100k miles85100k miles or more
Owner-reported costs

What owners say repairs cost

Dollar amounts owners wrote in their complaints when describing a repair or a quote. These are not price estimates; a system is shown only when at least 8 owners mentioned a cost.

Air bags

61 owners mentioned a cost

$668median

Middle half: $350 – $1,409

Visibility

14 owners mentioned a cost

$100median

Middle half: $100 – $124

Seat belts

11 owners mentioned a cost

$350median

Middle half: $318 – $416

If a problem is covered by a recall, the dealer fixes it for free. Some manufacturers also reimburse owners who paid for a repair before a recall was announced.

Best & worst years

2006 vs. every other Sonata year

Bars show complaints per model year. Colors show the CarFlaw verdict: complaints weighted for crashes, fires and injuries, adjusted for years on the road and compared with the Sonata median. How we score

'89'90'91'92'93'94'95'96'97'98'99'00'01'02'03'04'05'06'07'08'09'10'11'12'13'14'15'16'17'18'19'20'21'22'23'24'25'26
  • Avoid
  • Caution
  • Solid
  • Best
  • Not rated
NHTSA crash tests

2006 Hyundai Sonata safety ratings

2006 Hyundai Sonata 4-DR w/SAB in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program. Photos are from NHTSA's crash tests.

2006 Hyundai Sonata frontal crash test, NHTSA
Frontal crashNot rated
2006 Hyundai Sonata side barrier test, NHTSA
Side barrierNot rated
  • Stability control: Standard
  • Forward collision warning: No
  • Lane departure warning: No
5 investigations

NHTSA defect investigations

Federal investigations that included the 2006 Hyundai Sonata, and the recalls they led to.

  1. Throttle control system vulnerabilitiesDP21003 · closed Jun 20, 2023
    No recall
  2. Loss of Motive PowerDP22003 · closed Dec 12, 2023
    No recall
  3. STOP LAMP SWITCH FAILUREPE09003 · closed Apr 24, 2009
    Led to recall 09V-122
  4. Rear Control Arm FailurePE13007 · closed Aug 20, 2013
    Led to recall 13V-354
  5. Seat Belt Buckle Electrical MalfunctionPE14023 · closed Dec 1, 2014
    No recall
In owners' words

What Sonata owners report

Recent air bags complaints filed with NHTSA, shortened. Personal details are removed.

The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign…
Complaint 11607317 · Aug 8, 2024 · 140,000 miles
The contact owns a 2006 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the…
Complaint 11520229 · May 3, 2023 · 48,000 miles
Passenger occupant classification sensor fails to properly identify whether an adult or child is sitting in the front passenger seat causing the airbag to deploy when it shouldn't. If a child is in the front passenger seat and we get into an accident, the child could be hurt or killed by the…
Complaint 11478910 · Aug 11, 2022

Own a 2006 Sonata?

Decode your VIN to see the recalls for your exact car, then confirm open recalls with NHTSA.