Model overview

The Hyundai Sonata is a mid-size vehicle manufactured by the South Korean maker Hyundai since 1985. The first generation Sonata, which was launched in 1985, was a facelifted Hyundai Stellar with an engine upgrade and was removed from the market in two years due to poor consumer reactions. While the original was only marketed in South Korea, with restrained exports to Canada and New Zealand, the second generation of 1988 was broadly exported. The Sonata is now produced in the United States for the North American market, China and South Korea for the Asian market, and Russia for other markets.

Known problems

Some of the common problems or complaints about the Hyundai Sonata are:

The current model of the Sonata has known problems with harsh gear shifts. It has been known drivers to have real difficulty shifting gears and this is caused by a fault with the TFT (Transmission Fluid Temperature) sensor. This issue seldom does not even show up when you run a diagnostic check.

On older models of the Sonata, there can be issues with the throttle body becoming clogged up with a carbon build-up. If this gets blocked it leads to misfiring and/or a loss of power when you try to accelerate.

The coolant temperature sensor on the Sonata is predisposed to failure. If this part breaks it can cause erratic idling with the needle on the rev counter going up and down rather of remaining at a constant velocity. The engine control warning light might also appear on the dashboard.

Hyundai Sonata PDF owner manual

Below you can find the owners manuals for the Sonata model sorted by year. The manuals are free to download and are available in PDF format. Is is recommended to check the owners manual corresponding to the correct year of your Hyundai Sonata to solve the problems or to get insights about the car.