2008 Hyundai Sonata Problems, Recalls & Reliability
554 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2008 Hyundai Sonata, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 4 defect investigations. It scores 12/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 76,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2008 Hyundai Sonata has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2008 sits among all Sonata years
What owners report
“The airbag light previously would go on and off at times. But now it stays on permanently and the passenger seat belt light blinks on and off.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Sonata
“Driver's side and passenger side visors now droop into line of vision causing hazardous condition.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Sonata
“Air bag light stays on all the time. Esc light comes on whale driving and some time it will go out. Turning on and off esc switch will not turn it off. Would this be covered under recall? Thanks jerry”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Sonata
“My driver's side airbag light has been on for quite some time, and my passenger side airbag light is not detecting anyone sitting in the passenger seat. I took my car to a mechanic and was told it's an electrical issue with my airbags and may be due to a faulty wiring issue under the front…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Sonata
“I've had the breaks grinding noise coming from the front breaks when driving and use braking. It seems that the brake assembly was coming loose and need to get it fixed with a workshop nearby”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Sonata
“Loud knocking sound from under hood. Gets louder as engine heats. Unsafe to drive”— owner report to NHTSA, 2008 Sonata
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 425 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 69,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 37,000 and 108,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 1, 2005, through January 21, 2010; and model year 2006-2011 Azera vehicles manufactured September 27, 2005, through November 22, 2010 originally sold in, or currently…
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair or replace the crossmember assembly. The recall began on October 8, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai Customer Care Center at 1-800-633-5151.…
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe,…
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall…
SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY…
Fix: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 393,308 MY 2006-2008 SONATA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED AIR BAG SYSTEM WHICH FEATURES AN OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. THE PURPOSE OF THE OCS IS TO DISABLE THE RIGHT PASSENGER SEAT FRONT AIR BAG…
Fix: DEALERS WILL VERIFY THAT THE OCS DOES NOT PROPERLY RECOGNIZE A PROPERLY SEATED ADULT OCCUPANT. AFTER VERIFICATION, DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT CUSHION ASSEMBLY AND SHIP IT TO AN…
HYUNDAI-KIA IS RECALLING 4,085 REPLACEMENT HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SOLD FOR USE ON 2006-2008 SONATA AND AZERA VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ALIGNED PROPERLY AND FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE PHOTOMETRIC REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE…
Fix: HYUNDAI-KIA DEALERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED AND INSTRUCTED TO RETURN THEIR SUPPLY TO HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA. NONE OF THE HEADLAMPS WERE SOLD AS RETAIL. AS A RESULT, AN OWNER NOTIFICATION LETTER WILL NOT…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 13V354000.
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2008 Hyundai Sonata reliable?
The 2008 Hyundai Sonata drew 554 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 12/100, scored against the model's worst year (2011).
What are the most common 2008 Hyundai Sonata problems?
The top reported problems for the 2008 Hyundai Sonata are airbags (139 complaints), visibility & wipers (97), and other (59).
At what mileage do 2008 Hyundai Sonata problems show up?
Owners most often report 2008 Hyundai Sonata problems around 69,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 37,000 and 108,000 miles.
Does the 2008 Hyundai Sonata have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2008 Hyundai Sonata. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.