"How reliable is the 2008 Hyundai Sonata?"

"Based on 554 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Hyundai Sonata has a median complaint mileage of 65000 miles. The most common issue is AIR BAGS."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Hyundai Sonata?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Hyundai Sonata is AIR BAGS, accounting for a significant portion of the 554 total complaints filed."

2008 Hyundai Sonata: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 554 complaints

554

Total Complaints

65,000mi

Median Mileage

AIR BAGS

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

33,435 25th Percentile

65,000 Median Mileage

105,980 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS

119

VISIBILITY

ENGINE

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

VISIBILITY/WIPER

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

SERVICE BRAKES

SEAT BELTS

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"MY 2008 HYUNDAI SONATA PASSENGER AIR BAG SYSTEM REMAINS OFF WHEN PASSENGER IS IN SEAT. I HAVE TAKEN CAR TO DEALER NUMEROUS TIMES AND HYUNDAI STILL HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. I HAVE ASKED FOR INFORMATION SHOWING WEIGHT RESTRAINTS OR LIMITS OF SYSTEM WITH NO ANSWERS. I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY CONC..."

"THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT COMES ON WHEN A PASSENGER WHO WEIGHS OVER 115 LBS IS SEATED IN THE SEAT. THE LIGHT STATES THE AIRBAG IS OFF. THIS IS DEFINITELY A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE IF THE AIRBAG IS OFF IT WILL NOT DEPLORE IF THERE IS AN ACCIDENT. THEREFORE WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE SEA..."

"THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF LIGHT REMAINS ON EVEN WHEN AN ADULT IS SEATED IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. SOMETIMES THE CONDITION CAN BE CLEARED BY RESTARTING THE VEHICLE BUT OTHER TIMES THE CONDITION REMAINS THE SAME. ADJUSTING THE SEATING POSITION AND SEAT LOCATION DO NOT SEEM TO AFFECT THE PROBLEM AT ALL. ..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28