"How reliable is the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid?"

"Based on 43 NHTSA complaints, the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid has a median complaint mileage of 26200 miles. The most common issue is ENGINE."

"What are common problems with the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid is ENGINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 43 total complaints filed."

2016 Hyundai Sonata Plug-In Hybrid: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 43 complaints

Total Complaints

26,200mi

Median Mileage

ENGINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

21,000 25th Percentile

26,200 Median Mileage

40,368 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

ENGINE

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

POWER TRAIN

HYBRID PROPULSION SYSTEM

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I SAW ENGINE POWERTRAIN PROBLEM LIGHT ON MY CAR SCREEN. SO I WENT TO CAPITAL HILL HYNDAI DEALER. I WAITED MORE THAN 6,5HOUR WITH EATING BREAKFAST AND LUNCH AT NEAR MALL. HYUNDAI EXPLAINED JUST GAS CAP TIGHTING PROBLEM. THEY NEVER EXPLAINED THE PROCESS ABOUT SIX AND HALF HOUR FIXING. I NEED DETAIL EX..."

"THE VEHICLE WILL NOT CHARGE THE HYBRID BATTERY WHEN PROPERLY PLUGGED IN, WITH EITHER 110V OR 220V PLUG. THIS HAPPENED PREVIOUSLY AND HYUNDAI REPAIRED IT WITH A PART COSTING AROUND $2,000 THEY TOLD ME (IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND COST ME NOTHING). HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP CONTINUALLY SINCE JULY 7, 2017 (31..."

"MY SONATA PHEV HAD HYBRID SYSTEM FAILED NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE WITHIN A SPAN OF 1.5 MONTHS. IT'S BEEN HARDLY 1.5 YEARS SINCE I HAD BOUGHT THIS CAR. IN BOTH CASES THE CHECK HYBRID SYSTEM WARNING COMES UP AND ENGINE LOOSES TOTAL POWER. THE 1ST TIME IT HAPPENED, IT WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY 405 FREEWAY ..."

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