Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
20 mpgcombined; city 17, highway 26; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$16,240U.S. average; Ohio $14,510 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
Owners have filed 188 complaints with NHTSA about the 2006 Azera. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
Complaints by part of the car
Part
Complaints
Crashes
Fires
Injuries
Air bags
57
6
0
6
Exterior lighting
47
1
0
0
Electrical system
33
0
2
0
Seat belts
25
2
0
2
Suspension
20
0
0
0
Seats
11
0
0
0
Service brakes
11
1
1
1
Engine
9
0
2
0
Vehicle speed control
9
2
0
1
Structure
8
0
0
0
Electronic stability control (ESC)
7
1
0
1
Power train
5
0
0
0
15 more parts
Steering
5
1
0
0
Unknown or other
5
0
0
0
Engine and engine cooling
4
0
0
0
Visibility
3
0
0
0
Wheels
3
0
0
0
Equipment
2
0
0
0
Fuel system, gasoline
2
0
0
0
Fuel/propulsion system
2
0
0
0
Latches/locks/linkages
2
0
0
0
Service brakes, air
2
0
0
0
Tires
2
0
0
0
Back over prevention
1
0
0
0
Equipment adaptive/mobility
1
0
0
0
Interior lighting
1
0
0
0
Service brakes, hydraulic
1
0
0
0
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2006 Azera over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2006-2011 Hyundai Azera and 2006 Hyundai Sonata vehicles. Water may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short .
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.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the vehicle's main junction box to prevent the risk of an ABS short-circuit while the car is turned off, free of charge. The recall began on February 19, 2018. Owners may call Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 172.
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 registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Road salt and water can enter portions of the rear crossmember, leading to corrosion of the crossmember steel. This may lead to detachment of one of the rear control arms.
Risk: Control arm separation may suddenly change the rear wheel alignment, affecting the handling of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: 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's recall number is 113.
HYUNDAI DE PUERTO RICO IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 THROUGH 2009 AZERA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 27, 2005, THROUGH OCTOBER 1, 2008. THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT TENSION SENSOR MAY SUSTAIN DAMAGE AFTER REPEATED USE OF THE SEAT BELT. IF THE SEAT BELT TENSION SENSOR WIRING BECOMES DAMAGED THE AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH NECESSITATING FRONT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT.
Risk: THE SEAT OCCUPANT IS AT AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY SHOULD THE AIR BAG NOT DEPLOY AS INTENDED.
Remedy: HYUNDAI WILL INSPECT AND REPLACE THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT AND INSTALL A NEW SEAT BELT TENSION SENSOR WIRING HARNESS CLIP, IF NECESSARY, AND REROUTE THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT TENSION SENSOR WIRING AND SECURE THE WIRING WITH A NEW HARNESS CLIP. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 8, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI DE PUERTO RICO 1-787-999-3333.
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2006 THROUGH 2009 AZERA VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 27, 2005, THROUGH OCTOBER 1, 2008. THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT TENSION SENSOR MAY SUSTAIN DAMAGE AFTER REPEATED USE OF THE SEAT BELT. IF THE SEAT BELT TENSION SENSOR WIRING BECOMES DAMAGED THE AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH NECESSITATING FRONT AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT.
Risk: THE SEAT OCCUPANT IS AT AN INCREASED RISK OF INJURY SHOULD THE AIR BAG NOT DEPLOY AS INTENDED.
Remedy: HYUNDAI WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND REPAIR THE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON FEBRUARY 22, 2010. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-633-5151.
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 3,011 MODEL YEAR 2005-2007 ELANTRA, TUCSON, SONATA, AZERA AND ACCENT VEHICLES. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO FAIL TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A DEFECTIVE STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY ALSO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFT OUT OF THE "PARK" POSITION. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND IT MAY NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.
Risk: ANY OF THESE MALFUNCTIONS COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI OF PUERTO RICO CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-787-999-4310.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 64 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2006 Azera, the latest on Oct 7, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: engine and engine cooling (16), power train (14), electrical system (10), equipment (10), equipment adaptive/mobility (5).
NHTSA defect investigations
Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.
Investigation
Part
Opened
Status
Preliminary evaluation PE13007 Rear Control Arm Failure
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2006 Azera.
NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data