Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
Fuel economy
27–51 mpgcombined; city 23–47, highway 32–56; every version of this model year
Five years of fuel
$6,370–$12,030U.S. average; Ohio $5,690–$10,750 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's VIN data lists these trims for the 2026 Sonata. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
Owners have filed 6 complaints with NHTSA about the 2026 Sonata. 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
Unknown or other
3
0
0
0
Forward collision avoidance
1
1
0
2
Power train
1
1
0
0
Service brakes
1
1
0
2
Tires
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 1 recall campaign for the 2026 Sonata 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.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2025-2026 Tucson Hybrid, Tucson Plug-In Hybrid Electric (PHEV), 2026 IONIQ 5, Santa Cruz, Kona, Palisade, Palisade Hybrid, Santa Fe, Santa Fe Hybrid, Sonata, Sonata Hybrid, and Tucson vehicles. Due to a software error, the instrument panel display may fail. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 101, "Controls and Displays."
Risk: An instrument panel display that fails to show critical safety information, such as the speedometer or warning lights, increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: The instrument panel display software will be updated over-the-air (OTA) or by a dealer, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 24, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai's customer service at 855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 293. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on January 28, 2026.
Carmakers sent NHTSA 20 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2026 Sonata, the latest on Oct 8, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (8), power train (3), air bags (2), engine (2), exterior lighting (2).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
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 2026 Sonata.
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: large cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 5–8 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
Swipe the table sideways for more columns.
Version
Engine
Transmission
Fuel
City / hwy / comb
Sonata Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
25 / 36 / 29
Sonata All-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
24 / 33 / 27
Sonata Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl, turbo
Automatic (AM-S8)
Regular Gasoline
23 / 32 / 27
Sonata Hybrid Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (AM-S6)
Regular Gasoline
44 / 51 / 47
Sonata Hybrid Blue Front-Wheel Drive
2.0 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (AM-S6)
Regular Gasoline
47 / 56 / 51
Sonata w/Stop-Start Front-Wheel Drive
2.5 L, 4 cyl
Automatic (S8)
Regular Gasoline
28 / 38 / 32
Sources and dates
U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
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