2022 Hyundai Sonata — Should You Buy One?

The largest cluster on this car, 30% of the record, and it has a recall attached: 25V796 for a check valve that, once damaged, lets air pressurize the fuel tank until it balloons, touches hot exhaust and can melt through. What owners actually experience first is the engine cutting out right after putting gas in, sometimes three times in a few months, with the dealer finding nothing — and in one filing the swollen tank had pushed hard enough to damage the floor structure. Parts were slow to arrive; one certified pre-owned Limited sat out of service at a dealer for months in 2026. On the 2.5L turbo there is a second fuel recall, 21V524, for a high-pressure fuel pipe that can leak at the rail. Both must show completed on the VIN lookup, and if the seller's VIN does not come up under 25V796 at all, ask the dealer to confirm in writing why.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $1,200–$2,200 for a fuel tank and check valve paid out of pocket

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the fuel system (27); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.

Twenty-four engine complaints, one a crash. The recurring shape is a 2.5L that stops in an intersection with an 'auto stop is off — shift to P or N to restart' message, a rough idle that was there from delivery, and a car that reads overheating under acceleration with the radiator fans roaring after shut-down. That last one is the integrated thermal management system — the electronically controlled coolant valve on this engine — sticking; several owners say the dealer could not reproduce it. One dealer-serviced car developed rod knock at 99,460 miles, which is a rebuilt or replaced engine outside a second owner's 60,000-mile powertrain coverage. On your test drive let it idle five minutes with the AC on and watch the temperature gauge, then check the fans do not run at full speed after you switch off.

Repair cost (estimate): $300–$900 for an idle-stop or coolant valve diagnosis and part; $1,200–$2,500 for a thermal management module; $6,000–$9,000 for an engine — about 46% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the engine (24).

Two stories share this 24-complaint cluster. The N Line's eight-speed wet dual-clutch is covered by recall 22V746: an oil pump fault can also take out the limited-mobility fail-safe, so instead of limping home the car stops driving. Dealers reprogram the control unit and replace the transmission if the inspection calls for it; one owner was told plainly that if the reflash did not cure his first-gear stutter the gearbox would be replaced, and an N Line bought used in 2025 went through six repair visits and 71 days in the shop. Separately, on the push-button shifter cars owners report a 'Shifter system malfunction — service immediately' warning that would not let them leave Drive at a stoplight. Two crashes in this cluster. Confirm the recall, then drive it cold in traffic and cycle the shifter buttons through P-R-N-D a dozen times.

Repair cost: $0 with the recall — verify it was performed; $400–$1,000 for a shifter control unit; $4,000–$7,000 for a dual-clutch transmission — about 36% of what this car is typically worth

Source: NHTSA complaints filed under the transmission and drivetrain (24); 3 NHTSA recall campaigns on this model year.