2015 Hyundai Genesis Problems

What owners report

Complaints on this model year cluster around two themes: headlights that switch themselves between AUTO and OFF while driving, and no-start or electrical-loss events that owners often link to the starter solenoid recall. The rest of the sample spreads across power steering assist loss, stalling or hesitation, and door/sunroof hardware, with many reports filed between 40,000 and 100,000 miles.

1. 1
   Electrical system

   No-start, dead electrical power, or stalled engine

   • 62 complaints (21%)
   • median 71,443 mi at 9.3 yrs old (18 state mileage)
   • 3 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2026

   Complaints describe the car failing to start, losing all electrical power, or stalling with several warning lights on, sometimes with a burning odor and once with water pooling near the battery. A few owners had the starter, starter solenoid, or wiring harness replaced; others say the dealer could not diagnose or duplicate the problem. Several mention the starter solenoid recall and say parts were not yet available. Reported from about 34,000 to 165,000 miles, both at startup and while driving.

   Recall 24V107000

   What to check: Ask whether the starter solenoid recall (24V107000) was completed, check for water in the battery area, and confirm the battery and starter were serviced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The car cut off on my twice different days while I was driving on one of the freeway once while turning into my drivingway 3rd I tried to start my car this morning started less than a mili second and would not turned back on”

   NHTSA complaint #11384273, filed 2020-12, 68,000 miles

   “The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Genesis. The contact stated that while attempting to restart the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 165,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11676723, filed 2025-07, 165,000 miles
2. 2
   Exterior lighting

   Headlights flip from AUTO to OFF while driving

   • 55 complaints (19%)
   • median 34,000 mi at 4.0 yrs old (37 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2026

   Owners describe the headlight switch changing itself from AUTO to OFF, or cycling through the light settings, without any input — often shortly after using the turn signal. Headlamps, taillamps and dash illumination blink off and back on, and some say the daytime running lamps flicker. Dealers reportedly could not duplicate the intermittent behavior; a service bulletin covers a warranty extension and replacement of the multifunction switch with a software update for intermittent headlight flicker. Reported from as few as 9,000 miles up into six figures, on both city streets and unlit highways, typically at night.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Test the light stalk with the switch in AUTO and after using the turn signal, and ask whether the multifunction switch warranty extension work or software update was already performed.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving at night or during day, multifunction switch that controls headlamps will, without interaction, flip the lights from auto to off. This leads to either the drls blinking like I have an emergency, or the headlamps turning off while I'm driving down an unlit highway at highway speeds. It's extremely dangerous and needs a recall...not a warranty extension. Particularly when the servicing dealers refuse to replace under said warranty because they cannot replicate the issue .”

   NHTSA complaint #11362959, filed 2020-10, 81,700 miles

   “The headlight mode will sometimes change from auto to off and back to auto while driving (on city streets or on the highway), without input from the driver. This causes the headlights, taillights, and interior lights to momentarily switch off. I feel like this may be due to a loose electrical connection in the headlight mode on the left multifunction stalk, as the auto and off modes are adjacent to each other.”

   NHTSA complaint #11269764, filed 2019-10, 38,000 miles
3. 3
   Engine

   Stalling, hesitation and rough running

   • 28 complaints (10%)
   • median 36,000 mi at 3.5 yrs old (22 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2015–2026

   Complaints describe the engine cutting out at stops or at low speed, bogging or hesitating when accelerating from idle, and warning lights coming on with the stall. Some owners were told the fault related to the fuel system or throttle body, others had the TCM replaced with no improvement, and a few had oil or oil pressure warnings along with the stall. Spread from under 40,000 to over 120,000 miles, often at idle or low-speed acceleration.

   4 related service bulletins

   What to check: Ask for any stored check-engine codes and whether the throttle body or transmission control module has been replaced; check oil level and watch for an oil pressure warning.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Vehicle would not shift up to the next gear and and started attempting to shift but failing every time as it passed 2000 rpms. Incident happened while passing another vehicle, after an extended time of vehicle not being able to accelerate while attempting to pass the brakes had to be applied in order to avoid a collision with an incoming vehicle. The vehicle later failed completely and all power from the engine was lost and started rapidly decelerating then finally came to a complete stop. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11354172, filed 2020-09, 39,600 miles

   “The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Genesis. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle loss motive power and stalled, with the accelerator pedal depressed. There was no warning light illuminated. A dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11418350, filed 2021-05, 34,000 miles
4. 4
   Steering

   Power steering assist drops out

   • 24 complaints (8%)
   • median 19,980 mi at 3.3 yrs old (13 state mileage)
   • filed 2015–2026

   Owners report the steering wheel suddenly becoming very hard to turn, with the power steering assist warning light on; some say the wheel briefly seized and the condition recurred after restarting. In a few cases the dealer pointed to the rack and pinion or wiring, and one complaint ties a warning light to a haptic steering controller. Others say the dealer could not find a stored code. Reported from as low as 6,000 miles up to about 90,000, with one owner noting cold weather.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Check for a stored haptic steering or power steering fault, listen for rack noise, and ask whether the rack or haptic controller has been replaced.

   An excerpt from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Genesis. The contact stated while driving the vehicle in cold weather, the vehicle loss power steering assist and became difficult to steer. The contact stated the power steering assist warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.”

   NHTSA complaint #11417420, filed 2021-05, 6,000 miles
5. 5
   Body and structure

   Door handles breaking or doors not opening

   Mentioned in 5 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners report exterior door handles coming off in the hand and rear doors that will not open from inside or outside, leaving the rear seat hard to exit. One owner said the handle was glued back on rather than the door being opened up to retrieve broken pieces. Others describe a creaking, popping panoramic sunroof that was replaced but still noisy. Mostly reported from around 30,000 to 100,000 miles, on rear doors in several cases.

   1 related service bulletin

   What to check: Open and close every door from both inside and outside, feel the handles for looseness, and open and close the sunroof to listen for creaks or cracking.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “1. In a stationary position both incidents the left and right passenger door handles while opening the doors on different times once in 2019 the other 2020 completely came off. The first issue I went to service department at norm reeves Hyundai in california off of the 605 freeway where they glue it back together and not opening the inside of the door to remove the broken pieces that fell inside the door which you can hear each time I close the door for the right side back passenger door. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11354861, filed 2020-09, 34,000 miles

   “Received a letter stating that the glass in front of sunroof could crack and shatter. That is exactly what has happen, it start with cracks at the corners, then along the bottom and top and now the rubber that holds it, broke off.”

   NHTSA complaint #11221873, filed 2019-06, 76,000 miles

Buying note. On a used example, confirm which open recalls — especially the starter solenoid and ABS module campaigns — have been completed, and test the headlight switch in AUTO and every door handle before buying. A pre-purchase scan for stored steering, throttle and transmission codes is worth the cost given how often owners say dealers could not reproduce the faults.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.