2012 Hyundai Sonata Air bags Problems
- Complaints
- 170about this part
- Share
- 11%of 1,559 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 82,800miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 170 complaints about the air bags of the 2012 Hyundai Sonata, 11% of the 1,559 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 82,800 miles. 18 of these say a crash was involved and 2 a fire, according to the filers. 2 recall campaigns on record are filed under a similar system.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Driving home on november 24th 2018 I was on a gram to market road and a deer jumped in front of the car. When I went to brake and the car made a high screetch and didn't stop. When I hit the deer neither airbag deployed. It had just been returned to me from the previous engine recall”
NHTSA complaint #11386665, filed 2021-01, 10,000 miles“Received safety recall regarding airbag control unit and potential electrical overstress damage to the module circuitry which could prevent frontal air bags, seat belt pretensioners, and side air bags from deploying! I do not feel safe driving this care with my 4 year old - please expedite finding a fix asap!”
NHTSA complaint #11105274, filed 2018-07, 80,000 miles“My airbag light is on have had no accidents and on the steering wheel it's seems to be open on its own a little bit could I drive my car this way? I was just routinely driving my car the light came on went off came back on and it's still on it's been a week now”
NHTSA complaint #11300683, filed 2020-01, 110,000 miles“My car has and was serviced on the air bag before and once again out of the blue the air bag light is on , no changes have occured with the vehicle , no accidents nothing new and I have check the website periodically to see if anything change”
NHTSA complaint #11404866, filed 2021-03, 133,000 miles“The airbag light came on and multiple cracks in my dash occurred on the passenger side. Car was sitting.parked in driveway when I started the car the airbag light was on and there was 3 cracks in the dash. The light had not been previously on.”
NHTSA complaint #11355309, filed 2020-09, 97,400 milesRelated recalls
- 18V137000Feb 27, 2018Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2013 Sonata and 2011-2012 Sonata Hybrid vehicles. On February 27, 2018, Hyundai Motor Company…Covers: Hyundai Sonata 2011–2013, Sonata Hybrid 2011–2012
- 12V352000Jul 24, 2012Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2012-2013 Hyundai Sonata passenger cars, manufactured from January 24, 2012, through June 21, 2012. The curtain side…Covers: Hyundai Sonata 2012–2013
Related service bulletins
- 11036632Aug 26, 2026The warranty coverage for the clock spring has been extended to 15 years with unlimited mileage from the date of original retail delivery or date of first use. Refer to the…
- 11037231Aug 25, 2026The warranty coverage for the clock spring has been extended to 15 years with unlimited mileage from the date of original retail delivery or date of first use for original &…
- 11037230Aug 25, 2026The warranty coverage for the clock spring has been extended to 15 years with unlimited mileage from the date of original retail delivery or date of first use. Refer to the…
- 11032523Apr 10, 2026The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province…
- 11032522Apr 10, 2026The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by…
- 11027047Dec 19, 2025A Class Action settlement regarding the TRW Airbag was recently decided. Based on the Class Action, customers are eligible for certain settlement benefits. Please see attached…
- 11027046Dec 19, 2025A Class Action settlement regarding the TRW Airbag was recently decided. Based on the Class Action, customers are eligible for certain settlement benefits. Impacted vehicles are…
- 11027045Dec 19, 2025Hyundai has settled a class action lawsuit that alleges that certain Hyundai and Kia Class Vehicles (defined below) contain defective ZF-TRW airbag control units (“ZF-TRW ACUs”)…
- 10060304Oct 16, 2012Summary to be provided on a future date.
Air bags: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 6% |
| 2023 | 1 | 1% |
| 2021 | 4 | 3% |
| 2020 | 7 | 4% |
| 2019 | 9 | 6% |
| 2018 | 4 | 1% |
| 2017 | 22 | 3% |
| 2016 | 21 | 3% |
| 2015 | 25 | 2% |
| 2014 | 31 | 4% |
| 2013 | 104 | 5% |
| 2012 | 170 | 11% |
| 2011 | 419 | 12% |
| 2010 | 20 | 6% |
| 2009 | 30 | 7% |
| 2008 | 137 | 32% |
| 2007 | 257 | 37% |
| 2006 | 435 | 42% |
| 2005 | 55 | 33% |
| 2004 | 46 | 23% |
| 2003 | 43 | 22% |
| 2002 | 51 | 16% |
| 2001 | 47 | 23% |
| 2000 | 43 | 16% |
| 1999 | 31 | 25% |
| 1998 | 6 | 12% |
| 1997 | 8 | 16% |
| 1996 | 3 | 13% |
| 1995 | 15 | 23% |
| 1991 | 1 | 3% |
Other parts of the 2012 Hyundai Sonata
568 complaintsSteering
301 complaintsElectrical system
235 complaintsBrakes
158 complaintsExterior lighting
141 complaintsOther or unknown
125 complaintsFuel system
114 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
97 complaintsVehicle speed control
84 complaintsSeat belts
75 complaintsBody and structure
39 complaintsSuspension
36 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2012 Hyundai Sonata
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology