Used 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid Consumer Reviews
Roomiest Fun-to-Drive Hybrid Sedan on the Market
The Hyundai Sonata Hybrid is the best package of attractive styling, smooth handling, excellent mileage and comfort among hybrid sedans in the US. I found with slight care its easy to get over 40 mpg on the highway and overall 38+mpg. Features that reduce the mpg are using heated seats and interior heater in the winter or full AC in the summer. However, using the "econ" feature with the heating/cooling one easily achieves 38 mpg overall or better. The jitteriness at low speeds was resolved with the first service when the computer system was upgraded to remove some of the hesitency between use of EV and gas engine modes. Update is free and resolves issues raised in some initial reviews.
Missing the Mark, but still a nice car.
I purchased my 2012 Sonata Hybrid new from the dealership. This was my first "fancy" car, as I had always gone either base model or used in the past due to financial difficulty, but I was finally in a position to spoil myself a bit, and was able to justify my expense in the fuel savings, or so I though... Highway miles truly are 38-40, and I can even get that if "cruising", but only if the weather is nice, and traffic is light. Here in the Midwest we get temperature extremes which effect the fuel economy a great deal, and stop and go city driving averages 32 mpg which is no where near what they had advertised. My friends all say I drive like an old man too, so I know it's not just me...
78K miles engine failure?
78K miles engine failure? I own a 2012 Sonata Hybrid since 07/2015 which I bought from a off lease place with a little over 24k miles on it. I loved this car ever since I bought it, never had any major issues, till last week when it stalled on me with warns to stop driving to prevent damage to the hybrid system. I had it towed to a dealership to receive the news that the engine was seized and it would cost me $8,700 to have it replaced. I was shocked and start laughing, cause I thought is was a bad joke of some kind… Nope!! she was dead serious. So I said, okay 10years/100K miles powertrain warranty… Nope!…that only applies for the original owner… Certified Pre-owned gets 5years/60k miles… My car has 78k miles and I didn’t buy a certified Pre-owned… Very sad since I don’t have that kind of money and even if I had, KBB on my car is $8,800, it wouldn’t make sense spend on it…. Very, very sad my engine died with ONLY 78K miles…The worse I still own $8,500 on that car. Not sure what to do at this point.
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Buyer Beware
We were leasing the 2012 Sonata Hybrid and the lease was up in July so we were planning to trade it in and lease a new one then. My stepmom died unexpectedly on Mother's Day so we had to drive from Colorado to Missouri for the funeral. We took the Sonata since it was the most reliable vehicle (ha) AND we were only at 45,000 miles so we were way under the mileage allotment on our lease. A few days after we got there the engine started making a funny noise when we went to get dinner. We parked it immediately and called Hyundai the next morning to have it towed to the nearest dealership, which was Suntrup Hyundai in St. Louis. Much to my surprise not only had it blown the engine but they MADE US PAY FOR AN ENGINE REPLACEMENT before we could turn it in on the lease. We offered them maintenance records but Hyundai made the decision to deny the claim before they ever got the records. I called them to ask how to fax them in and they told me "Don't bother. We have already made our decision." I finally convinced them to at least let me fax the maintenance records in and I gave them my mechanics phone number. To their credit they examine they did call him, then they denied it again. The reason they did not cover it under the warranty was they claimed we had not properly maintained the vehicle. Despite the records and the conversation with my mechanic. Oddly enough my mechanic had previously voiced some concerns to us a few times about the oil consumption - but the oil light never came on and there were no obvious issues so we didn't think too much about it. Until the engine seized. We were told we had to pay for a new engine as we had to turn in a running vehicle at the end of the lease. We fought it as long as we could, with multiple people in the Hyundai Corporation. Since our car was being held at the dealership ultimately the choice became pay for the engine, buy the car, or ruin our credit. We paid for the engine. It cost us $7,000. Then we had to buy out on the lease for another $790.00. Once this happened to me I started researching my car online and there was complaint after complaint on my car. Wouldn't you know the 2012 Sonata Hybrid had the most complaints. Great. These complaints go on and on. How can Hyundai continue to ignore these obvious issues and hold the consumer accountable? The sad thing is I have owned Hyundai's for over 20 years and I will now never own another one. What good is 100,000 mile warranty if you don't cover the defects? And these are defects. Why not give consumers a lifetime, transferable warranty? It sounds much better than a 100,000 mile warranty AND since Hyundai apparently doesn't pay for their defects it's all good. They won't lose any money, really. The only thing I can say at this point is buyer beware. I would strongly advise anyone considering buying a Sonata Hybrid to keep looking. Otherwise you need to keep a detailed journal of all maintenance, any issues, no matter how slight, note if there are no warning lights or too many warning lights, and get all of your maintenance done at a dealership. That way you MIGHT have a shot at getting any defects on your car fixed. [non-permissible content removed]
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It is a beautiful, but very un-safe car.
I love my loaded 2012 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid. It is comfortable and a great looking family car. However, I would never put my family actually in it. It is unsafe. Delayed acceleration and then a "surge" of acceleration, shuts off randomly while driving, the radio often does not work. These three issues are well known and Hyundai is unable to fix them. Please read other reviews prior to purchasing for a family.
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2012 Sonata Hybrid Standard
Took delivery of my new Sonata Hybrid on July 18. Very happy with car so far. Five tankfuls of fuel have given me an average over 39 MPG...if the tank is mostly highway driving I get average over 40, if mostly city/errands and such about 36. No problem with switching between electric and gas engine. I think there may be a learning curve to learning to drive the car for the most economy as sometimes the gas engine will come in pretty strongly, especially in hilly terrain. Car is very comfortable for long drives, my bulged discs don't even know! (to be fair, my '07 Sonata was the same way). The handling may not be quite as good as my last Sonata, but this one also feels much bigger.
terrible experience
I bought my 2012 Sonata Hybrid last year and was originally very pleased with it, with the exception of the seat design. The headrest comes too far out and pushes your head forward. I could get over that, though. What I can not get over is the shuddering that began just over a month ago. I've had it into the dealership 4 times, and after upgrading the software which didn't solve the issue, they tell me the shuddering I experience every time I stop is 'normal'. The drive is no longer 'fun', but stressful, as I brace myself each time I see a stop sign. It's a rough ride for driver and passengers alike. I would not recommend this car to anyone. Sadly, I'm stuck with mine.
Flashy sales pitch, poor result
Leased this car on the premise of great features together with great MPG. Traded in my old gas-guzzling SUV for "great" gas mileage. First tank lasted 550 miles, I was elated. After that my MPG has been taking a dump. I was quite surprised because my driving style is very cautious, even boring. My lowest whole tank average gas mileage at fill up was 16mpg. Absolutely pathetic, I should have gotten a truck. Got sold on comfy seats and sticker MPG. I expected the mileage to be less than sticker but not like this. If you live anywhere that gets cold, and you don't do lots of long distance driving, avoid this vehicle like the plague. I am counting the days until it disappears from my life.
And the 2nd tank is in
As I previously reported my first tank was 28 mpg. Now I have added fuel for the 2nd time and my mileage is 37mpg combined just like the sticker said. So I don't know what the Edmunds tester problems are. I also notice my tires only had 30 psi in them, so I aired them up to 40 psi and am hoping to net another 3 mpg. Edmunds comments about quirky hybrid. I disagree, most of the time you can't tell when it shifts from gas to electric or vice versa. Occasionally you can feel it but even then it just feels like an automatic transmission shift.
Over sold
We bought this car strictly for the fuel economy. We were trading up from a 23mpg vehicle to a 40mpg car. We have never gotten more tha 35mpg with an average of 30.1mpg. I normally never buy new, and I will not buy a hybrid ever again. Knowing then what i know now i would have bought the cheaper turbo model. We are very disapointed with the MPG.