Service Brakes. Review the 110 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Exterior Lighting. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

15 crash reports2 fire reports3 injury reports

What owners actually said

234 reports

50,000 miles · Nov 25, 2014

Seat BeltsSeatsCrashInjury

Read full complaint

I AM FILING ANOTHER COMPLAINT TO RECORD THIS CRITICAL DESIGN ISSUE BASED ON ALL THE RECENT COVER-UPS BY THE AUTOMOTIVE INDUSTRY. ON NOV 10TH,2013 MY VEHICLE WAS HIT IN THE REAR WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH BY ANOTHER VEHICLE AT A SPEED SLIGHTLY FASTER THEN MY VEHICLE. WHEN THE VEHICLE HIT US, THE HEADRESTS DEPLOYED MOVING OUR HEADS FORWARD BUT THE SEAT BELTS DID NOT RESTRAIN BOTH THE DRIVER AND THE PASSENGER. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED HEAD TRAUMA AS A RESULT. I CONTACTED HYUNDAI MOTORS ABOUT THIS SERIOUS CONDITION AND AFTER MANY LETTERS THEY SAID THAT THE VEHICLE MET ALL THE TEST DATA IN A COLLISION. WHAT THEY DIDN'T SAY IS THAT THERE ISN'T A TEST FOR REAR COLLISIONS REQUIRED BY THE NHTSB. THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE DESIGN OF THE HEADRESTS AND THE FUNCTION OF THE SEATBELT RESTRAINING CAPABILITY. THIS CAN ONLY BE PROVEN BY EITHER A REAR COLLISION RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY OR DEATH OR CONDUCTING A REAR END COLLISION AT A SLOW SPEED BY BOTH VEHICLES. HYUNDAI DID INSPECT THE VEHICLE AND THE SEATBELTS ( MEASURED THEM ; ONLY INSPECTION THAT COULD BE MADE). DO WE NEED TO SEE ANOTHER DEATH RESULTING IN THE NHTSB AND THE AUTO INDUSTRY AVOIDING TESTING TO SAVE MONEY OR IGNORE A SAFETY PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10660822

80,000 miles · Nov 18, 2014

Service BrakesVehicle Speed ControlCrash

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI GENESIS. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO STOP FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR END OF ANOTHER VEHICLE. NO INJURIES WERE REPORTED AND A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN REPLENISHED THE BRAKE FLUID AND WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE RECURRED ON THREE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS, ALL INVOLVING A CRASH WITHOUT INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.

NHTSA ODI #10658931

83,000 miles · Nov 14, 2014

Service Brakes

BRAKES WERE APPLIED AND THERE WAS EXCESSIVE PEDAL TRAVEL TO THE FLOOR AND SEVERELY REDUCED BRAKE EFFECTIVENESS. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES SINCE THE INITIAL OCCURRENCE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10654921

58,128 miles · Nov 7, 2014

Exterior Lighting

Read full complaint

WAS TRAVELING ON VACATION AND WAS NOTIFIED BY ANOTHER MOTORIST THAT I HAD NO BRAKE LIGHTS. TOOK TO DEALER AND THEY REPLACED STOP LAMP SWITCH (#13-01-021-3). VEHICLE WAS STILL UNDER WARRANTY AND NO COST FOR REPAIR. DEALERSHIP DID NOT INDICATE THAT THERE WAS A RECALL OR SERVICE BULLETIN ON THIS PART OR WITH THIS ISSUE. HAD A SECOND INCIDENT, SIMILAR AS THE FIRST ONLY THIS TIME THE BRAKE LIGHTS FLICKERED WHEN BRAKE WAS APPLIED. I WAS NEARLY REAR ENDED BY A MOTORIST AND THEN WAS STOPPED AT A LIGHT BY THAT MOTORIST TO TELL ME OF THE ISSUE. THE FOLLOWING DAY I SMELLED A VERY HEAVY ELECTRICAL SMELL WHEN I STARTED THE VEHICLE. I AGAIN TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY FIXED THE SAME STOP LAMP SWITCH (DIODE) AT NO COST. HOWEVER, THE DEALER SAID THEY HAD NOT HAD ANY GENESIS IN FOR A SECOND TIME WITH THIS ISSUE. THE SERVICE MANAGER SUGGESTED THAT I WAS "RIDING THE BRAKE" AND SUGGESTED THAT THIS MIGHT CAUSE THE ISSUE. AGAIN, THERE WAS NO MENTION BY THE DEALERSHIP THAT THERE WAS A RECALL OR SERVICE BULLETIN FOR THIS ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10653541

77,334 miles · Nov 5, 2014

Service Brakes

Read full complaint

IN SEPTEMBER, I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON THE INTERSTATE AND WAS EXITING. TRAFFIC WAS BACKED UP ON THE EXIT RAMP AND SO I WAS BRAKING AT THE TOP OF THE EXIT RAMP. THERE WAS A BUMP AT THE TRANSITION FROM ASPHALT TO CONCRETE AND I HIT THAT BUMP WHILE I WAS BRAKING. THE BRAKE PEDAL IMMEDIATELY WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR BUT I WAS ALREADY SLOWED DOWN SO I DID NOT HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME ON THE RAMP. THE BRAKE PEDAL CONTINUED TO BE MUSHY BUT I WAS ABLE TO PUMP THE BRAKES NUMEROUS TIMES AND THE BRAKES STARTED TO WORK AGAIN. ON NOVEMBER 4, 2014, I WAS DRIVING TO WORK ON A SURFACE STREET AND HAD TO STOP FOR A PEDESTRIAN. WHILE I WAS BRAKING, MY RIGHT FRONT TIRE HIT A POTHOLE AND THEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE CAR SLOWED BUT DID NOT STOP COMPLETELY. I TURNED INTO MY PARKING GARAGE FOR WORK AND THE BRAKE PEDAL CONTINUED TO SINK ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR EVERY TIME I NEEDED TO STOP. I INCHED INTO A PARKING SPACE AND CONTINUED TO WORK. WHEN I WAS GOING HOME, I TURNED THE CAR ON AND PUMPED THE BRAKE PEDAL NUMEROUS TIMES BUT THE PEDAL CONTINUED TO BE MUSHY. I WAS ABLE TO STOP BECAUSE THE BRAKES WOULD SUDDENLY GRAB JUST BEFORE THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I MADE IT HOME SLOWLY AND AM GETTING THE BRAKES LOOKED AT TODAY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10652705

15,400 miles · Oct 29, 2014

Exterior Lighting

Read full complaint

ALL 3 BRAKE LIGHTS STOPPED WORKING. MY WIFE DRIVING BEHIND ME DISCOVERED THE PROBLEM. THIS IS THE 2ND TIME OF THE SAME PROBLEM. (THE 1ST INCIDENT WAS ALSO REPORTED TO NHTSA.) THE FIRST TIME DEALER FIXED IT, IT'S A BURNT DIODE. AFTERWARD A RECALL SERVICE WAS PERFORMED ABOUT BRAKE LIGHT. APPARENTLY NONE FIXED THE REAL ISSUE. I AM AN ELECTRIC ENGINEER AND I GUESS IT WAS A COMMON DESIGN MISTAKE: THE DESIGNER DIDN'T COUNT MOMENTARY HIGH CURRENT FROM COLD LIGHT BULB WHEN CHOOSING THE COMPONENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10651015

119,000 miles · Oct 11, 2014

Engine

Read full complaint

THE CAR HAD RECENTLY GOTTEN A MAJOR SERVICE AT THE DEALERSHIP IN EARLY AUGUST. THE CAR HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN MUCH SINCE THAT SERVICE AS THE PRIMARY DRIVER WAS UNABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR FROM MID AUGUST THROUGH THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. THIS IS A CAR THAT WAS WELL MAINTAINED THROUGH DEALERSHIP SERVICING. THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN ON THE FREEWAY AT NIGHT AT THE APPROXIMATE SPEED OF 65 MPH. SUDDENLY, A LOUD METALLIC CLANK, CLANK CLANK CAME FROM UNDERNEATH THE CAR. IT SOUNDED AS IF WE HAD RUN OVER SOMETHING ON THE FREEWAY. DIRECTLY FOLLOWING THIS, THE CAR LOST ALL POWER AND WE NOTICED THE SMELL OF ELECTRICAL BURNING. WE WERE UNABLE TO ACCELERATE AND THE HEADLIGHTS BEGAN TO DIM. LUCKILY, WE WERE ABLE TO STEER THE CAR OFF THE NEXT OFF RAMP & BRING THE CAR TO A STOP BUT THE POWER STEERING AND POWER BRAKING WERE GONE. HAD THIS NOT OCCURRED ON A SUNDAY NIGHT, THE RESULTS COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DIFFERENT. ONCE SAFELY TO THE SIDE OF , WE SMELLED A STRONG ELECTRICAL BURNING SMELL IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. WE DID NOT WITNESS EVIDENCE OF FIRE OR SMOKE. INITIALLY, THE LIGHTS WENT OUT COMPLETELY. THEY SLOWLY POWERED BACK ON BUT EACH TIME KEYLESS START BUTTON WAS PUSHED, THE LIGHTS WOULD BEGIN TO DIM AGAIN. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP CALLED THE FOLLOWING DAY TO LET US KNOW THAT THE ENGINE HAD A HOLE IN THE BLOCK. FROM THEIR ASSESSMENT, THIS WAS NOT CAUSED BY AN EXTERNAL FORCE BUT FROM THE FAILURE OF AN INTERNAL COMPONENT. WE FILED A CLAIM WITH HYUNDAI CORPORATE WHO DEEMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS NOT CAUSED BY A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10643988

74,000 miles · Sep 26, 2014

Service Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI GENESIS. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 74,000.

NHTSA ODI #10639286

64,000 miles · Sep 16, 2014

Service Brakes

Read full complaint

IN JULY 2014, I VISITED MY LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP TO TAKE CARE OF A RECALL NOTICE THAT I HAD RECEIVED AND THEY PROMPTLY TOOK CARE OF TWO RECALLS, ONE OF WHICH WAS CAMPAIGN 114 - REPLACING BRAKE FLUID AND INSPECTING THE HYDRAULIC ECU (HECU). THE RECALL HAS TO DO WITH THE OLD FLUID CORRODING PORTIONS OF THE HECU AND CAUSING BRAKE FAILURE. WELL TO THAT POINT, I HAD NOT HAD ANY BRAKE FAILURES OR PROBLEMS, BUT IT WAS WITHIN A WEEK OF THE INSPECTION I APPLIED THE BRAKES VERY HARD TO STOP AND AVOID HITTING A CAR ON THE HIGHWAY, THE BRAKES WORKED FINE, BUT UPON HITTING THE BRAKES A SECOND TIME, THE PEDAL WENT ALL THE WAY TO FLOOR BEFORE ANY BRAKING WAS APPLIED TO THE WHEELS. IT STAYED THAT WAY FOR THE REMAINDER OF MY TRIP (SOME 10-15 MORE MILES) I ATTEMPTED TO PUMP THE BRAKES AND EVEN STOPPED AT A LOCAL GAS STATION AND TURNED THE CAR OFF AND ON AGAIN TO SEE IF IT REMEDIED THE PROBLEM, IT DID NOT. WHEN I RETURNED HOME, I BEGAN TO LOOK INTO WHAT WOULD CAUSE THIS, AND THAT IS WHEN FOUND OUT THAT CAMPAIGN 114 WAS IN PLAY TO ACTUALLY ATTEMPT TO PREVENT THIS TYPE OF DISASTER. THE NEXT DAY I DROVE A DIFFERENT VEHICLE TO WORK AND WHEN I RETURNED HOME (STILL THE MONTH OF JULY 2014) I TRIED THE BRAKES ON THE HYUNDAI AGAIN AND THEY SEEMED TO WORK FINE. I CAUTIOUSLY DROVE THE CAR AND DIDN'T HAVE ANOTHER FAILURE UNTIL TODAY, WHEN I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY AND APPLIED THE BRAKES HARDER THAN USUAL, THE VERY NEXT BRAKING EVENT MY PEDAL AGAIN WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. I ASSUME THAT WHENEVER A HARD BRAKING EVENT OCCURS THESE SYMPTOMS RETURN. I MADE IT TO WORK AND SPENT 4-5 HOURS THERE AND LEFT EARLY TO THE DEALER TOLD THEM THE STORY AND SAID THEY ARE WORKING FINE RIGHT NOW SINCE THE CAR WAS OFF AND ON AGAIN, AND WHILE THEY ARE STILL INVESTIGATING THIS, THEY TOLD ME ALREADY THAT THE HECU IS CHECKING OUT OK. THIS IS DANGEROUS AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10633711

16,000 miles · Sep 9, 2014

Tires

Read full complaint

I BOUGHT MY 2009 GENESIS BRAND NEW IN SEPTEMBER 2009. IN APRIL, 2010, I WAS TOLD I HAD TIRE WEAR AND NEEDED NEW TIRES. TIRES WERE WEARING IN THE SAME PATTERN, CUPPING, ALONG THE EDGE. PLACED MY 5TH SET OF TIRES ON THIS GENESIS IN MARCH 2014 AND THEY ARE NOW CUPPED JUST LIKE THE FOUR SETS PRIOR. TIRES ARE ALWAYS BALANCED. HAVE HAD ALIGNMENT DONE AND CHECKED AGAIN LATER. TIRES HAVE WORN IN THE SAME PATTERN SINCE THE FIRST SET WHEN BRAND NEW. TIRE BRANDS HAVE INCLUDED DUNLOP, BRIDGESTONE, MICHELIN, YOKOHAMA, AND FIRESTONE. TECHNICIANS ARE STUMPED BY THIS FLAW. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10631789

Official recalls

14V713000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Nov 7, 2014

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2009-2011 Hyundai Genesis vehicles manufactured April 30, 2008, to November 21, 2010, and 2011 Hyundai Equus vehicles manufactured July 31, 2010, to November 21, 2010. Due to a circuit failure, the stop lamps in the affected vehicles may not illuminate.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A following vehicle may not recognize that the vehicle is slowing or coming to a stop if the stop lamps on the vehicle do not illuminate as expected. There is an increased risk of a rear-end crash as a result.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair the stop lamp switch circuit, free of charge. Hyundai issued an interim notification to owners on January 6, 2015. The recall began on March 23, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 125.

13V489000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:fluid

Oct 29, 2013

Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Genesis vehicles manufactured April 30, 2008, through March 28, 2012. The vehicles may contain brake fluid which does not protect against corrosion of the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU).

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the module corrodes, reduced brake effectiveness may result, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners and instruct them to bring their vehicle to a dealer for service. Hyundai will inspect the HECU module for proper operation, and will replace the modules as necessary. Hyundai will replace the factory brake fluid in those vehicles that have not previously had the factory brake fluid replaced. These repairs will be done free of charge. The recall began on December 24, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151 or by email at consumeraffairs@hmausa.com. Hyundai's recall number is 114.

13V113000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Apr 1, 2013

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

PE13033 · Brake Hydraulic Control Module Failure

Opened Oct 17, 2013 · Closed Apr 4, 2014

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip; Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module

On October 28, 2013, Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) submitted a Defect Information Report (DIR) to NHTSA describing a safety defect in the braking system of approximately 43,500 model year (MY) 2009 through 2012 Hyundai Genesis sedans (NHTSA Recall No. 13V-489).The Hyundai report indicates that the recalled vehicles may contain brake fluid that does not sufficiently inhibit corrosion on the zinc plating of control valve armatures in the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU) module. The DIR indicated that, over time, the build-up of corrosion products may affect operation of HECU control valves, resulting in a low/soft brake pedal with reduced brake effectiveness, which may increase the risk of a crash.In October 2011, the HECU supplier notified Hyundai that the brake fluid used in production plants was causing corrosion of valve armatures in the control module.The supplier changed the coating of the valve armatures in late March 2012 to correct the problem in production vehicles.Hyundai's recall includes Genesis vehicles produced prior to the implementation of the HECU change.In March 2013, Hyundai initiated a Service Campaign (TL6) to replace brake fluid in the subject vehicles with brake fluid with better corrosion resistance properties.According to Hyundai's DIR letter, after PE13-033 was opened, the company noted that some of the vehicles serviced in the TL6 campaign subsequently required HECU replacement.This was an indication that internal corrosion had progressed enough to affect valve operation and brake performance, prompting Hyundai to conduct a safety recall.Hyundai's repair procedures for 13V-489 require brake system flushing and replacement in all recalled vehicles with a new fluid containing the necessary corrosion inhibitor.In addition, for vehicles produced prior to June 1, 2010, dealers will perform an inspection procedure to verify that the HECU is functioning properly and replace units that do not meet the test requirements.Hyundai indicated that, based on analysis of claim data, only vehicles produced prior to June 1, 2010 have been in service long enough to require the additional inspection/replacement of the HECU. Analysis of failure data reported to NHTSA and provided by Hyundai in response to ODI's information request letter for PE13-033 identified 756 complaints and 1,683 warranty claims for 30,114 subject vehicles produced prior to June 1, 2010, resulting in a complaint rate of 25.1 incidents per thousand vehicles (IPTV) and a claim rate of 5.6 percent.The MY 2009 vehicles, with the longest exposure times, experienced the highest complaint (33.5 IPTV) and warranty (7.0 percent) rates.For the 45,639 subject vehicles produced after June 1, 2010, ODI identified 13 complaints and 34 warranty claims, resulting in a complaint rate of 0.3 IPTV and a warranty claim rate of 0.1 percent, indicating that the brake fluid corrosion concern had not progressed far enough to result in significant rates of brake system performance symptoms in those vehicles.This investigation is closed.ODI will continue to monitor complaints to evaluate the effectiveness of Hyundai's recall.The VOQs noted in the Failure Report are: 10569231, 10560898, 10560495, 10559360, 10558279, 10558264, 10556964, 10556631, 10556577, 10556322, 10554988, 10554802, 10554122, 10552958, 10551817, 10551157, 10551110, 10551092, 10550791, 10550773, 10550431, 10549750, 10549634, 10549629, 10549567, 10549402, 10549376, 10549270, 10549228, 10549186, 10549021, 10548903, 10548823, 10548791, 10548737, 10548722, 10548716, 10548705, 10546565, 10544803, 10543663, 10542962, 10541959, 10541741, 10538208, 10537934, 10536652, 105354

Additional source detail variants (3)

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module

Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip

Service Brakes, Hydraulic