The 1991 Hyundai Sonata has 1 NHTSA recall campaign affecting an estimated 100,000 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 41 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the seat belts. Last updated July 5, 2026.
THE MOTORIZED SHOULDER BELT CAN TRAVEL SLOWLY OR CHATTER IN THE TRACK AND MAY EVENTUALLY STOP TRACKING AND BECOME INOPERATIVE.
SLOWING, CHATTERING, OR FAILURE OF THE MOTORIZED SHOULDERBELT MAY DISCOURAGE USE OF THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM, INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURYIN THE EVENT OF A SUDDEN STOP OR ACCIDENT.
DEALERS WILL LUBRICATE THE TRACK ASSEMBLY AND, IF ANY SYSTEMS ARE FOUND INOPERATIVE, THE SYSTEM WILL BE REPAIRED OR REPLACED, AS REQUIRED.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.
“Recall 93 v 196 000/passive restraint belts: shoulder belt on driver's side has stop tracking and became inoperative. Dealer and manufacturer were notified, and informed consumer that vehicle was not covered under recall due to vin. *ak *yh”
“When driving at any speed without any prior warning the engine check light came on and will not go off. Also, engine/transmission leak. Consumer have been having problems every since day one. *ak”
“When driving at any speed without any prior warning the engine check light came on and will not go off. Also, engine/transmission leak. Consumer have been having problems every since day one. *ak”
“When driving at any speed without any prior warning the engine check light came on and will not go off. Also, engine/transmission leak. Consumer have been having problems every since day one. *ak”
“Driver noticed smoke coming from car, turned off ignition, restarted the car and the key got stuck in the ignition and would not turn. A few minutes later, the car caught on fire in the engine compartment. Owner was able to put out fire, but the key would not come out of the ignition. The vehcle…”
“Starter failed twice/replaced due to a design flaw. *ak”
“While driving at 45 mph transmission blew out, causing the vehicle to slow down, and keep changing into different gears. Vehicle has been in the repair shop three times for transmission failure. *ak.”
“Complete transmission failure, causing fluid to leak all over exhaust system creating smoke and small fire.”
There is no summary currently available
There is no summary currently available
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 1991 Hyundai Sonata as of July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.