On March 29, 2010, an owner filed a complaint with NHTSA describing a steering problem on a brand-new 2011 Hyundai Sonata. It carries ODI number 10322666 — the first entry in what would become one of the largest pre-recall complaint files in our study of 109 recalls.
Six years later, on April 5, 2016, NHTSA received the defect report for the biggest Hyundai Sonata steering recall yet, campaign 16V190: the electronic power steering circuit board in certain 2011 Sonatas could fail and cut off power-steering assist. By that day, 596 complaints describing steering problems with the 2011 Sonata were already sitting in NHTSA’s public database. Nine of them reported crashes.
Three Hyundai Sonata steering recalls, one growing file
The 2016 campaign wasn’t the 2011 Sonata’s first steering recall. In September and October 2010 — months after the model reached dealers — Hyundai recalled it twice (campaigns 10V426 and 10V457) for steering-column intermediate-shaft connections. Those early campaigns arrived fast, with only about 20–25 steering complaints on file.
Then the file kept growing. Through 2011, owners filed steering complaints at a steady clip; the pace settled mid-decade, then accelerated sharply through 2015 and early 2016 — the steep final climb visible in the chart — before the electronic power steering recall arrived in April 2016.
What owners were telling NHTSA
The three complaints below were all filed before the 2016 recall and are quoted from NHTSA’s public records (capitalization normalized for readability; each is checkable by its ODI number). They are owner reports, not verified findings.
“While the driver was driving and attempting to turn, the vehicle would not turn although the steering wheel was turned. The vehicle collided with another vehicle and was totaled… A police report was filed.”
— ODI 10358316, filed September 29, 2010
“While driving approximately 45 mph over a pot hole, the power steering assist suddenly malfunctioned and made it very difficult to turn the steering wheel… The vehicle was diagnosed by the dealer but the failure could not be duplicated and no repairs were performed.”
— ODI 10566853, filed March 3, 2014
“In October 2015 the power steering locked up while driving the vehicle on a city street… I was unable to turn the steering wheel and navigate, resulting in several near misses with street-parked vehicles before being able to stop the vehicle.”
— ODI 10809827, filed December 12, 2015
What this does — and doesn’t — show
Our matching is at the system level: those 596 complaints describe steering problems of many kinds, and complaint data cannot tell us how many describe the exact circuit-board defect that was eventually recalled. Some certainly describe other issues — including the intermediate-shaft problem recalled back in 2010. Complaints are self-reported and unverified. What the public record shows is still remarkable: a steering complaint file that grew for six years, in public, on a vehicle that ended up with three steering recalls.
If you own a 2011 Sonata
NHTSA’s guidance is simple: check whether your specific vehicle has open recalls and get them fixed — recall repairs are performed free of charge by the dealer. Check the 2011 Hyundai Sonata recall page or look up your VIN at NHTSA.gov. If you experience a steering problem, report it to NHTSA — files like this one are built from reports like yours.
Hyundai Sonata steering recall: quick answers
Is there a Hyundai Sonata steering recall?
Yes — the 2011 Sonata has had three: campaigns 10V426 and 10V457 (2010, steering-column intermediate shaft) and 16V190 (2016, electronic power steering circuit board).
How do I know if my Sonata is covered?
Coverage is VIN-specific. Run your VIN at NHTSA.gov or start from our 2011 Sonata recall page; recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers.
How many complaints came before the 2016 Hyundai Sonata steering recall?
596 steering complaints were on file with NHTSA on the day campaign 16V190 was reported — the first of them nearly six years earlier, in March 2010.
About the data
Complaint counts are complaints filed with NHTSA describing same-system problems before the recall’s report date, from public records for 11 popular vehicles (data through July 14, 2026; independently re-verified July 15, 2026). Campaign numbers 10V426, 10V457, and 16V190 and every ODI number above can be checked against the records at NHTSA.gov. Definitions and limitations: the methodology section of our flagship study. Part of The Warnings Were There series.