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Hyundai lemon law
If your Hyundai keeps going back to the dealer for the same problem, your state's lemon law may make the maker buy it back or replace it, and pay your lawyer when you win. Here is what Hyundai owners report to the federal government, and how to check your own car.
What Hyundai owners report most
| Problem area | Complaints |
|---|---|
| Wiring, battery, lights and electronics | 2,349 |
| Engine | 1,312 |
| Transmission, drive shafts and axles | 1,196 |
| Automatic emergency braking and collision warning | 1,043 |
| Brakes | 860 |
| Fuel system, or the battery and motor of an EV or hybrid | 846 |
A complaint can name more than one area. 1,420 complaints name none.
Models with the most complaints
- Palisade 1,949
- Ioniq 5 1,349
- Tucson 1,057
- Santa FE 906
- Elantra 415
- Sonata 383
Latest Hyundai recalls
- Wheels, October 20, 2026: 2026 Elantra N, 2026 Venue, 2026 Elantra Hybrid, 2026 Elantra, about 17 vehicles.
“Wheel detachment can cause a loss of vehicle control or create a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash or injury.”
NHTSA recall 26V693000 - Suspension, October 20, 2026: 2026 Tucson Hybrid, 2026 Elantra, about 24 vehicles.
“A loss of vehicle steering control increases the risk of a crash.”
NHTSA recall 26V692000 - Seats, September 11, 2026: 2026 Ioniq 9, about 5,360 vehicles.
“A person, especially a child, may become trapped by a rear powered seat, increasing the risk of injury.”
NHTSA recall 26V588000 - Seat Belts, July 14, 2026: 2026 Kona, 2025 Kona Electric, 2024 Kona, 2024 Kona Electric, about 47,787 vehicles.
“A seat belt buckle that fails to properly restrain an occupant in a crash increases the risk of injury.”
NHTSA recall 26V452000 - Electrical System, July 2, 2026: 2024 Ioniq 5, 2023 Ioniq 5, about 6 vehicles.
“A fire increases the risk of injury.”
NHTSA recall 26V432000
Check your own car by its VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup. Recall repairs are free at any Hyundai dealer.
Recalls, repairs and the lemon law
A recall alone does not make a car a lemon. What counts is a defect the dealer cannot fix: most states presume a lemon after 3 or 4 repair attempts for the same problem, fewer for a defect that could cause a crash, or about 30 days in the shop, inside the first one to two years. A recall repair for a defect that keeps coming back is a repair attempt like any other, so keep the repair order from every visit.
In California, Hyundai Motor America opted in to the state's new lemon law process on April 28, 2025. Owners send the written demand to cawrittennotice@hmausa.com at least 30 days before suing. How the new process works
How a Hyundai lemon law claim and buyback work
Keep the repair order from every visit, then write to Hyundai, not only the dealer, at the customer relations address in your owner's manual or warranty booklet, and ask for a buyback or a replacement. In a buyback Hyundai refunds the price, taxes and fees and costs like towing, minus a deduction for the miles you drove before the first repair, and pays off the loan.
The steps · Letter template · Buyback or cash and keep · Estimate a buyback
Hyundai lemon law in your state
The rules depend on the state where you bought or leased the car:
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Questions about Hyundai lemons
How many complaints have Hyundai owners filed with NHTSA?
8,316 for 2021 to 2027 model years, received through October 22, 2026. The most reported area is wiring, battery, lights and electronics.
How many Hyundai recalls are there?
91 safety recalls cover 2021 to 2027 Hyundai models, for about 5,919,717 vehicles in all.
Is a recall enough to make my Hyundai a lemon?
No, not on its own. But if a defect keeps coming back after repairs, recall repairs included, each visit can count as a repair attempt under your state's lemon law. Keep every repair order.
How do I start a Hyundai lemon law claim?
Keep every repair order, then write to Hyundai at the address for customer relations in your owner's manual or warranty booklet, asking for a buyback or replacement under your state's lemon law. Send it by a tracked method and keep a copy.
Does Hyundai have to buy back a lemon?
Yes, when your state's lemon law rules are met. The maker must buy the car back or replace it, and most states let you choose. The rules differ by state: see your state guide.
Did Hyundai opt in to California's new lemon law process?
Yes. HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA opted in on April 28, 2025. California owners send the written demand to cawrittennotice@hmausa.com, at least 30 days before suing.
About the data
From NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation files (complaints received 2020 to now, and recalls), counted for 2021 to 2027 model years and filed under the make HYUNDAI. Read on October 26, 2026. Complaints are what owners report, not findings, and big sellers get more of them: a count is not a defect rate, and it says nothing about your car. We keep no complaint text or personal details.
Is your Hyundai a lemon? Find out free
Free, about ten taps. You see what your state's law says first. If you want a lawyer, we find a lemon law firm in your state that takes cases like yours, and they contact you.
Your state: Ohio
What model year is it?
Who pays the lawyer? In Ohio, an owner who wins can make the maker pay the lawyer.* * So most lemon law lawyers ask nothing up front. Some charge costs, or a share of a settlement: ask before you sign. You never pay us. More