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2008 Hyundai Sonata SE 5MT

The 2008 Hyundai Sonata SE 5MT is a 162-hp inline-4 with a 5-speed manual and front-wheel drive. It starts at $19,245 MSRP and is rated at 25 mpg combined.

It makes 162 horsepower and 164 lb-ft of torque. EPA fuel-economy estimates are 21 mpg city and 31 mpg highway (25 mpg combined).

The Sonata measures 188.9 inches long on a 107.4-inch wheelbase and has a curb weight of 3,458 lb.

Spec Value
Vehicle
Body TypeSedan
PowertrainGas
Price
MSRP$19,245 ($29,051 *)
MSRP with Destination$19,895 ($30,032 *)
Destination Charge$650
Engine
Engine TypeTheta G4KC 2.4L DOHC inline-4, MPI, CVVT, naturally aspirated
Horsepower162 hp
Torque164 lb-ft
ValvetrainDOHC 16-valve with CVVT (intake)
Bore and Stroke88.0 x 97.0
Compression Ratio10.5:1
Injection TypeMulti-point fuel injection
Drivetrain
Drive TypeFront-Wheel Drive
Transmission
Transmission5-speed manual
Fuel Economy
City21 MPG
Highway31 MPG
Combined25 MPG
Recommended FuelRegular unleaded
Suspension
Front SuspensionMacPherson strut with coil springs and stabilizer bar
Rear SuspensionIndependent multi-link with coil springs and stabilizer bar
Brakes
Front Brake Disc4-wheel disc
Rear Brake Disc4-wheel disc
Tires & Wheels
Wheels Front17 in alloy
Wheels Rear17 in alloy
Tires Front225/50VR17
Tires Rear225/50VR17
Dimensions & Weight
Length188.9 in
Width72.1 in
Height58 in
Wheelbase107.4 in
Ground Clearance6.3 in
Cargo Volume16.3 ft³
Curb Weight3,458 lbs
Interior
Headroom Front40.1 in
Headroom Rear38.2 in
Legroom Front43.7 in
Legroom Rear37.4 in
Shoulder Room Front57.4 in
Shoulder Room Rear56.9 in
Hip Room Front55.5 in
Hip Room Rear55.5 in
* Amount adjusted for inflation to 2026 dollars

Safety & Recalls

NCAP safety ratings

Overall Not rated
Frontal crash Not rated
Frontal – driver ★★★★★
Frontal – passenger ★★★★★
Side crash Not rated
Rollover Not rated
Tested variant: 2008 Hyundai Sonata 4-DR w/SAB

Recalls

5 recalls on file with NHTSA for the 2008 Hyundai SONATA. Not every recall applies to every trim or VIN — check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

Aug 12, 2013 · SUSPENSION:REAR

Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2006-2010 Sonata vehicles manufactured March 1, 2005, through January 21, 2010; and model year 2006-2011 Azera vehicles manufactured September 27, 2005, through November 22, 2010 originally sold in, or currently registered in, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and the District of Columbia. Road salt and water can enter portions of the rear crossmember, leading to corrosion of the crossmember steel. This may lead to detachment of one of the rear control arms.

Consequence: Control arm separation may suddenly change the rear wheel alignment, affecting the handling of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair or replace the crossmember assembly. The recall began on October 8, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai Customer Care Center at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall number is 113.

NHTSA campaign 13V354000

Apr 1, 2013 · EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH

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: 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.

NHTSA campaign 13V113000

Apr 7, 2009 · EXTERIOR LIGHTING

SABERSPORT IS RECALLING 16,270 COMBINATION CORNER AND BUMPER LAMP ASSEMBLIES OF VARIOUS PART NUMBERS SOLD FOR USE AS AFTERMARKET EQUIPMENT FOR VARIOUS PASSENGER VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMPS FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, "LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT." THESE LAMPS DO NOT CONTAIN THE REQUIRED AMBER SIDE REFLECTORS.

Consequence: DECREASED LIGHTING VISIBILITY MAY RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy: SABERSPORT WILL NOTIFY OWNERS AND OFFER A FULL REFUND FOR THE NONCOMPLIANT COMBINATION LAMPS. THE SAFETY RECALL BEGAN ON MAY 11, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SABERSPORT AT 1-909-598-7589.

NHTSA campaign 09E012000

Apr 10, 2008 · AIR BAGS

HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 393,308 MY 2006-2008 SONATA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED AIR BAG SYSTEM WHICH FEATURES AN OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. THE PURPOSE OF THE OCS IS TO DISABLE THE RIGHT PASSENGER SEAT FRONT AIR BAG WHEN IT DETECTS THE PRESENCE OF A CHILD RESTRAINT SYSTEM OR SMALL CHILD IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. THE RIGHT FRONT AIR BAG IS DISABLED TO PREVENT INJURIES TO A CHILD THAT MAY RESULT FROM A RIGHT FRONT AIR BAG INFLATION DURING A CRASH.

Consequence: MISCLASSIFICATION OF A SMALL STATURE ADULT AS A CHILD IN THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT MAY CAUSE THE RIGHT FRONT AIR BAG TO NOT INFLATE IN AN ACCIDENT THAT MERITS AIR BAG DEPLOYMENT AND MAY RESULT IN INJURY TO THE RIGHT FRONT OCCUPANT.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL VERIFY THAT THE OCS DOES NOT PROPERLY RECOGNIZE A PROPERLY SEATED ADULT OCCUPANT. AFTER VERIFICATION, DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT CUSHION ASSEMBLY AND SHIP IT TO AN EVALUATION AND REPAIR FACILITY. THIS FACILITY WILL EVALUATE AND REPAIR OR REPROGRAM THE SEAT CUSHION AND OCS AS NECESSARY. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR ABOUT MAY 26, 2008. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.

NHTSA campaign 08V161000

Mar 7, 2008 · EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS

HYUNDAI-KIA IS RECALLING 4,085 REPLACEMENT HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES SOLD FOR USE ON 2006-2008 SONATA AND AZERA VEHICLES. THESE HEADLAMP ASSEMBLIES MAY NOT HAVE BEEN ALIGNED PROPERLY AND FAIL TO CONFORM TO THE PHOTOMETRIC REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 108, LAMPS, REFLECTIVE DEVICES, AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT.

Consequence: IMPROPER AIMING OF THE HEADLAMP MAY RESULT IN POOR VISIBILITY POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A VEHICLE CRASH.

Remedy: HYUNDAI-KIA DEALERS HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED AND INSTRUCTED TO RETURN THEIR SUPPLY TO HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA. NONE OF THE HEADLAMPS WERE SOLD AS RETAIL. AS A RESULT, AN OWNER NOTIFICATION LETTER WILL NOT BE ISSUED.

NHTSA campaign 08E021000

425 owner complaints to NHTSA for the 2008 Hyundai SONATA

Owner Complaints

425 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2008 Hyundai SONATA (19 mention a crash, 11 a fire, 11 an injury). See all on nhtsa.gov

Most-cited areas
Air Bags137
Visibility67
Service Brakes55
Engine48
Electrical System32
Electronic Stability Control (Esc)30
A complaint can cite more than one area.
Most recent complaints
Mar 21, 2026 · Electrical System, Air Bags
“Car has a B1448 (ACTIVE) Passenger Occupant Detecting System (PODS) Circuit Fault Related to the passenger detecting pad in the front passenger seat problems started at 120,000 miles”
Nov 6, 2025 · Steering, Exterior Lighting
“I find replacing the light bulbs for head lights and brake lights and flood lights more often than any other cars I have owned. The steering wheel makes a noise when turning left. And a noise is…”
Apr 25, 2025 · Power Train, Unknown Or Other, Engine
“Bought in 2023 @ 98k miles. Have had trouble with 1.it would only start in drive, then that seems to have self corrected. 2. In drive, car would not accelerate properly, and would slow as though I was…”
Nov 23, 2024 · Service Brakes
“On November 4, 2024 while coming to a stop in traffic, the brake pedal went to the floor without any warning. Just prior to using the brakes, there was no feeling of softness in the pedal, and no…”
Aug 27, 2024 · Air Bags
“The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that the air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 08V161000…”

Complaints are unverified reports submitted to NHTSA by owners. They cover the whole model year, not a specific trim, and a count alone doesn't show how common a problem is.

Source: US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (nhtsa.gov), matched as 2008 HYUNDAI SONATA. US-market vehicles only; data cached for up to 7 days.

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