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Hyundai · NHTSA safety record

2016 Hyundai Azera

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

Owners have filed 15 safety complaints about the 2016 Hyundai Azera with the US government. Of those, 1 describes a crash, 1 mentions a fire, 1 person was injured and no death is recorded. One recall campaign is open against it, covering the latches, locks and linkages.

The most complained-about system is the air bags, named in 3 complaints, 20% of the total.

Compiled from NHTSA's complaint, recall and investigation files · Covers November 2017 to July 2026 · How this is counted

What is on file

15 complaints on file

15

Complaints

1

Describe a crash

1

Mention fire

1

People injured

0

Deaths

A complaint is an unverified account by the person who filed it, not a finding of fault. One complaint is one ODI number, which is how NHTSA counts them.

A recall is the manufacturer conceding a defect, and the repair is free. Whether one covers your particular car is a question only its VIN can answer, because a campaign covers a production range rather than a model year.

Which system owners named

Complaints naming each system
AIR BAGS 3 · 20%
STEERING 3 · 20%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2 · 13%
ENGINE 2 · 13%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 2 · 13%
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1 · 7%
POWER TRAIN 1 · 7%
SERVICE BRAKES 1 · 7%
STRUCTURE 1 · 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 1 · 7%
VISIBILITY 1 · 7%
VISIBILITY/WIPER 1 · 7%
0 4 8

Red marks a system with a recall campaign against it. One complaint can name several systems, so these add up to more than 15.

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 5.

8 6 4 2
17 21 22 23 25 26

This is the year the complaint was filed, not the year the failure happened. The range runs from 2017 to 2026, the last of them a part year, which is why its column is drawn faint.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program

NHTSA has not crash tested the 2016 Hyundai Azera. Its New Car Assessment Program tests a selection of each year's vehicles and does not reach motorcycles, heavy trucks, motorhomes or most low-volume models, so an absence here says nothing about how the vehicle would perform. It is not a low score.

What owners have reported about this vehicle is below, and it is a different question: a crash test measures what happens to the people inside in a controlled impact, while a complaint records what broke during ordinary use.

Recall campaigns

1 on file

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH

21V619000 · August 6, 2021

The defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017-2018 Sonata, 2016-2018 Sonata Hybrid, 2018-2020 Accent, and 2016-2017 Azera vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
The risk
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the trunk latch base, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed December 4, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 208.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 348,158 vehicles across all model years covered

In owners’ own words

Quoted from the complaint file

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

1 injured

The hydraulic hood lifting "hinges" did not hold the hood up. When I raised the hood to fill the window washer container, the hood fell, unhindered, on my left wrist, as I was taking the cap off of the filling tube. 2 seconds later it could have been my head as I would have been over the washer reservoir opening. The hand was very bruised, and the wrist was cut. (really hurt) Went to the dealer & he said this was the first Azera they had heard of with the problem but had seen several Sonatas with this problem. I believe the hydraulic lifters are the same, so perhaps the problem affects both models.

NHTSA complaint 11463370. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire

On XXX while my daughter was driving this car on [XXX] outside of [XXX], the car caught fire and within minutes was engulfed in flames. My daughter and her boyfriend only had enough time to pull off the road and get out. The entire vehicle burnt to the ground. My daughter and boyfriend were minutes from burning to death in this car with no advanced warning or notification. The fire seems to have started near the gas filler cap. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint 11748334. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

crash · towed · 900 miles

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2016 HYUNDAI AZERA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED, IT BEGAN TO ACCELERATE INDEPENDENTLY AND CRASHED INTO A TRAIN. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, BUT THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESPOND. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO DAYTONA HYUNDAI (901 N NOVA RD, DAYTONA BEACH, FL 32117) AND THEN TRANSFERRED TO AN UNKNOWN BODY SHOP. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 900.

NHTSA complaint 11046002. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

towed · 109,000 miles

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Azera. The contact stated that the heating system was inoperable. The vehicle was taken to two Goodyear Auto Repair Shops, where it was diagnosed with a head gasket leak. One of the Goodyear facilities replaced the thermostat and the radiator. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, a message that the engine was overheating was displayed. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was leaking because the head gasket bolts had melted. The dealer sent the vehicle to a machine shop, where the engine was repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that the

NHTSA complaint 11699903, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Hello, my car was parked at home and as I turned the engine on, I noticed the red light 'oil pressure' on the dashboard. I checked the oil level and it was very low. On the same day I purchases 2 quarts of oil to keep it at a safe level. The next day I checked the dip stick again and much oil was loss. I was very concerned and finally was able to make an appointment to my mechanic shop for inspection which led to an appointment for a fix on 3/6/2025. The problem was a defective OEM oil pressure switch. This warranty of the oil pressure switch is covered by KIA under WTY026 Warranty Extension for 15 years/150000 miles for the same 3.3L GDI engine as my 2016 Hyundai Azera. Since Hyundai is

NHTSA complaint 11750314, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE
Engine overheating without Engine light or any other safety alerts until Engine finally failed

NHTSA complaint 11730726. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Moonroof- I opened my moonroof and when I tried to close it, the sunshade would not retract - it is hanging - causing me not to be able to see the back window when looking through my rear view mirror. I brought to a body shop and they said it is a design flaw. Now they want $1,800 to fix it!

NHTSA complaint 11546841. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

AIR BAGS
Air Bag light came on while driving. After getting it checked, the technician stated that the air bag module went out and was erased. A new module would need to be ordered and the old one replaced. repair was not done as the cost was expensive and I don't believe that I should pay for something that is a safety equipment issue, This should be under a lifetime warranty. Currently driving the vehicle without working air bags. Has not been reported to the manufacturer. Light first appeared in February of 2022.

NHTSA complaint 11479563. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Hyundai Azera

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2017 12 1 —
2015 9 1 —
2014 48 1 —
2013 112 2 —
2012 74 2 —
2011 20 3 —
2010 8 3 —

Other 2016 Hyundai models

Tucson 1,620 Sonata 725 Elantra 292 Santa FE 236 Veloster 222 Sonata Hybrid 132 Accent 101 Genesis 96

Complaints on file, same model year.

Every Hyundai on this site — 205 vehicles.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. How many repair attempts it takes, and how long you have to file, is set by the state you bought in and by nothing on this page.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst