Is the Hyundai Sonata more reliable than the Nissan Maxima?

No. The Maxima has a clear edge. It has far fewer recalls and owner complaints, and its worst reports involve warning lights and trim more than repeated engine failures. The Sonata has a good standing too, but its injector, power loss and overheating complaints weigh against it.

Which has more recalls, the Sonata or the Maxima?

The Sonata. Federal recall records show 20 recalls across nine model years for the Sonata and 4 across six model years for the Maxima. One Sonata recall, 22V746000, covers a transmission oil pump fault that can disable the limp-home drive mode.

What are the most common Sonata problems?

Engine trouble leads with 239 complaints, mainly fuel injectors that fail and then fail again. Owners describe the engine jerking, losing power or shutting off at highway speed. Electrical faults are next, especially dead 12-volt batteries on the hybrid, followed by sudden loss of drive power.

What goes wrong on the Nissan Maxima?

Most Maxima complaints involve safety systems. Owners report the forward collision warning light staying on and a front radar obstruction message that shuts off adaptive cruise control. Less often, the car loses power while driving, the transmission fails, or trim and glass break loose without a collision.

Which Maxima and Sonata years should I avoid?

Avoid the 2018 and 2020 Maxima, and the 2018 and 2023 Sonata, which are each model's weakest years. The best Maxima years are 2021 and 2022. The Sonata's 2025 and 2026 years look strong, but they are recent and have had little time to collect complaints.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Hyundai Sonata vs Nissan Maxima: Reliability Compared

Hyundai Sonata

Good

More Reliable

Nissan Maxima

Good

The Nissan Maxima is clearly more reliable than the Hyundai Sonata. It has 4 recalls to the Sonata's 20. Owners filed 84 complaints on the Maxima against 1050 on the Sonata, though the Maxima's rate per car sold is higher.

How Do the Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Maxima Generations Compare?

Every Maxima year in this comparison, 2018 to 2023, falls inside one generation, the eighth (A36). It ran from 2016 through 2023 with a facelift in 2020. The facelift year is one of its weaker years, while 2021 and 2022 came after it and rate best. The Sonata spans two generations. The seventh (LF) ran from 2015 to 2020 with a facelift in 2017 and covers the weak 2018 model year. The eighth (DN8) ran from 2020 to 2023 with a facelift in 2023, also a weak year. The generation data stops at 2023, so 2025 and 2026 have less history behind them.

Verdict

The Nissan Maxima is more reliable than the Hyundai Sonata, scoring 76/100 vs 68/100.

A clear edge goes to the Maxima. Federal recall records show 4 recalls across six model years for it, against 20 across nine for the Sonata. Owners filed 84 complaints on the Maxima and 1050 on the Sonata. The Maxima draws more complaints per car sold, so its record is not spotless. But the Sonata's problems hit the drivetrain: engine jerking, power loss and fuel injectors that fail again after replacement. Those are costlier and scarier than the Maxima's mostly warning-light and trim complaints.

Key Differences

1Nissan Maxima has 16 fewer total recalls
2Nissan Maxima scores 8 points higher in reliability
3Hyundai Sonata has 2.8 fewer complaints per 10k sold

Category Scoreboard

1Hyundai Sonata

—

2Nissan Maxima

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateSafety Rating

Hyundai Sonata vs Nissan Maxima: Which Is More Reliable?

Hyundai Sonata vs Nissan Maxima at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Hyundai Sonata	Nissan Maxima
Reliability Score	68/100	76/100
Years Tracked	9	6
Total Recalls	20	4
Complaints per 10k Sold	3.7	6.5
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2026 NHTSA	2023 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	0	6

What Are the Common Problems With the Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Maxima?

Hard mechanical failures define the Sonata's complaints. Fuel injectors fail repeatedly, and the engine jerks, loses power or shuts off at highway speed. Others describe sudden loss of drive power, overheating and dead 12-volt batteries, mostly on the hybrid. Crash-linked complaints appear in engine, electrical, power train and exterior lighting. Maxima complaints center on driver-assist faults: collision warning lights that stay on and a front radar message that shuts off adaptive cruise control. It also has rare but serious reports of power loss, transmission failure and loose trim or glass. The Maxima data lists no crash-linked areas.

Hyundai Sonata vs Nissan Maxima common problem areas comparison
Component	Hyundai Sonata	Nissan Maxima
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	0.4Very Low	0.9Very Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	0.6Very Low	0.5Very Low
ENGINE	0.8Very Low	—None
POWER TRAIN	0.4Very Low	0.3Very Low
SERVICE BRAKES	—None	0.7Very Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	—None	0.5Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.1Very Low	0.3Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.1Very Low	0.2Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	0.2Very Low	—None
VISIBILITY/WIPER	—None	0.2Very Low
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES	—None	0.2Very Low
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)	—None	0.2Very Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	0.1Very Low	—None
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.1Very Low	—None
FUEL SYSTEM	0.1Very Low	—None
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING	0.1Very Low	—None
STEERING	0.1Very Low	—None
SEATS	—None	—None
SEAT BELTS	—None	—None
BACK OVER PREVENTION	—None	—None
SUSPENSION	—None	—None

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

How Does Hyundai Sonata vs Nissan Maxima Reliability Compare by Year?

Hyundai Sonata vs Nissan Maxima year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Hyundai Sonata	Nissan Maxima	Edge
2023	62/1002R / 87C	77/1000R / 1C	Nissan Maxima
2022	65/1003R / 95C	77/1000R / 5C	Nissan Maxima
2021	64/1004R / 151C	77/1000R / 3C	Nissan Maxima
2020	62/1005R / 163C	74/1001R / 21C	Nissan Maxima
2019	71/1000R / 144C	76/1001R / 18C	Nissan Maxima
2018	61/1003R / 353C	72/1002R / 36C	Nissan Maxima

Best years to cross-shop: The 2019 Hyundai Sonata scored 71/100 and the 2023 Nissan Maxima scored 77/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Hyundai Sonata vs the Nissan Maxima?

Choose the Maxima if you want fewer surprises and plan to keep the car for years. Target 2021 or 2022, its strongest years, and avoid 2018 and 2020, its weakest. Test the driver-assist systems on a drive. Look for a stuck forward collision light or a radar obstruction message, since owners out of warranty pay for those repairs themselves. Check the grille and trim for loose clips too. Choose the Sonata if you want a midsize sedan and can accept more risk. Skip 2018 and 2023, its weakest years. Ask for proof of injector work and check that recall repairs were done, including recall 22V746000 on the transmission oil pump. Be careful with the hybrid, where dead 12-volt batteries are the main complaint. The 2025 and 2026 models look strongest, but they have had little time to collect complaints, so do not treat them as proven. Avoid any Sonata that jerks or hesitates on the test drive.

Hyundai Sonata vs Nissan Maxima: Common Questions

Is the Hyundai Sonata more reliable than the Nissan Maxima?: No. The Maxima has a clear edge. It has far fewer recalls and owner complaints, and its worst reports involve warning lights and trim more than repeated engine failures. The Sonata has a good standing too, but its injector, power loss and overheating complaints weigh against it.
Which has more recalls, the Sonata or the Maxima?: The Sonata. Federal recall records show 20 recalls across nine model years for the Sonata and 4 across six model years for the Maxima. One Sonata recall, 22V746000, covers a transmission oil pump fault that can disable the limp-home drive mode.
What are the most common Sonata problems?: Engine trouble leads with 239 complaints, mainly fuel injectors that fail and then fail again. Owners describe the engine jerking, losing power or shutting off at highway speed. Electrical faults are next, especially dead 12-volt batteries on the hybrid, followed by sudden loss of drive power.
What goes wrong on the Nissan Maxima?: Most Maxima complaints involve safety systems. Owners report the forward collision warning light staying on and a front radar obstruction message that shuts off adaptive cruise control. Less often, the car loses power while driving, the transmission fails, or trim and glass break loose without a collision.
Which Maxima and Sonata years should I avoid?: Avoid the 2018 and 2020 Maxima, and the 2018 and 2023 Sonata, which are each model's weakest years. The best Maxima years are 2021 and 2022. The Sonata's 2025 and 2026 years look strong, but they are recent and have had little time to collect complaints.

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How we score the Hyundai Sonata and Nissan Maxima

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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