Hyundai Sonata vs Ford Fusion Hybrid: which is more reliable?
The Ford Fusion Hybrid is clearly ahead of the Hyundai Sonata on the federal record: 88/100 against 70/100 across every model year we score.
The record, side by side
Hyundai Sonata
- 15 model years scored
- 11,292 owner complaints on record
- about 53 complaints per year on the road
- 69 recall campaigns, 42 safety-critical
- best year 2019 (91/100) · worst 2011 (24/100)
Ford Fusion Hybrid
- 5 model years scored
- 7,287 owner complaints on record
- about 48 complaints per year on the road
- 4 recall campaigns, 3 safety-critical
- best year 2014 (90/100) · worst 2011 (80/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Sonata against Fusion Hybrid
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Hyundai Sonata
- Engine — 4,437 complaints
- Steering — 2,050 complaints
- Electrical System — 1,562 complaints
Ford Fusion Hybrid
- Steering — 3,298 complaints
- Air Bags — 798 complaints
- Power Train — 743 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Sonata's complaints concentrate in Engine, the Fusion Hybrid's in Steering. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Hyundai Sonata — avoid: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015.
Ford Fusion Hybrid: no model year scores below 45; the strongest are 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Hyundai Sonata prices at about $28,100 and a Ford Fusion Hybrid at about $11,700 — the Ford Fusion Hybrid is roughly $16,400 less, and they return 28.0 against 41.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Hyundai Sonata or the Ford Fusion Hybrid more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Ford Fusion Hybrid scores 88/100 against the Hyundai Sonata's 70/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The Ford Fusion Hybrid carries about 48 complaints per year on the road against 53 for the Hyundai Sonata.
Which Hyundai Sonata and Ford Fusion Hybrid years should I avoid?
Hyundai Sonata: 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015. Ford Fusion Hybrid: no year scores below 45. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Hyundai Sonata and the Ford Fusion Hybrid?
The largest complaint group on the Hyundai Sonata is Engine (4,437 complaints); on the Ford Fusion Hybrid it is Steering (3,298).
Is the Hyundai Sonata or the Ford Fusion Hybrid cheaper to own?
A recent used Hyundai Sonata prices at about $28,100 and a Ford Fusion Hybrid at about $11,700, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.