2009 Hyundai Genesis: problems, recalls and reliability
3 recalls and 234 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is service brakes (45% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Nov 2014
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 234 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2009 Hyundai Genesis. The contact discovered a mileage discrepancy after the purchase of the vehicle. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 121,000. It was later discovered through auto check that the mileage was 199,985.”Owner report · Electrical System · Oct 2025
“Light on the dash showing "airbags" is lighting up for the first time since I've owned this vehicle. I remember there being a recall regarding a switch or something pertaining to the airbags sometime in the past, but not sure if this was the concern (airbag light on dash lighting up).”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2025
“Passenger side, rear brake line rusted to the point where brakes failed one morning. Brake fluid leaking from rusted brake line. Lost braking pressure while driving. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, independent shop Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? No Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No”Owner report · Service Brakes · Jul 2024
Show 7 more owner reports
“The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Genesis. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she observed that the front driver's and front passenger's headrests had deployed without impact. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a complaint was filed. The failure mileage 69,000.”Owner report · Seats · Apr 2024
“I was on the freeway and my car suddenly shut off completely.. engine, dashboard, lights EVERYTHING.. it was off for maybe 2 seconds and then the car Powered itself back up the car did not stop abruptly, so I was thankful for that. I didn't panic or pull the wheel. I just continue straight and then thankfully it cut back on and then I got off the freeway as I was driving down the street not going more than 1015 miles my car cut off on me again it did the same exact thing everything just went off and then it cut back on mid drive and I have a four year-old toddler and I have been scared out of my life. Something is clearly wrong I need help please , no one can tell me what the problem is”Owner report · Electrical System · Nov 2023
“Car randomly turns off while driving. Sometimes my car will go off. Most of the time it turns back on but that is dangerous.”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2023
“Brake unit failure. Car brake pedal became soft, needs to be pressed to the floor to get the car to stop...and even then it does not stop fast enough to be safe. Online research shows that this is a known issue for this model and Hyundai has been covering the cost for this as it is attributed to a part installed at the factory.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · Aug 2021
“The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Genesis. The contact stated that she noticed that the brake lights would not illuminate when the brake pedal was depressed. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where it was diagnosed with the stop lamp switch needing to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired however, the failure recurred. The dealer stated that the diode wiring system needed to be replaced. The contact was relating the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 13V113000 (Exterior Lighting). The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,394.”Owner report · Unknown Or Other · May 2021
“The dash cover on my 2009 Genesis 4-door Sedan has developed large cracks where the passenger side air bag is located. The concern is that this may cause the air bag to deploy inadvertently or increase the chance of flying shrapnel if/when the air bag should deploy during an accident. This problem started around 90,000 miles and has continued to get worse (The vehicle currently has approximately 125,000 miles). I took the vehicle to the dealer when the problem first appeared, but was told it was not a safety concern, and that it was not covered under the warranty. However, I feel this in fact could cause injury to anyone riding in the front passenger seat. 1 picture is attached.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jan 2021
“My car shut off/the engine lost power, while sitting in traffic. I felt a slight rough idle, then realized all my dash lights were on, and the engine was not running. I placed the car in park, and pushed the engine start button. Car started back up, but every time I stopped I had to place the car in park and keep my foot slightly on the gas to keep it from idling roughly and shutting off again. I had to do this for a half hour until I reached my destination. After setting for 4 hours the car started fine and I had not further issues. But my fear is that it will happen again while in traffic or possibly while driving, which could cause an accident.”Owner report · Engine · Dec 2019
When filing, owners marked a crash in 15 of these complaints and injuries in 3 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 3 campaigns
Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2009-2012 Genesis vehicles manufactured April 30, 2008, through March 28, 2012. The vehicles may contain brake fluid which does not protect against corrosion of the Hydraulic Electronic Control Unit (HECU).
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners and instruct them to bring their vehicle to a dealer for service. Hyundai will inspect the HECU module for proper operation, and will replace the modules as necessary. Hyundai will replace the factory brake fluid in those vehicles that have not previously had the factory brake fluid replaced. These repairs will be done free of charge. The recall began on December 24, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151 or by email at consumeraffairs@hmausa.com. Hyundai's recall number is 114.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2009-2011 Hyundai Genesis vehicles manufactured April 30, 2008, to November 21, 2010, and 2011 Hyundai Equus vehicles manufactured July 31, 2010, to November 21, 2010. Due to a circuit failure, the stop lamps in the affected vehicles may not illuminate.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will repair the stop lamp switch circuit, free of charge. Hyundai issued an interim notification to owners on January 6, 2015. The recall began on March 23, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 125.
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.
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.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2009 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Genesis by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2009 Hyundai Genesis reliable?
NHTSA has 234 owner complaints and 3 recall campaigns on record for the 2009 Hyundai Genesis. The most complained-about area is service brakes (45% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2009 Hyundai Genesis problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 64,500 miles or less.
Does the 2009 Hyundai Genesis have open recalls?
3 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning service brakes, hydraulic:fluid. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.