Oops, They Did It Again – Hyundai Sonata Fuel Economy Was Overstated

Hyundai Sonata

Hyundai apologized today for accidentally overstating the fuel economy ratings on its revamped Hyundai Sonata.

Earlier this month when they unveiled the vehicle to the media on March 4th, the automaker stated that it had made improvements to the Hyundai Sonata’s fuel economy and that internal testing showed it was capable of achieving 29.6 MPG. This would have marked a 6 percent increase in fuel economy.

Today they made a downward correction to that number noting that it was more accurately 28.5 MPG. That makes the improvement a much smaller 2 percent.

Hyundai says the reason for the error on the Hyundai Sonata was that they had accidentally used their internal testing numbers from their research facility. The corrected figure is based on testing by the South Korean government.

This is the second time Hyundai has had a problem with misstating fuel economy figures on their vehicles. Back in November of 2012, Hyundai and Kia admitted that they’d overstated fuel economy on 900,00 vehicles in the US covering mode years 2011-2013. Unlike this time, those vehicles were already in customer hands.

There were lawsuits as a result of the mistake and although they were dismissed in South Korea, it cost them $395 million in a US settlement. Since the new Hyundai Sonata hasn’t gone on sale, they’ll avoid similar legal ramifications.

They’ve already received preorders for the Hyundai Sonata which goes on sale in South Korea on March 24th before coming to the US after making its debut at the New York Auto Show next month.

Check out this 0-60 MPH Mile High Performance Test of the 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid…

Nicole Wakelin fell in love with cars as a teenager when she got to go for a ride in a Ferrari. It was red and it was fast and that was all that mattered. Game over. She considers things a bit more carefully now, but still has a weakness for fast, beautiful cars. Nicole also writes for NerdApproved and GeekMom.