2016 Hyundai Genesis
Gas Large car
The 2016 Hyundai Genesis is sold in the U.S. as a gas large car with 5 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Genesis RWD, is EPA-rated at 22 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for this model year, 2 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 103 complaints, most often about electrical system. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Genesis RWD | Gas | RWD | 3.8L 6-cyl | 18 | 28 | 22 | $2,850 |
| Genesis AWD | Gas | AWD | 3.8L 6-cyl | 16 | 25 | 19 | $3,300 |
| Genesis Coupe | Gas | RWD | 3.8L 6-cyl | 16 | 25 | 19 | $4,100 |
| Genesis Coupe | Gas | RWD | 3.8L 6-cyl | 17 | 24 | 19 | $4,100 |
| Genesis RWD | Gas | RWD | 5.0L 8-cyl | 15 | 23 | 18 | $4,300 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
Out of factory warranty soon?
The 2016 Hyundai Genesis is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.
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Recalls (5)
Electrical System
criticalProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Genesis, 2017-2019 Genesis G80, Genesis G90, and 2019 Genesis G70 vehicles. Water may enter the starter solenoid and cause an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will install a remedy relay kit in the engine junction box, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 15, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 254(H) and 018G(G).
Service Brakes, Hydraulic
criticalProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Genesis and 2017-2020 Genesis G80 vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module could malfunction and short circuit.
Risk: An electrical short circuit inside the ABS module could cause an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the remedy is complete. Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the ABS module fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 6, 2021. Owners can contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 201 and 006G.
Air Bags
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2016 Genesis Coupe vehicles. The mounting bolts securing the driver-side frontal air bag may have been insufficiently tightened, potentially causing the air bag to detach from the steering wheel.
Risk: A detached driver's air bag increases the risk of injury in the event of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the mounting bolts and retighten them as necessary, free of charge. The recall began June 22, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 192.
Parking Brake
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Sonata and Genesis vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the warning light to indicate that the parking brake is applied may intermittently not illuminate in the dash due to corrosion in the switch.
Risk: If the parking brake indicator is not illuminated when the parking brake is applied, the driver may operate the vehicle with the parking brake partially engaged, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the parking brake switch, free of charge. The recall began on August 4, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 164.
Air Bags
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2010-2016 Genesis Coupe vehicles manufactured December 12, 2008, to June 11, 2016. The electrical harness connector for the front passenger seat Occupant Classification System (OCS) may dislodge when the seat is moved.
Risk: In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, the disconnected OCS would, by default, cause the first stage, and only the first stage, of the air bag to deploy, whether there is a child seat in the front seat and the bag should not deploy or if the crash is severe and both stages should deploy. Either scenario increases the risk of injury to the front seat oc
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will secure the OCS connector to prevent it from disconnecting, free of charge. Parts are not currently available and a second letter will be sent to owners when parts are available. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 151.
NHTSA investigations
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:Control Unit/Module — Hyundai and Kia ABS Module Fires (open)
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) has received eight Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) and eight Kia America, Inc. (Kia) Part 573 Recall Reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or Hydraulic Electronic Control Units (HECU) manufactured by the equipment supplier Mando. The Part 573 Recall Reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by Mando. Safety recalls included in this Audit Query (AQ) review include: Hyundai recalls 20V-520, 20V-543, 21V-161, 21V-160, 21V-303, 22V-056, 22V-810, and 23V-651. Kia recalls 16V-815, 20V-518, 20V-519, 21V
Opened Nov 17, 2023 · action AQ23002
Owner complaints
103 complaints filed
4 involved a crash, 4 a fire, 8 injuries, 0 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2015: 1 · 2016: 2 · 2017: 17 · 2018: 6 · 2019: 4 · 2020: 11 · 2021: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2023: 8 · 2024: 20 · 2025: 5 · 2026: 13
Most-cited components
- Electrical System — 32
- Engine — 27
- Unknown Or Other — 13
- Exterior Lighting — 12
- Power Train — 11
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 DR AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
| 4 DR RWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
| 2 DR RWD | not rated | not rated | not rated | ★★★★★ | 8% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 36481, 36480, 36443, 36519, 37084). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.