Hello fellow Sonata owners. I have a 2012 Sonata limited and according to my records I spend over $1K on brakes (pads, rotors, sometimes calipers) every 2.5-3 years, which is approximately just under 20K km.

Is this normal for this car? It is much more than I ever spent on my old Accord and Ford Tempo way back when. I'm not a car expert, but it seems to be a lot to me.

I drive once or twice a week and under 40 km round trip. Once in a while I take a trip on the highway that's 100-150 km round trip.

If anyone can chime in and tell me if this is par for this car, it would be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

Spending over $1k on brakes every 2.5-3 years seems high. Typically, brake pads last around 30,000 to 70,000 km and rotors longer. Factors like aggressive driving, city traffic, or using lower-quality parts can increase wear. If you're not noticing specific issues, it might be worth having a mechanic check if there's an underlying problem causing the excessive brake wear.

 

Thanks for the suggestion @Yernaz . I'm definitely not an aggressive driver - I tend to keep to speed limits and make sure I come to a full stop at all stop signs. Been driving over 40 years and this one has me baffled.

I understand the Limited model has larger brake assemblies than the other models, and I'm trying to determine if there are widespread issues with this system. But stats like these are difficult to search even in this day and age, so I thought to reach out to a community.

 

Given your driving habits and the fact that the Limited model has larger brake assemblies, it’s understandable that you’re puzzled. Larger brakes can wear out faster, but spending over $1000 every 2.5-3 years is still on the higher side. It might be helpful to check if other Sonata Limited owners have similar experiences or if there are any known issues with the brake system for your model year.