Hyundai Elantra Complaints

8,883 consumer complaints on file.

#11664163June 1, 2025
ENGINE
Check engine light came on , car was sluggish and stalled on highway , was able to glide over to the side . Would not start . This is the 4th time this happened to this vehicle , in the past I was able to put in neutral and restart . They fixed it 3 times but they are now Hyundai is now saying it needs a new engine.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664119May 31, 2025
STEERING
The vehicle is subject to manufacturer recall #127. I brought it to two different dealerships for the recall repair after confirming in advance that they had the necessary parts. However, after dropping off my vehicle, I was informed a few hours later that the dealership did not actually have the parts needed for the repair. I contacted Hyundai’s service center to escalate the issue, but they refused to take further action. Instead, they repeatedly instructed me to reach out to other dealerships. After contacting several other dealers, I was told that they either did not have the parts or the system capabilities to perform the recall repair. Despite my efforts, Hyundai has refused to escalate this matter to upper management, leaving the issue unresolved.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663905May 30, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake failure. Corroded brake lines. There is a recall in Canada for this model year for the same exact issue [XXX] ). Why did NHTSA not force a recall for the same issue at least in cold-weather states? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664050May 30, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My late mother’s 2019 Hyundai Elantra (VIN: [XXX] ) was brought to Johnson Hyundai of Apex on 4/14/2025 for a known paint defect recall affecting the roof and roof rails. I was handling this vehicle as part of her estate. While the car was in the custody of their body shop, Piperformance, the windshield was cracked and replaced without my knowledge or consent. I was not informed of the damage beforehand, was never asked to authorize the repair, and was not provided an estimate or invoice in any official format. When I requested documentation, the service advisor (Josh) only sent a photo of an invoice on a laptop screen. I later received an undated, unsigned letter from the body shop admitting that they had broken the windshield and kept the old one. Important inspection and registration stickers were removed during the process and not returned for weeks. Hyundai corporate acknowledged internal failures, including missing documentation, conflicting stories, and lack of accountability. However, they refused to accept responsibility or confirm what safety inspections, if any, were done after the unauthorized windshield replacement. I am concerned the windshield replacement may not meet OEM specifications and may compromise the vehicle’s crash safety or ADAS systems (lane keeping, forward collision alert, etc.). No documentation was provided to show the glass used was certified or that proper recalibrations were performed. I no longer trust the safety of this vehicle and plan to remove it from use. The emotional toll of dealing with this after my mother’s passing makes the experience even more distressing. Her car was defaced and mishandled in my effort to preserve it, and I now feel responsible for navigating safety concerns caused by others’ negligence. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663694May 29, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
AFTER ANTI-THEFT SOFTWARE UPGRAGE MY CAR WILL LOCK ME OUT. I CANNOT UNLOCK THE CAR DOOR WITH THE KEY FOB OR BY USING THE KEY. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES. I DON'T KKOW IF IT WILL LOCK ME IN THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENS, SINCE THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED. HAD TO CALL AAA TO GET BACK INTO CAR. ON ANOTHER OCCASION WAITED TWO HOURS AND THE CAR OPENED USING KEY FOB.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663818May 29, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Rear camera suddenly stopped working while reversing. Happened approximately at 19,000 miles. Don't know the cause but seems like a safety issue since rear view cameras are federally mandated. The usual camera view is now replaced by green error screen that says "No signal received. Please try again later"
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663314May 28, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The 2022 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid Blue intermittently displays Check Hybrid System Stop Safety in instrument cluster screen, which stops the car from driving in either smart or normal. This happens on the roads and highways. This is very unsafe because at high speed when this happens you could easily get rear-ended because the car drops its speed and cannot accelerate any faster than 30 miles per hour and then it degrades to 20 miles per hour until I can find a safe place to park and turn off the car to do the reset to be able to drive again. This happens because the 12-volt lithium battery is not providing an acceptable amount of charge to the hybrid battery. This was also confirmed when I took the battery to get tested and it failed the test.The next part that is unsafe, is replacing the low 12-volt lithium battery, because it is connected to a high voltage 240-volt lithium-ion polymer battery; there a normal person cannot simply replace it. You have to know electronics to make sure you do not get electrocuted. In addition, it takes hours to take out the battery and then it’s hard to find to purchase. I feel Hyundai makes this process difficult as after spending hours to screw it out, you cannot locate the item anywhere. When I spoke to the Hyundai parts person, they could not locate it until I actually brought in the battery. The 12-volt lithium battery was nonrefundable and cost twice as much ($545.92) as I saw online, as low as $282 once I obtain the part number from the Hyundai order, which again is nonrefundable. I feel they make sure this cannot be found to force you to come to them to buy the battery, because all the labels or characters on the battery were not able to locatable. This was proven by me emailing the battery images to the parts person who was trying to find it, but could not until I bring in the actual battery. I was also told it is a special order and that they do not keep them onsite and have to be ordered and wait 7 to 10 days(pdf attach)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663504May 28, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that her daughter was driving the vehicle when the failure occurred. While driving on a city road at 25 MPH, a tractor-trailer crossed in front of the contact's lane. The contact stated that her daughter immediately reacted by taking a sharp left turn in order to avoid a collision. However, upon attempting to depress the brake pedal, the brakes failed to engage, therefore causing the contact to crash into a utility pole. The front passenger side of the contact's vehicle was crashed upon impact with the utility pole, and the vehicle came to a stop upon impact. No property damage was reported. The airbags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to a local body shop. The Traction Control Warning light was illuminated. A police report was filed. No injuries were reported. No one outside of the vehicle was injured. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 77,300.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663120May 27, 2025
ENGINE
Engine timing chains are failing in a direct result from recall campaign ID 21V301000 Piston ring noise sensing system which contaminated my oil accelerating wear on my engine chain and sprockets. A failed or ineffective piston ring noise sensing system can let piston/ring damage go unchecked, leading to oil contamination, which in turn wears out or destroys the timing chain system.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663147May 27, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I took my car to Millennium Hyundai in Garden City, New York on June 22, 2024 to fix NHTSA recall # 23V651000 (manufacturer recall # 251). The dealer claimed the repair was completed and I have documentation to this effect (see service summary, attached). However, neither Hyundai nor the dealer ever updated the NHTSA database to show that this recall repair was completed, so my car still shows that it has an open recall. I do not want this to be an issue when I sell the car. The dealer refuses to take responsibility for updating the database. Either the dealer did not complete the repair as required, or the dealer is refusing to update the database as required. Either way, the dealer is clearly not in compliance with NHTSA regulations and requirements. Please take whatever actions are necessary against Millennium Hyundai. Thank you.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11662101May 20, 2025
SUSPENSION, SERVICE BRAKES
Unknown
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11662138May 20, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
During driving, vehicle displayed a system error indicating an issue with the hybrid system. The vehicle then immediately, and without warning, completely shut off and caused the driver to have to manually guide the vehicle to the side of the road without power assistance. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request, however we have taken it to the dealership who have inspected the vehicle but told us they could not find an issue, even though we clearly experienced on. The incident can easily be verified by our insurance company, who had to tow the vehicle. This incident put our safety at risk as it not only caused a sudden vehicle failure which could have further risked accident, but the driver also suffered heat stroke waiting for the tow truck. As stated earlier, the service center at the dealership could not reproduce or confirm the issue and have simply stated that the vehicle should just be driven as is. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives. I'd like to further note that this service station and dealership is called Horne Hyundai and is located in Apache Junction, Arizona. They have ignored this issue, gaslighted us, and left us with no option but to report them and this vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11662054May 20, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, POWER TRAIN
Unintended acceleration is happening. After about 15-30 minutes of driving, accelerating from a stopped position becomes very difficult in the sense that the vehicle does NOT accelerate when gas pedal is pressed. This can be extremely dangerous as you do not know when the vehicle will no longer accelerate and could get hit when crossing an intersection or turning onto any road at all. ESC warning light came on today and vehicle will no longer start but goes into auxiliary mode. This is not the first time, second, third, nor even 5th time a report on this vehicle has been made and with each report more issues are arising with seemingly NO fix in sight.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661795May 19, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The issue involves the hybrid electric powertrain or electrical control system in my 2023 Hyundai Elantra Limited Hybrid. The vehicle has shut off multiple times while driving, with complete loss of power and propulsion. This poses a serious safety risk, as it happens without warning in the middle of the road. Restarting the car requires shifting into Park and trying multiple times to turn it off, but the vacuole turns back on the first try. I have experienced this issue several times, including twice during a 300-mile highway trip. After each shutdown, the dashboard displays multiple warning lights, including the Check Engine Light, Battery Light, Oil Pressure Light, and Hybrid System Warning (orange car icon). I took a photo immediately after the most recent failure to document these warnings. The vehicle has been inspected three times by two different Hyundai dealerships. Both confirmed the vehicle is under warranty but have not repaired or diagnosed the issue, citing that they cannot replicate it. They have driven it ~200 miles without success. However, they have not pulled ECU data or freeze-frame codes, even though warning lights were active at the time of failure. There are no symptoms or warning messages before the failure — the vehicle shuts off suddenly. The car is available for inspection, and I am in the process of opening a formal case with Hyundai. This is a significant and recurring safety hazard that must be addressed. This issue has an occurred a various speeds including during acceleration and braking. The picture attached is the dashboard after the I indent has occurred and have shifted to park after stopping to try and restart the car to get out of the middle of the road.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661891May 19, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Coil 1 & 4 misfire. Won’t accelerate well & engine light blinks. Car will stall then die when engine light blinks too much in 1 minute.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661670May 18, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ENGINE
I am writing to report a serious and ongoing safety issue with my 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid that remains unresolved despite multiple visits to Hyundai service centers and independent repair shops. I’ve also found numerous consumer discussions online describing nearly identical issues with the same model and newer Elantra Hybrid models, suggesting this may be part of a wider systemic defect. The core issue lies within the vehicle’s hybrid system. Shortly after a recent system/software update performed at a Hyundai dealership, a warning message began appearing at random intervals stating: “Check Hybrid System.” This typically first appears after extended driving — often around 3 hours — but once it occurs, the issue worsens if I continue to drive. Each time the warning appears, the vehicle suddenly and drastically decelerates without driver input, becoming dangerously slow and unresponsive, even while traveling at highway speeds. This creates an urgent safety risk, as I have had to maneuver off the road quickly to avoid collisions. After the initial warning, if I attempt to drive the vehicle again without sufficient downtime, the warning reappears much more frequently — sometimes within minutes. The only temporary relief is to stop using the vehicle and allow it to rest for at least six hours, after which the issue may temporarily subside. In every case, I must use the 12V battery reset button to restart the car, which I suspect may be clearing diagnostic codes before they can be properly recorded. Notably, the check engine light disappears after this reset, even if it was previously displayed. Given that the hybrid battery is located beneath the rear passenger seat, I am deeply concerned that if there is an underlying thermal or electrical issue, it could pose a serious or life-threatening risk to passengers. To date, no dealership or technician has been able to duplicate or permanently resolve the problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11661691May 18, 2025
AIR BAGS
the air bags failed in deploy and the automatic calling system failed to call the police upon impact. my mirror was taken off in a hit and run and the police were not contacted. the passenger side of my car was hit in an incorrect lane change by the other party and the intercom system did not call the police. i was rear ended in a 45 pmh zone and airbags failed to deploy and the intercom system did not call the police. i was t boned in a 45 mph zone and the airbags failed to deploy and the police were once again not called automatically by the car. due to the amount of damage to the car my lien holder lost interest and did not send any one to check on the damages, not did my insurance as i did not have collision coverage. the police after the tbone said my car looked totaled. my car was checked regularly for alignments and oil changes. there was no warning lamps or anything out of the usual on the dash. since this car was deemed totaled and beyond repair the lien holder dropped interest in the vehicle and was sent to auction on may 14th in naples florida.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11661164May 15, 2025
SEAT BELTS
During a car accident yesterday. Upon impact at about 30 mph the seatbelt ripped and provided no deceleration during a head on collision. If it wasn’t for the airbag I would have been very seriously injured. It has not yet been inspected by insurance but I have a few videos of the failure for the seatbelt to work.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660767May 13, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
A significant class action settlement, known as the Hyundai Engine II Class Action Settlement, was established to address allegations of engine defects in various Hyundai models. This settlement includes vehicles equipped with the Nu 2.0-liter GDI engine, such as the 2014–2020 Elantra GT. The lawsuit claimed that these engines could suffer from issues like engine seizure, stalling, and potential engine fires. My vehicles engine is the engine listed above and has been experiencing those exact problems. My engine has been stalling and making a knocking noise. A professional mechanic evaluated my vehicle and diagnosed it with first stage engine failure. Engine failure of any kind while driving is extremely dangerous and could lead to sudden stopping on a highway, collision, and result in the loss of life of both the driver and other drivers sharing the road. In addition to the Engine II settlement, there was a separate class action settlement related to the Theta II engines, which are also found in some Hyundai vehicles. This settlement addressed allegations of engine defects that could lead to engine failure. Hyundai Motors is refusing to honor their warranty coverage for my vehicle. They claim their refusal is due to my vehicle having a rebuilt title, however, nowhere on their website or per any other guidelines do they explicitly deny coverage for rebuilt title vehicles. They clearly state that only salvage titles and 'total loss' vehicles will not receive any warranty assistance, which my vehicle was never considered a total loss. Additionally, when speaking to a Bob Howard Hyundai representative, they informed me that they have previously honored warranties for people in my exact situation. The engine in my 2014 Hyundai Elantra GT is the original engine with a matching VIN number and the engine failure is strictly due to the malfunction of said part produced by Hyundai Motors. I have maintained and preformed regular maintenance on this vehicle with receipts.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11660435May 12, 2025
POWER TRAIN
While driving on the freeway at 65MPH, my car suddenly displayed a "Check Hybrid System , Stop Safely" warning. The vehicle rapidly decelerated to 20MPH and would not respond to acceleration, despite pressing the pedal. This created a dangerous situation for my family, as we were forced to pull over abruptly on the side of the freeway. I had to reset the battery system before the car would restart. Alarmingly, this issue happened twice on same day on [XXX]. I have since contacted the dealership and informed about the problem. The dealership (Larry Miller Hyundai Peoria - 85382) took my car to address the issue on Feb 28th Feb 2025 and performed a HCU software update and informed me that there was a recall and assured me that the problem shouldn't happen again. However on [XXX], the same problem resurfaced. While stopped at a signal, the car once again displayed "Check Hybrid System , stop Safely" and became unresponsive to acceleration. I had to pull over and reset the battery system to get the car moving again. This recurring issue is not only frustrating but becoming increasingly dangerous. I now drive with constant anxiety, unsure when or where the car might suddenly stop again. This ongoing safety risk is unacceptable, especially a supposed fix was applied. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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