IllustrationTHIS IS NOW THE THIRD TIME THAT MY CAR HAS COMPLETELY CUT OFF ON ME WHILE DRIVING AND IT SEEMS LIKE EVERY TIME THIS HAPPENS THERE IS ALWAYS A BURNING SMELL COMING THROUGH THE VENTS. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING THIS CAR AT ALL. HYUNDAI DOES NOT SEEM TO CARE ABOUT THEIR CUSTOMERS AT ALL.
2014 Hyundai Elantra
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Elantra years
Owner complaints for the 2014 Hyundai Elantra are substantially higher than the model-year median of 182.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Elantra years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
630–25K
3225–50K
3850–75K
3275–100K
39100–150K
9150K+
213 reports with mileage · 169 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Engine. Review the 163 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 47 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 45 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
35 crash reports15 fire reports22 injury reports
Electrical System complaints
47 reports2014 HYUNDAI ELANTRA WILL NOT TURN OFF WHEN CAR IS TURNED OFF AND KEY REMOVED FROM IGNITION AND DOOR IS OPEN THE RADIO AND CLOCK LIGHTS ALL WORK AS IF THE CAR IS ON WHEN ITS OFF
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A HESITATION WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK FOUR OR MORE ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE. ADDITIONALLY, THE LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS WERE INADEQUATE FOR NIGHT TIME DRIVING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HIGH BEAM HEADLAMPS WERE PRIMARIL…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WAS A HESITATION WHILE ATTEMPTING TO START THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT TOOK FOUR OR MORE ATTEMPTS TO START THE VEHICLE. ADDITIONALLY, THE LOW BEAM HEADLAMPS WERE INADEQUATE FOR NIGHT TIME DRIVING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE HIGH BEAM HEADLAMPS WERE PRIMARILY USED FOR NIGHT DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO BE DIAGNOSED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 28,000.
CAR HAS PROBLEM STARTING WHEN USING ELECTRONIC IGNITION AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPS AFTER PUSHING KEY OPEN AND CLOSE IM NOT SURE BUT IT WILL EVENTULLY START. CAR WAS IN STATIONARY POSITION PARKING LOT AND HOME.
THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR ON MY CAR DIED AFTER ABOUT 78000 MILES AND CAUSED THE CAR TO LOCK UP WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. STAYED IN 3RD GEAR AND FOR A FEW WEEKS BEFORE WOULD LOCK UP WHILE IN PARK, NEUTRAL, REVERSE AND DRIVE (MOST COMMONLY WHILE IN PARK). THIS NEARLY CAUSED A COUPLE OF ACCIDENTS. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH THIS APP…
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THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SENSOR ON MY CAR DIED AFTER ABOUT 78000 MILES AND CAUSED THE CAR TO LOCK UP WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. STAYED IN 3RD GEAR AND FOR A FEW WEEKS BEFORE WOULD LOCK UP WHILE IN PARK, NEUTRAL, REVERSE AND DRIVE (MOST COMMONLY WHILE IN PARK). THIS NEARLY CAUSED A COUPLE OF ACCIDENTS. AFTER DOING SOME RESEARCH THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH ELANTRAS DATING ALL THE WAY BACK TO 2007 AND EVEN HAS CONTINUED PAST MY MODEL YEAR (2014) INTO 2015 MODELS. THE DEALERSHIP EVEN REFERRED TO IT ASO A FAULTY RANGE SENSOR WHICH TO ME SEEMS TO IMPLY THAT THEY KNOW ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I COULDN'T SHIFT AND HAD A MORE DIFFICULT TIME SLOWING DOWN AND SPEEDING UP THAN USUAL. THE PART IS RELATIVELY INEXPENSIVE BUT THE DIAGNOSTIC FEE PLUS LABOR TO REMOVE AND REPLACE THE FAULTY MECHANICAL PART WAS WELL OVER $150, RESULTING IN A TOTAL BILL OF $210. A PART FAILURE THAT CAUSES THE VEHICLES COMPUTER, TRANSMISSION AND DRIVETRAIN TO LOSE ALL CONNECTION TO ONE ANOTHER CAN BE VERY DANGEROUS, ESPECIALLY WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. AT FIRST IT HAPPENED ONLY WHILE STATIONARY IN PARK, THE CAR WOULD LOCK UP WHILE SITTING WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING FOR A WHILE. I WOULD TURN OFF THE ENGINE AND RE-ENGAGE THE VEHICLE AND EVERYTHING WOULD OPERATE AS NORMAL. THEN IT OCCURRED WHILE BACKING DOWN THE HILL OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, LOCKED UP IN REVERSE, I APPLIED THE BRAKES, SET THE PARKING BRAKE AND TURNED OFF THE CAR WHILE STILL IN REVERSE. (I LIVE IN A QUIET SUBDIVISION OF A SMALL TOWN OF 12,000, WHAT IF THIS HAPPENED IN A BUSIER OR MORE HEAVILY POPULATED AREA?) I WAS STILL ABLE TO START THE VEHICLE WHILE IN REVERSE AND SHORTLY THEREAFTER WHILE IN NEUTRAL. THEN TUESDAY MORNING WHILE ON THE INTERSTATE (I-95) THE GEAR AND DRIVE MODE INDICATOR ON THE TACHOMETER WENT BLANK, I WAS STUCK IN 3RD GEAR (LIMP MODE) AND MY CAR ONCE SLOWING DOWN HAD A DIFFICULT TIME ACCELERATING AFTER STOPPING.
WANTS TO STALL WHEN PUSHING ON BRAKES, AND WHEN I LET OFF BRAKES IT WANTS TO STALL, MY GAS MILEAGE STAYS THE SAME ,AND MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE GOES UP FAST WHEN'S I START THE VECHICLE. MY LIGHTS IN MY CAR DON'T COME ON TO MUCH. AND IT'S SEEM TO BE RUNNING ROUGH IN CERTAIN AREAS THEN IT GOES BACK TO RUNNING GOOD WHEN I GET FURTHE…
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WANTS TO STALL WHEN PUSHING ON BRAKES, AND WHEN I LET OFF BRAKES IT WANTS TO STALL, MY GAS MILEAGE STAYS THE SAME ,AND MY TEMPERATURE GAUGE GOES UP FAST WHEN'S I START THE VECHICLE. MY LIGHTS IN MY CAR DON'T COME ON TO MUCH. AND IT'S SEEM TO BE RUNNING ROUGH IN CERTAIN AREAS THEN IT GOES BACK TO RUNNING GOOD WHEN I GET FURTHER AWAY FROM MY HOUSE I HAD MY CAR AT DEALERSHIPS 3 TIMES AND THEY SAY NO CODES. AND THE CAR DOES THIS WHEN I SIT STILL AND WHEN I PUSH ON THE GAS. IT DOES IT IN CITY HIGHWAY SEEMS TO BE RUNNING NORMAL. DEALERS DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG
AFTER LESS THAN 2 YEARS, THE CAR BATTERY DIES AND DISABLES THE CONTROL OF THIS PARTICULAR CAR AND YEAR. MANY CUSTOMERS, ACCORDING TO REVIEWS, SEEM TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. SHOULD THE BATTERY FALTER WHEN DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY, SERIOUS ACCIDENTS COULD RESULT. MY VEHICLE WAS MOVING AT A SLOW PACE IN THE PARKING LOT WHEN THE BATTERY…
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AFTER LESS THAN 2 YEARS, THE CAR BATTERY DIES AND DISABLES THE CONTROL OF THIS PARTICULAR CAR AND YEAR. MANY CUSTOMERS, ACCORDING TO REVIEWS, SEEM TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. SHOULD THE BATTERY FALTER WHEN DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY, SERIOUS ACCIDENTS COULD RESULT. MY VEHICLE WAS MOVING AT A SLOW PACE IN THE PARKING LOT WHEN THE BATTERY DIED. I LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR. I WAS NOT EXPECTING THE BATTERY TO DIE AS IT IS ONLY ABOUT 18 MONTHS OLD. I DO NOT HAVE A PICTURE. THE CAR IS AT THE DEALERSHIP.
I'VE HAD TROUBLE STARTING THE CAR MULTIPLE TIMES. ALL LIGHTS WILL WORK FINE, RADIO, POWER LOCKS AND WINDOWS ALL WORK, THE CAR JUST DOESNT START. I HAD IT BROUGHT BACK TO THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT IT FROM AND WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE GUYS IT STARTED UP NO PROBLEM FOR THEM AND THEY COULDNT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I'VE NOTICED TH…
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I'VE HAD TROUBLE STARTING THE CAR MULTIPLE TIMES. ALL LIGHTS WILL WORK FINE, RADIO, POWER LOCKS AND WINDOWS ALL WORK, THE CAR JUST DOESNT START. I HAD IT BROUGHT BACK TO THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP I BOUGHT IT FROM AND WAS TOLD BY THE SERVICE GUYS IT STARTED UP NO PROBLEM FOR THEM AND THEY COULDNT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. I'VE NOTICED THAT WHEN IT HAPPENS, TAKING THE CAR OUT OF PARK, AND THEN SHIFTING BACK TO PARK SEEMS TO TRIGGER SOMETHING AND THEN THE CAR WILL START. IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY
SOMETIMES WHEN I GO TO START MY CAR IT WON'T EVEN START. I HAD THE BATTERY CHECKED OUT BY SEVERAL MECHANICS AND THE BATTERY WAS GOOD. THEY PUT IT ON A DIAGNOSTIC MACHINE AND THEY SAID EVERYTHING WAS GOOD. I HAVE BEEN LEFT STRANDED SEVERAL TIMES BECAUSE MY CAR WOULD NOT START. I HAD TO WAIT OVER 30 35 MINUTES
THE CAR WILL NOT TURN ON. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN TEST AND IS FINE. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR. THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND STATIONARY, WHEN THE KEY IS IN THE IGNITION ALL LIGHTS TURN ON BUT THE CAR DOES NOT TURN ON. IT HAS BEEN TAKEN TO MULTIPLE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIPS AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE…
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THE CAR WILL NOT TURN ON. THE BATTERY HAS BEEN TEST AND IS FINE. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR. THE CAR IS TURNED OFF AND STATIONARY, WHEN THE KEY IS IN THE IGNITION ALL LIGHTS TURN ON BUT THE CAR DOES NOT TURN ON. IT HAS BEEN TAKEN TO MULTIPLE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIPS AND THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION BECAUSE IT HAS LEFT ME STRANDED SEVERAL TIMES IN RURAL AREAS.
Official recalls
223V651000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
Sep 22, 2023
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2015 Elantra, Genesis Coupe, Sonata Hybrid, 2012-2015 Accent, Azera, Veloster, 2013-2015 Elantra Coupe, Santa Fe, 2014-2015 Equus, 2010-2012 Veracruz, 2010-2013 Tucson, 2015 Tucson Fuel Cell, and 2013 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS) module may leak brake fluid internally and cause an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Remedy: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2024 through October 11, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 251.
17V769000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:pedals And Linkages
Nov 30, 2017
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2013-2014 Elantra sedan, coupe and GT vehicles. The brake pedal stopper pad can deteriorate allowing the brake light switch plunger to remain extended when the brake pedal is released. This will allow the brake lights to remain illuminated continuously. It can also allow the shift lever to be moved without depressing the brake pedal, or activate the engine management brake pedal override feature.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the brake light switch plunger does not retract as it should when the brake pedal is not being pressed, the brake lights may stay illuminated preventing accurate communication to following vehicles that the vehicle is slowing or stopping. Additionally, if the brake switch plunger is not retracted, then the transmission can be shifted out of PARK without depressing the brake pedal. Either condition increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake pedal stopper pad, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 8, 2018. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 170. This campaign expands recall 16V574.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
2AQ23002 · Hyundai And Kia Abs Module Fires
Opened Nov 17, 2023 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
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-137, 21V-331, 22V-051, 22V-800, and 23V-652 The purpose of this AQ is to evaluate the timeliness and scoping of Hyundai and Kia’s defect decision making and adherence with reporting requirements; and understand the varying defect descriptions and remedies between these recalls.
DP21003 · Throttle Control System Vulnerabilities
Opened Nov 12, 2021 · Closed Jun 20, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:throttle
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (ODI) number 11439675.On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-003 to evaluate the petitioner?s request. ODI performed trend analyses of the VOQs related to vehicle speed control issues for all the subject vehicles and found that none of the 52 Model/Model Year Hyundai/Kia vehicles demonstrated any actionable trend that warranted an investigation.Petitioners submitted 1119 VOQs and non-VOQ cases in which sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA) or loss of motive power (LOMP) incidents were alleged.For the 1119 reports, 220 were incidents involving crashes, from which 69 subject Hyundai-Kia vehicles were inspected by Hyundai/Kia dealer technicians, Hyundai/Kia engineers, and/or third-party representatives.ODI found the inspections identified no vehicle defects related to the ETC system.Of the 220 crash-involved reports, 13 Event Data Recorder (EDR) records were downloaded successfully and 11 of those indicated driver error: (i.e.) pedal misapplication.A condition where the accelerator pedal is mistakenly applied instead of the brake pedal when the driver wants to stop the vehicle.In addition, ODI reviewed a scientific journal paper published in Forensic Science International in 2016 by Mr. Park et al ., as well as related test videos. ODI does not believe there is any evidence of uncontrollable SUA occurrences in any of the tests reviewed. NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) reviewed the allegations regarding the potential noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124.Based on the information provided, the Agency concludes there is insufficient information for us to determine if a possible non-compliance exists.Finally, both Hyundai and Kia informed ODI that all their vehicles manufactured after 2012 were equipped with an ETC management system, in which the engine speed will go to idle when the system sees signals from both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal at the same time; this is commonly known as the brake-throttle override system.After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information already in NHTSA's possession, information submitted by Hyundai and Kia in response to an Information Request letter, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. After full consideration of appropriate factors, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA?s reasons for denial of the petition will be published.