Engine. Review the 111 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Power Train. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Air Bags. Review the 26 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

22 crash reports5 fire reports16 injury reports

Engine complaints

111 reports

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500 miles · Nov 20, 2015

Engine

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WIFE WAS DRIVING A NEW THREE WEEK OLD 2016 ELANTRA WITH APPOX. 500 MILES ON IT. THE CAR STARTED TO LOOSE POWER AND JUST DIED. SHE COASTED TO A STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. WOULD NOT RESTART. NO LIGHTS CAME ON INDICATING ANY PROBLEM TILL THE CAR QUIT RUNNING. THEN ALL THE LIGHTS CAME ON AS THEY SHOULD. CALLED AAA HAD THEM TOW THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP. SERVICE DEPARTMENT CHECKED THE CAR OVER AND THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE AN ALTERNATOR. SOME TIME WENT BY, AND THE SERVICE WRITER SAID THEY WERE PUTTING ME IN A RENTAL CAR AS THE REPAIR WAS GOING TO TAKE TIME. TWO DAYS LATER GET A CALL AND THE MOTOR IS RUINED AND THEY ARE GOING TO REPLACE IT WITH A LONG BLOCK. THIS IS JUST GREAT. NEW CAR THREE WEEKS OLD AND IS GOING TO BE TORE APART. LUCKY IT IS A LONG BLOCK NOT A SHORT BLOCK. THE BIG BREAK COMES FROM MY WIFE DECIDING NOT TO GO TO THE MALL THAT DAY TO FINISH XMAS SHOPPING. THE MALL IS TWENTY MILES AWAY ON AN INTERSTATE. IF THIS CAR HAD DIED ON THE INTERSTATE WITH CARS GOING 70 PLUS BEHIND HER, INSTEAD OF OUR SUBDIVISION STREET. SHE STOOD A GOOD CHANCE OF BEING REAR ENDED AND IN A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT. PLUS NO POWER STEERING OR BRAKES AND TRYING TO GET OVER TO THE SHOULDER WITH A DEAD CAR! WE WERE VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN ON A SIDE STREET WITH LITTLE OR NO TRAFFIC AND THREE BLOCKS FROM HOME. THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN HORRIBLE TO HAVE HAPPENED ON AN INTERSTATE WHILE OUT OF STATE OR SOME BACK ROAD OFF THE BEATEN PATH. WE NOW WILL HAVE NO CONFIDENCE IN THE CAR AT ALL AND CONSTANTLY AFRAID IT IS GOING TO BREAK DOWN AGAIN. DARN SHAME.

NHTSA ODI #10795187

Official recalls

26V307000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module

May 14, 2026

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Elantra and 2016 Elantra GT vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An air bag inflator that ruptures may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or passengers, increasing the risk of injury or death.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the air bag inflator, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 3, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated August, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 300. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 16, 2026.

24V146000 · Latches/locks/linkages:trunk Lid:latch

Feb 23, 2024

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Elantra vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy: Dealers will replace the trunk latch base sub-assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 5, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 256.

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

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.

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