Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
350–25K
1825–50K
3650–75K
1775–100K
13100–150K
4150K+
123 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 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
What owners actually said
292 reports
Mileage unknown · Jun 20, 2022
Structure
The trunk latch stopped working. There was a recall in 8/2021 for the same issue with Hyundai and Kia models. I strongly believe this recall should be extended to include 2016 Hyundai elantras because this is a safety issue. God forbid someone were to get stuck in the trunk they would have no way of getting out as I do not have …
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The trunk latch stopped working. There was a recall in 8/2021 for the same issue with Hyundai and Kia models. I strongly believe this recall should be extended to include 2016 Hyundai elantras because this is a safety issue. God forbid someone were to get stuck in the trunk they would have no way of getting out as I do not have a trunk release button on my key fob or a key hole on the trunk itself. The only way to open the trunk is the lever on the drivers side floorboard which stopped working abruptly approximately one month ago. I live in SC and I strongly believe the heat has something to do with the malfunction. Heat was implicated in the 2021 recall. Please assist as this is a widespread issue with no solution or acknowledgement from Hyundai.
NHTSA ODI #11470039
Mileage unknown · Jun 15, 2022
Fuel/propulsion System
Inside of my car smells like gas strongly everytime it gets hot outside. I also can see the fumes coming out of the gas tank.
NHTSA ODI #11469492
67,000 miles · Jun 15, 2022
EngineFire
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact's wife was driving approximately 12 MPH smelled a burning odor, as she parked at the residence she saw smoke emitting from under the hood and the vehicle ignited and began to burn. The contact stated that the engine caught on fire. The contact stated his wife did not notice an…
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The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact's wife was driving approximately 12 MPH smelled a burning odor, as she parked at the residence she saw smoke emitting from under the hood and the vehicle ignited and began to burn. The contact stated that the engine caught on fire. The contact stated his wife did not notice any warning light was illuminated. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire with water. The fire department wrote an incident report. The police department was also on scene but did not issue a report. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The front of the vehicle was severely damaged. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.
NHTSA ODI #11469408
Mileage unknown · Jun 9, 2022
Service Brakes
The stop lamps on my 2016 Hyundai Elantra (date of delivery 7/9/2015) began to illuminate continuously on 5/13/2022 in Miami, FL - even after I turned off the engine. Consequently, my battery fully discharged. The traction control warning lamp was illuminated, too. These symptoms are precisely the ones identified in the 12/13/20…
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The stop lamps on my 2016 Hyundai Elantra (date of delivery 7/9/2015) began to illuminate continuously on 5/13/2022 in Miami, FL - even after I turned off the engine. Consequently, my battery fully discharged. The traction control warning lamp was illuminated, too. These symptoms are precisely the ones identified in the 12/13/2017 Brake Pedal Stopper Replacement Recall Campaign 170 for model year 2013-14 Hyundai Elantras . According to the January 2018 Hyundai TSB 18-01-005 a deteriorated brake pedal stopper pad can result in the stop lamps illuminating continuously, illumination of the traction control warning lamp, the ability to move the shift lever without depressing the brake pedal, or activation of the engine management system’s brake pedal override feature. The TSB says that any of the described symptoms can increase the risk of a crash. It appears Elantras manufactured after model year 2014 were produced with defective brake pedal stoppers. For example, see NHTSA ID Number: 11292278 (12/31/2019 complaint – Davie, FL) and NHTSA ID Number: 11182014 (2/22/2019 complaint – Orlando, FL). AAA jump-started my car and I took it to Braman Hyundai in Miami today. Sure enough, they found that the brake pedal stopper pad deteriorated and that led to a complete battery discharge. They replaced the brake pedal stopper pad and battery. Both the dealer and Hyundai Consumer Affairs say too bad - 2016 models were not part of the recall (for the same brake pedal stopper pad). The danger from Hyundai's defective brake pedal stopper continued through2016 models delivered in 2015. 2015-16 Elantras should be recalled to replace the brake pedal stopper - and frankly Hyundai should pay for owners' out-of-pocket expenses incurred due to the defective brake pedal stoppers (in my case over $600 for the brake pedal stopper pad and battery - including labor). WHY IS RECALL 170 NOT EXTENDED TO 2015-16 HYUNDAI ELANTRAS?
NHTSA ODI #11468480
Mileage unknown · Jun 3, 2022
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control
April 2022 Car engine stalls while at stop sign or light. Started happening once or twice every few weeks. Took the vehicle to two repair shops but could not diagnose the issue. Vehicle giving no diagnostic codes or warning lights. May 2022 vehicle is now stalling and losing acceleration while driving on busy highway, leaving me…
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April 2022 Car engine stalls while at stop sign or light. Started happening once or twice every few weeks. Took the vehicle to two repair shops but could not diagnose the issue. Vehicle giving no diagnostic codes or warning lights. May 2022 vehicle is now stalling and losing acceleration while driving on busy highway, leaving me and my children on the highway shoulder. Car loses acceleration and coasts to a complete stop. No warning lights have come on previously. Could not book an appointment with Hyundai dealer until June 25, 2022. As of June 3rd 2022, check engine light is on and car having trouble starting back up after stall. Vehicle is stalling and losing acceleration 2-3 times a day no matter the speed. Booked appointment with Hyundai dealer in another area for June 9, 2022.
NHTSA ODI #11467344
Mileage unknown · May 25, 2022
EngineService Brakes
The car stalls at low idle intermittently. The transmission is leaking badly and won't drive. One day the engine began smoking badly. If I hit a dip in the road well braking the brakes don't work at all for a second.
NHTSA ODI #11466021
Mileage unknown · May 16, 2022
Power Train
My 2016 Hyundai Elantra started jerking and losing acceleration power. I got stuck at a stop sign because the car lost the ability to change gears. It felt very unsafe to be stuck in the middle of traffic and have to wave people around my vehicle at night. I’ve taken it to two different mechanics who have both said my vehicle ha…
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My 2016 Hyundai Elantra started jerking and losing acceleration power. I got stuck at a stop sign because the car lost the ability to change gears. It felt very unsafe to be stuck in the middle of traffic and have to wave people around my vehicle at night. I’ve taken it to two different mechanics who have both said my vehicle has experienced premature transmission failure due to a factory defect. The car has 90,000 miles. I am a second owner so my warranty ended at 60,000 miles. There was no warning or dash lights. It was very abrupt and unexpected.
NHTSA ODI #11464898
Mileage unknown · May 14, 2022
Electrical System
I was driving my vehicle damages stop accelerating the check engine light battery light and all light all came on in a vehicle just came to a complete stop and did not let me restart the vehicle. This has happened to me a second time.
NHTSA ODI #11464608
Mileage unknown · Apr 20, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System
Engine Code: P0335 Crankshaft Position Sensor 'A' Circuit Severe Issue Consequences of Continued Driving - Rough running - possible Misfire - May not start In my case I was at work and it wouldn’t start at all. It ended up having to be towed. Had the battery tested and it was fine then I bought a “FIXD” sensor and it told me the…
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Engine Code: P0335 Crankshaft Position Sensor 'A' Circuit Severe Issue Consequences of Continued Driving - Rough running - possible Misfire - May not start In my case I was at work and it wouldn’t start at all. It ended up having to be towed. Had the battery tested and it was fine then I bought a “FIXD” sensor and it told me the problem
NHTSA ODI #11461512
Mileage unknown · Mar 25, 2022
Air BagsCrashInjury
My daughter and friend were in an accident, traveling 50 miles an hour and hit the center barrier on the highway. The air bags didn’t employ. The Minnesota Department of Transportation came up on the accident right away and got them safely off the highway so they wouldn’t get hit by other cars. They have provided us with the…
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My daughter and friend were in an accident, traveling 50 miles an hour and hit the center barrier on the highway. The air bags didn’t employ. The Minnesota Department of Transportation came up on the accident right away and got them safely off the highway so they wouldn’t get hit by other cars. They have provided us with the video of the accident. My daughter and friend had no protection due to air bags not deploying. She has been seen by a doctor for whip lash, neck and headache pains as symptoms. As well as being traumatized by the incident me lack of protection. We have sent the pictures and video to the insurance and they are reviewing to determine if the vehicle can be repaired of totaled. Although, question as to whether they would fix it with what appears to be defective air bags. We will not put her back on the vehicle if repaired without some air bag inspection. Traffic control told her not to call police at accident site due to danger of being on the highway. We did extensive research on the car before buying and we don’t show any recalls as of today. We are very lucky they weren’t seriously injured and don’t want this to happen to anyone else.
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.
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
1
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.