IllustrationThe car engine is consuming too much oil causing the oil to run out of the car too soon. The car engine starts knocking & the car keeps cutting off.
2017 Hyundai Elantra
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Elantra years
Owner complaints for the 2017 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
800–25K
7125–50K
5850–75K
3675–100K
31100–150K
4150K+
280 reports with mileage · 486 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 289 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 134 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 111 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
37 crash reports6 fire reports19 injury reports
Engine complaints
289 reportsOriginal catastrophic engine failure in Sept. of 2022 while exiting the highway, was able to safely leave roadway. Determined that the motor had suffered symptoms shared with models related to Recall 203. Hyundai honored "goodwill" repair, but the repaired motor began suffering substantial and sustained loss of power with eviden…
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Original catastrophic engine failure in Sept. of 2022 while exiting the highway, was able to safely leave roadway. Determined that the motor had suffered symptoms shared with models related to Recall 203. Hyundai honored "goodwill" repair, but the repaired motor began suffering substantial and sustained loss of power with evidence of cylinder scoring 1 year/20,000 miles after replacement. Secondary incident occurred while merging onto highway and required evasive maneuver to avoid collision. Car is now parked and cannot be driven due to inability to operate safely on the road. Summary of events, related correspondence to repair, goodwill repair sheet, and original purchase documentation attached.
Oil consumption. The engine eats oil and is now becoming a concern because timing is off. not to mention the numerous bills for other things going wrong now due to the oil consumption.
The engine failed without warning! The car stalled and could not be started again. There were no warning lights or indicators that the engine was having problems. The car had fresh oil and luckily I was just completing the safety check after an oil change. Had I been on the road, this could've been dangerous. The Hyundai dealers…
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The engine failed without warning! The car stalled and could not be started again. There were no warning lights or indicators that the engine was having problems. The car had fresh oil and luckily I was just completing the safety check after an oil change. Had I been on the road, this could've been dangerous. The Hyundai dealership noted a seized engine with no further explanation without an extra $1000 charge. It will cost $10,000 to replace the engine that was well taken care of and only had 106, 748 miles on it.
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an abnormal oil consumption and engine oil needed to be added on several occasions. The contact inspected the vehicle but there were no leaks were found. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent me…
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The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the vehicle was experiencing an abnormal oil consumption and engine oil needed to be added on several occasions. The contact inspected the vehicle but there were no leaks were found. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where no leaks were found. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, but the diagnostic result was unavailable. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
Our Hyundai Elantra Se 2017, engine blown. Started with knocking sound and when we stopped on the side of the highway it powered down. We have been told that unfortunately so many of hyundai's vehicle engines have been super problematic within the last decade. We were stranded on vacation. Had to pay for towing twice and a renta…
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Our Hyundai Elantra Se 2017, engine blown. Started with knocking sound and when we stopped on the side of the highway it powered down. We have been told that unfortunately so many of hyundai's vehicle engines have been super problematic within the last decade. We were stranded on vacation. Had to pay for towing twice and a rental car to get back to North Carolina because we had to get back to work. We also have had to pay to diagnose the vehicle twice. We had the issue diagnosed with an independent service center Tuffys Auto in St. Johns Florida and now it currently is at Hyundai in St. Augustine. We have been without our vehicle for over a month and with the trending problems with these engines we shouldnt have to come out of pocket to fix it. Hyundai corporate has not been helpful at all even though we have had a case manager for over a month and they havent given us any info.
The vehicle engine is burning oil. I found my oil pan having little to no oil and having a burnt smell to it and only 70,000 miles on the odometer. Hyundai made me pay for to have a combustion cleaning to help with the issue and would not cover it! This could have had my car blow up having no oil
I've heard that 2017 Hyundai Engines have had some recalls and looking online at others with these vehicles also experiencing same problems. Car only has 82,000 miles and now cutting off in the middle of driving under 1500 RPMs also shaking until it cuts off. Seems these cars engine warranty should cover the attached repairs …
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I've heard that 2017 Hyundai Engines have had some recalls and looking online at others with these vehicles also experiencing same problems. Car only has 82,000 miles and now cutting off in the middle of driving under 1500 RPMs also shaking until it cuts off. Seems these cars engine warranty should cover the attached repairs as we've always done excellent service on these vehicles. I'm trying to see if there is anything I can do as we now have a $3500 repair and have to get a rental car in order to get to work.
The engine of my vehicle malfunctioned. It is available for inspection upon request, it will have to be towed. The problem put myself and others in danger as the car stopped as I was driving in the middle of a 3-lane highway in the far left lane. Others were put in danger as they had to swerve to avoid hitting me. That itself co…
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The engine of my vehicle malfunctioned. It is available for inspection upon request, it will have to be towed. The problem put myself and others in danger as the car stopped as I was driving in the middle of a 3-lane highway in the far left lane. Others were put in danger as they had to swerve to avoid hitting me. That itself could have caused a chain collision as other vehicles in the middle lane were put in danger. I was also at risk to get rear ended as one might not notice that my speed has stopped increasing. I have already had it towed to a local Hyundai dealership and auto shop; both said it needs a new engine. Towing receipt is shown below. I had no warning lights on my dash prior to the engine failure. A battery light and check engine light appeared after I was able to safely pull to the side of the road and try to start the car again.
While driving on three occasions I was driving and my car completely shut off where I had to pull over once to restart the car. The other two times I was on the freeway and had to put the car in neutral and restart the car. I almost got hit both times on the freeway when this happened.
Official recalls
417V213000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System
Mar 28, 2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Elantra vehicles. The affected vehicles may have a damaged Electronic Power Steering (MDPS) connector resulting in a loss of electric power steering assistance.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Loss of power steering assist would require higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EPS motor, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 28, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-243-7766. Hyundai's number for this recall 161.
17V063000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:hydraulic
Jan 26, 2017
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Elantra vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the brake booster may fail, resulting in a loss of power brake assist.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loss of power brake assist can lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai has notified owners, and dealers will replace the brake system booster assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 157.
16V956000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Dec 30, 2016
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2017 Hyundai Elantra vehicles manufactured April 15, 2016, to September 13, 2016, and Sonata vehicles manufactured May 27, 2016 to September 16, 2016. In these vehicles, the end seal for the driver's frontal air bag inflator may not have been properly installed, possibly resulting in reduced inflation of the frontal air bag in the event of a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not inflate fully increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 156.
16V232000 · Air Bags:frontal
Apr 21, 2016
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016 to February 22, 2016, and one 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicle manufactured October 15, 2015. In these vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag may be missing a chemical enhancer required for the second stage air bag deployment, resulting in the second stage not deploying in certain crashes. The primary stage will deploy as intended.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An air bag that does not inflate increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on May 5,2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 144.
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
1DP22003 · Loss Of Motive Power
Opened Sep 12, 2022 · Closed Dec 12, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are susceptible to cracking. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11481745. On September 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Defect Petition (DP22-003) to evaluate the Petitioners’ request. The Petitioners have provided additional complaints within four supplemental letters dated January 31, 2023, March 21, 2023, May 23, 2023, and August 4, 2023. ODI’s evaluation included the review and analysis of the complaints and supporting information submitted by the Petitioners, as well as additional complaints submitted directly to NHTSA which referenced either the oil drain plug or a crack in the oil pan. After reviewing the available data, ODI has not identified evidence that would support opening a defect investigation into the oil drain pan assemblies of the subject vehicles. Based on a review of the available information, a loss of motive power resulting from an oil drain plug back out has not occurred between the initial sale of a vehicle and the completion of its first oil change. If during an oil change service, a technician fails to remove the existing drain plug gasket before installing a new gasket, it is likely that a proper seal between the drain plug and the oil pan will not be made. An improper seal between the drain plug and oil pan could lead to the backing out on the drain plug, resulting in the sudden loss of oil while driving. Additionally, the provided examples of oil pan cracks were localized to the immediate vicinity of the oil drain plug and/or appeared to be the result of direct-contact with a tool during servicing. There is no information to support that a vehicle-based defect exists relating to the oil pan assembly, and instead the documented incidents are related to the failure to follow the proper maintenance procedures during oil change service. In October 2023, Hyundai published a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that provided detailed instructions for oil change service on its gasoline powered vehicles, specifically highlighting the need to remove and replace the existing drain plug gasket prior to reinstalling the drain plug. After a thorough review of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to motor vehicle safety implicated by the petitioners' allegations, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. Therefore, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA’s reasons for denial of the petition will be published. The reference numbers for the complaints to NHTSA cited by the petitioner can be found in the petition submission documents in the public file for DP22-003. To review those complaints and the additional complaints ODI added to its evaluation which are cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.