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2018 Hyundai Elantra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Hyundai Elantra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 182.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

91 reports with mileage · 190 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 140 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

12 crash reports7 fire reports6 injury reports

Engine complaints

140 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 13, 2022
Engine

While driving lost acceleration, car stalled multiple times. No dash light on at all when this happens. Having to add oil to my engine between oil changes.

NHTSA ODI #11484157

Mileage unknown · Aug 18, 2022
Engine

While driving, the acceleration stopped working and loud clanging noises were heard in the engine. There were no warning lights, nothing. I was driving on a busy road and the lack of acceleration created a major safety hazard for me and the vehicles around me. I eventually pulled over and restarted the car. It happened three…

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While driving, the acceleration stopped working and loud clanging noises were heard in the engine. There were no warning lights, nothing. I was driving on a busy road and the lack of acceleration created a major safety hazard for me and the vehicles around me. I eventually pulled over and restarted the car. It happened three more times on the way home. I got the car to my local mechanic and he said that it was the engine and it needed to be replaced. He saw this many times before on this model and told me to bring it to the dealer. I had the car towed to the Hyundai dealer/service center in Milford, Connecticut. I am waiting for them to look at it. I know that this has happened to many others with a 2018 Elantra and I am very upset that the car failed.

NHTSA ODI #11480094

Mileage unknown · Aug 6, 2022
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

Engine stalls while driving. No warning, intermitted full shut down of the engine. Can happen multiple times in a row, only making it a few hundred feet before stalling again. The only remedy is to put the car in park and start the engine again, however, that is not always easy to do when on the road, and the car can only drif…

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Engine stalls while driving. No warning, intermitted full shut down of the engine. Can happen multiple times in a row, only making it a few hundred feet before stalling again. The only remedy is to put the car in park and start the engine again, however, that is not always easy to do when on the road, and the car can only drift and brake. It is not safe when the car stalls, especially in traffic -- can be dangerous to myself and others on the road if I am unable to pull the car over or get it to start up again on the interstate. I have been to a mechanic, and 2 dealerships who claim they cannot replicate the problem, and even when it stalled in the parking lot when I was leaving, there were no error codes on the computer. This being said, without a code or a proper diagnosis, I am at a standstill because "nothing can be done or authorized' by Hyundai without a code. I have been suggested by both dealerships to try and run it and 'kill the engine' because it is still under warranty for another 15,000 miles--but this puts myself and other drivers at risk because the car is unsafe to drive. There is a code from July 16, 2020, a little less than 2 months before I purchased the car about an engine light, this has yet to be addressed. This problem appeared out of nowhere one day while driving on the interstate and has been an issue ever since.

NHTSA ODI #11477963

106,000 miles · Jul 26, 2022
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed; however, the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The ve…

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The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed; however, the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.

NHTSA ODI #11475890

Mileage unknown · Jul 6, 2022
Engine

My husband was driving the car when all of a sudden it stalled during morning rush hour traffic. As traffic zipped by us he quickly put the car in neutral and started the car. When it turned back on the car made a loud knocking noise. He proceeded to drive back home where it stalled one more time. When he was getting close to th…

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My husband was driving the car when all of a sudden it stalled during morning rush hour traffic. As traffic zipped by us he quickly put the car in neutral and started the car. When it turned back on the car made a loud knocking noise. He proceeded to drive back home where it stalled one more time. When he was getting close to the house the knocking noise got louder. He then called our local Hyundai dealership and they stated that they would not inspect the car for well over a week. We then had a mechanic come over the house to take a look at it. The mechanic stated that we didn’t have any oil left in the engine. Even though we had an oil change three months, the engine had burned through all of the oil. We bought oil to fill the engine but chose not to drive the car anymore out of fear for our safety and of messing up the engine any further. The car has not been inspected yet by the manufacturer, but we are speaking to Hyundai Consumer Affairs about it. Also, before the incident and at the time of, there was no lights or warnings for the engine or that it was missing oil.

NHTSA ODI #11472572

Mileage unknown · Jul 3, 2022
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

UNKNOWN - for the past several months, since my car hit the 70,000 mileage mark, my check engine light has come on while experiencing hard idling, delayed acceleration/power while driving - particularly on gradual inclines and hilly roads. I would suspect it has something to do with the power or fuel system. I have changed oil t…

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UNKNOWN - for the past several months, since my car hit the 70,000 mileage mark, my check engine light has come on while experiencing hard idling, delayed acceleration/power while driving - particularly on gradual inclines and hilly roads. I would suspect it has something to do with the power or fuel system. I have changed oil twice and had a diagnostic test done and mechanic is unable to pinpoint issue since it is not consistent.

NHTSA ODI #11472184

Mileage unknown · Jun 16, 2022
Engine

Multiple events of engine shutoff while driving. This results in loss of power braking, power steering and any acceleration. This occurs both at highway and non-highway speeds. This is obviously a safety concern, as, until the engine is restarted, there is difficulty in safely manuevering the vehicle. The engine may or may not b…

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Multiple events of engine shutoff while driving. This results in loss of power braking, power steering and any acceleration. This occurs both at highway and non-highway speeds. This is obviously a safety concern, as, until the engine is restarted, there is difficulty in safely manuevering the vehicle. The engine may or may not be immediately able to restart. This occurs with the vehicle in gear during normal driving conditions (IE, driving at a steady speed on flat road) This is accompanied by multiple CEL faults relating to CCV timing, engine misfire, etc. This was a known issue in prior engine revision (Theta 2.0L), and appears to be subject to a recall of the same engine (Nu 2.0L) in other models. This vehicle was taken to the local dealer and confirmed to need an engine replacement with a similar failure mechanism as the Theta 2.0L (failed lubrication of pistons resulting in premature wear leading to early failure resulting in misfire/"piston slap")

NHTSA ODI #11469552

Mileage unknown · Jun 8, 2022
Engine

I just purchased this car on may 10 2022 after only having it a week engine light came on.startes to loose power and shake really bad. Took to shop replaced spark plugs and some other .think that was just a week ago .now while driving to day car just cuts of now don't wants to start.no waring lights just died .wondering do I hav…

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I just purchased this car on may 10 2022 after only having it a week engine light came on.startes to loose power and shake really bad. Took to shop replaced spark plugs and some other .think that was just a week ago .now while driving to day car just cuts of now don't wants to start.no waring lights just died .wondering do I have a lemon.

NHTSA ODI #11468352

Mileage unknown · May 26, 2022
EngineUnknown Or Other

At slow speeds car just shuts off engine. Starts back up but does it constantly. Also the engine lifters are starting to make noises like a clacking someone said it was a defective motor.

NHTSA ODI #11466189

Mileage unknown · May 19, 2022
EnginePower Train

I've had several issues over the years with this vehicle but nothing too major but more so a nuisance. Such as the car hesitating when accelerating, light bulbs constantly burning out on the vehicle within less than a year of being replaced by myself , etc. It is now April 2022 and vehicle problems begin arising, I heard a weird…

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I've had several issues over the years with this vehicle but nothing too major but more so a nuisance. Such as the car hesitating when accelerating, light bulbs constantly burning out on the vehicle within less than a year of being replaced by myself , etc. It is now April 2022 and vehicle problems begin arising, I heard a weird noise coming from the engine (after much personal research learned this is a knocking sound). Which also happens to be the same issue from the prior year models. One day while out running errands the car just completely dies and goes into limp mode while I was turning onto a busy street (very dangerous). I drove it a very short distance back & forth to work a couple of times because thats as far as I felt going safety wise. The engine jerked forward one day but still continued to run. Then one day on my way home from work when I began slowing down to turn into a driveway. The car completely died again. It went into limp mode enough for me to creep and barely park it where I ended up having to get out & push the vehicle. It doesn't turn over or start at all now. The car gave absolutely no warnings no codes for me to turn to regarding what was going on etc. Hyundai says in order for it to be covered under the warranty that I have to provide them with information. Which I have no problem doing. However based on the research that I've done from other Hyundai Elantra owners others have had similar issues. My Car is barely 4 years old & only has about 65,000 miles on it. I went with Hyundai's because I wanted something that would be safe and reliable especially because I had a child coming into the world at any moment. I ended up going with this vehicle which isn't even 5 years old & it has already become a lemon. Hyundai currently has the vehicle as I try to figure out what to do with it. Since I no longer feel safe driving it. There are no warning lamps etc that came on.

NHTSA ODI #11465352

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

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