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2019 Hyundai Elantra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2019 Hyundai Elantra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 182.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 57 of 250 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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 132 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 65 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 37 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 reports3 fire reports3 injury reports

What owners actually said

250 reports
Mileage unknown · Feb 22, 2020
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

AFTER HAVING MY 2019 HYUNDAI THAT I BOUGHT BRAND NEW MY HEADLIGHTS QUITE SWITCHING TO HIGH BEAMS AND WOULD ONLY RUN LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS BUT INSTEAD OF BEING BRIGHT THEY WERE DIMMER THAN WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSE TO BE. I TRIED TO EXCHANGE THE HEADLIGHTS TO SEE IF THE BULBS WERE BURNT OUT AND EVEN WITH BRAND NEW BULBS THE HEAD LIGH…

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AFTER HAVING MY 2019 HYUNDAI THAT I BOUGHT BRAND NEW MY HEADLIGHTS QUITE SWITCHING TO HIGH BEAMS AND WOULD ONLY RUN LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS BUT INSTEAD OF BEING BRIGHT THEY WERE DIMMER THAN WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSE TO BE. I TRIED TO EXCHANGE THE HEADLIGHTS TO SEE IF THE BULBS WERE BURNT OUT AND EVEN WITH BRAND NEW BULBS THE HEAD LIGHTS STILL WOULDN'T SWITCH OVER TO HIGH BEAMS AND WERE STILL VERY DIM WITH BRAND NEW BULBS. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS EVEN THOUGH I TOLD THEM THERE WAS A BURNING SMELL COMING FROM THE WIRING HARNESS FOR BOTH HEADLIGHTS AND WHAT LOOKED LIKE A RELAY BOARD FOR THE BRIGHT LIGHT SWITCH LOOKED BURNT UP INSTEAD OF IT LOOKING LIKE A SHINY NEW SILVER BOARD. THEN ABOUT A WEEK LATER BOTH HEADLIGHTS WENT COMPLETELY OUT AND I COULDN'T DRIVE AT NIGHT DUE TO NOT HAVING ANY HEADLIGHTS SO I REPLACED THE BULBS AGAIN AND AGAIN THEY GAVE ME A DIM LIGHT WITH NO HIGH BEAM LIGHTS. SO TO THIS DAY I AM STILL HAVING PROBLEMS WITH .MY HEADLIGHTS AND NO ONE FROM HYUNDAI CAN SEEM TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S GOING ON ON THIS BRAND NEW 2019 HYUNDAI ELANTRA SE

NHTSA ODI #11310810

13,500 miles · Feb 15, 2020
Power TrainSeat Belts

SEAT BELT SENSOR ACTIVATES WITH VERY LITTLE WEIGHT IN THE SEAT (LESS THAN 10 LBS) THE ALARMS CONTINUES TO GO OFF EVEN WHEN THE SEAT IS EMPTY. IVT TRANSMISSION KNOWN BY CVT. I SKATE WHEN I SLOWLY ACCELERATE IN OCCASIONS APROXMATE 5 TO 20 SECONDS. GIVES ME A SLIGHT HIT IN THE TRANSMISSION.

NHTSA ODI #11309300

28,000 miles · Dec 11, 2019
Seat Belts

SEAT BELT SENSOR ACTIVATES WITH VERY LITTLE WEIGHT IN THE SEAT (LESS THAN 10 LBS) THE ALARMS CONTINUES TO GO OFF EVEN WHEN THE SEAT IS EMPTY. THIS HAS HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES IN THE LAST FEW WEEKS

NHTSA ODI #11288308

Mileage unknown · Dec 9, 2019
Exterior LightingService BrakesSteering

I BOUGHT A NEW VEHICLE ON SEP. 5, 2019 AND TOOK IT IN ON DEC. 4, 2019 FOR AN OIL CHANGE. HAD COMPLAINTS -- LIGHTS, BRAKES PEDAL FLAPPING, AND RUNNING SLUGGISH.THAT WERE CHECKED OUT. REPAIR RECEIPT REPORTS A SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS COMPLETED DUE TO A RECALL.NOTHING WAS REPORTED TO ME BEFORE THE REPAIRS WERE MADE. WHEN I CHECKED FOR…

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I BOUGHT A NEW VEHICLE ON SEP. 5, 2019 AND TOOK IT IN ON DEC. 4, 2019 FOR AN OIL CHANGE. HAD COMPLAINTS -- LIGHTS, BRAKES PEDAL FLAPPING, AND RUNNING SLUGGISH.THAT WERE CHECKED OUT. REPAIR RECEIPT REPORTS A SOFTWARE UPDATE WAS COMPLETED DUE TO A RECALL.NOTHING WAS REPORTED TO ME BEFORE THE REPAIRS WERE MADE. WHEN I CHECKED FOR RECALLS, INCLUDING YOUR SITE, BEFORE PURCHASING THE VEHICLE I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THERE NO RECALLS AND YOU REPORT NONE. WHAT IS 97HYZZ1: RECALL. T3W - ELANTRA ECM SOFTWARE UPDATE (19-01-027H) CAUSED BY RECALL THIS VEHICLE IS 3 MONTHS OLD AND HAD 2156 MILES ON IT WHEN I TOOK IT IN. IF THERE WAS A RECALL, SHOULD IT HAVE BEEN MADE BEFORE THE VEHICLE WAS SOLD TO ME AND DISCLOSED? IS THIS PROHIBITED. WHAT PROTECTION DOES THE CONSUMER HAVE?

NHTSA ODI #11287956

6,000 miles · Nov 15, 2019
Service BrakesCrash

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 53 MPH, A DEER COLLIDED WITH THE VEHICLE. WHILE COASTING OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE MEDIAN, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED TO THE FLOORBOARD AND FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT QUICKLY ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BR…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 53 MPH, A DEER COLLIDED WITH THE VEHICLE. WHILE COASTING OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE MEDIAN, THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED TO THE FLOORBOARD AND FAILED TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE CONTACT QUICKLY ENGAGED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,000. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

NHTSA ODI #11280269

10,221 miles · Aug 4, 2019
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Service BrakesWheels

DASH WARNING LIGHT

NHTSA ODI #11241636

30,000 miles · Jul 19, 2019
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

MY BRAKE LIGHT AND TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS HAVE WENT OUT ROUGHLY 5 TIMES IN THE LAST MONTH AND I JUST PURCHASED THE VEHICLE A MONTH AGO. MOSTLY OCCURS WHILE DRIVING AND RANDOMLY GOES OUT. THE ENTIRE CASING WAS REPLACED AND THE ISSUE IS STILL OCCURRING.

NHTSA ODI #11233403

275 miles · May 25, 2019
Electrical System

CAR REPEATEDLY HAS THE BLIND SPOT SENSOR SYSTEM ALARMING OUT AND SHUTTING OFF TILL CAR IS RESTARTED, COULD BE A SAFETY ISSUE IF YOU DONT REALIZE THAT IT IS NO LONGER WORKING. 10 TIMES BETWEEN 275 MILES AND 1300

NHTSA ODI #11209990

Mileage unknown · Apr 18, 2019
SteeringCrashFire

TL* THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF THE DRIVER OF A 2019 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO TREES AND A SMALL ABANDONED HOME. THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES. THE DRIVER WAS TRAPPED INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND BURNED TO DEATH. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISH…

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TL* THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF THE DRIVER OF A 2019 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO TREES AND A SMALL ABANDONED HOME. THE VEHICLE BURST INTO FLAMES. THE DRIVER WAS TRAPPED INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND BURNED TO DEATH. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN UNKNOWN LOCATION. THE STATE TROOPER CONTACTED HYUNDAI OF DOTHAN (LOCATED AT 2329 ROSS CLARK CIR, DOTHAN, AL 36301, (334) 699-6416) WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CAUSE OF THE STEERING FAILURE WAS UNKNOWN. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN.

NHTSA ODI #11197230

Mileage unknown · Mar 24, 2019
Unknown Or Other

THE WIND NOISE IS VERY BAD AT ANY SPEED AND THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM IS VERY BAD ON BUMPS.

NHTSA ODI #11191187

Official recalls

1

21V301000 · Engine

Apr 28, 2021

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Elantra, 2019-2021 Kona and Veloster vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.

Remedy: Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Hyundai will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. Owner notification letters were mailed August 24, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.

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.

Go deeper into Hyundai Elantra problems