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2020 Hyundai Elantra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2020 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

75 reports with mileage · 175 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 105 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 47 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 28 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

21 crash reports6 fire reports12 injury reports

Vehicle Speed Control complaints

13 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jun 9, 2026
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

Currently, there are 30,564 miles on my vehicle and I am the original owner of the vehicle since early 2021. This is a continuous intermittent problem that can occur at any time when trying to accelerate the vehicle. The vehicle could be moving down the road and you go to accelerate and the RPM's drop dramatically, giving you …

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Currently, there are 30,564 miles on my vehicle and I am the original owner of the vehicle since early 2021. This is a continuous intermittent problem that can occur at any time when trying to accelerate the vehicle. The vehicle could be moving down the road and you go to accelerate and the RPM's drop dramatically, giving you no power. The same thing has happened when trying to accelerate from a stop. The vehicle would start to accelerate and then all of a sudden the RPM's drop, giving you no power. I have had the vehicle to the dealership for this problem and I am being told that they can't do anything about it because they can't duplicate it. If this happened when it was necessary for me to get out of the way of a vehicle, an accident could occur, resulting in sirius injury or death. Also, there were no warning lights or check engine light that came on at any time when the problem presented itself.

NHTSA ODI #11742932

106,000 miles · May 5, 2026
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

The Contact owns a 2020 HYUNDAI Elantra. The contact stated while operating the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, he noticed that his RPM were going back and forth while on cruise control, after removing cruise control the vehicle stayed the same. The vehicle was pulled over and restarted but the vehicle was hesitating to acceler…

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The Contact owns a 2020 HYUNDAI Elantra. The contact stated while operating the vehicle at an undisclosed speed, he noticed that his RPM were going back and forth while on cruise control, after removing cruise control the vehicle stayed the same. The vehicle was pulled over and restarted but the vehicle was hesitating to accelerate and noticed a issue with the gears not. The vehicle was towed to a independent mechanic but was not fully diagnosed due to the transmission driving forward when in neutral. The dealer was notified of the failure and a appointment was set for a later date. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 106,000.

NHTSA ODI #11735846

Mileage unknown · Nov 25, 2025
EngineForward Collision AvoidanceVehicle Speed Control

Cruise control on 55mph, car has slowed down going straight no uphill or downhill and accelerator did not work nothing blocking the accelerator. Had to pull over to a shoulder to shut engine off and on to drive. Tapping cruise control up to speed up in regulated area such as from 55 to a 65mph zone.. cruise control speed lowered…

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Cruise control on 55mph, car has slowed down going straight no uphill or downhill and accelerator did not work nothing blocking the accelerator. Had to pull over to a shoulder to shut engine off and on to drive. Tapping cruise control up to speed up in regulated area such as from 55 to a 65mph zone.. cruise control speed lowered. Attempting to speed up with accelerator still only slowing down. 3 times this year I had to change spark plugs within a 6 month period Error code p0302. Replaced battery alongside. Continues p0302 code. Replaced all coils and spark plugs still p0302. Climbing uphill vehicle sometimes looses power that happened twice in 2025 and twice in 2022. 3 times in 2024. That i must turn on hazards and floor the accelerator to gain speed on up hills in neighborhoods going 25 mph. I have dropped to 10 mph. I get oil change regularly. Always when due. Every few months I make sure to get a full car inspection to make sure everything is in proper working order.

NHTSA ODI #11701387

Mileage unknown · Sep 11, 2024
SteeringVehicle Speed ControlCrashFireInjury

The contact called on behalf of their son who owns a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while their son was decelerating, speed was unknown, and coming to a stop sign. The next thing their son was able to recall was that the vehicle had suddenly turned right crashing into an electrical pole nearby. The air bags deploy…

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The contact called on behalf of their son who owns a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while their son was decelerating, speed was unknown, and coming to a stop sign. The next thing their son was able to recall was that the vehicle had suddenly turned right crashing into an electrical pole nearby. The air bags deployed. The driver had lost consciousness during the crash making it difficult to recall all that occurred. The vehicle was towed but they had not yet received any confirmation if the vehicle had been totaled. The electrical pole had fallen and began to catch fire. The fire department had put out the fire. The contact was not completely sure of the damage done to the vehicle. The driver lost consciousness and received an injury on their right arm. Medical attention was needed. The contact could only assume a police report had been filed but had not heard from the police department to confirm. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI #11613933

Mileage unknown · Jun 28, 2024
Electrical SystemEngineVehicle Speed Control

Car is almost stalling Randomly on the highway . The rpm’s go up and car won’t speed up slows down . Stalls very randomly I am terrified to drive it , I used to have so much confidence on a newer Hyundai .

NHTSA ODI #11597478

Mileage unknown · Mar 11, 2024
EnginePower TrainVehicle Speed Control

Engine seized while going 55-60mph with warning lights only 15 seconds before my vehicle completely stopped on the highway [XXX] ) The engine was replaced by Hyundai along with the manifold and catalytic converter. Vehicle lost all control and power and started excessively knocking while I tried to get to the shoulder but on…

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Engine seized while going 55-60mph with warning lights only 15 seconds before my vehicle completely stopped on the highway [XXX] ) The engine was replaced by Hyundai along with the manifold and catalytic converter. Vehicle lost all control and power and started excessively knocking while I tried to get to the shoulder but only made it to the right lane. The safety of others and myself were out at risk due to no control of the vehicle. Repair order attached INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11576749

Mileage unknown · Sep 12, 2022
Vehicle Speed Control

When cruise control is activated the rpm increases 700 to 1000 rpm regardless of the speed

NHTSA ODI #11484125

8,000 miles · Apr 20, 2021
Forward Collision AvoidanceVehicle Speed Control

WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS ACTIVATED, THE ENGINE RPM AUTOMATICALLY INCREASES BY ABOUT 700 RPM. AT 75 MPH, THE ENGINE RPM IS 2300. WHEN CONTROL IS ACTIVATED, ENGINE RPM INCREASES TO 3000 RPM AND REMAINS THERE. THIS DECREASES GAS MILESGE AND INCREASES WEAR ON ENGINE.

NHTSA ODI #11413015

9,450 miles · Oct 23, 2020
Vehicle Speed Control

CONDITIONS: WHILE DRIVING ON A FLAT ROAD SURFACE/TERRAIN, MAINTAINING A CONSISTENT SPEED, AND CONSISTENT PEDAL APPLICATION. IF YOU SET CRUISE CONTROL, THE RPMS WILL JUMP BY 500 OR MORE. THE JUMP IN ENGINE SPEED IS MAINTAINED, NOT TEMPORARY. THE SUSTAINED INCREASE IN ENGINE SPEED WILL REDUCE FUEL ECONOMY AND INCREASE MECHANICAL W…

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CONDITIONS: WHILE DRIVING ON A FLAT ROAD SURFACE/TERRAIN, MAINTAINING A CONSISTENT SPEED, AND CONSISTENT PEDAL APPLICATION. IF YOU SET CRUISE CONTROL, THE RPMS WILL JUMP BY 500 OR MORE. THE JUMP IN ENGINE SPEED IS MAINTAINED, NOT TEMPORARY. THE SUSTAINED INCREASE IN ENGINE SPEED WILL REDUCE FUEL ECONOMY AND INCREASE MECHANICAL WEAR ON THE VEHICLE. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN PRESENT SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW. I DO HAVE A VIDEO BUT THE 5 MB FILE SIZE LIMIT PREVENTS ME FROM UPLOADING.

NHTSA ODI #11365872

3,200 miles · Oct 10, 2020
Power TrainVehicle Speed Control

I BAUGHT THIS CAR SEPT 1ST 2020, ON OCTOBER 3RD 2020 WHILE DRIVING THE CAR PN MY WAY TO WORK ON THE HYWAY THE TRANSMITION SLIPED AND STOPPED SHIFTING AND WOULDNT SHIFT OUT OF 2ND GEAR AMD CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON I WAS QUICK TO PUT THE HAZARD ON AVOIDING COLLISION FROM BEHIND I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP. WHERE THEY TOLD ME I…

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I BAUGHT THIS CAR SEPT 1ST 2020, ON OCTOBER 3RD 2020 WHILE DRIVING THE CAR PN MY WAY TO WORK ON THE HYWAY THE TRANSMITION SLIPED AND STOPPED SHIFTING AND WOULDNT SHIFT OUT OF 2ND GEAR AMD CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON I WAS QUICK TO PUT THE HAZARD ON AVOIDING COLLISION FROM BEHIND I TOOK IT INTO THE DEALERSHIP. WHERE THEY TOLD ME IT WOULD NEED A FULL TRANSMITION REPLACEMENT DUE TO MANUFACTURE DEFECT. THEY ARE CURRENTLY WITH GDPR THE TRANSMITION TO COME SO I'LL HAVE THIS LONER CAR FOR THE NEXT 2-6 WEEKS.

NHTSA ODI #11363680

Official recalls

3

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.

19V720000 · Wheels:lugs/nuts/bolts/studs

Oct 9, 2019

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019 Ioniq Hybrid and 2020 Elantra vehicles. The right-side rear wheel lug nuts may have been insufficiently tightened, allowing the wheel to detach from the vehicle.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A wheel detaching from the vehicle increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, tighten the lug nuts, free of charge. The recall began November 15, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-251-0871. Hyundai's number for this recall is 184.

19V721000 · Suspension:front:control Arm:lower Ball Joint

Oct 9, 2019

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020 Elantra vehicles. The lower control arm ball joint fasteners may have been insufficiently tightened allowing the ball joint to detach from the lower control arm.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: A detached ball joint can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, tighten the ball joint fasteners, free of charge. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 185.

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