COMPONENT SPOTLIGHT

Hyundai Elantra electrical problems

1,059 distinct owner reports with an electrical-system component in this snapshot.

Includes the electrical-system component and its detailed subcategories. Related recalls and investigations must also name this component; they are not linked by narrative keyword alone.

38 crash reports69 fire reports20 injury reports

Reports by model year

Recall and investigation columns show each year’s full history. A report naming several years can appear in more than one row.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

506 reports with mileage · 553 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 owners actually said

1,059 reports
2014 model year · Mileage unknown · Dec 16, 2022
Electrical SystemFireInjury

I was out running errands and I was taking a break Midway through the day and I had the seat laid back and the car was off the key wasn't even turned forward and I just started to fall asleep when I started feeling something get really hot I opened my eyes and the car was full of thick black smoke so I swung the door open and wi…

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I was out running errands and I was taking a break Midway through the day and I had the seat laid back and the car was off the key wasn't even turned forward and I just started to fall asleep when I started feeling something get really hot I opened my eyes and the car was full of thick black smoke so I swung the door open and with all the smoke went out my passenger seat was on fire on the bottom of the seat I burned my hand really bad in the process of trying to put it out which I have some lawyers working on getting me compensated for all this but it seems to have started in the seat heater all of the wires for the seat heater are all melted and you can clearly see how they started to catch the foam on fire I also googled it and there's been a few other cases of people's Hyundai's catching on fire sitting in their driveway and it started in the seat on their cars too I think I'm the first person that's actually been hurt by it though my hand was burned so bad that the hospital wanted me to go to the burn center I was not able to go to the burn center for financial reasons and work reasons which it ended up putting me out of work anyways I still don't have a feeling in three of my fingers on the ends of them and this whole situation really screwed things up for me and it almost killed me.

NHTSA ODI #11497675

2018 model year · Mileage unknown · Dec 8, 2022
Electrical System

My car was stolen because of how easy it is to start it without a key.

NHTSA ODI #11496585

2015 model year · Mileage unknown · Dec 7, 2022
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

The headlights randomly turn off or switch between high and low beams. This is dangerous especially at night because high beams can impair another driver's vision or having the lights turn off completely makes me unseen on the road. My car is available for inspection upon request. When I have gone online, I have seen other Hyun…

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The headlights randomly turn off or switch between high and low beams. This is dangerous especially at night because high beams can impair another driver's vision or having the lights turn off completely makes me unseen on the road. My car is available for inspection upon request. When I have gone online, I have seen other Hyundai customers have experienced the same thing.

NHTSA ODI #11496397

2016 model year · 125,000 miles · Nov 22, 2022
Electrical SystemEngine

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a hole in the engine block. The contact was…

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The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a hole in the engine block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The manufacturer offered to cover a percent of the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

NHTSA ODI #11494547

2013 model year · Mileage unknown · Nov 12, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion System

My car tends to shut off on its own while driving. I’ve fixed the fuel pump thinking that can be the issue due to the car passing “green” on the machine stating everything is good. No lights on my dashboard, engine tends to shake. RPM arrow is all over the place. The car is well taken care of. I’m spending a lot of money on mech…

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My car tends to shut off on its own while driving. I’ve fixed the fuel pump thinking that can be the issue due to the car passing “green” on the machine stating everything is good. No lights on my dashboard, engine tends to shake. RPM arrow is all over the place. The car is well taken care of. I’m spending a lot of money on mechanics fixing things that clearly aren’t the issue with the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11493289

2018 model year · Mileage unknown · Nov 9, 2022
Electrical SystemEngine

The engine suddenly started stalling at stop sign or red lights at random times and the engine immobilizer light came on along with check engine and oil light. This was dangerous when turning left at an intersection. Car would be fine after restarting the car. Other times the ESC malfunction light would show while driving and th…

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The engine suddenly started stalling at stop sign or red lights at random times and the engine immobilizer light came on along with check engine and oil light. This was dangerous when turning left at an intersection. Car would be fine after restarting the car. Other times the ESC malfunction light would show while driving and the engine would not accelerate properly on the highway and the engine would also start jerking at times. Dealer said they could not fix it as this was an intermittent issues and they could not reproduce the issue when given for repair. Dealer and company did not agree to do a complete check and replace sensors, etc.

NHTSA ODI #11492952

2011 model year · Mileage unknown · Nov 4, 2022
Electrical SystemService Brakes

El carro aveces pone los frenos muy duros y no se detiene. El mismo se acelera solo y en otras ocasiones baja las revoluciones hasta apagarse. Aveces comienza a temblar y prende la luz de check. Aún desconozco si ha sido evaluado anteriormente por algún especialista. También el mismo demora en prender algunas veces. Me gustaría …

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El carro aveces pone los frenos muy duros y no se detiene. El mismo se acelera solo y en otras ocasiones baja las revoluciones hasta apagarse. Aveces comienza a temblar y prende la luz de check. Aún desconozco si ha sido evaluado anteriormente por algún especialista. También el mismo demora en prender algunas veces. Me gustaría saber si el mismo puede ser evaluado por algún y especialista ya que entiendo que no es muy seguro el mismo. Me gustaría saber cuál es el costo de esto para así guardar el presupuesto para el mismo. Le agradeceré me dejen saber. Gracias anticipadas

NHTSA ODI #11492365

2017 model year · Mileage unknown · Oct 27, 2022
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

When driving at night, sometimes the headlights and taillights will shut off leaving the car totally in the dark. This is a SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE as you can no longer see the road and other cars cannot see you. The problem appears to possibly be associated with the light switch, as you can jiggle it and get the lights back on. Al…

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When driving at night, sometimes the headlights and taillights will shut off leaving the car totally in the dark. This is a SEVERE SAFETY ISSUE as you can no longer see the road and other cars cannot see you. The problem appears to possibly be associated with the light switch, as you can jiggle it and get the lights back on. Also related to this problem of the lights shutting off is the fact that occasionally the lights will come on long after the car has been parked in the garage, which tends to drain the battery. After experiencing this problem, I checked the internet and found numerous other cases of Hyundai Elantra owners reporting the exact same symptoms, so it seems to be a somewhat generic problem. Hyundai’s service department has been unable to isolate the problem on my car. The problem happens randomly and is infrequent but serious when it happens. It has happened approximately 10 times over the past two years.

NHTSA ODI #11491144

2021 model year · Mileage unknown · Oct 26, 2022
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

car problems started with back up camera not working, it has caused dash lights to go out, headlights to go out while driving safety sensors to sound for no reason. I have also started having problems with radio flashing and going blank. The vehicle has been checked by Hyundai dealer they did say back up camera bad but no answe…

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car problems started with back up camera not working, it has caused dash lights to go out, headlights to go out while driving safety sensors to sound for no reason. I have also started having problems with radio flashing and going blank. The vehicle has been checked by Hyundai dealer they did say back up camera bad but no answers for rest of issues.there were no warning lights prior to any of these problems. I still do not know what is really wrong and cannot drive vehicle at night or bad weather for fear of losing headlights. Vehicle is 2021 hyundai elantra with 10,500 miles on it.

NHTSA ODI #11491030

2018 model year · Mileage unknown · Oct 21, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineWheels

My Elantra was taken by theft. Rear driver side door broken. Ignition harness torn apart and the car was driven away from my senior living home parking lot on July 23rd at 3 P.M. Police were called but car was taken off the lot before they arrived. I received call from police on July 27th that the car was in an impound lot in St…

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My Elantra was taken by theft. Rear driver side door broken. Ignition harness torn apart and the car was driven away from my senior living home parking lot on July 23rd at 3 P.M. Police were called but car was taken off the lot before they arrived. I received call from police on July 27th that the car was in an impound lot in St. Paul. Drivers side front tire blown out, wheel severly damaged. Some body scratched in left rear. Front passenger seat badly stained. Other damage unknown. Vehicle been at Walser Hyundai since about August 1st. Shop waiting for parts for repairs.

NHTSA ODI #11490273

Related Official recalls

2

00V259001 · Electrical System:wiring

Sep 11, 2000

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SOME SONATA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.5 LITER V-6 ENGINES AND ALL ELANTRA MODEL VEHICLES MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT LOW-SPEED ENGINE STALLING, WHICH COULD OCCUR IF THE MAF (MASS AIR FLOW) SENSOR ELECTRICAL SIGNAL IS INTERRUPTED AS A RESULT OF ENGINE VIBRATION TRANSMITTED TO THE MAF SENSOR CONNECTOR WIRING HARNESS.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL RE-ROUTE THE MAF SENSOR CONNECTOR WIRING HARNESS.

94V090000 · Electrical System:alternator/generator/regulator

May 11, 1994

IN SOME VEHICLES, THE MANUFACTURER'S PROTECTIVE INTERNAL COATING OF THE ELECTRONIC CRANK ANGLE SENSOR DOES NOT MEET SPECIFICATIONS, WHICH CAN CAUSE AN OPEN CIRCUIT AT HIGH OPERATING TEMPERATURES. THIS CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: ENGINE STALLING HAS THE POTENTIAL TO RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH IF IT OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE CRANK ANGLE SENSOR TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE SENSOR IS INVOLVED IN THE RECALL, AND REPLACE ANY SENSOR FOUND WITH THE DEFECTIVE INTERNAL COATING.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

Related NHTSA investigations

0

No component-matched exact-year investigations in this snapshot.