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
2022 model year · Mileage unknown · Nov 21, 2025
Electrical System

I didn't know the horn wasn't working. I was driving and a vehicle almost backed into me on the drivers door. I couldn't warn them that I was behind them I was fortunate to move before they backed into me. I haven't taken the car to the dealer. I searched on the internet to see if this was an isolated incident and I found hundr…

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I didn't know the horn wasn't working. I was driving and a vehicle almost backed into me on the drivers door. I couldn't warn them that I was behind them I was fortunate to move before they backed into me. I haven't taken the car to the dealer. I searched on the internet to see if this was an isolated incident and I found hundreds of incidents of people reporting faulty horns on Hyundai vehicles. This should be a safety and a recall issue/

NHTSA ODI #11700797

2024 model year · Mileage unknown · Nov 21, 2025
Electrical SystemForward Collision AvoidanceLane Departure

hat component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Amplifier How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The amp controls the noises for blind spot sensors, rear cross traffic alerts and all the sound in the vehicle. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed …

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hat component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The Amplifier How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The amp controls the noises for blind spot sensors, rear cross traffic alerts and all the sound in the vehicle. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? It has been inspected by the dealership at Germain Hyundai of Columbus and is currently being repaired. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No. The sound just went out without warning.

NHTSA ODI #11700790

2014 model year · Mileage unknown · Nov 16, 2025
Air BagsElectrical SystemVehicle Speed Control

Vehicle Information: 2014 Hyundai Elantra SE Sedan, 4-Cylinder, 6-Speed Automatic, FWD Build Location: USA-Built Version (Montgomery, AL - VIN '5NP') Ownership: Second owner, purchased Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) from the Hyundai of New Port Richey dealer (Florida) in March 2016. Vehicle is owned outright. Mileage: 128,638 Ap…

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Vehicle Information: 2014 Hyundai Elantra SE Sedan, 4-Cylinder, 6-Speed Automatic, FWD Build Location: USA-Built Version (Montgomery, AL - VIN '5NP') Ownership: Second owner, purchased Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) from the Hyundai of New Port Richey dealer (Florida) in March 2016. Vehicle is owned outright. Mileage: 128,638 Approximate Date Incident Noticed: October 1, 2025 DESCRIPTION OF CRITICAL SAFETY DEFECT & WARRANTY REJECTION I am reporting a failure of the clock spring assembly, which compromises critical safety features and poses an unreasonable risk, especially since this vehicle regularly transports passengers, including children. My VIN was rejected by the Hyundai TXXA Clock Spring Extended Warranty validator despite exhibiting the exact failures covered by the campaign. Safety Failures: Airbag (SRS): Warning light is constantly illuminated; driver-side airbag is disabled and will not deploy, endangering the driver and front passenger. Horn: Completely inoperable, eliminating a vital safety communication feature required to warn other drivers. Cruise Control: Buttons on the steering wheel are non-functional. These failures are caused by a broken electrical connection within the clock spring (which typically runs the Airbag, Horn, and Cruise Control circuits). I believe the denial is related to my vehicle being the USA-Built version (VIN '5NP'). I request that NHTSA investigate why this safety campaign arbitrarily excludes USA-built Elantras (but not Korean-built) experiencing the identical failure, thereby placing an unreasonable repair cost burden on owners for a critical safety component.

NHTSA ODI #11699634

2018 model year · Mileage unknown · Nov 16, 2025
Electrical SystemEngineFuel/propulsion SystemCrashInjury

Initial Fault Code: P0303 Replaced all 4 spark plugs and all 4 ignition coils. The check engine light extinguished momentarily but returned, logging P0303 and a new P0301 Replaced all 4 fuel injectors. CEL extinguished momentarily and then returned, logging P0303. Replaced the entire engine electrical harness. Concurrently, …

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Initial Fault Code: P0303 Replaced all 4 spark plugs and all 4 ignition coils. The check engine light extinguished momentarily but returned, logging P0303 and a new P0301 Replaced all 4 fuel injectors. CEL extinguished momentarily and then returned, logging P0303. Replaced the entire engine electrical harness. Concurrently, all related electrical components and connectors were meticulously cleaned with professional contact cleaner. CEL extinguished for significantly longer period of time, and then returned, re-logging P0303 and P0301. Thid suggested the ECU was "handshaking" with new components but re-logging the fault upon detecting the persistent core issue. A full compression test was performed. All cylinders reported results within specification. Using a borescope I inspected cylinder walls in piston tops. There was significant carbon residue buildup but nothing out of the ordinary for similar GDI engines. I still performed a PEA GDI specific chemical cleaning. It was a a little smoother afterwards, but the misfire persisted and CEL remained on. I also removed, cleaned, and tested common sensor faults, with no result. Also p0128 code and no start / electrical drain, and engine light started flashing numerous occasions had to stop the vehicle. I tried swapping the coils, but all that proved was that the coil was good, I did a power and ground test, it passed the connector had 12 plus volt power and a perfect resistance to static ground. The signal wire from the coil connector had perfect continuity to the ECU but had OL to chassis ground showing there was no short. A test light was used to see if anything was coming from the signal wire to the ignition coil and that test failed, there was no signal pulse. The diagnostic process has definitively proven a component-level failure inside the engine control unit. See attached file for more detailed information.

NHTSA ODI #11699689

2024 model year · Mileage unknown · Nov 15, 2025
Electrical SystemSteeringUnknown Or Other

Horn is not working. After I hit 10k miles it suddenly no longer has worked, I am currently at 34250k miles and received a recall letter from hyundai themselves in case of any issues with the car but I don't have the paper. I went to dealer one time to give it a look but they were not working with me and treated me disrespectful…

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Horn is not working. After I hit 10k miles it suddenly no longer has worked, I am currently at 34250k miles and received a recall letter from hyundai themselves in case of any issues with the car but I don't have the paper. I went to dealer one time to give it a look but they were not working with me and treated me disrespectful so I gave up and been driving with no horn in car.

NHTSA ODI #11699588

2018 model year · Mileage unknown · Oct 23, 2025
Electrical SystemEngineService Brakes

We were heading back to Ohio at Mile marker 8 75N Kentucky when we heard a boom. Then we saw smoke as my husband was pulling over. We jump out to get our child out of the car seat and at the same time a pickup truck pulls up with two guys. They yell that our cars on fire and began putting the fire out with a fire extinguisher. W…

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We were heading back to Ohio at Mile marker 8 75N Kentucky when we heard a boom. Then we saw smoke as my husband was pulling over. We jump out to get our child out of the car seat and at the same time a pickup truck pulls up with two guys. They yell that our cars on fire and began putting the fire out with a fire extinguisher. We had an oil change before we left Ohio by Valvoline. This area of the hwy isn't really patrolled and only has a volunteer fire department. A constable just happened to pass by US on the way to Indiana.

NHTSA ODI #11695220

2016 model year · Mileage unknown · Oct 17, 2025
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion System

My fuel pump comes up and my check engine light saying that it needs to be replaced when I fill up my car it automatically resets my mileage for AAA and trippy and it will tell me that I have no gas even though I just filled up or it will say I’m full when I know I’m empty so it’s not reliable. It comes and goes. And then for an…

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My fuel pump comes up and my check engine light saying that it needs to be replaced when I fill up my car it automatically resets my mileage for AAA and trippy and it will tell me that I have no gas even though I just filled up or it will say I’m full when I know I’m empty so it’s not reliable. It comes and goes. And then for an electrical issue my Car will randomly stop working and then like come back up and it was underneath the positive plug. there is a clip that someone had to extend because it was too short and causing electrical surges so it’s still a problem if I go over a bump it gets loose so that clip under the positive terminal I believe is loose and makes my car shut off in the middle of driving at once and then it came right back on

NHTSA ODI #11694187

2013 model year · Mileage unknown · Sep 24, 2025
Electrical SystemFire

During the incident, there was an aggressive flow of smoke coming from behind the steering wheel within the dashboard indicating overheating and/or a fire. My vehicle was inspected by my local dealer, Ed Voyles Hyundai, who stated that their inspection found a burning left rear tail light assembly with fluid inside of it. No war…

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During the incident, there was an aggressive flow of smoke coming from behind the steering wheel within the dashboard indicating overheating and/or a fire. My vehicle was inspected by my local dealer, Ed Voyles Hyundai, who stated that their inspection found a burning left rear tail light assembly with fluid inside of it. No warning lamps or prompts appeared during the incident.

NHTSA ODI #11689554

2023 model year · Mileage unknown · Sep 24, 2025
Electrical SystemFuel/propulsion SystemPower Train

I am reporting a recurring issue with my 2023 Hyundai Elantra where the low oil pressure warning light illuminates consistently during strong acceleration. This is accompanied by a distinct smoky odor from the vehicle. Based on my research into recall 23V-859, which addresses fire risks from a faulty electronic controller for th…

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I am reporting a recurring issue with my 2023 Hyundai Elantra where the low oil pressure warning light illuminates consistently during strong acceleration. This is accompanied by a distinct smoky odor from the vehicle. Based on my research into recall 23V-859, which addresses fire risks from a faulty electronic controller for the oil pump in the Idle Stop & Go system, I believe my vehicle is experiencing a related or identical failure. The symptoms strongly suggest that the defective oil pump controller is malfunctioning under load, potentially leading to dangerous overheating and a short circuit.

NHTSA ODI #11689420

2019 model year · Mileage unknown · Sep 17, 2025
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

My high beam lights have malfunctioned and no longer work. The light on the dash states that my headlights are on but they just flick on for one second and discontinue to work. I live in a rural area and can not see at all when leaving home in the early am hours or when returning home in the evening. I've had to stop on the side…

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My high beam lights have malfunctioned and no longer work. The light on the dash states that my headlights are on but they just flick on for one second and discontinue to work. I live in a rural area and can not see at all when leaving home in the early am hours or when returning home in the evening. I've had to stop on the side of the road at certain times, because I have no visibility. My car is approaching 6 years old with less than 70,000 miles and this is ridiculous. The dealership is charging over 2,000 dollars to fix this issue and I think this is highly unacceptable for a car of this age, especially when I bought the car brand new. I bought a brand new car to avoid issues such as this, but I have seemed to pay the price but not receive the safety that I have paid for. There are so many complaints online for this exact issue. I would highly appreciate if safety is held as a priority for this issue and you all place this as a recall ASAP.

NHTSA ODI #11688002

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.