Owners filed 2,503 complaints about the 2015–2025 Hyundai Elantra with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the 39th-most of any vehicle in our Car Problem Index. The 2017 model year drew the most (767), and the single most-reported problem area is engine, named in 37% of complaints.
Key findings
- Worst model year: 2017, with 767 complaints, led by engine (290).
- Spike years: 2017 (3.1× the typical year).
- Earliest-failing area: brakes complaints came at a median of 20k mi on the odometer.
- Fire and crash reports: 37 complaints mention a fire and 162 mention a crash; owners reported 120 injuries and 5 deaths.
Hyundai Elantra complaints by model year
| Model year | Complaints | Top problem areas | Median mileage | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 259 | Engine (91), Brakes (29), Service Brakes, Hydraulic (26) | 54k mi | 27 | 8 |
| 2016 | 292 | Engine (111), Transmission / powertrain (31), Air bags (26) | 55k mi | 22 | 5 |
| 2017 | 767 | Engine (290), Body structure (134), Electrical system (111) | 44k mi | 37 | 6 |
| 2018 | 282 | Engine (140), Electrical system (43), Transmission / powertrain (24) | 27k mi | 12 | 7 |
| 2019 | 250 | Engine (132), Exterior lights (65), Electrical system (37) | 50k mi | 12 | 3 |
| 2020 | 250 | Engine (105), Transmission / powertrain (47), Exterior lights (28) | 9k mi | 21 | 6 |
| 2021 | 130 | Automatic emergency braking / collision warning (32), Electrical system (30), Seat belts (27) | 24k mi | 8 | 1 |
| 2022 | 100 | Seat belts (23), Electrical system (19), Automatic emergency braking / collision warning (16) | 24k mi | 6 | 1 |
| 2023 | 98 | Electrical system (23), Automatic emergency braking / collision warning (20), Engine (18) | 17k mi | 8 | 0 |
| 2024 | 53 | Electrical system (15), Engine (8), Automatic emergency braking / collision warning (8) | 21k mi | 5 | 0 |
| 2025 | 22 | Lane departure assist (5), Automatic emergency braking / collision warning (4), Engine (3) | 4k mi | 4 | 0 |
Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower partly because owners have had fewer years to report problems.
Most-reported Hyundai Elantra problems, and what they cost to fix
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median mileage | Repair estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 922 | 37% | 58k mi | Engine repair cost |
| Electrical system | 351 | 14% | 40k mi | Alternator / electrical repair cost |
| Transmission / powertrain | 220 | 9% | 33k mi | Transmission repair cost |
| Body structure | 200 | 8% | 56k mi | — |
| Steering | 178 | 7% | 27k mi | Power steering repair cost |
| Exterior lights | 156 | 6% | 35k mi | Headlight replacement cost |
| Brakes | 149 | 6% | 20k mi | Brake repair cost |
| Air bags | 115 | 5% | 30k mi | — |
One complaint can name several problem areas, so shares add up to more than 100%.
What this data can and can't tell you
These are unverified reports that owners submitted to NHTSA, counted by model year. They are not defect findings, and they aren't adjusted for sales: a best-selling vehicle collects more complaints simply because more of them are on the road. Use the counts to compare model years of the same vehicle and to see which systems owners complain about most, not to compare how reliable two different models are. See the full methodology.
Other Hyundai models in the index
- Hyundai Tucson (4,848)
- Hyundai Sonata (3,717)
- Hyundai Santa Fe (2,823)
- Hyundai Palisade (2,302)
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, consumer complaint files (nhtsa.gov), model years 2015–2025, retrieved 2026-09-23. Free to cite with a link to this page.