CarComplaints.com Notes: We're not used to seeing any major problems with Hyundai, which makes the early signs of trouble with the 2013 Elantra very surprising, in a bad way.
Early trends show problems with the steering wandering / pulling to one side along with premature tire wear. Elantra owners have tried sensor adjustments, wheel alignments, even replacing axles, most with no luck. Hyundai has made vehicle buybacks through arbitration, but that rarely works out well financially for owners in the end.
Also there is a pattern of complaints about the 2013 Elantra brakes grinding at very low mileage. It seems there was a bad batch of OEM pads & rotors, but so far Hyundai is not doing a recall. Instead Hyundai issued a TSB & dealers have been replacing pads & rotors on a per-complaint basis.
The final straw is that for several years in a row, Elantra owners report significantly lower gas mileage than the EPA estimates, & there's a small trend of engine problems.
10.0
really awful
Crashes / Fires:
6 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
43,052 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Rental car, Hyundai Elantra 2013, from enterprise. Vehicle unsafe to drive, can lose steering control very easily, which I experienced first hand during rainy conditions. The other drivers in front and behind me did not have any issues with steering, but this vehicle lost control...updated 07/15/14
I was in the far left lane of interstate 255 in southern Illinois. A tractor trailer was in the process of cutting my off when I honked and he proceed back into his lane. I had brake quickly and with both hands on the wheel when the car lost control and I was swerving within the lane for around 2 minutes before I could regain control of the car. I almost clipped another car as well as the median, but barley missed both. I had both hands on the wheel, I did not stomp on the brakes, and yet I still lost control of the car. It also constantly sways to one side as well as the brakes lose grip if you run over any bump at all. You guys need to recall these cars, they are not safe and I am not paying almost 400 dollars a month for a car that could easily injure me in an accident.
The first incident occurred as I was on an on ramp about to merge on to a highway. The car lost power and acted like it was about to stall - though there was gas (it was about 1/4 full); its an automatic so as far as I could tell it was not in the wrong gear. It revved up but did not gain any speed. Somehow it recovered and I was able to continue without further incident. I am not sure where this falls - but even though we balance and rotate the tires every 5000 miles the car has been pulling to the right. When it is windy or if the road is bumpy you have to grip the steering wheel very tightly to keep it in the lane.
The ESC pitched the car sideways @ 65mph on I-84 S of sturbridge MA. The car has no directional stability as it wanders side-to-side requiring constant steering control.
While driving across a bridge, the car's rear will lurch to one side and then back again. It also happens on rough roads. There is one particular bridge that I hate driving over because I know it will happen. I fear that if this happens in slippery conditions, I'll lose control. Reading from others comments, it doesn't appear Hyundai will do anything about it. My 2007 didn't have this issue. I'm also having an issue with the engine making a grinding noise on start up. There are youtube vids that show it too. The brakes make a horrible grinding noise. Also the car is difficult to keep in a straight line, you constantly have to make adjustments. I've had many cars, never these kinds of issues. A real disappointment. Wish I had kept my 2007 Elantra.
- Barboursville, VA, USA
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I purchased this car at the end of November brand new. About a month ago the warning ESC light came on my dashboard and would not turn off. During this time I had minor incidents of the ESC turning on for no reason (dry roads). But on this Monday I experienced a major incident with ESC turning on while I was traveling at 50 mph down a highway (dry roads). All four wheels started braking and I was dragged across the highway and just missing a telephone poll. I was lucky to get the car under control and stopped with me and the car intact. I then called the Hyundai roadside assistance to have the car towed back to the dealership where I bought it.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Plainfield, IL, USA