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 / 10
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
36,327 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.

2013 Hyundai Elantra electrical problems

electrical problem

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2013 Hyundai Elantra Owner Comments (Page 2 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #119

Jul 092023

Elantra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The airbag light is on and no fuses are out and cruise control and other buttons on steering wheel is not working. If airbags are faulty or do not deploy it is a huge safety concern. Someone could be killed or extremely hurt. It has not been confirmed by a dealer but willing to take it in to be checked. It has not been checked yet by a professional. My warning lamps have been on for about two weeks now.

- Leander , TX, USA

problem #118

Jul 022023

Elantra

  • miles
I took my car in to the dealership to have the anti-theft software update, I was told that the update would prevent my car from getting stolen using the USB method. Two weeks later, my car was stolen the police found it, and they had used the USB method to steal it so the software update did not work and the dealership isn-??t taking accountability. This is an issue that needs to be looked into as they-??re saying the software update will help, but it is not helping with all the car theft.

- Phoenix , AZ, USA

problem #117

Jun 062023

Elantra

  • miles
THIS IS THE 2ND TIME this happened. On june 6 while driving i put on A C and it did not go on, along with the lights, windshield wipers. I stopped for a doctors appointment and returned in about an hour, the car started, sounded sluggish and the same problem, no AC. lights, windshield wipers. then about 15 minutes later i pulled my car aside, shut it down, started it and all was working properly. It has happened more than once last time was about 2 months ago and i do not know it until i try to use the electrical items. car started up right away. if it was raining, and i stopped for an errand and tried to use the windshield wipers i would be in trouble as i would not be able to drive home.

- Enfield, CT, USA

problem #116

Mar 142023

Elantra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I dropped my 2013 Hyundai Elantra Limited off on 4/3/23 for an oil change and to diagnosis and repair my engine stalling and engine boggling and repair headlight restoration. When I picked up my car I was told that they found metal shaving in my oil and on the oil dip stick and that I would need a new engine. Might I add, I don't have any lights blinking or remaining on such as my oil, engine, etc. I have kept up with all my maintenance over the years and have had my car service when it was due. While driving my car, it'll lose power and jerk forward. Other times, the car will start up with no RPMs registering while the car is moving up to 60 miles. The car has also displaced the sluggish barely moving forward action when the car's RPMs are not registering. The car back fires and putts along and during a traffic lights or stop sign the car will shut off. It even started shutting off while back-up into my parking space. There is clearly something wrong with these engines and should be covered under the manufacturer warranty. I am still in disbelief about my vehicle and have been getting the run around from a couple different Hyundai dealerships saying my particular engine was discontinued and I should check with the service department to see if my car qualifies for the manufacturer warranty repair but no one will answer the phone so I decided to call another dealership well outside my area for service. This car is by far DANGEROUS to drive and without having any codes generated or light indicators advising me of an engine issue is extremely upsetting. I use my vehicle to take my mother to her many doctor appointments, my grandson to various places and I use the car to get to and from work each day. Well before all of these issues, my break lights and some other lights in the rear continued to blow and had to be replaced and no one said anything about there being an issue and I did not have the appropriate direction to submit an issue.

- Bensalem, PA, USA

problem #115

Jan 152023

Elantra

  • miles
Check engine light on. Vehicle jerks while I am driving.

- Hendersomville, TN, USA

problem #114

Mar 272023

Elantra

  • miles
I have replaced the lights and battery many times and something keeps draining it. The outside brake lights sometimes stay on. So does the front running lights. The car sometimes wants to stall and when I press on the gas pedal it finally catches but still seems like it is going to shut down. The steering column has a really bad clicking in it and doesn-??t seem to be tight anymore.

- Chapin, SC, USA

problem #113

Nov 092022

Elantra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

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.

- Pawtucket , RI, USA

problem #112

Sep 252022

Elantra 4-cyl

  • miles
My 2013 was stolen because of defective car. The manufacturer choose to sip safety for dollars they could have place a immobilizer in all Hyundai form 2011 until current but did not in the United States, but in Canada it is a must have item.

- Columbus , OH, USA

problem #111

Sep 132022

Elantra

  • miles
I have had multiple headlights, turn lights and brake lights burn out - started less than a year of car ownership; with at least one outage every 2-3 months - both driver and passenger, and rear lights. Not just bulb replacements, I-??ve had Expensive replacements for harnesses on both sides too, but issue keeps returning. Currently driver brake light went out, can-??t see a Hyundai mechanic for another month due to they and surrounding Hyundai dealers are fully booked. The car is faulty. I am the original owner.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #110

Aug 012022

Elantra

  • miles
The airbags on the side of the driver's seat is very dangerous and can implode just by slamming the car door. I've also had an on-going issue with the break line ( lights ) the passenger side break light will not turn off, this issue is also very dangerous for myself and other drivers who do not know when I'm using the breaks due to this issue. I've brought the vehicle to Hyundai North Houston to have the break light inspected, ( that was about a week ago ) however I was told that they could not give me a loaner vehicle and the next appointment to inspect this vehicle would be as early as Aug 31,2022 and as late as September 2022. I've had technicians jump the battery several times due to this light not turning off. Many of the techs says it's the breakline and possibly a fuse that need to be changed. I also brought the vehicle to the purchase location ( Carmax/North Houston ) for inspection and service, but they did not address this as a problem during that time. The vehicle also seems to overheat more than what is normal and profusely leak water.There is also a problem with the tire sensors. The vehicle was given to me at purchase with the tire sensor lights on. I've had the sensors checked out and was informed there is no issue, now the sensor light does not illuminate even if the tire pressure is low. This vehicle has many dangerous driving components and should be investigated immediately.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #109

Jun 072022

Elantra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

In July 2015 with 25k miles, the interior of the vehicle was leaking water from the sun visor as well as under the glove box. When I made a left turn I could hear water swishing from one side to the other, then saw water coming out from under the glove box area. Water also dripped from the drivers sun visor. I took it to the dealer in Troy MI and they blamed me for having dirty drain holes in the sun roof as well as having a wind deflector on the sun roof which caused dirt to build up and clog the drain holes. The sun roof and wind deflector were factory installed as I bought the vehicle brand new in 2013. The dealer did not remove the headliner to see if any mold was visible. They used an air compressor to clean out the clogged drain holes and charged me for the service even though the vehicle was still under warranty (dealer said it was not covered under warranty). I am not aware of the issue happening again, or if it did happen it wasn't enough water for me to notice. I however have and do smell mold in my vehicle daily. Today, June 7, 2022, with 116k miles, after leaving my car parked outside overnight with heavy rain I again experienced water build up inside the car. I saw water coming out from under the glove box and heard it swishing around. I called the dealer in Troy MI and was told they cannot service my vehicle, it is a 4 month wait for diagnosis. I called a second dealer in Macomb MI and was told the vehicle could not be looked at until August and all expenses would be my responsibility. The service tech stated the car would need to be torn apart (dash, door, headliner, etc) to find where the water was coming from. A dealer in Southfield MI would be able to service the vehicle two days from now, I'm suppose to drive two days with water swishing around" What electrical safety issues are at hand here" It seems as though HYUNDAI has a defect in the design or part(s) which is causing this issue. I am also concerned with mold growth from back in 2015.

- Clinton Twp, MI, USA

problem #108

Mar 252022

Elantra

  • miles
Immobilizer malfunctioning while driving which causes vehicle to lose power unexpectedly while no key is detected.

- Millersport , OH, USA

problem #107

Feb 012022

Elantra

  • miles
TWO issues, that are, at times related: * First, intermittent airbag dash warning light enabled; comes and goes, no obvious trigger (bumps, turns, etc.). This has been occurring for two weeks. // * Second, if I stop and turn off the car while the airbag light is lit, the vehicle will remain in accessory mode, with radio and climate control still on, and the dash display says to shift the car to park (it is in park) and that the key is not in the vehicle, and when I attempt to lock the car with either key fob or door lock control, it will not lock. This has been occurring for nearly a week, first on 2/1/22 as I was attending my father's funeral. I have seen that there was a recall for the airbag issue for same year/make/model, but my car does not appear to be one of those included in the recall (searched by VIN). However, the second issue is the most critical, as I am prevented from securing the vehicle if this intermittent issue occurs. I have not taken vehicle to mechanic or dealer.

- Nashville, TN, USA

problem #106

Oct 212021

Elantra

  • miles
Fuse system car completely shut off fuse blowing causes different things to stop working I almost got in a accident cause the fuse that ran the car blowed car stop in middle of the highway I have a Friend with same type car fuse blows out even when it's not broken

- Greenville, NC, USA

problem #105

Sep 012021

Elantra

  • miles
1. There is an electrical issue with the power steering. 2. This poses a HUGE safety risk, as the power steering could completely give out and we could lose control of the vehicle. 3. A local mechanic we use confirmed this. 4. No warning lights came on. We had started to hear a "clunking" or "knocking" sound when turning the wheel so took it in to get inspected.

- Olympia, WA, USA

problem #104

Jun 282021

Elantra

  • miles
After the completion of my work shift, I return to my vehicle and discovered a fire has taken place. Lucky, the fire didn't get out of control and wasn't active at the time. The passenger seat was completely burnt including the seat covers and the items in the seat. The items in the seat included: Steak & shake leftover trash, and a perfume bottle. This fire also damaged a door dash bag that I had in the back passenger seat. Not to mention, the impact of the fire that created black duct all over the vehicle windshields, radio, seats, dashboard etc... No police report, nor fire report has been reported at this given time.

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #103

Apr 122021

Elantra

  • miles
The car experienced (1) poor acceleration, (2) check engine light come on, (3) engine stalling, (4) Tachometer drops to zero. It was first found the MAP sensor was faulty. After the sensor was replaced, the car ran but stalled again intermittently. It was found the problem was caused by crank shaft position sensor (fault code P0335). After the senor was replaced about three weeks ago, the car has been running fine.

- Bellevue, WA, USA

problem #102

May 232020

Elantra

  • 90,000 miles
Certain steering wheel controls -- including the volume controls and bluetooth phone controls -- stopped working. A few months later, more steering wheel controls -- such as other audio and media controls -- stopped working. A year later, the ability to change the steering tension, from comfort to normal to sport, stopped working. Within the past year, the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel have stopped working, and the red airbag light is on continuously. Although Hyundai has issued a recall for certain 2011-2014 Elantra vehicles, and my vehicle meets that year range and model, the dealership will not cover replacing the airbag clock spring assembly because my VIN does not match their criteria. As such, the dealership has quoted $480 to fix my vehicle's airbag clock spring assembly. If my vehicle experiences the same airbag safety issues that covered vehicles have experienced and which prompted the recall, my vehicle also should be covered under the extended clock spring warranty.

- Decatur, GA, USA

problem #101

Feb 262021

Elantra

  • miles
Since purchasing the car in 2013, we have had an issue with the parking lights, and sometimes headlights, coming back on after being off for several hours or we wake up to having a dead battery. This has happened over and over. In 2013 I took it to the dealership where we purchased for same problem and/or dead battery. Never happened at dealership. Our security camera has caught it popping on, or like yesterday, out neighbor called us (again) to tell us lights were on. This is with the headlight switch all the way off. We have tried to figure it out but can not. I did report again to Hyundai this past February, March, April 2021. Again, the car was parked and off every single time with lights confirmed off to only come on later with car off and still locked. It has to have key in it to start.

- Ruskin, FL, USA

problem #100

Feb 012020

Elantra

  • 88,000 miles
Brakes don't want to stop even after I've got them repaired brake lights keep going out even after the bulbs has been replaced

- Memphis, TN, USA

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