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 7 of 7)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #19

Jan 212014

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 425 miles

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

Car loosely steered barely off road, 1/8 mile from home, bumped tree 15' away, backed up, engine shut off (as usual since day 2 of lease), windshield heated to over 150 degree's in 35 degree weather, so I vacated car, which was in flames 2-3 minutes and burned to ash..had 5 months, daily problems, battery, fuses, ignition, numerous calls to dealer, shop, no help, could easily have died in firetrap alive, car dove itself, when & where it pleased, and was uncontrollable.even Hyundai motor finance has not paid on gap coverage in 11 months, ruining my credit to boot, and was over financed past legal limits, on a total new lemon and not only was car not replaced as promised, I cannot get a response from Hyundai, or Hyundai finance.,this was the biggest mistake of my life, and I will tell everyone to never purchase a Hyundai product. You should be ashamed.and lose your franchise license.I will have to sue to ever begin to be compensated for all you have done to me, and because of your product.

- Lagrange, NC, USA

problem #18

Oct 182014

Elantra

  • 41,048 miles
The indicator light continues to go off and on because the door is being indicated as open. It subsequently unlocks the doors and turns the dome lights repeatedly on and off again. This causes a safety concern because I don't know what other car functions turn off if the door is "open".

- Mill Creek, WA, USA

problem #17

Sep 152014

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 21,000 miles
While turning into a parking spot. My car suddenly jumped and accelerated and slammed into a concrete barrier. The air bag also did not deploy.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #16

Jul 012013

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 6,000 miles

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

Unable to insert the key in the ignition no matter how hard we tried.this happened fairly soon after we purchased the car from the dealer; it has happened numerous times and has been towed to the dealer 3 times, but the dealer eventually gets the key in the ignition and claims there is no problem "can not duplicate the problem". at one incident the drive of the tow truck hammered the key quite hard in the ignition and forced the key in! I have contacted Hyundai motor and they say they can not do anything for me and claim that" this is a common problem, and I need to steer the steering wheel really hard to get the steering mechanism loose" this should not happen with 6 months old car while it is still under warranty.any input or advice would beappreciated. Thank you.

- Romeo, MI, USA

problem #15

Jul 012014

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 34,000 miles
I purchased this vehicle in June 2013. I had no complaints until July of 2014, wherein my car picks and chooses when to start. I have looked online and there are many others who seem to have this complaint. I finally gave in on Aug. 24, after my car sat for two days because I could not get it to start. I called the Hyundai 24 hour roadside and had them tow it to the nearest dealership. The tow truck driver initially tried to start it, and it didn't. he popped the button nearest the top of the shifter and pressed it in, and put the car in neutral, it then started but sputtered like it wanted to turn off. He was able to drive the car onto the tow truck. The next morning, I spoke with the mechanic at the dealership who indicated that the car was starting for them just fine. He said there are so many sensors that it could be one, but they wouldn't know where to start as there are so many and could not make an educated guess. He wanted to keep it overnight to see if it would act up for them. It is now 2pm two days later and the mechanic claims there is still no issue, he said they have let it run all morning and it is fine. This has become ridiculous, especially when I see so many others with the same complaint, yet nothing being done. Help, NHTSA!

- Madera, CA, USA

problem #14

Jan 212014

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 4,800 miles
Was taking trash to the dump, 1 person's worth, going 5 mph 1/ of mile from my home, car veered to right edge of pavement, and where a bulldozer had drug road edges and broke pavement off, caused me to hit a tree at a very slow speed. I reversed car, backed up 50 ft. And car shut itself off & windshield got extremely hot, and I got out of vehicle, smoke coming from hood area, left my purse, and walked across road to ask for fire extinguisher. Man had just got up, hadn't had coffee, and invited me in. I went back outside and saw car was burning, so I stayed on his porch, then front yard. I knew trash may have aerosol canisters, and not worth my life to try to go through fire to save my purse. Cops came (9:45-10:15 am, and said I looked funny and arrested me accusing me of being under the influence of medication. I was not on any medicine and definitely not drinking. Car was a total loss after explosion and I have not had another for over 8 months. I am on disability for fibromyalgia, neuralgia, & osteoporosis, and hollow bones. I fall quite often (one leg is shorter than other). Officer himself drew my blood in a public place, and refused to let me see my attorney 3 times. I never got to use a phone in 2 days. But vehicle was problematic from day 1, battery would not hold a charge, jump a riding lawn mower, and would just cut off while I was going down the road. Steering was also a problem from day one, like tires were never aligned.

- Lagrange, NC, USA

problem #13

Jul 192013

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 25,000 miles

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

Over the past 11 month this car has had several incidences where it just will not start. On a few occasions it started after a couple of tries and a few occasions where it would not start when I needed it to but had no problem starting an hour or two later. This weekend was the biggest issue. I parked my car Friday evening with no indication that there was an issue but on Saturday the car would not start, later on Saturday the car would not start, Sunday the car would not start. Hyundai roadside assistance sent someone out to jump my car but the car would not start. They sent out a tow truck to take the car to the dealership and he used the shift override to put the car in neutral and the car started right up once it was in neutral and it drove just fine. When this issue occurs the instrument panel lights up but when I turn the key to start the car, the panel goes out and there is nothing but silence from the engine. The last time it happened I took the car to the dealership but they said they could not duplicate the issue so there was nothing they could do because it is not causing any codes to go to the computer.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #12

Jun 102014

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 7,000 miles
When I was driving my car shut off without warning. This is the 4th time this has happened. I took it back to todd archer Hyundai and they looked at and it told me it was the electrical grounds but it just happened again. Please help. Im in the military and I need my car for work. The car is unsafe they won't swap it out. Initially it was a demo car.

- Papillion, NE, USA

problem #11

Apr 052014

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 5,750 miles
While driving my vehicle at highway speed, the vehicle suddenly stalled without any apparent reason. I was in the middle lane of a three lane highway. I had to coast over to the side of the highway with no steering or brakes due to the engine failure. Once at the side of the highway, the vehicle re-started immediately and ran normally again for about a week when the same thing happened again, this time on a side street at approximately 15 mph. The vehicle once again started back up with no problem. It has run normally again as of this posting. Updated 10/23/2014

- Milford, MA, USA

problem #10

Feb 052014

Elantra

  • 2,600 miles
This car is equipped with daytime running lights, but there is no way to turn them on without also turning on the parking lights. When the daytime running lights and parking lights are illuminated, the taillights are on and the instrument cluster is dimmed so that it is difficult to read. This creates an unsafe and in some states (California and others) illegal situation if the daytime running lights are turned on.

- Las Vegas, NV, USA

problem #9

Dec 152013

Elantra

  • 17,227 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked and unoccupied, the trunk and front end of the vehicle became engulfed in flames. The fire department extinguished the flames and informed the contact that the fire was contributed to an electrical issue. The vehicle was not inspected or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the fire. The approximate failure mileage was 17,227.

- Vallejo, CA, USA

problem #8

Jun 032013

Elantra

  • 1,080 miles
I purchased a new 2013 Elantra GT in may of this year. A week after taking it home the tire pressure light went off while driving. We pulled over & immediately blue link sent an alert telling me a malfunction in my TPMS was found & to take the car to service asap. Took it to the dealership & was told that is was a simple learning failure. Reset code & was sent on my way. The next week the car did the same thing with the TPMS. Back to the dealer it went. Had it scanned again. Was told nothing was wrong & they cleared the codes thru blue link. I was then told to just ignore it & it should be ok. Mostly it is just electronically interference. I parked the car & used my husbands car for a while. I start using my car & going down 295 it happened again. Pulled over & blue link sent the alert again. Called the dealership & made an appointment. I was told that they had a certified Hyundai professional technician that was going to look my car over. After 4 hrs of waiting I was given a paper asking me not to use electronics in the car as this was causing my TPMS issue. They paper was dated March 2007. Really? at that point I was frustrated so I called Hyundai Corp office. After an hr conversation I was told to take it to another dealership for service. So that Friday off the car went to another dealership. At the dealership I was told that the car needed an alignment bad & that my tires were over inflated by 8lbs each. So 3 hrs & a lot of patience I was told the car was all set. 20 mins after leaving the dealership the TPMS light goes off again with the blue link alert to service the car asap. The following day back to the dealership again. This trip I was told I needed a sensor changed. 3 hrs later I leave & half way home TPMS again. That's 5 times no repair. Now they can't provide me a loaner but want to keep the car overnight. Car has been parked for 2 weeks waiting.

- Woonsocket, RI, USA

problem #7

Jun 042013

Elantra

  • 2,950 miles
I parked my vehicle in a shopping center in a space with a very slight incline. (3-4 degree). I shut off the engine, but was distracted and the car was left in drive. This vehicle has a remote lock/unlock and start/stop key. The key dropped from my pocket and onto the drivers seat and as I exited the vehicle it started to roll backwards. I ran to the back to prevent it rolling into another vehicle and a car coming toward me saw I was in trouble and the driver got out and ran to my front door and quickly put the car in park. I think this is a very dangerous situation that the car could roll with the engine off and the car in drive. The remote key having dropped on the seat made it difficult to re-enter the closed door without pushing the buttons to unlock and if it hadn't been for help from another driver the car would have crashed. I am a fit 73 year old, but an older driver would easily panic. The car should not be able to roll with the engine off and the remote key system needs to be reviewed.

- Pompano Beach, FL, USA

problem #6

May 092013

Elantra

  • 7,000 miles
I purchased a 2013 Hyundai Elantra SE coupe on 13 April 2013 (6300 miles). On 9 May 2013 (7000 miles) I entered car to start it and battery completely dead. Called Hyundai roadside assistance and they sent someone to jump it. Car started and took it to motorworld wilkes-barre where I had purchased car. They turned car off and waited 5 hours. Car started again and the man in service told me that he could not do anything since the battery was fine and he didn't see any issue. If I wanted battery or sensors replaced, I would have to pay out of pocket for it. I was told if it happened again, have it towed in without letting it be jump started. Only diagnostic done was check of battery which read as no problem. On 26 May 2013, (7400 miles) again I went out to start car and again it would not start. As I could not miss work and it was memorial day with service dept at dealership closed, had car jump started and went to dealership on my lunch break. While there, salesman who sold me car had me turn off the automatic setting for headlamps. When I did that, it also caused the steering wheel controls for blue tooth and radio control to no longer function. I was told there was recall on brake stop switch? that was not apparently corrected before selling me the car. The car has electrical wiring issues. It doesn't take an electrical engineer to know that the steering wheel controls should not be run through the headlamps switch and that the headlamps switch is faulty when it is causing a drain of battery when it is set to shut off lamps when ignition turned off. Tomorrow the 27 May 2013, I will be back at dealership demanding this is repaired or they replace the car as I have owned it approximately 6 weeks and have had this issue 2 times with 7400 total miles on car.

- Hunlock Creek, PA, USA

problem #5

Apr 082013

Elantra

  • 400 miles
This is concerning the same vehicle as in my previous complaint: 10507443. While driving into work on 4/8/13, I put the front and rear defoggers on. Later when I went to switch them off, they wouldn't. I thought maybe there was a timer. I waited five minutes and then was able to switch off the rear defogger. I still was unable to switch off the front. I pushed all the bottoms to switch the air position and even turned the entire A/C-heating system off -the defogger stuck "on" and would not shut off until I shut everything down. I have reported both this and the previous incident to the dealer I bought the car from, and am hoping to schedule maintenance within the week.

- Gastonia, NC, USA

problem #4

Apr 062013

Elantra

  • 350 miles
I just bought the 2013 limited Hyundai Elantra over the easter weekend, on 3/31/13. Two days after buying it, I noticed the light in the dash showing whether the headlights were on or not was no longer working, but I put it up to the fact I was driving at dawn/dusk and they were probably not "on" even though the driving lights were on and showing as "on". however on 4/6/13 when driving at 10pm at night with the headlights most certainly "on" the indicator light still did not come on.

- Gastonia, NC, USA

problem #3

Aug 042012

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 1,600 miles
I bought my 2013 Elantra on 7/17/12 from orlando Hyundai. On 8/4/12 while driving on I-95, the TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) light began to flash. I immediately pulled into the nearest tire shop and had the tire pressure checked on all 4 tires and they were all fine. The mechanic suggested I have my dealership take a look and possibly have them reset the sensors. Upon my arrival home, I took my car to the dealership and they were unable to provide a reason for the sensors going off. The issue persisted for several months causing me to spend countless hours at the dealership. They even went as far as to keep my car for over a week, drive it several miles and replace the entire system including all four tire sensors. Despite this, the TPMS light still flashes. They have attempted to convince me that usb and aux cords in my car (used with my phone) are causing a signal interference with the sensors. In my opinion that is a bogus excuse. The car should not have the features if they are unable to coexist. The dealership has also attempted to reassure me that nothing is wrong with the car and it is safe to drive even while the TPMS light is flashing. I do not believe this either as I constantly have a safety feature alerting me to believe otherwise. I have told the dealership and Hyundai headquarters that I believe this car is a lemon on several occasions. They informed me that a car is only a lemon after having the same issue fixed 3 times. Thus far I have had my TPMS fixed twice. I do not feel safe at all driving this car with dysfunctional features.

- Winter Garden, FL, USA

problem #2

Feb 232013

Elantra

  • 10,000 miles
The 2013 Hyundai Elantra was parked in a driveway and turned off, and an electric fire started in it. It burned completely up.

- Corsicana, TX, USA

problem #1

Aug 032012

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 465 miles
Purchased a new 2013 Hyundai Elantra gls 4 door. Once a person turns on their daytime running lights all of the vehicles parking lights turn on as well. No other car manufacture has mandated all this illumination during daytime hours. On August 3rd 2012 at 11:40am I was issued a moving violation by a los angeles police officer in the city of van nuys, C.a. I was cited for violating California vehicle code section 24800 which states "no vehicle shall be driven at any time with the parking lamps lighted except when the lamps are being used as turn signal lamps or when the headlamps are also illuminated". I explained the scenario to my lawyer and he advised me that the citation is valid because in C.a. the word headlamps in vc section 24800 is interpreted by the courts as the vehicles primary source of forward illumination and daytime running lights do not fall into this primary source category. To avoid future citations I highly recommend that if you operate any 2013+ Hyundai product do not use the daytime running light feature because the parking lights will light up and you will be subject to a citation. I advised Hyundai via a recorded phone call about this problem. If they do not take proper action to correct this they will be considered negligent.

- Burbank, CA, USA

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