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.
THE CAR HAD SOME STALLING AND DEFINITE NOISE FROM ENGINE. I TOOK IT TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS PISTON SLAP AND I NEED A NEW SHORT BLOCK. WHAT THEY DIDN'T SAY WAS THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD A TECH BULLETIN ABOUT THIS AND HAD OFFERED TO FIX IT IF UNDER WARRANTY. THE SAID THEY WOULD CHECK WITH THE MANUFACTURER BUT I HAD TO PAY $900 FOR A TEAR-DOWN. I SAID NO AND APPROACHED THE MANAUFACTURER. I HAD READ THE BULLETIN EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM AND IT EVEN IDENTIFIED MY VIN AS PART OF THE DEFECTIVE CARS BUT SINCE I WAS JUST PAST WARRANTY THEY SAID THEY WOULDNT FIX IT.
I FILED A CLAIM IN SMALL CLAIMS. WHILE I WAS GATHERING INFORMATION FOR THE LAW SUIT, I WENT TO A DIFFERENT DEALER TO ESTIMATE THE COST TO ME TO REPAIR. THEY CHECKED THE CAR AND SAID THEY WOULD PUT THROUGH THE CLAIM AND FIX IT. SO I HAD ONE DEALER TRYING TO SCAM ME AND THE MANUFACTURER REFUSING TO HONOUR IT. ONLY BECAUSE THIS DEALER QUALIFIED IT AS COVERED UNDER A SPECIAL PROGRAM DID THE WORK GET DONE. HYUNDAI ALWAYS REFUSED TO DO IT. WHILE I WAITIED ALL THIS TIME TO GET HELP, I HAD ALREADY PURCHASED A CAR. THE BOTTOM LINE IS EVEN THOUGH MY CAR WAS SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED AS HAVING BEEN FLAWED FROM THE ALABAMA PLANT THEY TRIED TO WEASEL OUT OF FIXING AN ADMITTED MANUFACTURING FLAW. DONT BUY HYUNDAI!
Car will die at a stop light. Can restart the car and the rpm’s stay at zero and the car is very slow and hard to accelerate (will get up to higher speed, but tach still at zero). Turning the car off and on again seems to fix it until the next time. No check engine light or codes. Mechanics unable to know what’s wrong because car doesn’t do it while in the shop. Similar issue when car only had 2k miles
Engine stalled when driving. After driving on the highway for a 30 mins, I took an off ramp and came to a complete stop. The engine violently vibrated and stalled.
While driving the vehicle, it stalls without warning....while turning left in the MIDDLE of an Intersection...while driving at a moderate speed....
Took it in for service at which time a tune-up and additional general maintenance was done. It ran fine for about a month. Today it stalled out 3 times while I was driving (which included turning left at a main intersection)!!!!!!!
I AM NOT A HAPPY CAMPER.
Update from Aug 4, 2016: Here's the update- took it to the dealership & I believe the issue is solved...First off, apparently there are some unannounced software updates available, one of which involves the ECO system. Sooo, updates were made during this visit. Next, I was informed that some Elantra's can suck up to 1qt of oil every 1000 miles!! Due to the mechanics of the vehicle, when the Elantra is low on oil, it can stall out when turning...no warning lights.
Since I was due for my regular oil change, I had it done during this visit and was told that it was 2 qts low!!
Suggesting you check your oil at minimum, every 2000 miles just to be safe- Especially if it begins to tick.
It's been 3 weeks since the service and so far, no stalling!
Update from Mar 2, 2017: well,well,well...less than a year later and timing chain went.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
THE CAR HAD SOME STALLING AND DEFINITE NOISE FROM ENGINE. I TOOK IT TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS PISTON SLAP AND I NEED A NEW SHORT BLOCK. WHAT THEY DIDN'T SAY WAS THAT THE MANUFACTURER HAD A TECH BULLETIN ABOUT THIS AND HAD OFFERED TO FIX IT IF UNDER WARRANTY. THE SAID THEY WOULD CHECK WITH THE MANUFACTURER BUT I HAD TO PAY $900 FOR A TEAR-DOWN. I SAID NO AND APPROACHED THE MANAUFACTURER. I HAD READ THE BULLETIN EXPLAINING THE PROBLEM AND IT EVEN IDENTIFIED MY VIN AS PART OF THE DEFECTIVE CARS BUT SINCE I WAS JUST PAST WARRANTY THEY SAID THEY WOULDNT FIX IT.
I FILED A CLAIM IN SMALL CLAIMS. WHILE I WAS GATHERING INFORMATION FOR THE LAW SUIT, I WENT TO A DIFFERENT DEALER TO ESTIMATE THE COST TO ME TO REPAIR. THEY CHECKED THE CAR AND SAID THEY WOULD PUT THROUGH THE CLAIM AND FIX IT. SO I HAD ONE DEALER TRYING TO SCAM ME AND THE MANUFACTURER REFUSING TO HONOUR IT. ONLY BECAUSE THIS DEALER QUALIFIED IT AS COVERED UNDER A SPECIAL PROGRAM DID THE WORK GET DONE. HYUNDAI ALWAYS REFUSED TO DO IT. WHILE I WAITIED ALL THIS TIME TO GET HELP, I HAD ALREADY PURCHASED A CAR. THE BOTTOM LINE IS EVEN THOUGH MY CAR WAS SPECIFICALLY IDENTIFIED AS HAVING BEEN FLAWED FROM THE ALABAMA PLANT THEY TRIED TO WEASEL OUT OF FIXING AN ADMITTED MANUFACTURING FLAW. DONT BUY HYUNDAI!
- Bobby J., Oshawa, ON, Canada