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:
17 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
7 / 0
Average Mileage:
38,832 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 engine problems

engine problem

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2013 Hyundai Elantra Owner Comments (Page 1 of 3)

problem #48

Nov 012023

Elantra

  • miles

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

Car has a ticking sound, car has died on me multiple times. The vehicle has stopped moving regardless of pressing on accelerator and died leaving me stranded, feeling unsafe. I have been driving at 40 mph and then seem to lose power, making it to where can only go 10 to 20 mph or totally dying. I was also having issues with key fobs not working. Door would open, unlock and then not, car stalling. No lights illuminating on dash. Battery in fob replaced after car being towed to shop after stalling, dying issue and I was basically told they didn't know what was up with the stalling, maybe fobs. I had an oil change done and full diagnostic, sent on way without answers. Happened again, electrical issues, fob not working, stalling, start hesitation and dying, no power. I had it towed to different shop and was told had couple of codes showing up even though no check engine light on, they stated a caliper was leaking along with other oil leak and crankshaft sensor needed replaced, which got fixed. The car has 98000 miles on it (around there) and I see safety recall posted. I finance this car and have literally only had it not even 5 months. I do not feel safe driving it. I've been stranded, at times key fobs and locks act up on it still, the ticking is definitely a concern, RPMS off and revs up at times while also lacking pick up and go. I contacted my local Hyundai and they stated no resolution on safety recall yet, can schedule an appointment and pay for diagnostic, which would make my 3rd diagnostic over the last month or so. I need something remedied. I transport myself and at times my children and I do not feel safe in this vehicle which again purchased just about 5 months ago from Car Max. Help please!

- Keizer, OR, USA

problem #47

Apr 172023

Elantra

  • miles
The driver owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra with 37,657 miles. While slowly turning left into a parking space, the car had a sudden acceleration event. The Elantra sped into the parking space and ran over two concrete parking spot blocks. The Elantra glanced off a grey pickup truck and scraped by a grey SUV. The Elantra entered the empty parking space opposite the SUV and proceeded to impact the side of a blue car in an adjacent spot. The blue car stopped the Elantra. Fortunately, the other affected vehicles were unoccupied and no pedestrians were present. The driver was wearing a seat belt and was not injured. The Elantra air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed to the driver's residence and is available for inspection along with all maintenance records. A claim has been filed with insurance; the appraiser came yesterday. There was no warning or symptoms of a problem prior to the accident. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by anyone. The police came and helped identify the owners of the other vehicles.

- Glendale, AZ, USA

problem #46

Oct 042021

Elantra

  • miles
At approximately 35,000 to 45,000 miles my car started stopping violently on its own. It would jerk violently, make loud grinding and squealing noises and stop randomly on its own free will. This started happening repeatedly. Then after it would happen the car would not go when pressing the gas pedal. It would take quite a while before the car would get momentum back. This became very dangerous to myself and my kids. I purchased this car brand new. I got rid of it by trading it in at 78,000 miles. I contacted Hyundai and tried to resolve the issue and they were no help whatsoever.

- Charlotte, NC, USA

problem #45

Jun 012021

Elantra

  • miles

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

I have an 8 year old 2013 Hyundai Elantra GT. For the past month I have had several incidences where the accelerator to the car does not work. This has occurred getting on the freeway, going up hills, attempting to "go" when stopped at a red light, etc. The accelerator virtually does not work even though my foot is pressed on the gas pedal to the floor board. There are not safety warnings on the dashboard to warn me of this malfunction. The check engine light has come on and off but not consistent with these episodes. I have taken the car to the Hyundai dealer for service and they have been unable to find the problem telling me the codes are all ok and that the technician drove the car several miles and could not replicate the problem. I have found several blogs and posts with the exact same problem I have been having. I cannot drive my car for fear of it not accelerating as I get onto the freeway with the cars honking at me as I have had to manually move my car out of oncoming traffic. I told the dealer when I took it in today not to give it back until they tell me what the problem is. I can't even trade it in knowing it is unsafe to drive due to the "mysterious" accelerator problem. The dealer states the problem could be due to many reasons but it will be cost prohibitive to attempt to just go through a list in an attempt to find the problem. I know there is no recall on this issue but it is a serious safety hazard. I don't know what to do.

- Lafayette, CA, USA

problem #44

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 #43

Aug 242020

Elantra

  • 88,000 miles
I have experienced loss of control of this vehicle several times, including today. As I have faithfully maintained my car, I have come to the conclusion the design of the car is the issue. Specifically, when I attempt to apply the brakes, the car will not brake properly and is very hard to control. Today, I experienced the car hydroplane and thank goodness no other car was in front of me or on the side because it took me at least two minutes before I could gain control again. This occured when I made a right turn while driving about 25mph and no puddles of water were present. Early April, I had a similar incident where I had to pump the brakes several times, although my brakes were replaced a few weeks prior. Back in December 2019, I had a similar incident on the highway I-95 while driving home. I have it documented through aaa. My tire blew and the car failed to stop. I took it to my dealer and advised what happened and they insisted my tires and brakes were fine. I did some research online today and found I am not the only customer experiencing this issue. I saw several customers stating they received a recall notice, however, I have not received one. I am very concerned for my safety to the point I no longer want to drive this vehicle.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #42

Aug 092019

Elantra

  • miles

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

The clock spring contact assembly for the driver's air bag supplemental restraint system (SRS) has become damaged through usage over time. The driver's air bag electrical circuit experiences a high resistance condition, causing the driver's air bag to not deploy. The clock spring develops high resistance, in the event of a crash, the drivers air bag will not deploy and will not be able to properly protect the driver, increasing the risk of injuries. Hyundai has issued a recall/tsb for the 2013 Hyundai Elantra sedan, but not the hatchback which utilizes the exact same part. The repair cost is almost $500 at the dealer and because the repair involves removing the airbag and removing the steering wheel it poses a safety risk for shade tree mechanics. The attached tsb should also apply to the Elantra hatchback as well,

- Marietta, GA, USA

problem #41

Jun 042018

Elantra

  • 59,989 miles
Air bag light came on and buttons on steering wheel no longer work. Many other Elantra owners have made complaints about this but nothing has been done. They want me to pay to fix a safety issue with the air bags and it happened before I hit 60000 but couldn't get in until later so they used that to not fix it on there on dime.

- Kingsport, TN, USA

problem #40

May 062020

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 102,100 miles
I was getting off the freeway on the off ramo and came to a red light. When the light changed green my car died and I was in left turn lane. I couldn't move the car forward. I didn't have ac and the car would not start at all.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #39

Mar 032020

Elantra

  • 100,000 miles
The car feels like it can't get power shakes slow to accelerate for half a block then acceleration. It's happened 5 times today. Other days it sounds like it's not running smoothly and then does ok after awhile. This happened with car in park, backing up, going forward, 2 different stops at lights and 2 more stops til I got home.

- Camarillo, CA, USA

problem #38

Nov 242019

Elantra

  • 38,000 miles

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

On engine start up, the air bag warning light was activated indicating failure with either the airbag or supplement restraint system. Dealer diagnostics indicated the "clockspring" part had failed. This part has failed often enough that Hyundai has extended warranty on "some models of 2011-2014" Elantra, but not the model of my car even though it is the same part that is on all 2011-2014 Elantra models. Should it fail while the vehicle is moving, then the driver's airbag may not deploy during an accident or the supplement restraint system may not work. The "clockspring" part connects to the speed control system.

- Lakeland, FL, USA

problem #37

Nov 072019

Elantra

  • 97,000 miles
Suddenly my car developed a new issue of sudden acceleration while stopped/idle. While my foot is on gas, the car will suddenly jerk forward/RPM increase. However, so far while my foot is on the brake, I haven't moved as far as I can tell but fearful it might happen while driving or it will drive forward even with foot on brake.

- Warrenville, IL, USA

problem #36

Jul 312019

Elantra

  • 70,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while entering the vehicle and driving out of the parking lot at 3 mph, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The contact then crashed into four parked vehicles and a few parking signs. The air bags did not deploy. The contact suffered a broken patella on their right leg, they had a bad abrasion on their left leg, a hematoma on their skull and black eyes that required medical attention. The contact was the only one in their vehicle at the time of the failure. There was no one else in the other vehicles the contact crashed into. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The insurance company was currently inspecting the vehicle. The contact called Hyundai of ashville (860 tunnel rd, asheville, nc 28805 (828) 298-4911) however, the contact's insurance company instructed them to not call the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

- Ashville, NC, USA

problem #35

Jul 192019

Elantra

  • 101,000 miles
I was driving the car in heavy traffic when the engine shutdown and was almost run into by several cars behind and beside the car. The cars engine has been determined to be seized up even though there was no warning of either low oil pressure or high engine temp or any engine malfunction indicator. The engine has been regularly maintained. This cold have been a disaster had the driver of the vehicle had not taken heroic measures to get the vehicle safely pulled over and stopped. This action could have caused the driver and possibly the other vehicles beside and behind serious injuries and or possibly a fatality. I have done some research on this issue and there are others that this has happened to. Something needs to be done about this issue before someone loses their life over it.

- Willis, TX, USA

problem #34

Feb 142019

Elantra

  • miles
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the vehicle unintentionally accelerated and the engine revved while the vehicle was parked. The vehicle was taken to murdock Hyundai murray (4646 state St, murray, ut 84107, (801) 262-6401) to be diagnosed, but the cause of the failure could not be determined. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was given a case number. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Park City, UT, USA

problem #33

Oct 202017

Elantra

  • miles
While driving on beltway doing 55 mph the vehicle won't accelerate and also makes sounds when pushing on gas the RPM will be moving back and front even when car not moving. Car smells like something is burning. The car will start to slow down and shut it self off.all lights will turn on then I shut car off completely then turn back on and it starts up like nothing happened this has happened multiple times. Then when sitting still at a light the car shut off.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

problem #32

Oct 102018

Elantra

  • 130,000 miles
My brake lights do not work, I've had them replaced 3 times. My rpms do not work when I push the gas, the vehicle won't go more than 20 mph, when changing my gears, it doesn't work, and when I am at a stop light or just sitting in a parking lot with the vehicle running it turns off on it's own. When I try to start the vehicle it won't turn most the time.

- Sparks, NV, USA

problem #31

Sep 032018

Elantra

  • 95,000 miles
I am not sure if this is related to takata recall. But the electronics controlling the air bag and cruise control are not functioning! the poor design of the steering covers squeeze the wires that are bent into the connector causing these circuits not to function. At this point, the red light for the air-bag is on all the time which means the it will not deploy causing serious damage. This steering cover design is common on all Elantra models so we suspect the problem could impact significant number of cars. I managed to test the problem, but pulling the cover off and testing the wires. When the cover is pull away from the body of the steering, the circuit for the cruise control works! Hyundai should re-locate the plug where these wires are connected further lower to avoid these wires getting squeezed. And for the current models, a shorter connector could remedy this problem by preventing the wires from getting squeezed.

- San Jose, CA, USA

problem #30

Jan 172018

Elantra

  • 100,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. While driving 55 mph, the check engine warning indicator illuminated and the vehicle decelerated independently. The contact stated that the vehicle was turned off, restarted, and then operated normally. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The vehicle was taken to fuccillo Hyundai (3975 w ridge rd, rochester, NY 14626, (585) 720-9000) to be diagnosed, but the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code or duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000. The VIN was not available.

- Spencercourt, NY, USA

problem #29

Jun 202018

Elantra

  • 63,210 miles
My car has 63,300 miles on it. I bought it used in December 2017, six months and my mechanic is telling me it is the engine and it needs to be replaced. When I bought the car it had a ticking sound, very low. I thought once it idled and I start driving it would go away. I was driving on the freeway recently and my car would not go over 60 mph. The RPM would not go past 2.5. when I exited the freeway, and stopped at the light I had whit smoke coming from my car. When I use my air, I can't accelerate over 40 mph. Everyday it's driven it, get's worse.

- Livonia, MI, USA

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