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:
40 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
42 / 0
Average Mileage:
54,336 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 seat belts / air bags problems

seat belts / air bags problem

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2013 Hyundai Elantra Owner Comments (Page 1 of 8)

problem #156

Jan 012024

Elantra

  • 59,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. The air bag warning light illuminated. The contact was able to restart the vehicle. The contact took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who determined that the battery needed to be replaced. The battery was replaced; however, the air bag warning light illuminated on and off. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired for the most recent failure. The dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Miami, FL, USA

problem #155

Apr 162024

Elantra

  • miles
Traffic ahead of me rapidly decelerated. Upon applying the brakes, the peddle froze and then went to the floor without any resistance. I attempted to pump the brakes without success. I impacted the car ahead of me at 40 mph, the posted speed limit, creating substantial damage to both vehicles. The brakes failed to operate and the airbags failed to deploy upon impact. The vehicle failed to slow down and was reacting as if the accelerator was stuck. There were no system warnings at the time of the accident or afterwards. Braking abilities resumed immediately after impact. There is no visible evidence of any fluid leaks, brake fluid or otherwise. The vehicle was last serviced by the dealership for an oil change at the end of January 2024. A brake inspection was performed at that time. I was aware of a recall notice Campaign 251 regarding the brake ABS system. When I inquired at the last service date, I was informed no fix was available at that time. Current mileage is 49,779. I am still in the process of locating a repair shop.

- Tucson , AZ, USA

problem #154

Mar 112024

Elantra

  • miles
* Defective airbag light on. * Expensive inspection to know what's wrong with the airbag. * Don-??t know if in case of an accident the airbag is going to work or protect my life. * This seems to be a common issue in this type of cars and it seems unfair to pay for something like that to be repair when it seems like a manufacturer defect.

- Deltona, FL, USA

problem #153

Feb 062024

Elantra

  • miles

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

My airbag light has been on for the past few months, and I am worried about the airbags not deploying in an accident. I will need to follow up with a dealer on this issue, but have seen others online say they are being charged $250 to have it fixed.

- Wilmington, DE, USA

problem #152

Aug 312023

Elantra

  • 152,000 miles
The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the message "Air Bag Off" was displayed. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while driving and depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle made an abnormally loud grinding sound and vibrated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and after inspection, the contact was informed that the brakes were beginning to wear. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 152,000. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

- Plainfield, NJ, USA

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problem #151

Nov 172023

Elantra

  • miles
2013 Elantra GT purchased new less than 63,000 miles. Airbag warning light on constantly. Hyundai has issued an extended lifetime warranty on clock spring. 2 local Dealers are 45 days behind in scheduling repairs and will not look at clockspring without agreement to pay $200 diagnostic fee to find what other issue may be at fault. This makes the extended warranty bait and switch smokescreen worthless. Diagnostic failed to identify clock spring failure. Instead both front end impact sensors were shorting out and anticipated ECU failure. estimated repair approx $1,000. After this diagnosis noise and resistance in steering wheel increased which is symptomatic of clock spring failure causing electrical failure in other systems. 20 miles later AC blower motor failed and burning electrical smell/smoke presented from behind dashboard. The extent and resulting danger from the faulty wiring systems is undetermined at this time. Significant risk of fire danger

- St Petersburg, FL, USA

problem #150

Sep 252023

Elantra

  • miles

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

I got a recall letter in the mail and Burns Hyundai does not want to give me a service or loaner vehicle.

- Pennsauken, NJ, USA

problem #149

Oct 032023

Elantra

  • miles
The Power Steering System failed with both EPS and Traction Control Lights. Can only steer without assists. Air Bag light

- Union City, CA, USA

problem #148

Sep 162023

Elantra

  • miles
The air bag dashboard light is on constantly which indicates that something is wrong and the airbag will not properly and safely deploy during a vehicle accident. This is a common problem with this make and model vehicle and should be recalled for manufacturer to replace for the safety of owners of their product.

- Ft Myers , FL, USA

problem #147

Aug 102023

Elantra

  • miles
The red dashboard light remains on all the time indicating a problem with the air bag. I'm not sure what is causing the light to remain on but it is concerning as I don't know whether airbag will deploy properly if needed. I recently visited the dealership for an appointment to install anti theft software due to recall. Two and a half hours later they presented me with an unsolicited appraisal of my vehicle with $1800 in recommended repairs to my car including $400 to replace a sun visor. During this unsolicited appraisal, the dealership neglected to list the red dashboard light that is constantly on. I believe that this is a common issue with Hyundai vehicles and should be fixed free as a recall because of safety concerns.

- Ft. Myers , FL, USA

problem #146

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 #145

Mar 092023

Elantra

  • miles
The airbag warning light illuminated while driving on a flat highway in safe driving conditions. No action occurred that would cause the airbag light to illuminate. The light is not going away.

- Dunlap, TN, USA

problem #144

Dec 312017

Elantra

  • miles
I had a rear tire blowout causing the car to stop rapidly causing me to hit my face on the steering wheel so hard I got knocked out. My foot pressed on the gas and I hit a parked car. And my airbags never deployed. Insurance didn't pay my claim because it wasy falt I hit a parked car. Because I was knocked out. I don't remember anything about 30 seconds before the accident. Had my airbags worked maybe I could have remembered what really happened. When the collusion center inspected my car they said a defect in the car was the cause of my accident. But the insurance already denied the claim. The yellow tab was the airbag sensor

- Orangevale, CA, USA

problem #143

May 102023

Elantra

  • miles
Air bag indicator light comes on and stays on. This occurs intermittently

- Bluffton , SC, USA

problem #142

Aug 142022

Elantra

  • miles
Air bag light is on constantly. Started as an intermittent problem, but now it is on constantly. I am not sure if the air bags will work and had conflicting answers from the local car dealership. I noticed there have been several complaints about air bag light.

- Madison, AL, USA

problem #141

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 #140

Feb 012022

Elantra

  • miles
Airbag light comes on a few minutes after I start driving. I had my local Hyundai dealership look into and they said they didn't get any diagnostic codes and were unable to replicate the issue when test driving. The problem happens every time I drive and the fact that the airbag light is on is very worrisome and from researching this issue it seems it's rather common.

- Deland, FL, USA

problem #139

Apr 012022

Elantra

  • miles
Airbag light comes on and off intermittently, such as when going over a bump or turning the wheel. This is already a known issue with 2012 Hyundai Elantra clock springs and the warranty should be extended to cover 2013 as well.

- Redmond, OR, USA

problem #138

Aug 032022

Elantra

  • miles
My airbag light comes on intermittently. Since this is a safety issue, it should be diagnosed and repaired at no cost.

- Chesapeake, VA, USA

problem #137

Oct 272020

Elantra

  • miles
My air bags never work and my engine is starting to become a problem.

- Palatine, IL, USA

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