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.

8.6

pretty bad
Typical Repair Cost:
No data
Average Mileage:
55,150 miles
Total Complaints:
7 complaints

Most Common Solutions:

  1. not sure (4 reports)
  2. replace steering pump (2 reports)
  3. replace rack and pinion (1 reports)
2013 Hyundai Elantra steering problems

steering problem

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2013 Hyundai Elantra Owner Comments

problem #7

Dec 142020

Elantra GS 1.8L

  • Manual transmission
  • 163,000 miles

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

I have a 2013 Hyundai Elantra coupe GS, and I have had the steering coupler issue, the brake lights not turning off issue, as well as the computer sending the wrong signals and wreaking havoc causing me to replace the alternator, spark plugs, and coils only to find out a week later that my car did in fact fall under two of the specific recall notices (brake lights and computer) after Hyundai said it didnt!. When I contacted Hyundai again in regards to all of it in May or June 2020, their exact words to me were "What do you want us to do about it?"

And now, after finally getting the coupler issue resolved in November, my EPS just all of a sudden quit working with no warning. I was driving and out of nowhere, the wheel violently turned all the way to the right and locked. No EPS light, no warning, no nothing! This luckily in my case did not cause me to wreck, but it could have caused SERIOUS injuries had there been another car near me when it happened! It even did it sitting stationary while being looked at in the shop!

- chadderdon, Reagan, US

problem #6

Jan 102017

Elantra GLS Coupe 1.8L

  • Manual transmission
  • 55,923 miles

Rack and Pinion finished at 90,000, needed alignment that was not covered under the warranty

- alexanderleet, Richmond, QC, Canada

problem #5

Dec 282017

Elantra GLS 1.8L 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 40,000 miles

On Thursday December 28,2017 ,my daughter was driving the vehicle after making a right turn the steering wheel locked, with no control of the steering, which caused her to hit two parked vehicles. My daughter was injured by a nose bleed which she had to go to the hospital for an exray and neck and rib bruise. Her and one of the parked cars were towed to a collision shop. I would like to know how to get this resolved with Hyundai because the front end may be fixed but what caused the accident has not been addressed and she is in fear of driving the car.

- Michael G., Old Bridge, US

problem #4

Aug 192016

Elantra GLS 1.8L

  • Automatic transmission
  • 59,235 miles

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

My daughter while driving the car came to a stop sign. The steering became very stiff and was unable to turn. she shut the car off and got outside to inspect. When she got back in the car wouldn't start and she couldn't put it in neutral to push it off the highway. We depressed the shift-lock over ride and pushed the car off the road. We then boosted the car and drove it home as every thing worked. I have had the alternator and the battery checked. there were no default codes stored in the computer. The steering issue is a real safety concern. Help anyone please.

- glenford, Simcoe, Ontario, Canada

problem #3

Nov 192015

Elantra

  • Manual transmission
  • 23,500 miles

Power steering failed without warning. I was informed by dealer service dept. that it was an electric pump in the column. Parts cost $10,018.00 (plus tax) because the entire steering column needs to be replaced. Fortunately it's under warranty, but as far as I'm concerned, after it's fixed, I'm going to trade it in for a car with better engineering. Hydraulic power steering pumps cost a tiny fraction and are easy to replace. Hyundai, has had a recall with older models for the same problem. Hydraulic power steering usually gives a warning before failing. This didn't and could have caused a serious accident. The car may have a decent warranty, but it needs it because of piss-poor engineering decisions.

- carmafl, Orlando, FL, US

problem #2

Jul 312015

Elantra 4 cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 30,100 miles

On June 23, 2015, I hit a slight bump in the road as I was slowing to stop behind someone at a red light. Instead of stopping, it slowly continued and rear ended the car in front of me doing about $7,000 damage to the front of my 2013 Elantra. The dealer finally finished the repair work and returned the car to me on approximately July 31, 2015. Almost immediately, the ESC and EPS lights would go on intermittently and stay on for a day or so before returning to normal.

I took it to the Hyundai Dealer last Thursday, Sept 27, 2015 to reset the computer and set the steering angle sensors which I had read about helping one person in this blog. It was seemingly normal when I took it to them. The car warranty was voided before I got it due to a prior collusion in which a prior insurance company wrote it off as costing more to fix than it was worth. A body shop purchased it and did the repairs and it is now classified a Restored Salvage Title (hence no more warranty) even though was inspected by the State of Arizona and deemed completely fixed. I paid to have the computer reset and the steering angle sensors adjusted. The dealer believed this would fix it.

Two days later the ESC and EPS lights went back on and have stayed on for 4 days now. I have a code reader and there are no fault or error codes to clear but the lights stay on. I am somewhat convinced that the steering columns that house the steering angle sensors are faulty. When they malfunction, it makes the EPS shut down. A recall to include these would be great. I cannot afford any exploratory repairs at this time and cannot drive the 2013 car. Please help!

- grhaile, Phoenix, AZ, US

problem #1

Aug 182014

Elantra

  • Automatic transmission
  • 14,000 miles

Went out to my garage to go to a job interview and there was no steering. I had to limp to a dealer 9 miles away. They had to order a part which will take 2-3 days to get. They got me a loaner which they are paying for but I had to submit a deposit.

- Kim H., Graham, WA, US

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