10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
2,232 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.

2021 Hyundai Elantra engine problems

engine problem

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2021 Hyundai Elantra Owner Comments

problem #17

Oct 112023

Elantra

  • miles

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

One day I was on the highway driving and the front collusion safety warning appeared. I thought the warning went off because the sensor was dirty due to dead bugs. However, I pulled over and the sensor did not appear dirty. After awhile the sensor went off on its own. Then a few weeks late the front collusion safety warning appeared again while I was driving on the highway. The warning has not fixed itself. I cannot use my cruise control. I took it to the Hyundai dealership and they told the me senor is off alignment and it will cost $500 to repair because they have to remove the entire bumper. I have seen on Hyundai forums this is a common problem.

- Lawrence, KS, USA

problem #16

Apr 302024

Elantra

  • miles
When gas is pressed (even to floor) in drive, vehicle stalls, does not accelerate. Then vehicle jerks into propulsion after revving. Other instances, at deceleration the car will jerk and shake to a stop. I have mentioned the problem at every scheduled maintenance

- Corpus Christi, TX, USA

problem #15

Dec 052023

Elantra

  • miles
When driving at 55MPH with cruise control on, the car suddenly accelerated to 75MPH, this happened on the open road and was able to keep under control. Auto has less than 10,000 miles. I will be contacting Hyundai customer service for a case number on this incident. First indication of a problem was cruise control, auto braking failed iin June of 2023. This follows a replacement of defective front radar unit by Hyundai which was replaced at 8295 miles on July 26, 2023. This problem first occurred in late June/early July of 2023. There was no warning.

- Washburn, IA, USA

problem #14

Mar 092023

Elantra

  • miles

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

Driving on highway, dashboard reported "Check Forward Safety System" and "Check Smart Cruise Control System". The car then disabled both while I was driving. This has happened 6 times to me. The first time I brought it to dealer and they stated it was a calibration problem. They reset it and I had no problems for a while. The problem has occurred 5 times more and will stay on for about a week or so and then just go away. It works again and then occurs again. So, it is intermittent and recurring. Each time the diagnostic code reported by the software to my phone is C162078. I see the 2018 Kona had the same exact problem and a software update TSB was put out there. ( https: [XXX] ) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Sarasota, FL, USA

problem #13

May 302023

Elantra 4-cyl

  • miles
I was driving on a 40mph speed road at 45 mph and the car stopped accelerating abruptly and remained stuck at 20 mph even thou my foot was on the gas pedal. I had to put the caution lights on and get to the side of the road. I had every car behind me honk and yell when passing by. This could have been a big crash. I have the video of this when I was driving. This happened various times, in December, Feb and last week.

- Downers Grove, IL, USA

problem #12

Apr 132023

Elantra

  • miles
Car will accelerate when pressing on brakes. Once car is able to turn off, the problem does not repeat. This has occurred at least 3 times with the same car and random times while on the road. Dealership is unable to replicate the brake issue every time the car is brought in.

- Cerritos, CA, USA

problem #11

Aug 172021

Elantra

  • miles

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

Sometimes upon depressing the accelerator the engine does not respond. The car does not move in a traffic situation. Putting the car in park, shutting it down and restarting makes it go away for a while. Getting on and off the highway is especially dangerous. This has happened intermittently for the past 1-1/2 years. The dealer says that they cannot reproduce the problem. So, they cannot repair it.

- East Meadow , NY, USA

problem #10

Nov 252022

Elantra

  • miles
The forward collision warning stopped working several months ago. We gave the (leased) car to the dealer for repairs after 4 weeks of waiting (parts, etc.) We were told the car was fixed and ready for pick-up. I drove it from Baltimore to DC for a meeting and on several occassions when car stopped abruptly in front of me on the highway it did not give a warning, when I tried using cruise control, it would not engage because the conditions for doing so had not been met - same message I had when foward collision was not working. It's pretty clear that this was not fixed and instead they must have changed the messaging so that it does not appear as a warning when you start the car. The feature is really important to us because it has prevented a potentially fatal accident on a winding road in NY state where we found a truck on our lane due to a downed tree on the other lane - the car braked well before I did- which is the point of these safety systems. The dealer is Len Stoler Hyundai in Owings Mills

- Baltimore, MD, USA

problem #9

Feb 062023

Elantra

  • miles
While driving in stop and go traffic this morning (02/06/2023), at approximately 8:45 am, my Hyundai Elantra began accelerating on it's own. I applied the brakes and the car behaved as though I slammed on the brakes. The acceleration and braking issues happened multiple times during this drive. After the first incident, I shifted the car into neutral, (when it happened subsequently) until it quit accelerating, which was a couple of seconds. I have scheduled service at the Hyundai dealer for tomorrow morning (02/27/2023)

- Novato, CA, USA

problem #8

Dec 142022

Elantra

  • miles
Check forward safety system is on all the time, dealer refusing to fix it. Did have airbag recall repai done yesterday Had computer update done on car.

- Depew, NY, USA

problem #7

Dec 262022

Elantra

  • miles

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

Our problem started a few months ago. At first, we thought it was just a fluke, but this issue has happened too many times to be so. The issues are, the car does not accelerate when we depress the accelerator, we see the tachometer move, but the engine is not actually accelerating. Then at times it will accelerate on it's own, while sitting at a red light, the car tries to move forward despite having our foot on the brake, it acts like we are trying to push the accelerator and the brake at the same time. Even worse, while driving, the car will go into accident-avoidance mode, even though there is nothing in front of us. There are no errors or codes populating on the dash.

- San Antonio, TX, USA

problem #6

Nov 232022

Elantra

  • 15,000 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while slowing down and making a left or right turn, the vehicle independently accelerated. The contact also stated that while at a stop, he depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle accelerated at an abnormal speed. The contact stated that he applied extra pressure to the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but the contact had not yet received a response. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

- Seminole, FL, USA

problem #5

Sep 302022

Elantra

  • miles
Forward collision system continually fails. This disables the vehicles cruise control. The vehicle has been in the shop multiple times with no resolution.

- Fulton , MO, USA

problem #4

Nov 012022

Elantra 4-cyl

  • miles
Hello everyone. I NEED HELP i have a 2021 hyundai elantra and i have had the same issue for over 10k+ miles and 6 months. My traction control light, (no matter what speed or acceleration/deceleration.) will flicker on and off, make a horrible noise almost as if the ABS is applying but no ABS light comes on, and the pedals will go stiff and the whole car jerks. My 2021 elantra has had a new transmission put into it AND when that didn-??t fix the issue, the wheel speed sensor was replace-?? well if that had fixed the issue, i wouldn-??t be writing this post. after a new transmission, and wheel speed sensors, didn-??t fix the issue the dealership themselves advised me to look into the lemon law being they had no idea at this point what was going on with my car. i have attempted getting my car bought back under the lemon law (Ohio) which my car meets the qualifications being that the issue was brought the the dealerships attention, before the 12 month or 18k (whichever came first) which in this case was taken to them before both. and that my car had been in the shop more then 30 days cumulative (it-??s been 41) and hyundai has denied my request for a buy back, and has told me i need to do more research or get an exterior 2nd opinion. (pretty much a lawyer). they-??ve advised me to -??just keep taking it to the shop and get it fixed-??. the issue is, this does not occur all the time. it is completely random and will do it once in a week and then not again for another 3. but when this happens, it-??s scary. it-??s loud, the pedals go stiff and the whole car jerks. accelerating or decelerating. the dealership will not replace something if they cannot duplicate the issue which is also a reason it-??s taken so long to get any sort of answers. i have multiple videos, the service MANAGER, has rode in my car with me while this issue has occurred and stated himself my vehicle is unsafe, and i should not be driving it. i need help!

- Tucson, AZ, USA

problem #3

Sep 032022

Elantra

  • miles
My vehicle was slowing down and was halfway into a parking spot. Then, it suddenly accelerated, jumped over commercial parking blocks, and ended up stopping after hitting a wall. My brake was not working at that moment. I initially reported it to Hyundai USA (as a dealership doesn't seem to consider this a serious issue at all), but decided not to let them investigate on their end based on their slow and unprofessional responses.

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #2

Jul 062022

Elantra

  • 19,651 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that on several occasions while decelerating, the vehicle would lunge forward and the engine would rev. The contact stated that the vehicle would shut off while stopped. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was not determined. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer three times where the failure was not determined. The failure recurred for the fourth time. The contact was awaiting a tow to the dealer Fitzgerald Countryside Hyundai. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 19,651.

- Tampa, FL, USA

problem #1

Jun 022021

Elantra

  • 3,300 miles
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while pulling into the driveway, while slowing down, the vehicle inadvertently lunged forward. The vehicle seemed as though it was attempting to accelerate forward. The contact had to depress the brake pedal with excessive force to keep the vehicle from moving forward. The failure was independently remedied, and the vehicle started to perform as designed. The contact stated that failure occurred on three different occasions. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to find a cause for the failure. The dealer informed the contact that they were aware of other vehicle owners experiencing the same failure with similar vehicles. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,300.

- Kilgore, TX, USA

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