IllustrationAIRBAG LIGHTS CONSTANTLY ON. CLOCK SPRING ISSUE.
2010 Hyundai Elantra
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Elantra years
Owner complaints for the 2010 Hyundai Elantra are substantially higher than the model-year median of 182.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Elantra years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
460–25K
5425–50K
5950–75K
4675–100K
47100–150K
22150K+
274 reports with mileage · 105 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Steering. Review the 195 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 48 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 46 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
45 crash reports9 fire reports36 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
46 reportsDUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER, THIS VEHICLE RAN INTO THE BACK OF ANOTHER VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 40MPH AND THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. WHY? THE DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE WAS SLAMMED INTO THE STEERING WITH SUCH VIOLENT FORCE, HER STERNUM WAS FRACTURED AND HER HEART MUSCLE BRUISED. HYUNDAI DOES NOT APPEAR ON THE TAKATA RECALL LIST. W…
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DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER, THIS VEHICLE RAN INTO THE BACK OF ANOTHER VEHICLE AT APPROXIMATELY 40MPH AND THE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY. WHY? THE DRIVER OF THIS VEHICLE WAS SLAMMED INTO THE STEERING WITH SUCH VIOLENT FORCE, HER STERNUM WAS FRACTURED AND HER HEART MUSCLE BRUISED. HYUNDAI DOES NOT APPEAR ON THE TAKATA RECALL LIST. WHOM DOES HYUNDAI UTILIZE FOR ITS AIRBAGS?
AIRBAG LIGHT TURNED ON WHILE DRIVING ON ROUGH ROAD ON HWY APPX. 59K MILES. HAD PASSENGER IN CAR APPX 200 LBS. TOOK TO DEALER AT 60,500 MILES. IS EITHER A FAULTY SEAT BRACKET $2500+ TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER SEAT OR DAMAGED SRS MODULE $1000+, OR POSSIBLY BOTH. DEALER RECOMMENDS BRING CAR IN FOR ADDITIONAL DIAGNOSTIC TO REMOVE SEA…
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AIRBAG LIGHT TURNED ON WHILE DRIVING ON ROUGH ROAD ON HWY APPX. 59K MILES. HAD PASSENGER IN CAR APPX 200 LBS. TOOK TO DEALER AT 60,500 MILES. IS EITHER A FAULTY SEAT BRACKET $2500+ TO REPLACE THE PASSENGER SEAT OR DAMAGED SRS MODULE $1000+, OR POSSIBLY BOTH. DEALER RECOMMENDS BRING CAR IN FOR ADDITIONAL DIAGNOSTIC TO REMOVE SEAT AN CENTER CONSOLE $300+ IN LABOR JUST FOR THAT. MY WARRANTY CONVENIENTLY EXPIRED AT 60K. DEALER COULD NOT GUARANTEE A 500 MILE EXTENSION TO MY WARRANTY SO I WILL NOT BE PROCEEDING WITH REPAIRS. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE PRACTICE FROM HYUNDAI, I DID NOTHING WRONG TO MY CAR, THIS IS A FACTORY DEFECT.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 13 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND STUCK TO THE FLOORBOARD AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. THE VEHICLE CROSSED OPPOSITE LANES AND CRASHED THROUGH A GATE AND INTO A HOUSE. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED LONG AFTER THE CRASH OCCURRED. THE CONTACT WAS…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 13 MPH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED. THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND STUCK TO THE FLOORBOARD AND THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED. THE VEHICLE CROSSED OPPOSITE LANES AND CRASHED THROUGH A GATE AND INTO A HOUSE. THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED LONG AFTER THE CRASH OCCURRED. THE CONTACT WAS KNOCKED UNCONSCIOUS MOMENTARILY AND RECEIVED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED AND TOWED TO A TOW YARD. THREE MONTHS LATER, THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 13V113000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) AND 15V1000 (STEERING). THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND REQUESTED INFORMATION TO INVESTIGATE THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 63,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS …
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE STARTING THE VEHICLE, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 98,445.
AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION. ANOTHER DRIVER WAS TRAVELLING TOO FAST ON SNOW AND SLID INTO MY LANE WHILE I WAS TRAVELING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. HIS AIRBAG DEPLOYED, MINE DID NOT. THIS WAS A 6 AIRBAG SYSTEM, WITH NO PASSENGERS IN CAR. I NEED ASSISTANCE PULLING OUT THE EVENT DATA RECORDER AND CRASH DATA BE…
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AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION. ANOTHER DRIVER WAS TRAVELLING TOO FAST ON SNOW AND SLID INTO MY LANE WHILE I WAS TRAVELING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. HIS AIRBAG DEPLOYED, MINE DID NOT. THIS WAS A 6 AIRBAG SYSTEM, WITH NO PASSENGERS IN CAR. I NEED ASSISTANCE PULLING OUT THE EVENT DATA RECORDER AND CRASH DATA BEFORE THIS CAR IS SALVAGED SO WE CAN GET HYUNDAI TO RECALL THIS SYSTEM.
SITTING IN TRAFFIC ON 405 FREEWAY NEAR EXIT 52 GOING SOUTH TO WORK WHEN I WAS REAR-ENDED BY A 2013 NISSAN. BACK AND FRONT OF CAR FOLDED UP, I WAS EJECTED FROM THE SEAT BELT (OPENED UP AND FLEW INTO PASSENGER SEAT) AND NOT ONE AIR BAG OPENED. I COULD NOT MOVE, MY FOOT WAS FRACTURED, STOMACH HURT, NECK, BACK AND ARMS IN PAIN. CH…
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SITTING IN TRAFFIC ON 405 FREEWAY NEAR EXIT 52 GOING SOUTH TO WORK WHEN I WAS REAR-ENDED BY A 2013 NISSAN. BACK AND FRONT OF CAR FOLDED UP, I WAS EJECTED FROM THE SEAT BELT (OPENED UP AND FLEW INTO PASSENGER SEAT) AND NOT ONE AIR BAG OPENED. I COULD NOT MOVE, MY FOOT WAS FRACTURED, STOMACH HURT, NECK, BACK AND ARMS IN PAIN. CHP ON THE SCENE. CAR THAT RAN INTO THE BACK OF ME PUSHED ME INTO A LARGE TRUCK AND PUSHED THE TRUCK INTO A CAR. 4-CAR ACCIDENT. CAR HAS BEEN TOTALED AND I AM REPORTING THE FAILURE AND DEFECT WITH THE SEAT BELTS AND AIR BAGS. MA 10/5 UPDATED 11/06/2017*CN
I WAS DRIVING MY HYUNDAI 2010 I HIT A PARKED CAR DRIVING ABOUT 35MPH NONE OF MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH ON A SLIPPERY ROAD, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A WALL. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BRUISES THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VE…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH ON A SLIPPERY ROAD, THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A WALL. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BRUISES THAT DID NOT REQUIRE MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.
AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY, DRIVER/OCCUPANT SUSTAINED EXTENSIVE AND DEBILITATING SPINAL INJURY........UPDATED 12/15/15 *BF *TR UPDATED 9/8/2017*CN
Official recalls
320V061000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
Feb 4, 2020
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Elantra and 2009-2011 Elantra Touring vehicles. On February 21, 2020 Hyundai expanded the recall to include 46,425 model year 2007-2008 Entourage and 2007 Santa Fe vehicles. Moisture may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the car is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the vehicle's main junction box to prevent the risk of an ABS short-circuit while the car is turned off, free of charge. The recall began April 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 188.
15V100000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System
Feb 23, 2015
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Elantra vehicles manufactured June 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010, and 2009-2010 Elantra Touring vehicles manufactured November 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010. The electronic power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may sense a discrepancy in the steering input signals and, as a result, disable the steering power assist.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will verify the proper operation of the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and update the EPS control unit, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 127.
13V113000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch
Apr 1, 2013
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1DP21003 · Throttle Control System Vulnerabilities
Opened Nov 12, 2021 · Closed Jun 20, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:throttle
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (ODI) number 11439675.On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-003 to evaluate the petitioner?s request. ODI performed trend analyses of the VOQs related to vehicle speed control issues for all the subject vehicles and found that none of the 52 Model/Model Year Hyundai/Kia vehicles demonstrated any actionable trend that warranted an investigation.Petitioners submitted 1119 VOQs and non-VOQ cases in which sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA) or loss of motive power (LOMP) incidents were alleged.For the 1119 reports, 220 were incidents involving crashes, from which 69 subject Hyundai-Kia vehicles were inspected by Hyundai/Kia dealer technicians, Hyundai/Kia engineers, and/or third-party representatives.ODI found the inspections identified no vehicle defects related to the ETC system.Of the 220 crash-involved reports, 13 Event Data Recorder (EDR) records were downloaded successfully and 11 of those indicated driver error: (i.e.) pedal misapplication.A condition where the accelerator pedal is mistakenly applied instead of the brake pedal when the driver wants to stop the vehicle.In addition, ODI reviewed a scientific journal paper published in Forensic Science International in 2016 by Mr. Park et al ., as well as related test videos. ODI does not believe there is any evidence of uncontrollable SUA occurrences in any of the tests reviewed. NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) reviewed the allegations regarding the potential noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124.Based on the information provided, the Agency concludes there is insufficient information for us to determine if a possible non-compliance exists.Finally, both Hyundai and Kia informed ODI that all their vehicles manufactured after 2012 were equipped with an ETC management system, in which the engine speed will go to idle when the system sees signals from both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal at the same time; this is commonly known as the brake-throttle override system.After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information already in NHTSA's possession, information submitted by Hyundai and Kia in response to an Information Request letter, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. After full consideration of appropriate factors, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA?s reasons for denial of the petition will be published.