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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.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

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

Exterior Lighting complaints

5 reports
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Mileage unknown · Aug 5, 2026
Exterior LightingService Brakes, HydraulicSteering

The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact recently purchased the vehicle. The contact researched and became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V113000 (Exterior Lighting), 15V100000 (Steering) and 20V061000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was…

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The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact recently purchased the vehicle. The contact researched and became aware that the VIN was included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 13V113000 (Exterior Lighting), 15V100000 (Steering) and 20V061000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was informed that the repairs were unable to be completed because the required tools were unavailable. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact had not experienced a failure.

NHTSA ODI #11755010

Mileage unknown · Nov 20, 2023
Electrical SystemExterior LightingService Brakes

My brake lights are not going off when I take my foot off of the brake pedal. I have had to start disconnecting the battery cable so it will not drain the battery. I stop lamp switch replaced when it was recalled. And the steering wheel tilt does not stay in the high spot it falls to the lowest position.

NHTSA ODI #11556059

74,000 miles · Aug 3, 2020
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V061000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT GARVEY HYUNDAI LOCATED AT 271 TOM MILLER RD, PLATTSBURG, NY 12901, (518)-324-7007, HOWEVER, AFTER THE REPAIR WAS PERFORMED THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE JUMP START…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V061000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC) AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED AT GARVEY HYUNDAI LOCATED AT 271 TOM MILLER RD, PLATTSBURG, NY 12901, (518)-324-7007, HOWEVER, AFTER THE REPAIR WAS PERFORMED THE VEHICLE HAD TO BE JUMP STARTED. THE DEALER WAS CALLED BACK AND THE MANGER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE NEEDED TO BE OBSERVED FOR AN HOUR OR MORE TO TROUBLESHOOT THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR THE RECALL REPAIR, THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT PASS STATE INSPECTION DUE TO A CRACKED HEADLIGHT COVER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 74,000.

NHTSA ODI #11342987

96,000 miles · Oct 2, 2017
Exterior LightingSteering

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING (EPS) SENSOR ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. ALSO, THE BRAKE LIGHTS ERRONEOUSLY ILLUMINATED WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SPORT DURST HYUNDAI IN DURHAM, NC WHERE IT W…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING (EPS) SENSOR ILLUMINATED AND THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. ALSO, THE BRAKE LIGHTS ERRONEOUSLY ILLUMINATED WITHOUT DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SPORT DURST HYUNDAI IN DURHAM, NC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE EPS WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V10000 (STEERING), ALTHOUGH THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED THE SAME FAILURE LISTED IN THE RECALL. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 96,000.

NHTSA ODI #11031384

40,140 miles · Nov 27, 2013
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

CAR POWER GOES OUT FOR A FEW SECONDS WHILE DRIVING. HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SUCH AS WHEN TURNING LIGHTS ON OR SIGNAL AND ALL LIGHTS ON DASH GO OUT. CAR HAS ALSO LOST POWER WHEN PUTTING IT INTO REVERSE AND HAD TO RESTART IT. ITS AN AUTOMATIC SO SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING. ALSO AUTO LOCKS AREN'T AT TIMES. HYUNDAI HAS ALREADY REPLAC…

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CAR POWER GOES OUT FOR A FEW SECONDS WHILE DRIVING. HAPPENED SEVERAL TIMES SUCH AS WHEN TURNING LIGHTS ON OR SIGNAL AND ALL LIGHTS ON DASH GO OUT. CAR HAS ALSO LOST POWER WHEN PUTTING IT INTO REVERSE AND HAD TO RESTART IT. ITS AN AUTOMATIC SO SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING. ALSO AUTO LOCKS AREN'T AT TIMES. HYUNDAI HAS ALREADY REPLACED THE RADIO AND LOCKS THINKING THIS WAS THE FIX AND CLEARLY ITS NOT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10554048

Official recalls

3

20V061000 · 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

1

DP21003 · 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.

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