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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

Seat Belts complaints

7 reports
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Mileage unknown · Apr 21, 2025
Seat BeltsUnknown Or Other

When I am driving with my seatbelt on for no reason at all my seatbelt comes undone doesn't happen all the time but Several times it has happened to me. And then there is something wrong with the transmission. Doesn't shift right away so it like jerks or lunges when it finally goes into gear. I have noticed both of these probl…

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When I am driving with my seatbelt on for no reason at all my seatbelt comes undone doesn't happen all the time but Several times it has happened to me. And then there is something wrong with the transmission. Doesn't shift right away so it like jerks or lunges when it finally goes into gear. I have noticed both of these problems since 2/28/2025

NHTSA ODI #11655779

Mileage unknown · Aug 9, 2021
Seat BeltsSteering

EPS or Electric Power Steering stoped working in the middle of the intersection when I tried to turn left. Vehicle became uncontrollable and I had to stop in the middle of the intersection. Everyone started honking and several lights changed before someone approached and helped me just to park the vehicle right after the interse…

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EPS or Electric Power Steering stoped working in the middle of the intersection when I tried to turn left. Vehicle became uncontrollable and I had to stop in the middle of the intersection. Everyone started honking and several lights changed before someone approached and helped me just to park the vehicle right after the intersection. There was no lights or any warning that this will happen. I was lucky not to get injured because of this car malfunction. I contacted Hyundai and they confirmed there was recall with that particular problem! Recall numbers 931 and 127. But since than they are very unprofessional and not interested in fixing this issue! I feel like they have 0% interest in helping their customers! Second issue that persists for longer time are seatbelts. They pop open in random moments of driving! They don’t stay locked the whole drive and I feel unsafe in my Hyundai! I called Hyundai the same day ( May 20th) I almost crashed because of well known recall on bad design EPS , and today August 10th , other than exchanging few emails, they didn’t help me at all! I’m really disappointed with Hyundai safety and customer care, and I don’t recommend to anyone to buy and own Hyundai !

NHTSA ODI #11428455

182,064 miles · Apr 13, 2020
Seat Belts

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE SEAT BELT RELEASED WITHOUT WARNING ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED OR NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 182,064.

NHTSA ODI #11320993

50,000 miles · May 19, 2017
Seat BeltsSteering

STEERING WHEEL MAKES A CLICKING NOISE WHEN SPEED IS LOW AND IT IS TURNING WEIRD. ALSO THE SEAT BELT DOESNT RESTRAIN PROPERLY

NHTSA ODI #10990621

Mileage unknown · Mar 15, 2016
Power TrainSeat BeltsSteering

JUST STARTING GETTING A BIG PROBLEM WITH THE STEERING MAKING NOISE IN STEERING WHEELS .. AND IT GET WORSE .. SEAT BELT KEEPS UNCLICKING

NHTSA ODI #10849885

73,070 miles · Jul 2, 2015
Air BagsSeat BeltsStructureCrashInjury

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

NHTSA ODI #10731836

6,000 miles · Feb 16, 2012
Air BagsSeat BeltsService Brakes, HydraulicCrashInjury

I WAS STOPPING MY 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA ON GRAVEL ROAD-MY RIGHT FOOT ON BRAKES THEY LOCKED AND CAR JUMPED TO ACCELERATION AND LANDED IN BUSHES KNOW DOWN PORTO POTTY WITH THE TOWN GOV.'T. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10448260

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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