NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
Steering complaints
195 reportsClear category filterMileage unknown · Sep 25, 2023
Service BrakesSteering
As I was driving, the steering wheel and brakes locked up so I couldn't steer nor brake. Luckily I was in a parking lot so I cruised the vehicle to a stop without crashing. If I had been on a road or turning, I would have crashed. No indicator lights went on. I took the car to a Hyundai dealership where they couldn't find any pr…
Read full complaint
As I was driving, the steering wheel and brakes locked up so I couldn't steer nor brake. Luckily I was in a parking lot so I cruised the vehicle to a stop without crashing. If I had been on a road or turning, I would have crashed. No indicator lights went on. I took the car to a Hyundai dealership where they couldn't find any problems and recommended I replace the steering column. I searched online and several others have reported a similar issue. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
NHTSA ODI #11546324
63,000 miles · Jun 2, 2023
Steering
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the steering wheel chanel needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel seized. The ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who informed the contact that the steering wheel chanel needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000. The mechanic stated this is a factory recall and they should fix my car for free. When the consumer informed the company and repair dealer (Key Hyundai)about this the dealer stated they already fixed that recall previously. The contact stated the dealership fixed the vehicle.
NHTSA ODI #11524987
100,000 miles · May 31, 2023
Steering
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he attempted to complete a turn and the vehicle became extremely difficult to steer. The EPS and ECU warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with th…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, he attempted to complete a turn and the vehicle became extremely difficult to steer. The EPS and ECU warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the electronic power steering. Upon investigation, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V100000 (Steering). The vehicle was not repaired due to parts not being available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was referred to a local dealer for assistance. The failure mileage was 100,000
NHTSA ODI #11524645
19,000 miles · Apr 25, 2023
Steering
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel made abnormal clicking sounds and was slightly resistant. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the steering coupler was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel made abnormal clicking sounds and was slightly resistant. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the steering coupler was replaced; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000.
NHTSA ODI #11518925
Mileage unknown · Apr 7, 2023
Electrical SystemSteering
I WAS DRIVING HOME POWER STEERING WENT OUT LIGHT CAME ON EPS I HAD A PROBLEM STEERING ALMOST RUN INTO ANOTHER CAR A FEW TIMES. THIS JUST HAPPENED WED 4/5 /2023.I HAVE NOT TAKEN IT TO A DEALER YET BECAUSE OF A DENTAL EMERGENCY THAT SAME DAY.I CAN CALL THE INSURANCE MON 4/10 /2023. NO ONE LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE I MAY HAVE TO TOW IT…
Read full complaint
I WAS DRIVING HOME POWER STEERING WENT OUT LIGHT CAME ON EPS I HAD A PROBLEM STEERING ALMOST RUN INTO ANOTHER CAR A FEW TIMES. THIS JUST HAPPENED WED 4/5 /2023.I HAVE NOT TAKEN IT TO A DEALER YET BECAUSE OF A DENTAL EMERGENCY THAT SAME DAY.I CAN CALL THE INSURANCE MON 4/10 /2023. NO ONE LOOKED AT THE VEHICLE I MAY HAVE TO TOW IT NOT SURE YET. I GOT NO WARNING THAT THE POWER STEERING WAS GOING OUT. BUT THE EPS LIGHT CAME ON AFTERWARDS. POWER STEERING WAS HARD TO DRIVE THE CAR.ALSO I NEVER RECEIVED ANY RECALLS ON MY VEHICLE BY PHONE OR EMAIL OR REGULAR MAIL FROM NOONE. YES SOMEONE CAN INSPECT THE VEHICLE UPON REQUEST
NHTSA ODI #11516062
Mileage unknown · Apr 7, 2023
Air BagsSteeringVehicle Speed Control
Clockspring has failed . Hyundai has extended the clockspring warranty for 2011 to 2014 Elantras to a 15-year unlimited mileage but has excluded the 2010 models for some reason. I would like Hyundai to extend the warranty to all affected vehicles as it is a safety hazard.
NHTSA ODI #11516041
160,000 miles · Apr 4, 2023
Steering
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the EPS warning light illuminated, and the power steering became disabled; causing the steering wheel to be difficult to turn in either direction. After restarting the vehicle, the power steering operated normally. The vehicle was taken…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the EPS warning light illuminated, and the power steering became disabled; causing the steering wheel to be difficult to turn in either direction. After restarting the vehicle, the power steering operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the steering column was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was previously repaired under the NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V100000 (Steering) in 2015. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced the failure listed in the recall. The failure mileage was 160,000.
NHTSA ODI #11515430
80,000 miles · Mar 15, 2023
Steering
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. Additionally, the EPS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed as a module and steering motor sensor failu…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle experienced a loss of power steering assist. Additionally, the EPS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed as a module and steering motor sensor failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.
NHTSA ODI #11511989
Mileage unknown · Mar 8, 2023
Steering
My Daughter was driving the car and thought it felt "wobbly", she arrived at my home and parked on the driveway. When she went to move her car, the steering wheel no longer worked. The steering wheel just spins in circles around and around without any resistance. The front wheels do not move when the wheel is being turned. …
Read full complaint
My Daughter was driving the car and thought it felt "wobbly", she arrived at my home and parked on the driveway. When she went to move her car, the steering wheel no longer worked. The steering wheel just spins in circles around and around without any resistance. The front wheels do not move when the wheel is being turned. I have a video but it is too large to submit
NHTSA ODI #11510877
Mileage unknown · Feb 27, 2023
Steering
There is a popping noise in the steering column when turning the steering wheel back and forth. How is it safe to have a plastic gear in the middle of a steering column where the upper and lower shaft meet? The ends that are seen are splined metal shafts.
NHTSA ODI #11509271
Official recalls
3Feb 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.
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.
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.
Illustration