IllustrationDoors stop opening. Unable to open 3 out of 4 doors. Door will not open from inside or outside. This is a huge safety concern. If you google “Hyundai Elantra doors won’t open” there are MANY people with this issue.
2017 Hyundai Elantra
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Elantra years
Owner complaints for the 2017 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
800–25K
7125–50K
5850–75K
3675–100K
31100–150K
4150K+
280 reports with mileage · 486 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.
- Engine. Review the 289 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Structure. Review the 134 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 111 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
37 crash reports6 fire reports19 injury reports
Unknown Or Other complaints
131 reportsWhile driving on highway the vehicle quit running and would not restart. It seemed it lost power prior to completely dying. Check engine light came on when starting and had some hesitation but started then once on highway stalled out. Paint is also coming off hood color is Pearl White
Unable to open driver side door from outside, known latch issue. The first time this happened fob was inside car while heating up and could not get into car even with another key/fob through any door. Had to crawl through trunk. If someone such as a child or infant had been inside who could not open door, would have been a saf…
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Unable to open driver side door from outside, known latch issue. The first time this happened fob was inside car while heating up and could not get into car even with another key/fob through any door. Had to crawl through trunk. If someone such as a child or infant had been inside who could not open door, would have been a safety issue. So now cannot heat car with door locked until repair is completed. Problem is constant. Known issue with the car and Hyundai has extended the warranty to cover, but as it is a safety hazard a recall should be considered. Appointment has been scheduled for repair
Three out of the four doors are not opening properly. They are either not opening from the inside, not opening from the outside or both. Dealer confirms the problem. If there was a serious accident and evacuation was necessary this would be a serious issue.
Often times the rear video backup camera built into the car blanks out when reversing, randomly. Dealership said it’s possibly bad wiring but would be expensive to investigate, with me on the hook for paying if they can’t locate the issue. After going two years with this issues intermittently occurring, I was able to get a new c…
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Often times the rear video backup camera built into the car blanks out when reversing, randomly. Dealership said it’s possibly bad wiring but would be expensive to investigate, with me on the hook for paying if they can’t locate the issue. After going two years with this issues intermittently occurring, I was able to get a new camera installed under warranty, as a way to ensure the camera itself is the issue. In the end, blanking out condition is still present. I do check my mirrors often but it’s not safe for this camera to blank out as often as it does. I’m hoping this is an isolated issue but in the case more owners have this concern I’d like NHTSA to investigate the matter and if needed, recall affected vehicles. A family member drove my car and was involved in a minor fender bender, with the family member stating that the back up camera camera blanked out a few times in a couple seconds as another vehicle entering their mirrors blinds spots (directly in back of car) came through. If the camera would’ve been working properly it’s possible my driver wouldn’t have stuck the other vehicle.
Rear passenger Door Will not open from the inside or outside. Huge safety issues if get in a wreck and can get out.
The 2017 Hyundai Elantra value edition has issues when and after making left turns the vehicle stalls and loses power causing the cluster to light up. Which can be extremely dangerous when operating the vehicle. There is no check engine light or any indicator that turns on prior on the cluster before the vehicle stalls. The in…
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The 2017 Hyundai Elantra value edition has issues when and after making left turns the vehicle stalls and loses power causing the cluster to light up. Which can be extremely dangerous when operating the vehicle. There is no check engine light or any indicator that turns on prior on the cluster before the vehicle stalls. The intermediate steering shaft is notorious for going bad and had to have it replaced.
The brakes on this car are HORRIFYING. Sometimes the brakes shudder so hard that your body will physically lurch forward with the braking. (and this is only when braking from 45-50 mph, anymore feels like the car is falling apart) It feels almost as if the right front brake is ‘sticking’ causing the car to brake unevenly and sto…
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The brakes on this car are HORRIFYING. Sometimes the brakes shudder so hard that your body will physically lurch forward with the braking. (and this is only when braking from 45-50 mph, anymore feels like the car is falling apart) It feels almost as if the right front brake is ‘sticking’ causing the car to brake unevenly and stop later than it should. Sometimes I have to fully push down on the brakes to get it to stop all the way. Sometimes I will let go of the brakes and the car will slow down itself in a strange lurky way…. If I am going over 70 like on the interstate, and push on the brakes, they feel as if they cannot handle braking… The whole car, steering wheel, peddles and all vibrate intensly like the car is about to fall apart. and I’ve had many scary encounters where I have to glide my car out to the right to get the car to stop in time. I have taken into the Hyundai dealership multiple times. They always say nothing is wrong with it. I have owned this car less than a year and it is just now hitting 47,000 miles. The brakes just feel wrong. The car stability is almost nonexistant. I feel every bump or slight dip in the road, and the car follows them roughly. When braking while hitting a bump, I might as well not use them, as they won’t lock in until after the rough road. Scary car.
The car shut out of without warning. On 10/6/2021:I pulled into the carport, as soon as I stopped the car shut off. All of the dash lights were off, radio was off, and door with not open with the buttons. The light came back on around 5 seconds later. 9/16/2021: the car shut off when was sitting in the car talking to my mom o…
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The car shut out of without warning. On 10/6/2021:I pulled into the carport, as soon as I stopped the car shut off. All of the dash lights were off, radio was off, and door with not open with the buttons. The light came back on around 5 seconds later. 9/16/2021: the car shut off when was sitting in the car talking to my mom on my cell phone. Suddenly, the car shut off: no radio, no lights on the dash, the doors only opened manually. The key fob would not work. The brakes locked, the car would not start. I was able to start my ten minutes later. I purchased a battery around 3/2021.
This is a manufacturing defect issue, not a safety issue. The paint on my white Hyundai Elantra is peeling from the undercoat on the hood. The mileage is just about 8,000 miles past the paint warranty. The car is kept in the garage and well maintained. While washing it with a garden hose, the paint quickly and easily peeled off …
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This is a manufacturing defect issue, not a safety issue. The paint on my white Hyundai Elantra is peeling from the undercoat on the hood. The mileage is just about 8,000 miles past the paint warranty. The car is kept in the garage and well maintained. While washing it with a garden hose, the paint quickly and easily peeled off the hood in giant chucks. I found this seems to be a common problem in many states.
Official recalls
417V213000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System
Mar 28, 2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Elantra vehicles. The affected vehicles may have a damaged Electronic Power Steering (MDPS) connector resulting in a loss of electric power steering assistance.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Loss of power steering assist would require higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EPS motor, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 28, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-243-7766. Hyundai's number for this recall 161.
17V063000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:power Assist:hydraulic
Jan 26, 2017
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Elantra vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the brake booster may fail, resulting in a loss of power brake assist.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: A loss of power brake assist can lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Hyundai has notified owners, and dealers will replace the brake system booster assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 157.
16V956000 · Air Bags:frontal:driver Side:inflator Module
Dec 30, 2016
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2017 Hyundai Elantra vehicles manufactured April 15, 2016, to September 13, 2016, and Sonata vehicles manufactured May 27, 2016 to September 16, 2016. In these vehicles, the end seal for the driver's frontal air bag inflator may not have been properly installed, possibly resulting in reduced inflation of the frontal air bag in the event of a crash.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not inflate fully increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 156.
16V232000 · Air Bags:frontal
Apr 21, 2016
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016 to February 22, 2016, and one 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicle manufactured October 15, 2015. In these vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag may be missing a chemical enhancer required for the second stage air bag deployment, resulting in the second stage not deploying in certain crashes. The primary stage will deploy as intended.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An air bag that does not inflate increases the risk of injury.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on May 5,2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 144.
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
1DP22003 · Loss Of Motive Power
Opened Sep 12, 2022 · Closed Dec 12, 2023
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Engine
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are susceptible to cracking. The petition itself can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI number 11481745. On September 12, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened Defect Petition (DP22-003) to evaluate the Petitioners’ request. The Petitioners have provided additional complaints within four supplemental letters dated January 31, 2023, March 21, 2023, May 23, 2023, and August 4, 2023. ODI’s evaluation included the review and analysis of the complaints and supporting information submitted by the Petitioners, as well as additional complaints submitted directly to NHTSA which referenced either the oil drain plug or a crack in the oil pan. After reviewing the available data, ODI has not identified evidence that would support opening a defect investigation into the oil drain pan assemblies of the subject vehicles. Based on a review of the available information, a loss of motive power resulting from an oil drain plug back out has not occurred between the initial sale of a vehicle and the completion of its first oil change. If during an oil change service, a technician fails to remove the existing drain plug gasket before installing a new gasket, it is likely that a proper seal between the drain plug and the oil pan will not be made. An improper seal between the drain plug and oil pan could lead to the backing out on the drain plug, resulting in the sudden loss of oil while driving. Additionally, the provided examples of oil pan cracks were localized to the immediate vicinity of the oil drain plug and/or appeared to be the result of direct-contact with a tool during servicing. There is no information to support that a vehicle-based defect exists relating to the oil pan assembly, and instead the documented incidents are related to the failure to follow the proper maintenance procedures during oil change service. In October 2023, Hyundai published a Technical Service Bulletin (TSB) that provided detailed instructions for oil change service on its gasoline powered vehicles, specifically highlighting the need to remove and replace the existing drain plug gasket prior to reinstalling the drain plug. After a thorough review of the material submitted by the petitioner, the information already in NHTSA's possession, and the potential risks to motor vehicle safety implicated by the petitioners' allegations, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. Therefore, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA’s reasons for denial of the petition will be published. The reference numbers for the complaints to NHTSA cited by the petitioner can be found in the petition submission documents in the public file for DP22-003. To review those complaints and the additional complaints ODI added to its evaluation which are cited in the Closing Resume ODI Report Identification Number document, go to NHTSA.gov.