← New search

2018 Hyundai Elantra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2018 Hyundai Elantra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 182.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

91 reports with mileage · 190 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 140 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 24 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

12 crash reports7 fire reports6 injury reports

What owners actually said

281 reports
Mileage unknown · Nov 9, 2022
Electrical SystemEngine

The engine suddenly started stalling at stop sign or red lights at random times and the engine immobilizer light came on along with check engine and oil light. This was dangerous when turning left at an intersection. Car would be fine after restarting the car. Other times the ESC malfunction light would show while driving and th…

Read full complaint

The engine suddenly started stalling at stop sign or red lights at random times and the engine immobilizer light came on along with check engine and oil light. This was dangerous when turning left at an intersection. Car would be fine after restarting the car. Other times the ESC malfunction light would show while driving and the engine would not accelerate properly on the highway and the engine would also start jerking at times. Dealer said they could not fix it as this was an intermittent issues and they could not reproduce the issue when given for repair. Dealer and company did not agree to do a complete check and replace sensors, etc.

NHTSA ODI #11492952

163,000 miles · Nov 4, 2022
Air BagsCrash

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the contact crashed into a deer causing severe damage to the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A p…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the contact crashed into a deer causing severe damage to the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.

NHTSA ODI #11492236

Mileage unknown · Oct 29, 2022
Exterior LightingLane DepartureService Brakes

My headlights on left side (low beam)and right side (high beam) have each burned out three times. My high mounted brake light has been replaced at least five times as well as my left and right brake lights. Now both of my tag lights went out and a right tail light. Also brakes keep grinding even after I replaced pads and rotors…

Read full complaint

My headlights on left side (low beam)and right side (high beam) have each burned out three times. My high mounted brake light has been replaced at least five times as well as my left and right brake lights. Now both of my tag lights went out and a right tail light. Also brakes keep grinding even after I replaced pads and rotors and NTB National Tire is telling me it’s in electrical braking system or calipers. My car had 94,000 miles on it and I’ve never had any car have caliper problems with low mileage.

NHTSA ODI #11491405

Mileage unknown · Oct 21, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineWheels

My Elantra was taken by theft. Rear driver side door broken. Ignition harness torn apart and the car was driven away from my senior living home parking lot on July 23rd at 3 P.M. Police were called but car was taken off the lot before they arrived. I received call from police on July 27th that the car was in an impound lot in St…

Read full complaint

My Elantra was taken by theft. Rear driver side door broken. Ignition harness torn apart and the car was driven away from my senior living home parking lot on July 23rd at 3 P.M. Police were called but car was taken off the lot before they arrived. I received call from police on July 27th that the car was in an impound lot in St. Paul. Drivers side front tire blown out, wheel severly damaged. Some body scratched in left rear. Front passenger seat badly stained. Other damage unknown. Vehicle been at Walser Hyundai since about August 1st. Shop waiting for parts for repairs.

NHTSA ODI #11490273

Mileage unknown · Oct 12, 2022
Electrical SystemExterior LightingFuel/propulsion System

Financed last year (2021) at 38,000 miles, financing a vehicle i wish I knew to do research before hestitly excepting my first offer, first waring was on the test drive. The car had to be towed back to dealership because the battery was dead. In the sub-zero cold, the battery with read low and this causes electrical issues, fro…

Read full complaint

Financed last year (2021) at 38,000 miles, financing a vehicle i wish I knew to do research before hestitly excepting my first offer, first waring was on the test drive. The car had to be towed back to dealership because the battery was dead. In the sub-zero cold, the battery with read low and this causes electrical issues, from remote start not working to unable to open the doors. The more common and reaccuring issue that is getting worst is the lack of excellaration when taking off. Realizing this drastic difference recently, I know there is some thing happening, but I have not had much good customer service when I have brought issues to dealership and services center. Also issues with harness for the back left lights. The harness that holds the bulb keeps burning out. Dealer has never fixed when I immediately experience this issue and they just replaced the bulb twice until they realized the real problem and told me it would cost me $160

NHTSA ODI #11488890

70,000 miles · Sep 30, 2022
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud sound coming from underneath the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, there was smoke coming from the front end of the vehicle. Another driver alerted her son that…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud sound coming from underneath the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, there was smoke coming from the front end of the vehicle. Another driver alerted her son that there was a flash of flame coming from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer informed her that the vehicle was out of warranty and offered to cover 60% of the repair cost. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

NHTSA ODI #11487254

Mileage unknown · Sep 17, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineUnknown Or Other

The car has a security vulnerability where the car is able to start without the key being present. Also, the engine will shutter randomly (car will shake) when in idle. This happens especially the first few minutes from a cold start.

NHTSA ODI #11484966

Mileage unknown · Sep 14, 2022
Electrical SystemEngineExterior Lighting

My car will shut off as I’m driving it. I was going thru a busy intersection and my car turned off, I was in my car with my 3 babies traffic backed up and almost got slammed into. I had to get out and push my car to the side of the road. The check engine light started flashing then the whole dashboard started flicking

NHTSA ODI #11484395

38,000 miles · Sep 13, 2022
Engine

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, she depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle began to jerk and shake from the front end. The vehicle also hesitated prior to responding to the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The failur…

Read full complaint

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, she depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle began to jerk and shake from the front end. The vehicle also hesitated prior to responding to the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The failure had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

NHTSA ODI #11484291

Mileage unknown · Sep 13, 2022
Engine

While driving lost acceleration, car stalled multiple times. No dash light on at all when this happens. Having to add oil to my engine between oil changes.

NHTSA ODI #11484157

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Hyundai Elantra problems