2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 378 complaints · 3 recalls
Most-reported system: STEERING (177 complaints · 46.8%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 45
  • Fires 9
  • Injuries 48
  • Deaths 1
Compare with 2009 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution STEERING appears in 177 of 378 owner complaints (46.8%) in this vehicle snapshot. STEERING: 177 complaints, 46.8% of reports STEERING 177 · 46.8% · 4 crash reports 1 fire reports AIR BAGS: 36 complaints, 9.5% of reports AIR BAGS 36 · 9.5% · 19 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 27 complaints, 7.1% of reports POWER TRAIN 27 · 7.1% · 1 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 24 complaints, 6.4% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 24 · 6.4% · 5 crash reports 2 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 21 complaints, 5.6% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 21 · 5.6% · 2 fire reports STRUCTURE: 15 complaints, 4.0% of reports STRUCTURE 15 · 4.0% · 1 crash reports ENGINE: 14 complaints, 3.7% of reports ENGINE 14 · 3.7% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 14 complaints, 3.7% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 14 · 3.7% · 6 crash reports SUSPENSION: 8 complaints, 2.1% of reports SUSPENSION 8 · 2.1% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 69 complaints, 18.3% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 69 · 18.3% · 11 crash reports 3 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
STEERING 177 46.8% 4 crashes · 1 fires
AIR BAGS 36 9.5% 19 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 27 7.1% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 24 6.4% 5 crashes · 2 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 21 5.6% 0 crashes · 2 fires
STRUCTURE 15 4.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 14 3.7% 1 crashes · 2 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 14 3.7% 6 crashes · 0 fires
SUSPENSION 8 2.1% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 69 18.3% 11 crashes · 3 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2010; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2013. 2010-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2011-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2011-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2012-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2013-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2013-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2014-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2014-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2014-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2015-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2015-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2015-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2015-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2016-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q2: 12 owner reports 12 2016-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2016-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2017-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2017-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2018-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2018-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2018-Q4: 16 owner reports 16 2019-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2019-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2019-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2019-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2020-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2020-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2020-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2020-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2021-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2021-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2021-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2022-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2022-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2022-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2023-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2023-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2024-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2025-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2026-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Jan 2010 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 13V113000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V113000 Recall campaign 15V100000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V100000 Recall campaign 20V061000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V061000 Investigation DP21003 ● Investigation DP21003
  • Campaign 15V100000 was reported 1,526 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 20V061000 was reported 3,326 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2010-Q1 Owner reports 1
2010-Q2 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 3
2010-Q4 Owner reports 7
2011-Q1 Owner reports 6
2011-Q2 Owner reports 5
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q1 Owner reports 4
2012-Q2 Owner reports 5
2012-Q3 Owner reports 4
2012-Q4 Owner reports 3
2013-Q1 Owner reports 3
2013-Q2 Owner reports 6
2013-Q3 Owner reports 4
2013-Q4 Owner reports 6
2014-Q1 Owner reports 4
2014-Q2 Owner reports 12
2014-Q3 Owner reports 6
2014-Q4 Owner reports 7
2015-Q1 Owner reports 6
2015-Q2 Owner reports 9
2015-Q3 Owner reports 9
2015-Q4 Owner reports 11
2016-Q1 Owner reports 6
2016-Q2 Owner reports 12
2016-Q3 Owner reports 7
2016-Q4 Owner reports 7
2017-Q1 Owner reports 3
2017-Q2 Owner reports 6
2017-Q3 Owner reports 16
2017-Q4 Owner reports 8
2018-Q1 Owner reports 3
2018-Q2 Owner reports 6
2018-Q3 Owner reports 8
2018-Q4 Owner reports 16
2019-Q1 Owner reports 6
2019-Q2 Owner reports 10
2019-Q3 Owner reports 7
2019-Q4 Owner reports 13
2020-Q1 Owner reports 6
2020-Q2 Owner reports 13
2020-Q3 Owner reports 6
2020-Q4 Owner reports 8
2021-Q1 Owner reports 4
2021-Q2 Owner reports 10
2021-Q3 Owner reports 9
2021-Q4 Owner reports 5
2022-Q1 Owner reports 1
2022-Q2 Owner reports 2
2022-Q3 Owner reports 9
2022-Q4 Owner reports 3
2023-Q1 Owner reports 6
2023-Q2 Owner reports 8
2023-Q3 Owner reports 2
2023-Q4 Owner reports 7
2024-Q1 Owner reports 2
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q3 Owner reports 1
2024-Q4 Owner reports 2
2025-Q1 Owner reports 2
2025-Q2 Owner reports 4
2025-Q3 Owner reports 2
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 2
2026-Q2 Owner reports 3
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 13V113000
Recall campaign 1 15V100000
Recall campaign 1 20V061000
Defect investigation 1 DP21003
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (3)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 13V113000

    Report date
    Component:
    EXTERIOR LIGHTING
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V100000

    Report date
    Component:
    STEERING
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V061000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    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.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 378 complaints · page 1 of 16

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources