2011 HYUNDAI ELANTRA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 430 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (66 complaints · 15.4%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 17
  • Fires 8
  • Injuries 10
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2010 →
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 ENGINE appears in 66 of 430 owner complaints (15.4%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 66 complaints, 15.4% of reports ENGINE 66 · 15.4% · 1 crash reports 3 fire reports AIR BAGS: 61 complaints, 14.2% of reports AIR BAGS 61 · 14.2% · 9 crash reports STEERING: 59 complaints, 13.7% of reports STEERING 59 · 13.7% · 1 fire reports SUSPENSION: 54 complaints, 12.6% of reports SUSPENSION 54 · 12.6% ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 29 complaints, 6.7% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 29 · 6.7% · 1 crash reports 2 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 29 complaints, 6.7% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 29 · 6.7% · 2 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 14 complaints, 3.3% of reports POWER TRAIN 14 · 3.3% · 1 crash reports WHEELS: 13 complaints, 3.0% of reports WHEELS 13 · 3.0% EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 10 complaints, 2.3% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 10 · 2.3% UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 94 complaints, 21.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 94 · 21.9% · 2 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)
ENGINE 66 15.4% 1 crashes · 3 fires
AIR BAGS 61 14.2% 9 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 59 13.7% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SUSPENSION 54 12.6% 0 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 29 6.7% 1 crashes · 2 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 29 6.7% 2 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 14 3.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
WHEELS 13 3.0% 0 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 10 2.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 94 21.9% 2 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 Apr 2011; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2013. 2011-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2011-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2011-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2012-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2012-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2014-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2014-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2014-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2015-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2015-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2016-Q1: 14 owner reports 14 2016-Q2: 15 owner reports 15 2016-Q3: 13 owner reports 13 2016-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2017-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2017-Q2: 15 owner reports 15 2017-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2017-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2018-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2018-Q3: 11 owner reports 11 2018-Q4: 16 owner reports 16 2019-Q1: 20 owner reports 20 2019-Q2: 16 owner reports 16 2019-Q3: 12 owner reports 12 2019-Q4: 13 owner reports 13 2020-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2020-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2020-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2020-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2021-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2021-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2021-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2022-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2023-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2023-Q4: 14 owner reports 14 2024-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2024-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2024-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2024-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2026-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Apr 2011 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 13V115000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V115000 Recall campaign 15V629000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V629000 Recall campaign 15V871000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V871000 Recall campaign 20V393000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V393000 Recall campaign 23V651000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V651000 Investigation EA12008 ● Investigation EA12008 Investigation DP21003 ● Investigation DP21003 Investigation AQ23002 ● Investigation AQ23002
  • Campaign 13V115000 was reported 244 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 15V629000 was reported 1,566 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 20V393000 was reported 3,347 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 23V651000 was reported 4,517 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2011-Q2 Owner reports 11
2011-Q3 Owner reports 9
2011-Q4 Owner reports 5
2012-Q1 Owner reports 4
2012-Q2 Owner reports 1
2012-Q3 Owner reports 3
2012-Q4 Owner reports 3
2013-Q1 Owner reports 5
2013-Q2 Owner reports 3
2013-Q3 Owner reports 6
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 4
2014-Q2 Owner reports 5
2014-Q3 Owner reports 7
2014-Q4 Owner reports 5
2015-Q1 Owner reports 7
2015-Q2 Owner reports 4
2015-Q3 Owner reports 11
2015-Q4 Owner reports 7
2016-Q1 Owner reports 14
2016-Q2 Owner reports 15
2016-Q3 Owner reports 13
2016-Q4 Owner reports 11
2017-Q1 Owner reports 12
2017-Q2 Owner reports 15
2017-Q3 Owner reports 6
2017-Q4 Owner reports 2
2018-Q1 Owner reports 8
2018-Q2 Owner reports 11
2018-Q3 Owner reports 11
2018-Q4 Owner reports 16
2019-Q1 Owner reports 20
2019-Q2 Owner reports 16
2019-Q3 Owner reports 12
2019-Q4 Owner reports 13
2020-Q1 Owner reports 11
2020-Q2 Owner reports 10
2020-Q3 Owner reports 6
2020-Q4 Owner reports 8
2021-Q1 Owner reports 8
2021-Q2 Owner reports 4
2021-Q3 Owner reports 6
2021-Q4 Owner reports 3
2022-Q1 Owner reports 3
2022-Q2 Owner reports 4
2022-Q3 Owner reports 3
2022-Q4 Owner reports 7
2023-Q1 Owner reports 6
2023-Q2 Owner reports 3
2023-Q3 Owner reports 4
2023-Q4 Owner reports 14
2024-Q1 Owner reports 12
2024-Q2 Owner reports 6
2024-Q3 Owner reports 5
2024-Q4 Owner reports 2
2025-Q1 Owner reports 2
2025-Q2 Owner reports 2
2025-Q3 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 3
2026-Q3 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 13V115000
Recall campaign 1 15V629000
Recall campaign 1 15V871000
Recall campaign 1 20V393000
Recall campaign 1 23V651000
Defect investigation 1 EA12008
Defect investigation 1 DP21003
Defect investigation 1 AQ23002
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 13V115000

    Report date
    Component:
    AIR BAGS
    Consequence:
    If the headliner support bracket makes contact with an occupant during a crash, it may cause a laceration injury.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will apply adhesive strips to the headliner, free of charge. The safety recall began during April 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 109.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V629000

    Report date
    Component:
    SUSPENSION
    Consequence:
    If a front coil spring fractures, it may contact the tire, possibly puncturing it, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front coil springs, free of charge. Interim notifications were mailed on November 17, 2015. The recall began on January 6, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 133. Note: Vehicles that were previously registered in salt belt states but are currently registered elsewhere are eligible to be inspected and repaired.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 15V871000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    If the one or more of the brakes are inappropriately applied, control of the vehicle may be lost, increasing the risk of a crash.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will verify the proper operation of the ESC sensors, and update the ESC system's calibration, free of charge. The recall began June 6, 2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 137.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 20V393000

    Report date
    Component:
    EQUIPMENT
    Consequence:
    An overheated accessory outlet increases the risk of fire.
    Remedy:
    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the Tire Mobility Kit accessory outlet plug with a direct-to-battery connection wire harness kit, free of charge. The recall began September 28, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 193.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 23V651000

    Report date
    Component:
    SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
    Consequence:
    An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
    Remedy:
    Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 10, 2024 through October 11, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 251.
    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 430 complaints · page 1 of 18

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