2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 643 complaints · 4 recalls
Most-reported system: ENGINE (94 complaints · 14.6%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 47
  • Fires 11
  • Injuries 44
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2011 →
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 94 of 643 owner complaints (14.6%) in this vehicle snapshot. ENGINE: 94 complaints, 14.6% of reports ENGINE 94 · 14.6% · 3 crash reports 5 fire reports AIR BAGS: 93 complaints, 14.5% of reports AIR BAGS 93 · 14.5% · 17 crash reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 70 complaints, 10.9% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 70 · 10.9% · 3 crash reports 1 fire reports STEERING: 67 complaints, 10.4% of reports STEERING 67 · 10.4% · 5 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 61 complaints, 9.5% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 61 · 9.5% · 2 crash reports 3 fire reports SUSPENSION: 40 complaints, 6.2% of reports SUSPENSION 40 · 6.2% POWER TRAIN: 28 complaints, 4.4% of reports POWER TRAIN 28 · 4.4% · 1 fire reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 15 complaints, 2.3% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 15 · 2.3% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 15 complaints, 2.3% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 15 · 2.3% · 3 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 157 complaints, 24.4% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 157 · 24.4% · 10 crash reports 4 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 94 14.6% 3 crashes · 5 fires
AIR BAGS 93 14.5% 17 crashes · 0 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 70 10.9% 3 crashes · 1 fires
STEERING 67 10.4% 5 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 61 9.5% 2 crashes · 3 fires
SUSPENSION 40 6.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 28 4.4% 0 crashes · 1 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 15 2.3% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 15 2.3% 3 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 157 24.4% 10 crashes · 4 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 Jul 2011; the first recall shown was reported in Apr 2013. 2011-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2011-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q2: 9 owner reports 9 2012-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2013-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2013-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2013-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2013-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2014-Q3: 24 owner reports 24 2014-Q4: 15 owner reports 15 2015-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2015-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2015-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2015-Q4: 19 owner reports 19 2016-Q1: 23 owner reports 23 2016-Q2: 22 owner reports 22 2016-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2016-Q4: 20 owner reports 20 2017-Q1: 13 owner reports 13 2017-Q2: 13 owner reports 13 2017-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2017-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2018-Q1: 7 owner reports 7 2018-Q2: 17 owner reports 17 2018-Q3: 17 owner reports 17 2018-Q4: 11 owner reports 11 2019-Q1: 21 owner reports 21 2019-Q2: 15 owner reports 15 2019-Q3: 20 owner reports 20 2019-Q4: 17 owner reports 17 2020-Q1: 11 owner reports 11 2020-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2020-Q3: 16 owner reports 16 2020-Q4: 18 owner reports 18 2021-Q1: 15 owner reports 15 2021-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2021-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2021-Q4: 8 owner reports 8 2022-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2022-Q3: 9 owner reports 9 2022-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2023-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2023-Q2: 10 owner reports 10 2023-Q3: 8 owner reports 8 2023-Q4: 21 owner reports 21 2024-Q1: 19 owner reports 19 2024-Q2: 16 owner reports 16 2024-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2024-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2025-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2025-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2026-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2026-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2026-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 Owner reports Jul 2011 Jul 2026 Recall campaign 13V115000 ◆ Recall campaign 13V115000 Recall campaign 15V871000 ◆ Recall campaign 15V871000 Recall campaign 20V393000 ◆ Recall campaign 20V393000 Recall campaign 23V651000 ◆ Recall campaign 23V651000 Investigation PE12012 ● Investigation PE12012 Investigation EA12008 ● Investigation EA12008 Investigation DP21003 ● Investigation DP21003 Investigation AQ23002 ● Investigation AQ23002
  • Campaign 13V115000 was reported 394 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 20V393000 was reported 3,115 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
  • Campaign 23V651000 was reported 4,061 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2011-Q3 Owner reports 2
2011-Q4 Owner reports 3
2012-Q1 Owner reports 7
2012-Q2 Owner reports 9
2012-Q3 Owner reports 3
2012-Q4 Owner reports 5
2013-Q1 Owner reports 8
2013-Q2 Owner reports 8
2013-Q3 Owner reports 3
2013-Q4 Owner reports 3
2014-Q1 Owner reports 3
2014-Q2 Owner reports 8
2014-Q3 Owner reports 24
2014-Q4 Owner reports 15
2015-Q1 Owner reports 12
2015-Q2 Owner reports 13
2015-Q3 Owner reports 16
2015-Q4 Owner reports 19
2016-Q1 Owner reports 23
2016-Q2 Owner reports 22
2016-Q3 Owner reports 16
2016-Q4 Owner reports 20
2017-Q1 Owner reports 13
2017-Q2 Owner reports 13
2017-Q3 Owner reports 8
2017-Q4 Owner reports 17
2018-Q1 Owner reports 7
2018-Q2 Owner reports 17
2018-Q3 Owner reports 17
2018-Q4 Owner reports 11
2019-Q1 Owner reports 21
2019-Q2 Owner reports 15
2019-Q3 Owner reports 20
2019-Q4 Owner reports 17
2020-Q1 Owner reports 11
2020-Q2 Owner reports 8
2020-Q3 Owner reports 16
2020-Q4 Owner reports 18
2021-Q1 Owner reports 15
2021-Q2 Owner reports 4
2021-Q3 Owner reports 10
2021-Q4 Owner reports 8
2022-Q1 Owner reports 3
2022-Q2 Owner reports 5
2022-Q3 Owner reports 9
2022-Q4 Owner reports 6
2023-Q1 Owner reports 5
2023-Q2 Owner reports 10
2023-Q3 Owner reports 8
2023-Q4 Owner reports 21
2024-Q1 Owner reports 19
2024-Q2 Owner reports 16
2024-Q3 Owner reports 5
2024-Q4 Owner reports 7
2025-Q1 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q3 Owner reports 4
2025-Q4 Owner reports 4
2026-Q1 Owner reports 5
2026-Q2 Owner reports 4
2026-Q3 Owner reports 2
Recall campaign 1 13V115000
Recall campaign 1 15V871000
Recall campaign 1 20V393000
Recall campaign 1 23V651000
Defect investigation 1 PE12012
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 (4)

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 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 →

  3. 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 →

  4. 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 643 complaints · page 1 of 26

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