Owners have filed 151 complaints on the Hyundai Elantra Touring, covering 2008–2013. The system named most often is Steering (48 reports). Worst years by volume: 2010, 2009, 2011; cleanest: 2008, 2013, 2012. 10 reports describe a crash, 3 a fire. On average the car was 5.4 years old when the problem happened.
What breaks on Hyundai Elantra Touring
Grouped by the system owners named — percentages are shares of all 151 Elantra Touring complaints. Open any row for the full reports in owners' own words.
Steering 48 Read
I was traveling south on i85 south approaching the exit 17 where I had planned to exit, as I began to apply the brake the engine was racing, and the vehicle continued to accelerate, I could not stop the vehicle, I turned right onto the exit, the vehicle did not slow down, I could not make the complete turn, I…
Wandering all over the road. Pulls right most of the time. Currently have 19000miles, 7 alignments, new set of ties. After alignment vehicle will drive straight for 15-20 min. Then starts pulling again. This has been an issue since day 1
With the engine started and in park you can turn the steering wheel right or left and it has a thumping noise. It seems like it doesn't affect the steering but this is the car my wife drives and it makes her very nervous. It makes you very uncomfortable driving the car because you don't know if the steering wheel is…
Air Bags 16 Read
Takata recall the operator of the 2013 hyundai elantra when another vehicle attempted to make a left hand turn from the right lane and struck the vehicle. The vehicle was hit in the front right side and forcibly pushed into the street curb. This resulted in significant front end damage and the suspension of all four…
The contact owns a 2012 hyundai elantra touring. While driving 15 mph through an intersection, a vehicle crashed into the passenger's side of the contact's vehicle. The contact stated that the front passenger sustained a cerebral hemorrhage, a cracked rib and suffered several headaches. The contact stated that the air…
2011 hyundai elantra touring. Attorney representing consumer writes in regards to front and side airbags did not deploy during accident. *smd prior to the accident, the air bag light illuminated. The dealer informed the consumer, it was an electrical problem, and claimed the problem was resolved. The lawyer first…
Electrical System 12 Read
In october 2010 my 6-month old hyundai elantra touring caught fire after sitting in my driveway for nine hours. The vehicle was completely totaled. My insurance company (geico) secured the car and hired a forensic engineering company (down forensic engineering, inc., cary nc) to investigate the origin of the fire.…
In october 2010 my 6-month old hyundai elantra touring caught fire after sitting in my driveway for nine hours. The vehicle was completely totaled. My insurance company (geico) secured the car and hired a forensic engineering company (down forensic engineering, inc., cary nc) to investigate the origin of the fire.…
Purchased car new june 2012, car was not started for about three days tried to start car, would not start. I jump started car to get it to the shop, said water in battery low, about 1 month later, same thing, dealer kept car, replaced battery several times, unplugged wires, chased wires from front to back, dealer…
Tires 10 Read
Noticed the sidewall of the tire has a bulge on it, did not hit any potholes or anything. Have been reading many are having the same issues with the 17" tires on this car
The front passenger side tire has blown out twice in the past year. The car was parked, and when I started the car and started driving the low tire light came on. After stopping to get air I discovered the tire was completely flat, and I had been driving on a flat tire. Both times the rim was also bent and had to be…
The contact owns a 2011 hyundai elantra touring equipped with goodyear assurance tires size 215-45-r17, DOT pj63ju11711. The contact stated that while driving at 60 mph, the driver rear tire blew out and a few days later, the rear passenger side tire also blew out. The tires were inspected and it was found that the…
Suspension 10 Read
Tire wear is excessive causing tires to wear on inside to point of dangerous. There is no adjustment in alignment to take care of this . Found this to happen after 13,000 alignment. Hyundai forum other people having same problem dealer just seems to think it is owner caused. Need to get new tires or park car!
Car gets blowouts, rim damage, or sidewall bubbles when hitting potholes. The combination of the suspension and tire size does not work . The wheels are p215/45r17
I own a 2012 hyundai elantra limited, while driving on a road with bumps the car skipsor sways back and forth, the car feels like you are going to lose control also if you have the cruise control on and you hit bumps the cruise well turn off by itself causing the car to slow down in traffic. Between the two problems,…
Power Train 8 Read
When accelerating the car gets stuck between 25 and 40 mph. It wont proceed to the next gear. I have to lay off the gas, let it drop back down and hope that it works the next time I accelerate. The transmission fluid is not low. The car is in motion while this issue happens
The power train does not shift at times, sticks in 3rd gear, pops in and out while driving between 30 and 35 mph
Dear sir they change my transmission in 1st 30000 mile because while driving my car all of a sudden goes in neutral they change transmission . After couple of month again this thing happen again they change my transmission now when I was driving my accelerator paddle doesn't come back. Car drive by itself. I went to…
Vehicle Speed Control 7 Read
Was parked in a parking lot of a drug store for maybe 10 minutes. Started the car and backed out of parking space. When I put the car in drive to go forward the car accelerated to a very high speed and ran into two parked cars. With help I tried to back out of the space but when I went forward the car once again…
When accelerating, the engine does not always de-accelerate when the gas pedal is released. This is sporadic and unpredictable. Our mechanic thinks it is a fault in the throttle body. It is dangerous because after accelerating the car will continue to accelerate for up to 10 seconds after my foot is off the gas pedal.…
While driving or stationary and pressing the gas pedal sometimes the car will suddenly and unpredictably increase in acceleration or rpms, respectively, way more than intended even after releasing the gas pedal. A couple points to note: 1) the car is a manual transmission and during the described episode if you press…
Engine 6 Read
The engine needed to be replaced at approx 62,000 miles. I believe this vehicle should have been included with the larger hyundai/kia engine recall. It took 2 months to get a new engine since they are on back order
This has not happened yet, but it will, and to hundreds of thousands of other 1.8l engines. Why have you not recalled the hyundai 1.8l nu engines used in the kia forte and hyundai elantra's (all trims and levels from 2011-2016). This engine has the same issues as the 2.0l and 2.4l engines, and more 1.8l engines were…
My issue is with automaker hyundai and a known manufacturing defect in the engines of some 2011-2013 hyundai elantra cars. I own one of these cars. It is for my daughter, 17, who paid the majority of the $7000 with her own money to buy the car. She has put around 6-7 thousand miles on it since she bought it and…
Elantra Touring years to avoid — and the clean ones
Complaints per model year. More reports usually means more cars on the road as well as more trouble, so read the crash and fire columns alongside the count.
| Model year | Complaints | Top system | Crashes | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Air Bags,unknown Or Other | 2 | — | |
| 2012 | Air Bags | 1 | — | |
| 2011 | Air Bags | 3 | 1 | |
| 2010 | Air Bags | 4 | 2 | |
| 2009 | Air Bags | — | — | |
| 2008 | Visibility/wiper | — | — |
The same model year, different builds
Every complaint carries the first 11 characters of the VIN — plant, year, body and engine. That is a production series, and complaints are spread across them very unevenly.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct production series | 77 |
| Average complaints per series | 2 |
| Worst single series | 9 complaints |
| Average age at failure | 5.4 years |
A model average of 2 hides a worst series at 9. Enter a VIN above to see the numbers for that exact build instead of the model as a whole.
Owners reported these. Find out if yours is one of them.
- Complaints matched to the exact production run, not just the model
- What the car is worth given what tends to fail on it
- The original window sticker and factory options
- Full research report as a PDF for the pre-purchase inspection
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How we count
Every figure here comes from complaints owners filed with NHTSA — 1,100,006 of them, covering 1,982 models built between 1981 and 2026.
A complaint is an unverified report: someone wrote down what happened to their car. It is not a confirmed defect and not a recall. What makes the volume useful is the pattern — when thousands of owners of the same build describe the same failure, that is a signal no marketing brochure will give you.
Two things we do that the source does not. First, we compute the age of the car at the moment of failure from the incident date and the model year. Second, we group complaints by the first 11 characters of the VIN — the production series — so a bad plant run does not disappear into a model-wide average.
Frequently asked questions
What are the worst years for the Elantra Touring?
By complaint volume, 2010, 2009, 2011 drew the most owner reports. Bear in mind that popular years put more cars on the road, so check the crash and fire columns too.
Which Elantra Touring years are the cleanest?
2008, 2013, 2012 have the fewest complaints on file. For recent years that can simply mean the cars are young.
How many complaints does the Hyundai Elantra Touring have?
151 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, covering 2008–2013. Of those, 10 describe a crash and 3 a fire.
Are these complaints verified?
No. They are unverified reports from owners. NHTSA publishes them as filed and investigates only a fraction. The value is in the pattern, not in any single report.
Can I check complaints for one specific car?
Yes — enter its VIN above. We match the first 11 characters, which identify the plant, year, body and engine, so you get complaints on that exact production series rather than the whole model.