2016 Hyundai Elantra
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 292 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 10th highest complaint count among 26 Elantra model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 22 involved a crash and 5 involved a fire. 17 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator moduleMay 15, 2026
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Elantra and 2016 Elantra GT vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.
An air bag inflator that ruptures may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or passengers, increasing the risk of injury or death.
Dealers will inspect and replace the air bag inflator, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed July 3, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated August, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 300. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on May 16, 2026.
Campaign 26V307000 on NHTSA.gov
Latches/locks/linkages, trunk lid, latchFeb 23, 2024
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Elantra vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Dealers will replace the trunk latch base sub-assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 5, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 256.
Campaign 24V146000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
292 reports, newest first.
Service brakes, Dec 19, 2021
Brake lights constantly have to be replace twice a month. Wheel bearing have to be replaced twice a year. Brakes don't stop if mash quickly when hitting small hole. Its just grinding sound. My safety and others are put at risk every day. No messages or symptoms of problem till it happens, no warning lamps.
Vehicle speed control, Dec 15, 2021, crash
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated and crashed into the tires of another vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact did not sustain any injuries. A police report was filed. The contact and her husband drove the vehicle to her residence. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact that they were not aware of such failure. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 62,000.
Engine, Dec 1, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at 65 MPH, the engine failed to perform as needed. The contact stated she was able to safely pull off the road and proceeded to call a tow company. The contact stated at the time of failure several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to Towne Hyundai (3170 NJ-10, Denville, NJ 07834) where they were not able to diagnose the vehicle. The contact stated that she then had the vehicle towed to Riverhead Hyundai (1800 Old Country Rd, Riverhead, NY 11901) where the vehicle remained to await a diagnostic test and repair. The failure mileage was 85,000.
Engine, Nov 23, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while her daughter was driving and approaching a stop sign, the vehicle loss motive power and stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The driver placed the vehicle in PARK and restarted the vehicle to drive to her residence; however, the failure recurred sporadically several times thereafter. The contact took the vehicle to a local dealer who inspected the vehicle however, the dealer was not able to determine the cause of the failure. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there were metal shavings found in the engine. The mechanic recommended that the engine be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 93,000.
Other or unspecified, Nov 17, 2021
Trunk will not open. Passenger side latch doesn’t open the trunk. Trunk is stuck. Rear seats do not have a button or latch to make them go down/fold. Cannot get into the trunk from inside of car. Car passenger door has no access to trunk latch. No smart key came with car, but if trunk latch is broken/damaged, there is still no way to get access to the trunk! Safety feature has no access from inside or outside the car! No key entry to the trunk! Nothing!!! A child gets stuck in this 2016 Hyundai Elantra they will die!!! No key entry to the trunk.
Engine, Nov 9, 2021
I was driving the car at 25 MPH, when suddenly there was a clicking noise and the car lost power. I made it to my local service shop, but they were already closed. The next morning they called to inform me that the engine had blown and that it was a common problem for Hyundai vehicles. When the engine blew, it enabled gasoline to leak into the engine compartment. I feel that this is a serious fire hazard. Even though the care had high mileage, it was in good mechanical shape at the time of the incident. I had routine maintenance performed regularly. There were never any warning indicators that something might be wrong.
Engine, Oct 30, 2021
As I was driving for my job going the speed limit I heard a slight ticking/knocking sounds I pulled over right away and it sounds like the motor is knocking, the gdi in other Hyundai models have a recall for them due to faulty connection rods making the engine fail as this one is, it is going into the dealership Monday and I will provide any documentation showing the car is stock and wasn’t abused in any way or form.
Engine, Oct 30, 2021
This cars engine has seized and stopped working. This is an unacceptable problem and it seems as though other years have a recall for this same issue. I would like my year and model added to the recall. I am furious about this situation.
Air bags, Oct 24, 2021, crash
The airbags did not deploy when the other driver did not comply with the stop sign, which led to him getting off the road in front of me and destroying the entire front of the car, knowing that the airbags did not deploy now. I suffer from a neck injury
Structure, Oct 10, 2021
The trunk latch just completely stopped working out of no where. I always use the button on the actual trunk and have never had issues before. The trunk shuts, but the latch does not lock causing the trunk to not stay closed. This happened while on vacation when I needed to use my trunk for all of my items. I had to use 3 different bungee ropes and a ratchet strap to keep it closed from the inside. I had to drive 12 hours on the highway with the trunk like this beyond scared the trunk would pop open with all of my items back there since I had no where else to put them. I think we all need to use our trunks especially when the car itself is smaller with not much room for suitcases.
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Oct 9, 2021
I lost power while driving my 2016 Hyundai Elantra gt and also started hearing a knocking sound so I pulled over and knocking sound got real loud. A friend came and towed me home about 70 miles and the next morning I checked the oil and my oil was empty. My car has been out of commission for over a month and my mechanic says that a ball bearing is the reason for my engine failure and knocking sound.
Other or unspecified, Oct 2, 2021
Latch for trunk does not work from the inside by the floor at the driver seat.
Power train, Sep 30, 2021
My vehicle is only 5 years old and the transmission has problems. I was driving and the car stopped with an impact force. I thought that someone or something had hit me from behind. For over over 2 months, I have been without a vehicle because the mechanic shop states that the transmission need part replacements.
Power train, Sep 30, 2021
Check engine light didn't come on until the car no longer went into gear. Prior to light coming on car started jumping like 3 feet when going from park to drive sometimes and would do the same sometimes after proceeding from a stop. After about 2 weeks of doing this car would only go in reverse then the check engine light came on. Had it towed to dealer to be serviced. They said i need a new transmission and cost over $6800. Car has been in shop for 3 weeks now. I filed a complaint with you guys and was told to see if Hyundai would make things right and make it a recall since it was a huge safety issue i think. However they said there was nothing they could do cause my warranty was up cause I'm almost to 130000 miles. That shouldn't even matter it was still a safety issue. I was reading and found that a lot of people were having similar issues and Hyundai does nothing about it.
Air bags, Sep 22, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the air bag warning light illuminated on the instrument panel. The contact had taken the vehicle to an independent mechanic who informed him that the air bags were defective. The mechanic then referred him to a dealer for assistance and informed him that there might be a recall on the vehicle for the air bags. The contact's wife called the dealer and the manufacturer and was informed that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.
Visibility, Aug 13, 2021
The inside of my front windshield and inside of back window always get a film on them when using my air vents. It is like a gas film that forms on the mentioned windows and it is not easy to get the film off. It just smears. This has been going on for a couple of years. No one seems to know why. Filters are replaced during oil checkups. What could be causing this annoying problem?
Engine, Aug 6, 2021
Under 70,000 miles, transmission no longer works. Left me stuck in a parking lot and will not go forward. Began with pulling motion while trying to shift and rapidly declined.
Latches/locks/linkages, Aug 5, 2021
The contact's son owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the power locks would intermittently unlock then lock independently with the door ajar warning light illuminated. All doors were inspected after each failure warning however, each time the doors were found to be securely closed. The contact also stated that upon parking the vehicle and locking the doors, the doors were unlocked upon return to the vehicle. The contact called the dealer where she purchased the vehicle and an appointment was scheduled for an inspection. The manufacturer had not been notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.
Power train, Aug 1, 2021
My vehicle started to have a slight delay when shifted from park to drive. Within a week's time the delay turned to a very hard shift which made car jump fast and hard making tires screech yet there was no check engine light. Then it started slipping out of gear on highway then it wouldn't go into the last gear and when in stop and go traffic fall out of gear when stopped then thrust really hard burning rubber when accelerating so had to distance myself far behind other cars so I wouldn't crash into them trying to accelerate after a stop. I get home safely let my vehicle rest a few hours before attempting to take car to be inspected. So I back out of drive way and my car doesn't go into drive at all and then the check engine light comes on. Now I have a friend bring scanner and the code P0722 comes up. I am disabled and on a fixed income still paying on the car. Luckily I broke down in front of my house.
Structure, Jul 24, 2021
Blue paint started peeling on the rear spoiler and rear bumper and side near handle.
Suspension, Jul 9, 2021
Anytime I hit a bump going at least 35 mph the back of my car jumps to one side or another. I've tried adding weight to the back of the car, less and more air in tires, new tires, but nothing seems to fix the problem. It has knocked me sideways on the roads and when on the highway or interstate it's gets worse as you are driving faster. Winter time I have to drive the least amount I can on the faster roads because it can get out of control. I read on hyundai forums that this has been a problem for this type of car. Some people said getting better shocks reduces the problem, but does not completely fix it. I'm worried I will get into an accident because of this. I can't afford to try new shocks, because it doesn't completely fix the problem. It is also wearing the tires much faster then they should. Consumer made several attempts to reach out to the manufacturer but no response. Vehicle has issues with rear end sliding back and forth as well as the rear axle.
Engine, Jun 2, 2021
The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 mph, the check engine warning light illuminated. Twenty minutes later, there was a ticking sound coming from underneath the hood. The vehicle started sputtering. The contact pulled over to the side of the roadway and the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The local dealer was contacted and informed the contact that the part to repair the vehicle was on backorder. the vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 47,000.
Engine, Apr 30, 2021
OIL CONSUMPTION,IN THREE MONTHS OR 3K MILES, IT CONSUMES 3 LITTERS, I TOOK IT TO DEALER, THEY DID TEST AND THEY SAID YES THAT IS NORMAL, IT CANNOT BE NORMAL, IF I DRIVE ANOTHER 3K MILES WILL MOST LIKELY BURN THE ENGINE FOR SURE, I KEEP POURING OIL IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES
Engine, Apr 29, 2021
I WAS DRIVING TO NORWOOD ON A RESIDENTIAL ROAD AND THE CAR BEGAN OVERHEATING SO I PULLED OVER, LET IT COOL DOWN, AND ADDED WATER TO THE RADIATOR. I DIDN'T KNOW WHY IT WOULD OVERHEAT, BUT ONCE IT COOLED, I DROVE BACK HOME. WE CHECKED THE OIL AND OTHER FLUIDS TO BE SURE IT WASN'T LOW. THE FLUIDS WERE FINE AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS GOING TO BE THE RADIATOR. THE NEXT DAY, I WENT TO A LOCAL RESTAURANT IN EASTGATE OHIO. WHEN I PULLED INTO THE DRIVE THRU, IT FELT LIKE THE CAR WASN'T GETTING POWER AND THEN SHUT OFF. I WENT TO START IT, BUT IT WOULDN'T START. THE ENGINE WOULDN'T EVEN TURN OVER. I HAD TO HAVE IT TOWED BACK TO MY APARTMENT BY OUR MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC LOOKED UNDER THE HOOD AND EXPLAINED THAT THE ENGINE IS LOCKED UP. I STILL OWE ON THE VEHICLE SO I PARKED IT AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO SAVE MONEY TO GET AN ENGINE.
Steering, Suspension, Structure, Apr 14, 2021
ON THE DRIVER SIDE OF MY CAR THE FRONT AXLE SHAKES REALLY BAD CAN I KEEP IT IN THE ROAD.