2017 Hyundai Elantra
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 767 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 26 Elantra model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 37 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 24 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Steering, electric power assist systemMar 28, 2017
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Elantra vehicles. The affected vehicles may have a damaged Electronic Power Steering (MDPS) connector resulting in a loss of electric power steering assistance.
Loss of power steering assist would require higher steering effort, especially at lower speeds, which may increase the risk of a crash.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the EPS motor, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin April 28, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-243-7766. Hyundai's number for this recall 161.
Campaign 17V213000 on NHTSA.gov
Service brakes, hydraulic, power assist, hydraulicJan 26, 2017
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2017 Elantra vehicles. In the affected vehicles, the brake booster may fail, resulting in a loss of power brake assist.
A loss of power brake assist can lengthen the distance needed to stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Hyundai has notified owners, and dealers will replace the brake system booster assembly, free of charge. The recall began on February 6, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 157.
Campaign 17V063000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontal, driver side, inflator moduleDec 30, 2016
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2017 Hyundai Elantra vehicles manufactured April 15, 2016, to September 13, 2016, and Sonata vehicles manufactured May 27, 2016 to September 16, 2016. In these vehicles, the end seal for the driver's frontal air bag inflator may not have been properly installed, possibly resulting in reduced inflation of the frontal air bag in the event of a crash.
In the event of a crash, an air bag that does not inflate fully increases the risk of injury.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began February 13, 2017. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 156.
Campaign 16V956000 on NHTSA.gov
Air bags, frontalApr 21, 2016
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 Sonata vehicles manufactured May 29, 2014 to February 11, 2016, 2017 Elantra vehicles manufactured January 12, 2016 to February 22, 2016, and one 2016 Sonata Hybrid vehicle manufactured October 15, 2015. In these vehicles, the driver's frontal air bag may be missing a chemical enhancer required for the second stage air bag deployment, resulting in the second stage not deploying in certain crashes. The primary stage will deploy as intended.
An air bag that does not inflate increases the risk of injury.
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the driver's frontal air bag module, free of charge. The recall began on May 5,2016. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 144.
Campaign 16V232000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
767 reports, newest first.
Engine, Jan 2, 2022
Left a location driving my vehicle normally the check engine light comes on, then my vehicle loses acceleration and then my vehicle stalls and I almost didn’t make it home.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Dec 31, 2021, crash
Often times the rear video backup camera built into the car blanks out when reversing, randomly. Dealership said it’s possibly bad wiring but would be expensive to investigate, with me on the hook for paying if they can’t locate the issue. After going two years with this issues intermittently occurring, I was able to get a new camera installed under warranty, as a way to ensure the camera itself is the issue. In the end, blanking out condition is still present. I do check my mirrors often but it’s not safe for this camera to blank out as often as it does. I’m hoping this is an isolated issue but in the case more owners have this concern I’d like NHTSA to investigate the matter and if needed, recall affected vehicles. A family member drove my car and was involved in a minor fender bender, with the family member stating that the back up camera camera blanked out a few times in a couple seconds as another vehicle entering their mirrors blinds spots (directly in back of car) came through. If the camera would’ve been working properly it’s possible my driver wouldn’t have stuck the other vehicle.
Structure, Dec 27, 2021
I have two doors latches that recently failed. Both will not open proving to be a serious safety concern. Front passenger door and rear passenger door.
Structure, Dec 26, 2021
Both of the rear doors will not open. This started with the driver rear door and now the other side will not open. You have to forcefully pull on the door any where from 10-15 times sometimes to get it to open. The longer it has been left alone the more times it takes to get it open again. This is not a driver issue this is a manufacturer problem. This is also a safety hazard. I have looked this up and many Hyundai cars have had this same issue.
Structure, Dec 17, 2021
Rear passenger side door has become inoperable. This poses a safety risk as you cannot exit the vehicle from that side if an emergency arises. This is a common problem with this vehicle and should have a recall issued by now. The door opening mechanism has become damaged due to poor design, as this is a common problem mentioned all over the internet. This latch costs $1200, but was inoperable within only 4 years.
Engine, Dec 13, 2021
My daughter purchased her first car, a 2017 Hyundai Elantra, last December (2020). She drove it for the first few months without any major issues but then it started having issues with the car “jerking” and stalling every time she drove it. It actually stopped in the middle of the road multiple times and she had to start it up again, which is highly unsafe. The check engine light came on and she took it to the local O’Reilley auto parts for the free diagnostic scan. It pulled up a camshaft sensor. Her best friend’s dad is a local mechanic and has a high-tech reader, so he plugged it in and it pulled up camshaft/crankshaft. He also noted that the oil was really low (she had it for six months at this point). No oil light on. They added oil to it. The car sat in our driveway for a few months until we could afford to repair it. Took it to the local repair store and they stated that one of the major issues was the timing chain was loose due to “worn sprockets” (which the mechanic stated appeared to be a manufacturing defect as they are too short to properly grasp like they are supposed to). After completing a $1800 timing belt repair they are now stating that, that was not the only issue and that the motor itself is going to need to be replaced. At this point, the car is not valued at the price of the repairs and replacement, leaving my daughter without a car and with a finance payment. I’m at a loss of what to do. I do not know much about cars but I do know that a car that was manufactured in 2017 should not need an entire motor replaced by 2021.
Engine, Dec 10, 2021
Check engine light came on while driving to dealership for an unrelated recall on door handle. A diagnosis of the car computer showed a code of P0128 Coolant Thermostat. Further check of information on this particular problem produced a Technical Service Bulletin from the manufacturer, Hyundai, Number 18-01-012. This bulletin was found on the NHTSA site. I notified the dealership and sent a copy of the bulletin. The dealership refused to comply with the bulletin and never returned our calls. I tried another dealership and Hyundai corporate office in California, and again was refused to comply with the bulletin. The replacement of this part was to be performed by any dealership if this particular vehicle was brought in for any type of service. The dealership manager, service manager and service department were all rude to my wife and myself in person and by phone. One person told my wife to fix it herself and hung up on her. Since obtained this bulletin from NHTSA website I feel that the refusal to perform the work is in direct violation of a known defect to this car. There is no recalls listed for this car even though I received a recall notice concerning the door opening flaw. There is nothing noted about the problem with the Coolant Thermostat even though the Manufacturer and NHTSA have both reported the problem. This repair was to be made regardless of whether there was a noted problem or not, as per the writing on the Technical Service Bulletin.
Structure, Dec 4, 2021
My vehicle, and hundreds if not thousands of other same make/models, are experiencing a heavy paint peeling issue. It is highly unsafe and ill-considerate for the environment and also for consumers. In the face of the COVID-19 Pandemic, many of us are already struggling in many areas of our lives. To have such an expensive issue arise in these times is mentally damaging. My vehicle cannot go in an automatic car wash or even be driven in windy or rainy conditions. Corporate directed me to have this inspected by a dealership and the dealership refused to help and said corporate needs to handle the problem at hand. Corporate continues to send me back to the dealership. The paint peeling off exposes the body down to the bare metal and can begin rusting. If this begins happening, pieces of the vehicles body could become severely damaged and be a live hazard on the road.
Engine, Nov 29, 2021
Elantra was running fine, parked the car at the store and went to start it and it didn't start. Tried starting it multiple times before smoke started coming out of the engine. Had the car towed to a Hyundai dealership to have it diagnosed and found out the engine was seized and the starter was blown due to trying to start the vehicle.
Fuel system, Gasoline, Engine, Nov 24, 2021
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, the check engine warning light would remain illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle would jerk and hesitate and experience unintended acceleration. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the fuel injectors were faulty. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was contacted regarding the failure, but no assistance was offered. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Other or unspecified, Nov 20, 2021
Rear passenger Door Will not open from the inside or outside. Huge safety issues if get in a wreck and can get out.
Power train, Engine, Nov 18, 2021
According to the Hyundai Dealership, located in Corona, CA, the Hyundai Elantra's are known for the ignition coil to go out. This is also not covered under warranty and list below of why it should be: This can cause Engine misfiring in a vehicle whose ignition coils have failed. Trying to start the engine of such a vehicle will result in engine misfiring that sounds like a coughing, sputtering noise. When driving at high speeds, jerking and spitting will be seen in the behavior of the vehicle. A vehicle with a failed ignition coil will also result in vibration when it is idling at a stop sign or light. Driving with a faulty coil pack can damage other components of the engine. Also most cars will register a faulty coil and immediately stop gas feed to that cylinder. However, damage may be caused if the fault isn’t registered by the PCM and the dead cylinder continues to receive gas. Your catalytic converter and oxygen sensors may become contaminated by raw gas and need to be replaced. This can be dangerous if it is a known common issue in a Hyundai Elantra and cause an accident when travelling at a higher speed. I was at a stop when this problem occurred for me but was able to safely move out of the way.
Engine, Nov 13, 2021
Abbreviated. Full description in files. Since July 2021, I have had intermittent issues with my 2017 Hyundai Elantra. When trying to accelerate, the car would struggle to move and feel like it was about to stall. The engine light would come on any time I would step on the gas. It was a danger should my car refused to accelerate while making a turn, merge, etc. On 8/31, I brought my car to Healey Hyundai. However, Healey could not fix the car, as the error codes were not in the car. On 9/6 I was able to drive to Healey Hyundai within the same day of the issue. The error code, a misfire on cylinder 2. On 9/16, Hyundai Motor Corp recognized there was a premature failure of the ignition coil on cylinder 2. A warranty repair was done to replace the ignition coil. Once fixed, a representative from Healey Hyundai acknowledge they had seen this issue before. They went so far as to warn me that the other ignition coils could go at any time. On 9/27 at 11 am, the issue occurred again and worse than I ever experienced it. The engine light turned on and my car struggled to move. For 15 minutes until I was able to safely stop. Once off, the light went away, and it appeared to operate normally. On 9/28 at 1 pm, I brought the car to Healey Hyundai again. It was 26 hours, 30 miles, and 4 starts since the issue occurred. However, the error codes were again missing from the car. Healey Hyundai was not able to reproduce. And while I have felt the car shutter and hesitate since, it is not enough for the engine light to turn on. The original ignition coils installed in the car are faulty. They overheat during normal use causing them to melt and warp. It also explains why the issue has decreased as the weather cools. Also alarming is the excessively short period of time error codes are stored in the computer. It is a matter of time till my car fails again and I am afraid for my safety when it does.
Engine, Nov 11, 2021
While accelerating on moderate incline engine has failed three times and souns like it’s flooding. After taking the vehicle to the dealership, they reported no engine failures or misfires were documented by the vehicles OBD. Engine has become excessively noisy, but after a 17 mile driving test by the dealership, they reported not experiencing any issues or hearing any noises. Vehicle Mileage: ~48.5K miles.
Other or unspecified, Nov 11, 2021
The 2017 Hyundai Elantra value edition has issues when and after making left turns the vehicle stalls and loses power causing the cluster to light up. Which can be extremely dangerous when operating the vehicle. There is no check engine light or any indicator that turns on prior on the cluster before the vehicle stalls. The intermediate steering shaft is notorious for going bad and had to have it replaced.
Other or unspecified, Oct 18, 2021
The brakes on this car are HORRIFYING. Sometimes the brakes shudder so hard that your body will physically lurch forward with the braking. (and this is only when braking from 45-50 mph, anymore feels like the car is falling apart) It feels almost as if the right front brake is ‘sticking’ causing the car to brake unevenly and stop later than it should. Sometimes I have to fully push down on the brakes to get it to stop all the way. Sometimes I will let go of the brakes and the car will slow down itself in a strange lurky way…. If I am going over 70 like on the interstate, and push on the brakes, they feel as if they cannot handle braking… The whole car, steering wheel, peddles and all vibrate intensly like the car is about to fall apart. and I’ve had many scary encounters where I have to glide my car out to the right to get the car to stop in time. I have taken into the Hyundai dealership multiple times. They always say nothing is wrong with it. I have owned this car less than a year and it is just now hitting 47,000 miles. The brakes just feel wrong. The car stability is almost nonexistant. I feel every bump or slight dip in the road, and the car follows them roughly. When braking while hitting a bump, I might as well not use them, as they won’t lock in until after the rough road. Scary car.
Engine, Oct 13, 2021, fire
The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at 25-30MPH, the vehicle inadvertently stalled. The contact stated he saw smoke coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The check engine warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road, where he checked the engine and oil level but could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact stated he continued to drive the vehicle, however, the vehicle would not go past 30 MPH. The independent mechanic came to the contact's residence and diagnosed that the engine had failed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the failure was caused by a lack of engine oil. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised that they would cover the replacement of the engine based on the dealer's diagnosis. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 101,000.
Engine, Oct 12, 2021
The engine shakes while driving slowly or idle and starts to act like it will stall. Happened in the middle of driving several times including on the freeway where I was lucky enough to get off to the side of the road without getting hit. Turns out the ignition coils are bad and was confirmed after trying to replicate the problem several times. This has been reported several times for this make and year. Looks like some years were previously recalled but not my specific vehicle. Yet it was still a problem. This presents an extreme safety hazard as you do not know when it will stall and can do so while driving. With repeated reports of this part being affected, there should be a recall. Seems like hyundai is trying to save money at the expensive of the driver's safety. My previous Elantra lasted for 13 years without this problem.
Structure, Oct 12, 2021
The rear driver side door will not open from the inside or outside. Huge safety concern in case of accident - and also just everyday use problem. The passenger side door latch will not open from the outside. It will open from the inside.
Air bags, Oct 11, 2021
Air bag light malfunction sensor on no accidents
Latches/locks/linkages, Oct 10, 2021
The driver rear door will not open from the inside or from the outside. No matter how you lock/unlock it when you pull either door handle nothing happens basically leaving a rear seated passenger trapped.
Engine, Oct 9, 2021
Heavy engine knocking, no warning lights came on, had low oil (oil changed 1.5 months ago), car stalled 30 seconds after pulling to expressway shoulder
Other or unspecified, Oct 6, 2021
The car shut out of without warning. On 10/6/2021:I pulled into the carport, as soon as I stopped the car shut off. All of the dash lights were off, radio was off, and door with not open with the buttons. The light came back on around 5 seconds later. 9/16/2021: the car shut off when was sitting in the car talking to my mom on my cell phone. Suddenly, the car shut off: no radio, no lights on the dash, the doors only opened manually. The key fob would not work. The brakes locked, the car would not start. I was able to start my ten minutes later. I purchased a battery around 3/2021.
Steering, Oct 5, 2021
Well my car is making a deal bad noise when I turn to the right I just recently realize that this year make moudel had a recall on the steering but where is the data base provided for me that it was fixed cause I can't find anything on it at and if it was fixed how do we know it wasn't a default part put back in my car need to have this looked into because when I turn to the right it's like it takes control of the steering and then I lose all power of steering not at all times normally at low rates of speed when turning towards the right or making the right turn at times it feels like going down the highway at 75 miles per hour but it's wanting to take control of the car at times
Structure, Engine, Oct 4, 2021
Engine stall while turning. Metal flakes in the engine. Engine completely failed requiring a new engine. Factory paint failed and bubbles off.