2018 Hyundai Elantra
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 282 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 12th highest complaint count among 26 Elantra model years with reports.
Of the 2018 reports, 12 involved a crash and 7 involved a fire. 6 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
No safety recalls on file.
Representative owner complaints: other or unspecified
54 reports, newest first. Show all
Structure, Other or unspecified, Jul 4, 2022
Paint is peeling from hood and top of car and continues to spread. This has been happening for the past 2 years
Other or unspecified, Jun 20, 2022
Since I've purchased this car I've had problems with the car when moving when stopped. When I first start to drive, stops at a stop sign or red light, the car hesitates, shudders and vibrates when pushing the gas. There is a delay when stopped and then taking off, to the point that I have been honked at while the car just idles before it shudders and moves on. I've been asking about the problem since I purchased the car and have been told it is normal for the sport model or they been unable to replicate the problem at the dealership. The safely issue is that I'm worried I'm going to be rear ended while waiting for the transmission to kick in. No warning lights. Please research this problem and suggest a fix to Hyundai. The delay is also felt when the automatic transmission is shifting in lower gear, no problem once the car is on the highway or straight a way driving with no stopping. Thank you for your consideration.
Engine, Other or unspecified, May 26, 2022
At slow speeds car just shuts off engine. Starts back up but does it constantly. Also the engine lifters are starting to make noises like a clacking someone said it was a defective motor.
Other or unspecified, May 22, 2022
paint is continue to peel off of my hood and it looks horrible. I am a good driver I didn’t cause this. It’s a random spot on hood
Other or unspecified, Apr 30, 2022
The car is very easy to steal. Company I work for had to hire security to stand at the gates because of so many thefts. They call themselves "The Kia Boys". The cars are so easy to steal that kids 13 and younger are stealing them. There is even a tik tok video that went viral showing how steal them quickly. Hyundai refuses to issue recall saying only that the newer models won't have same problem, but that doesn't help people who are losing their vehicles that are still paying on them. These teenagers are wrecking the cars and getting killed. And some have also been killed by the people they're stealing from. https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc6onyourside.com/amp/news/local/columbus-police-homicide-of-teen-is-linked-to-operation-game-over-car-theft-ring https://www.google.com/amp/s/jalopnik.com/two-thirds-of-milwaukee-s-stolen-cars-are-made-by-kia-o-1848174995/amp
Other or unspecified, Apr 21, 2022
I'm really disappointed when I notice last Saturday that my car was stolen (Elentra SEL 2018). When I met the police officer he told me this is normal with Hyundai vehicles!! NORMAL!! Fortunately, the car has been recovered but it's undrivable. When I was with the truck driver who towed my car to my home, he told me "do you believe that I towed 7 cars from Hyundai/Kia in the last 24 hours!!!". Also, another truck driver, who towed my car from my home to the repairing shop, told me he towed 5 stolen cars (Hyundai/Kia) on the day I met him. I search on the internet and I found this is really a big issue, and people and tv news said that how it is easy for kids to steal a Hyundai car in a couple of minutes! I feel that I own a toy for kids or a piece of jerk NOT a VEHICLE!!! And of course, there is no recall from Hyundai to fix this problem.
Other or unspecified, Apr 15, 2022
Vehicle was locked with the keys removed from the vehicle. A back window was smashed and the vehicle was stolen. They were able to start the vehicle without keys. The vehicle was recovered and deemed to be a total loss by the insurance adjuster.
Engine, Other or unspecified, Mar 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. While driving and turning the steering wheel was firm. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The driver added oil to the engine. There was an abnormal sound detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and informed them to schedule an appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.
Other or unspecified, Feb 17, 2022
Whenever I come to a complete stop engine dies. At traffic light's, stop sign's, when I'm in reverse and stop to put it in drive, and when I park the car. This happened with a 2015 Sonata I had last year and it ended up being the motor had metal shavings from manufacturing. I thought Hyundai resolved this problem year's ago but, I have a 2018 doing the same thing the 2015 did.
Other or unspecified, Jan 13, 2022
2018 White Hyundai Elantra. 9/21/2021 We first noticed the paint was peeling. The car had 39k miles on it. We proceeded to notify the dealership and they said it wasn’t covered. Over the last few months entire chunks of paint have been coming off of the hood and roof. We have multiple estimates and they all require the car to be fully repainted.
Other or unspecified, Jan 10, 2022
My door lock was busted and my car was broken into. Then my ignition was busted in an attempted theft. These cars are easily broken into yet nothing is being done to fix it! I have paid over $800 to fix something that should not have even been an issue. Hyundai and Kia have faulty locking mechanisms that make them easily broken into and stolen. This is ridiculous! They should have put out a recall and fixed this issue. This is a 2018 and I’m still making payments. I was never informed that this is an issue with these cars or I never would have bought it. It took over a month to get my car fixed and now I’m worried to death that someone will try and steal it again. I want some kind of fix to keep my car from being so easily stolen.
Seat belts, Other or unspecified, Jan 8, 2022
Heater and defrost does not work. I was unable to see out windshield. I took it for repair at dealership under warranty. They replaced a thermostat and there was no heat or defrost after. It is dangerous to drive in winter. My passenger seatbelt alarm goes off when the seat is empty. I have to pull over to lock the seatbelt to make it stop. Dealership states cannot duplicate. I have several videos of it happening.
Other or unspecified, Nov 1, 2021
The vehicle would just randomly shut off while driving.
Other or unspecified, Aug 16, 2021, crash
This vehicle was so easy to steal 4 kids stole it and crashed it in a 45 minute span.
Other or unspecified, Jun 9, 2021
My multifunction switch appears to be defective. I have taken it to 2 different dealerships to be looked at. They have been unable to replicate any issues either time. Occasionally at night time the headlights will randomly turn off. This happened in auto mode as well as when it was pouring down rain and the wipers were on. The headlight indicator on the dash stays lit but the lights themselves turn off. This also happened driving to work in the early morning. When it is cold outside and also randomly the left signal indication doesn’t work in the lane changing function. I sometimes have to hit it 3-4 times before it decides to come on. Neither dealership I have used knows what is happening with the vehicle and I am not keen to spend $600 to have it fixed if it’s not going to 100% fix the issue.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, May 5, 2021
STARTED LOOSING POWER THEN THROW A ROD THROWING OIL EVERYWERE RIGHT AFTER 100000MILES
Other or unspecified, Oct 3, 2020
DRIVING NORMALLY AT 35MPG AND THE SERVICE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE THE LEFT REAR TIRE STARTED BLINKING EVEN THOUGH THE PSI IN ALL TIRES NUMBERS WERE THE SAME AND NORMAL ON ALL FOUR TIRES... CHECKED PRESSURE TO MAKE SURE IN ALL TIRES AND STILL KEEPS BLINKING ALONG WITH THE SERVICE LIGHT STILL ON.
Other or unspecified, Sep 26, 2020
VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION TRAVELING 65-68MPH ON NJ GARDEN STATE PARKWAY WHEN REAR BUMPER FELL OFF. NOTHING TOUCHED THE VEHICLE (NO COLLISION). ROAD WAS STEADY (NO POTHOLES).
Other or unspecified, Sep 4, 2020
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPEN,I JUST GOT A NOTICE AND MY LYFT ACCOUNT IS CLOSED NOW
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Jun 4, 2020, crash
CAR SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING AND AT LOW SPEED WHICH COST ME AN ACCIDENT AND ALMOST MY LIFE AND MY UNBORN I HAD THE CAR FOR ABOUT A YEAR IT FIRST STARTED TWO MONTHS AFTER I GOT THE CAR IT CUT OFF AT A LIGHT I WAS ABLE TO TURN IT ON IT DID IT TWICE THAN NEVER AGAIN UNTIL RECENTLY. *TR
Other or unspecified, Jan 9, 2020
HEATING HOSE ASSEMBLY AND UPPER AND LOWER RADIATOR HOSES WORE OUT IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS ON A BRAND NEW CAR. I WAS TOLD IT WAS DUE TO NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. 5 DAYS AFTER I HAD AN OIL CHANGE AND MULTIPOINT INSPECTION DONE ON MY CAR, THE ENGINE OVERHEATED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD GOTTEN IT SERVICED.
Structure, Other or unspecified, Aug 4, 2019
I WAS DRIVING MY 2018 HYUNDAI ELANTRA EAST ON STATE ROAD 64 IN BRADENTON FLORIDA AT 55 MILES PER HOUR AND ALL OF THE WINDOWS WERE UP , WITH MY SON I NOTICED A COUPLE OF MOSQUITOS FLYING AROUND AND ROLLED THE BACK WINDOWS DOWN ,AT 55 MPH THE FRONT WINDOW REMAINED UP ..WHEN I ROLLED THEM DOWN I THOUGHT THE WIND TURBULENCE WOULD EXPLODE THE VEHICLE FROM INSIDE ,THE VEHICLE STARTED TO VIBRATE AND LOOKED AS THOUGH THE WINDSHIELD WOULD BLOW COMPLETELY OUT....BOTH ME AND MY SON SAID WHAT IN THE F@CK JUST HAPPENED
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion system, Jul 11, 2019
TAKATA RECALL MY VEHICLE BRAKE GOT STUCK WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE CAR ALSO RELEASED A GAS/OIL ODOR WHEN THE CAR HAS BEEN RUNNING. THE CAR HAS ALSO BEEN HAVING PROBLEMS TO START NEED TO ATTEMPT TO TURN ON VEHICLE TWICE BEFORE IT ACTUALLY STARTS. BRAKES HAVE MALFUNCTIONED MULTIPLE TIMES ALREADY AND COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Other or unspecified, Jan 13, 2019
ABOUT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO
Other or unspecified, Engine, Nov 28, 2018
CAR SPUTTERS AT IDLE, ACTING LIKE IT'S GOING TO CUT OFF. DOES NOT ACCELERATE PROPERLY, BUT ONLY INTERMITTENTLY. ONE DAY, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I COULD NOT ACCELERATE AND IT WOULD SPUTTER AT LIGHTS. DROVE IT STRAIGHT TO ADVANCE TO GET THE ENGINE LIGHT CHECKED; NOTHING CAME UP. STARTED THE CAR AGAIN AND IT DROVE FINE, LIKE NOTHING HAD HAPPENED. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP THE NEXT DAY. THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE ISSUE. FINALLY, AFTER LETTING IT IDLE AWHILE, WERE ABLE TO GET A CODE ON THE COILS. REPLACED THEM ALL. CAR WAS RUNNING FINE AFTER THAT. THE SPUTTERING AT IDLE HAS NOW STARTED AGAIN.....LESS THAN 2 MONTHS LATER.