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
282 reports, newest first.
Other or unspecified, Engine, Jun 19, 2024
About 4 weeks ago (mid-May) I was driving in stop and go traffic on a major highway. My car is a 2018 Hyundai Elantra, manual transmission. After about 30 minutes of this, the car started to just cut out, the engine cut out when I was changing gears. It did this about 6 times on my drive home. I noticed that when the rev meter got below 1, the engine would just stall out, so I tried to give it gas to keep the revs up. In addition, the engine was making a knocking sound. I took it to my mechanic's the next day and when he heard the sound, he said it needs a new engine. He has had a few customer's with similar issues with their Hyundais. He told me to tow it to the dealer and they would help me get the engine replaced. That same day, I had it towed to a dealer nearby. They charged me $195 for a diagnostic and said it needed new spark plugs and replaced cylinder 1 coil, which they did. ($900) I picked it up, but I could tell it still wasn't right. The mechanic assured me he fixed it. However, they also told me the "check engine" light was on (it wasn't). When I was driving it, it started to stall again when I was changing gears. I brought it back to the dealer, he told me his mechanic had trouble getting it into reverse, there was a problem with the clutch. He would need to "tear down the transmission" for $2,000 and even then, he wouldn't know what the problem was. This just didn't feel right--I got the impression they didn't know what they were doing and that this mechanic couldn't even drive stick. I took it back to my own mechanic who couldn't find the problem. He told me to drive it around and when it makes the sound/cuts off, to bring it back. I drove it home--today--and the knocking sound started after 15 minutes. I recorded it and texted it to my mechanic. He called me and said "it's the engine. the dealership mis-diagnosed your problem and overcharged you." I called a different dealer, got an appointment for next week and must play the $200 diagnostic .
Engine, May 28, 2024
May 24 2024, while driving on Interstate95 at approx 70mph, I experienced catastrophic engine failure, with metal shards and screws shooting out, oil spewing, and smoke billowing everywhere. Loss of control of vehicle and nearly hit by passersby while trying to guide vehicle to swale. There were absolutely no warning lights or signals, and vehicle had just been serviced at Hyundai dealership at 77k miles (odometer reading 81k at time of incident). Independent mechanic diagnosed engine failure, hole in block, and provided attached photos. Vehicle was towed to Wallace Hyundai, in Ft Pierce, where it awaits dealer mechanical inspection.
Structure, May 4, 2024
The white paint on the vehicle is peeling and bubbling in various areas of the vehicle around the hood, fender and roof
Engine, Apr 27, 2024
I am losing engine oil all the time to the point the car engine shut off My engine start losing oil after 2000 miles 1000 miles before oil change [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Apr 27, 2024
I was driving about 45 mph when the car just turned off the first time. I was able to put it in neutral and start it back up to get to the side of the road and it died on me again. I was about 30 feet from my destination at this point so I got it where I was going and turned it off. When I turned it back on it was making a terrible knocking/grinding noise. It didn’t have a drop of oil in it (about a thousand miles after my last oil change mind you) so I put oil in it and started it again and the sound quit. I went to drive it and it died before I could accelerate to a decent speed, got it cranked and rolling again and it slowly got up to 40 mph, but the second I started to slow down again it would die. So I had it towed to my mechanic who at first thought it was because the timing chain had a lot of slack in it, assuming it jumped time so he changed that, but it was still dying. He ended up finding the cause to be the exhaust cam sprocket? I’ve never heard of this before but I do know that ever since I bought the car 3 years ago it never felt like it would get up and go whenever I hit the gas. Since I picked it up from being fixed, this thing zoom zooms everywhere now! But it is still using an ungodly amount of oil between oil changes.
Service brakes, Fuel/propulsion system, Lane departure, Apr 14, 2024
I had to replace my Cadillac converter twice and it keeps messing up on my car and I have to keep replacing my headlight bulbs on my vehicle. They keep going bad and the vehicle tells me when the headlight bulbs is out, but I don’t replace the headlight bulbs, four times and the catalytic converter three times And my Blindspot detection system and rear across traffic alert system keeps going out on my car and I done replaced it and recalibrated it six times already and there should be recalls for all this on the vehicle and my license plate lights keep blowing out on my car and placed those seven times All this need to be recalled for 2018 Hyundai ELANTRA and there is loud clicking noises from the steering wheel when I turn left to right on 2018 Hyundai ELANTRA that also needs to be recalled that’s a safety issue and I replaced my brakes six times and the rotors on my 2018 Hyundai ELANTRA and this is a big safety issue that needs to be recalled so they can get fixed So the customer owner, don’t have to keep Pay for it
Engine, Apr 12, 2024, fire
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the vehicle made an abnormally loud popping sound. Two other drivers alerted the contact that flames were coming from underneath the vehicle. The contact checked the rearview mirror and noticed smoke coming from the vehicle's rear end. The steering wheel then seized, and the vehicle lost motive power. The check engine and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. No injuries were sustained, and no medical attention was received. The flames extinguished themselves. There were no police or fire department reports filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a seized crankshaft and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 224,809.
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Apr 10, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving from a complete stop, the accelerator pedal was depressed, but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact continuously depressed the brake pedal, and the vehicle responded significantly, causing the contact to depress the brake pedal to drive safely. The contact stated that the vehicle would shudder while responding on some occasions. The contact stated that the failure also occurred while driving at various speeds. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the failure recurred, and the vehicle and the steering wheel were shuddering temporarily. The contact depressed the accelerator pedal, and the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was test-driven twice; however, the failure could not be duplicated. Additionally, the vehicle was taken to a local Pep Boys, but the failure could not be duplicated. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and several cases were filed. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.
Engine, Apr 8, 2024
AT LESS THAN 62,000 MILES THE ENGINE NO LONGER HAS PRESSURE AND THE CAR IS INOPERABLE. VEHICLE BEGAN STALLING 1 WEEK PRIOR TO CAR BECOMING INOPERABLE.
Electrical system, Lane departure, Apr 2, 2024
CAR DOESNT REGISTER MAPS WELL FREEZES DASHBOARD GPS LIGHTS FLICKER. KEEPS MAKING NOISE BEEPING REQUESTING PASSENGER PUTS SELT BELT ON WHEN THERES NO ONE THERE.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Engine, Apr 2, 2024
ON THE FREEWAY GOING ABOUT 45 MPH TRIED TO SPEED UP AND SWITCH LANES AS I PRESSED THE GAS YOU CAN HEAR THE ACCERATION BUT THE CAR DIDNT INCREASE IN SPEED THE WHOLE DASHBOARD WENT BLANK (BLACK). CAR WAS UNRESPONSIVE. ITS VERY DANGEROUS THAT THE CAR FALFUCTIONS IN CRITICAL CONDITIONS LIKE BEING ON THE FREEWAY. YES I HAVE TOOKEN IT TO HYUNDAI AND THEY NEVER FIND ANYTHING WRONG. ALSO AT TIMES THE CAR WONT EVEN TURN ON. NO TYPE OF WARING LIGHTS ON DASHBOARD.
Structure, Mar 20, 2024
Paint fell off from the vehicle's body, specifically from the front of hood cover and the roof in large patches for no reason. After doing some research, I found I am not thr only one experiecing this problem, this actually has been a wide spread know issue among the 2017 - 2018 Hyundai Elantra models. Although it does not pose any immediate risk, the potential safety threat is obvious due to the rusting bodies caused by the paint patches fallen off. The manufacturer only provided an extended body warranty from 3 years to 5 years, though, without notifying the imapcted customers. Quite a lot of customers like myself were not aware of such as warranty extention until now and could not get the issue fixed within the warranty period. The issue is so wide spread and the quality of the painting is so poor, the manufacturer should not get away just providing such a program quietly. A recall to address this issue for all the impacted vehicles is a must.
Engine, Mar 18, 2024
Having issues in several instances the past few months , where my car abruptly stalled in highway traffic, again less than a month later while at a stop light, traffic built up, I became nervous an scared, finally after turning my car off an on several times I was able to get my car to stop stalling an drive away. Third instance has been the ammount of oil consumption my car is needing, I’ve noticed an increase use of oil for my car I use as a daily driver just commuting to a from work, an a clicking/knocking sound, other instances was my car accelerated at high rates of speed on the freeway on its own. Only after smash the break button was I able to disengage the throttle. An now just recently my car is using up more an more oil an has developed a hard knock in the engine. Similar to other models that have been recalled for the same reason. Reading online has made it clear thousands an thousands of other people are having issues just like mine around the same mileage as me an other models that have had the problems
Steering, Service brakes, Lane departure, Mar 17, 2024
The BSD system keeps malfunctioning Hyundai to me that I should report it to yall because it should be recalled if just stops and also the brakes keep having a burning smell to them and the steering wheel when you turn left and right keep making loud popping noises those things should be recalled
Engine, Mar 16, 2024
Unfortunately I bought a Hyundai Elantra sport brand new in 2018 i’ve kept the maintenance even to this day the car currently at 147,300miles. However I started having issues at 30,000 miles check engine would go on the car with shake and stall and miss fires would occur frequently. Every time I took it to the dealer they reset the computer but never made an actual note of what was going on with the car. That dealership that I took it at the time was Universal Hyundai in Orlando, Florida. So now that I have 147,300 miles the same misfires are now catastrophic failures on the same cylinders, to add insult to injury I took it to a different dealer located in Sanford Fl so they can try to get willful engine replacement, and my claim was denied because I was out of warranty and over the mileage, the dealership new that I was both over mileage and out of warranty the second I brought the car in somehow I still get charged $213. It seems like no one can do anything about it cause Hyundai America made there decision to deny my claim. These cars are straight up trash my buddies Kia similar situation has made it to 150,000 before he had total engine failure engine seized up on him. To make things worse I’m making payments on a car that’s needs an engine replaced. I’m never buying a car from Hyundai ever again they’re straight garbage and now I have to purchase another vehicle. Thanks Hyundai America for making unreliable vehicles and then taking my $213 to just deny my claim despite having a perfect maintenance record. I hope people read this and realize what crooks you guys are. Side note Hyundai America refused to help, however when I threatened to contact the BBB to complaint about there product the customer service agent Ciani mentioned they will open up case as to why I’m putting a complaint to the BBB, I don’t know what the outcome of this will be but it’s irrelevant I wouldn’t take a free Hyundai even if it was given to me! You lost another customer for life!!!
Electrical system, Engine, Mar 7, 2024
MY 2018 HYUNDAI ELANTRA WENT FROM 50 MPH TO 0 IN SECONDS. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. THE ENGINE AND OIL LIGHTS CAME ON . CAR DIDNT TURN OVER AFTER THAT GOT IT TOWED TO MY HOUSE AND ONCE THERE CHECKD THE OIL AND THE OIL WAS COMPLETELY EMPTY. RECEIVED MY LAST OIL CHANGE ON 1/31/2024 STILL HAD MILES LEFT OVER BEFORE GETTING ANOTHER OIL CHANGE. THERE WAS NO WARNING OR SIGNAL NOTIFYING OF OIL LOW OR ANYTHING AFTER SPEAKING WITH SERVICE MECHANINC THEY MENTIONED THE ENGINE BEING SHOT. THERE IS NOT EVEN 100,000 MILES ON THIS ENGINE AND IT NEEDS A NEW ONE. CONTACTED DEALERSHIP THEY ADVISED NO RECALLS ON THIS MODEL. HOPEFULLY ADDING ANOTHER COMPLAINT CAN GET THE BALL ROLLING SO THERE CAN BE A INVESTIGATION.
Air bags, Engine, Mar 2, 2024
I got this car like 5 months ago and after driving it for 2 months I had to get a new engine for 4500 dollars. There is no way it can go bad in 2 months. The car only had 52,000 miles on it and it went bad when it reached 54,000 miles. After fixing that it went bad again after 4 months. I was also told that Hyundai Elantras are known for their engine problems. It would be great if there is an engine recall on this car. I am not trying to sell this car but I was this car to be fixed. Thank you!
Engine, Feb 26, 2024
Our hyundai elantra 2018 car started with a knocking sound while we were driving and it got worse our of nowhere when we accelerated and suddenly did this throttling sound with a pop. The battery light came on, the engine light came on and suddenly our car engine turned off and we were able to go on the side of the street we were on. Fumes were coming out of the hood and oil began to leak. The car was not able to be turned on to move it. We have towed it to our home, our local mechanic told us it was the engine. It has 135,000 miles on it. We got it from the dealership about 5 years ago and had not had issues until suddenly our engine blew!
Electrical system, Feb 24, 2024
So my 2018 Hyundai elantra has had the ignition/starter coils go bad now for the third time, the first 2 times the car was under warranty, I thought the second time it was odd to have the same problem, the car shakes violently, stalls out, and or refuses to start. But my warranty just ran out in 2023 and now of course the same problem is happening again, I took it to the dealer and they repaired it, it was very expensive, but I really thought since it was the same problem that they or Hyundai would cover this repair, of course they laughed at me so of course I paid it and hoped that Hyundai USA or the dealer, Ron Marhoffer Hyundai in Akron, Ohio would cover it after the fact but they both refuse simply stating that this problem happened after the 5 year warranty. I totally disagree , especially since this is the same problem happening again and again, it clearly was never fixed properly or has remained defective over the lifespan of the vehicle. I did some research and was shocked at the thousands of reports of other American consumers with the same issue and again the company laughing at us all. I am hoping for some consumer protection here for parts on a vehicle that are clearly defective and should be recalled and replaced properly. I guess we will just have to wait for someone to stall out while driving and wreck and die for something to be done unfortunately . I am assuming its probably already happened. When it happens to me again, which it will, I will hope and pray for the best. Please help.
Structure, Feb 20, 2024
The Hyundai Electra 2018 interior door handle is peeling.I have experienced peeling paint issues, also has many legal problems in other countries.
Air bags, Feb 18, 2024
I brought my car from Landmark ford in Springfield Illinois [XXX]. I had the car a week and the airbag sensor came on. I took the car to the dealership and told them that this light came on and I only had the car for a week. I told them I believe they erased and reprogrammed the codes, and they knew this car had an airbag defect. I also told them. that they put my life at risk because if something had of happened to me and the airbag didn't work. I should have never drove off this lot with that car it's considered a safety requirements before being sold or operated on public roads. They were rude didn't want to communicate with me or help me with the situation I felt because I was a young woman 24. They kept my car to look at after 2 days I called no answer left a message no call back. I went up there next with my dad and then they wanted to talk. My dad told them my daughter could have been hurt and she was not suppose to leave off this lot this is a serious safety issue. He then told them they reprogrammed and erased the codes. My dad then said we are making a complaint and we were leaving. They refused to let me leave and take my car they lost my keys didn't find it until an hour later and said you can't leave the car is a safety hazard and we don't want to be responsible. To my knowledge I thought they were going to fix the car they told me they will drive it to Green Hyundai but they didn't and I go back up there I had to pay to get the car towed. Now Green Hyundai is having problems with Landmark Ford saying they want answer or call back. I haven't even had my car a month drove it a week and can't no longer drive a new car because its not safe and they refuse to fix this issue after a week purchasing a car. I ask to put me in a car without a safe car to drive off the lot with. They said we will take it to Green Hyundai only to give them the runaround's. I'm frustrated and lost my job because of no Transportation. the situation is not resolved. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6
Vehicle speed control, Engine, Feb 15, 2024
When I drive my car shuts off in the middle of driving in traffic I almost got into an accident with my kids in the car The dealership doesn’t know what’s the problem they fixed a code of p0011 can anybody help because it’s a safety hazard with me and my family in the car please help feel like I’m just wasting money
Engine, Jan 8, 2024
I was at work when my wife contacted me and informed me that the car has started to make a ticking noise (shared car mind you) upon acceleration and start up. This all started on 1/4/2024. Well I checked the oil level and it was a on the line of being on the low side so I changed the oil as I needed to anyways and topped it off. I went to start to the car and ticking again, well I called around as I'm not going to ignore any sort of noise and was able to get a lcoal mechinic to look at it the next day as my local Hyundai dealership didn't have any opening until Saturday (1/6/2024). The next day I'm on my way to drop the car off to see where the sound could be coming from and the car shuts off. There were no warning lights or anything of that matter until the car shut off. I had to pull off into a street off the road. We get the car towed to the mechanic and he gets back to me the next day and states the car had low oil and that is why the engine failed. Hyundai shame on you all for knowingly putting a terrible engine into your products and for also at least not giving us the time by having poor sensors.
Electrical system, Engine, Jan 4, 2024
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while a friend was driving the vehicle at various speeds, the vehicle suddenly shut off and would not restart. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was restarted without any service being performed. The contact stated that the failure occurred intermittently. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 60,000.
Engine, Jan 2, 2024
I was driving on the highway early in the morning and my car would not accelerate and slowed down until stopped running. Then the check engine, check oil, and battery light came on after. I tried to restart the car and it would not do anything. I popped the hood to check the oil and there was no oil in the engine. My car was not due for any oil change until another 1000 miles. No notification for low oil. No sounds , no smoke, nothing I had to tow it to my house.