2021 Hyundai Elantra
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Forward collision avoidance is the leading concern among 131 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 22nd highest complaint count among 26 Elantra model years with reports.
Of the 2021 reports, 8 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 3 people were injured and 1 person died.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Back over prevention, sensing system, cameraNov 21, 2024
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Santa Fe HEV, Elantra, Elantra HEV and 2022 Elantra N and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles. Due to a damaged printed circuit board, the rearview camera image may fail to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 271.
Campaign 24V879000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat belts, frontMay 19, 2022
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Accent, 2021-2022 Elantra, and 2021-2022 Elantra HEV vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioner(s) with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 28, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 229. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall numbers 21V-796, 22V-069, 22V-218, and 22V-123 for Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles. All Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles already repaired under the previous recalls will need to have the new remedy completed.
Campaign 22V354000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat belts, frontApr 1, 2022
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Elantra and 2020 Accent vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver and passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
Exploding seat belt pretensioners can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 31, 2022. A second notice will be sent once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 223. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-354. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Campaign 22V218000 on NHTSA.gov
Visibility, windshieldDec 28, 2021
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
A windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Dealers will remove and reinstall the front windshield panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 216.
Campaign 21V00M000 on NHTSA.gov
Seat belts, frontOct 13, 2021
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, Genesis GV80 and 2022 Genesis GV70 vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
An exploding seat belt pretensioner could project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 211 and 009G. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall numbers 22V-354 for Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles, 22V-458 for Venue vehicles, and 23V-094 for Genesis vehicles. Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, and Genesis vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedies completed.
Campaign 21V796000 on NHTSA.gov
Seats, front assembly, reclinerApr 28, 2021
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat back recliners may have been improperly welded.
An improperly welded seat back recliner could separate from the seat back frame during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Dealers will inspect and if necessary, replace the seat back frame assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 21, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-888-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 204.
Campaign 21V302000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
131 reports, newest first.
Seat belts, Aug 8, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Seat belts, Aug 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Seat belts, Aug 2, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Seat belts, Aug 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Seat belts, Jul 29, 2022
Frt seat belt pretensioner could explode causing metal fragments to penetrate the occupant. I have owned many veh, this recall is unbelievable, I could be seriously hurt or dead. Them parts could take a month to get. No loaners are available. campaign 229 Hyundai. vin [XXX] INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).
Visibility, Seat belts, Jul 26, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Numbers: 21V00M000 (Visibility) and 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The dealer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and confirmed that parts were not yet available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Engine, Jul 12, 2022
At about 11 months old my car suddenly seized while attempting to enter the highway. This came with no type of warning from the vehicle until the car had stopped and then every light on the cluster came on. I was fortunate not to be rear ended. The car was towed and 2 days later the dealership called to tell me there were no errors and NOTHING WAS WRONG with the car. I told them what had happened and they called later that day and I was informed that they needed to install and entire new engine assembly. The car only had 7000 miles on it and should not need a new engine. There is some major design flaw with this car which poses a safety issue. Additionally I looked at my service records for the car and it looks as if the dealership is trying to cover up the fact that a new engine was placed in the vehicle as it is listed as routine maintenance. Please look into this and contact me if needed
Seat belts, Jul 3, 2022
Child became entrapped in car seat in rear center seat. Unbuckled seat belt to get child out. Belt snagged on underside of car seat. Belt would not retract from the retractor mechanism. With child's movement belt only tightened around his upper chest and neck. Two adults could not get belt to release. To release child and prevent strangulation, the belt was cut.
Visibility, Seat belts, Jun 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number 22V354000 (Seat Belts) and 21V00M000 (Visibility) however, the parts to do the recall repairs were unavailable. The local dealer was contacted and it was confirmed that the parts were not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, Jun 13, 2022
I went to start the car up and all of the warnings attached popped up, along with losing my power steering. This is the second time it has happened in less then a year.
Seat belts, May 24, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The dealer was made aware of the issue. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Electrical system, Lane departure, Forward collision avoidance, May 12, 2022
Twice now when starting the car all the driver safety systems will show a warning that they are not working and the message is that the car is not save to drive. A bunch of warning signs will go off and the wheel locks. The brake system has also locked up. I captured it on video, but it won’t let me upload it here.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, May 9, 2022
While driving on the freeway around 70 mph the car seems to reboot, it slows down and coast and the dash computers shutdown and restarts.
Electrical system, May 2, 2022
A squirrel chewed my wiring into the temperature coolant sensor. I had to have two different rental cars for six weeks before I received my car back. Nothing happened to those vehicles during those six weeks. Within a week of having my car (2021 Elantra) back, a squirrel chewed more wiring. My car is now needing another repair. This is a known issue with Hyundai as well as other makers. I feel it’s pretty compelling evidence that there is a problem as two vehicles were not bothered by squirrels for six weeks and then my car comes back and it gets chewed up again right away. All cars were parked on my driveway.
Other or unspecified, Apr 10, 2022
Two matters: 1) The recall notice "Campaign 216" regarding my 2021 Hyundai Elantra has not yet been remedied nor has Hyundai announce a timeline for a remedy. It is regarding the windshield. 2) Secondly, my horn stopped working 100% and I took it to Hyundai last week and they said a lot of 2021 Elantra's were coming in with broken horns. They ordered me a brand new part that seems as though they redesigned the horn system. It will be replaced this week. I asked if I missed a recall and they said no, the horn problem has not yet required a recall but they seemed to suggest that the horn issue is a real matter effecting their Elantra's. I would hate for other 2021 owners to suffer a horn failure when they actually need it in a real life safety situation. The horn just stopped working. The horn is a safety function and if that is broken what can one do in an urgent matter "yell", not likely. No warning ahead of time...just one day it stopped working with no indicators.
Structure, Service brakes, Apr 1, 2022
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and depressing the brake pedal, a loud squeaking noise was present coming from the vehicle. Also, while driving up a slight incline or down an incline the vehicle would shake and vibrate while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, no fault was found. The contact was informed that the sound was normal. The manufacturer was not notified. In addition, the contact discovered that the passenger’s side floorboard was soaked with water. The cause of the failure was not determined. The contact indicated that rain had not fallen. The failure mileage was 300.
Other or unspecified, Mar 12, 2022
Wireless Apple CarPlay frequently disconnects at random during drives. I’ve got the latest iPhone update, done every reset in the book, and spoke with my dealership and there is NO solution. It is also impossible to use a wired CarPlay function despite a data-USB input. It is a totally unnecessary move to force users into using this failure of wireless technology. The screen will frequently black out for an extended period of time creating a challenge if you are following the navigation. Additionally, you must tap through 3 warning pages before being able to access the streamed maps or other content again. It is distracting, unpredictable, and continuously more frustrating as neither Hyundai nor Apple have provided a solution that works and instead resort to a “blame game” of each other. Furthermore, both companies act surprised when hearing about this issue, but a quick Google search shows many users struggling with no solution in site! This started the week I bought my car (brand new) and has only gotten worse since.
Air bags, Mar 8, 2022, crash
Not one airbag did not deploy when the car got hit on right rear door side and back bumper by pickup truck while making a left hand turn. I've called dealership about the airbag issue and they have not receive any calls about it. Police report said no airbags were deployed, insurance adjuster is currently inspecting vehicle
Engine, Feb 20, 2022
On 1/27/2022 my daughter was driving home from school in her 2021 Hyundai Elantra SEL which was purchased new on 6/19/ 2021 when at 5600 miles on the odometer a message came on the instrument cluster which read put car in neutral and turn off engine, when it was safe to do so she stopped the car and turned it off in the middle of a two way road because there was no shoulder and no place to exit the roadway when she tried to restart the car the engine would not crank or turn over to start the car so she called me and I called a tow truck while she was waiting vehicles behind her where forced to go around her car when it was safe for them to do so, the tow truck came and took her car to the dealership where she purchased it two days later they called and informed us the engine was completely seized up and that they would have to replace it with a NEW ENGINE despite the fact the original engine had oil and was only six months old with only 5600 miles on it.
Other or unspecified, Jan 12, 2022
While Driving the car suddenly turns off. It puts me at risk because if I am in a situation where there are other cars, I can be hit and undangering my life and others! This problem happened suddenly and the car restarted only to fail again,multiple times. Towed to dealer /Danbury Hyundai and they claim not to find problem. The car had a full tank of fresh gas. This happened without warning.
Other or unspecified, Forward collision avoidance, Nov 13, 2021
In the middle of crossing the Verrazzano Narrows Bridge in New York City, the forward collision warning came on and the braking system automatically engaged REPEATEDLY. I was traveling about 30 MPH and had about 4 car lengths between my car and the one in front. The system kept engaging no matter how much room I put between myself and the car in front of me, and as I was in the middle lane of a bridge in heavy traffic I could not pull over. I always keep a good distance in front when driving, but because of the system inappropriately engaging I almost got rear-ended about four times. I was terrified and this continued to happen until I got off the bridge. I use my car mainly on the weekend, and also travel this bridge almost every weekend and this was the first time this happened but it was terrifying and EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!!!!
Electrical system, Oct 12, 2021
On August 17, my new Elantra lost power steering, and most safety related features. Most all instrument warning lights came on. Was able to get car to dealer service where they kept car overnight, and reset the error lights. They told me, they recorded the computer codes, but could not find the cause of the problem. On August 26, again the instrument warning lights suddenly came on AGAIN. Took car to dealer service, where they kept car almost 2 weeks, but could not find the cause. They recorded computer codes. I contacted Hyundai, and a case number was established, but no fix has been found. Case worker has been difficult to reach. My wife refuses to drive this car. New electrical problems: 1.Driver's door handle light not working at night when approaching door. 2. Receiving false emails that car doors are not locked, but they are locked. 3. Using myhundai, shows door are not locked, but they are. When using application to lock doors, false message back that a door is open. 4. Navigation cuts off intermittently. 6. Gasoline consumption computer resets sometimes, other times it does not. 7. Remote start application does not work, says my door is open. 8. Items missing from center display menus. (Door light, reset gas mileage etc) Car has to go back to dealer service for needed repairs.
Steering, Service brakes, Sep 25, 2021
When I start up my car ALL the warning lights appear on my dash. When I try to drive the vehicle I have no control over the steering wheel or brakes. This is the second time this happened to me
Exterior lighting, Sep 8, 2021
Driving headlight output is so diminished that it is very difficult to safely drive in adverse conditions, ie., darkness, rain and oncoming vehicles. The projector lamp assembly used in this vehicle is old technology and is somewhat compounded by the use of a smoked acrylic outer lens cover assembly. I feel that safety was compromised for style and this is not acceptable. I have sent a letter to Hyundai Motors Customer Care dated Sept. 7th in this regard asking for a Hyundai sanctioned solution and authorization for selling dealer to correct situation
Other or unspecified, Aug 9, 2021, crash
Son was in a crash on freeway. He got cut off and hit into rear of vehicle. Elantra is badly damaged. No collision warning. No airbag deployment.