Total Complaints
110 filings
Hyundai Elantra · model year
1994 Hyundai Elantra
110 NHTSA complaints, 26 crash reports. A VIN lookup is required to determine whether a specific vehicle has an unrepaired recall.
NHTSA overall rating
Not crash-tested
New Car Assessment Program
- Complaints
- 110
- Recalls
- 0
The verdict
The 1994 Hyundai Elantra posts top-quartile complaint standing among its own model-year siblings.
- Top 15%
- fewest complaints, own model years
- 0
- recall campaigns
The 1994 Hyundai Elantra carries 110 consumer safety complaints in NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation database for this specific model-year cohort. Within that volume, owners reported 26 crashes, 2 fires, 18 injuries, and 0 fatalities. No NCAP 5-star crash-test rating is available for this model year in the federal database.
The most frequently selected component label in reports for the 1994 Elantra is air bags:frontal with 25 filings, followed by structure:body:door (7) and electrical system:alternator/generator/regulator (6). Complaint categories reflect owner reports and intake categorization; they do not establish a defect pattern or cause.
NHTSA currently has 5 investigation files overlapping the 1994 Elantra. Owners comparing this cohort against neighboring years should read the complaint-by-year trend as report volume, not a causal diagnosis. Use the related-complaint feed and the official recall lookup when researching a specific vehicle.
110
Complaints
26
Crashes
2
Fires
18
Injuries
0
Deaths
F
PlainCars Safety Score
0/100
1994 Hyundai Elantra
PlainCars' own composite of NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings and rollover-risk assessment, each dimension normalized against the federal scale or the full national model-year corpus. Not an official NHTSA figure, and not a substitute for a specific vehicle's VIN-level recall check.
NHTSA Overall Rating N/A
Not rated
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program overall crash-test rating.
Front Crash N/A
Not rated
Frontal barrier crash-test rating.
Side Crash N/A
Not rated
Side barrier and pole crash-test rating.
Rollover Resistance N/A
Not rated
Static stability factor + dynamic rollover test rating.
Rollover Risk N/A
Not reported
NHTSA single-vehicle rollover probability, dynamic test.
Crashes Reported
26 reports
Source
NHTSA ODI
Federal complaints database
Complaints vs. fleet median (215)
At or below the fleet median complaint volume.
Complaints by Component
| Component | Count |
|---|---|
| AIR BAGS:FRONTAL | 25 |
| STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR | 7 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR | 6 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE | 5 |
| AIR BAGS | 5 |
| POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION | 4 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY | 4 |
| POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | 3 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE | 3 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS | 3 |
| SEAT BELTS:FRONT:ANCHORAGE | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:ROTOR | 2 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:DISC:PADS | 2 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING | 2 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 2 |
Recent Complaints
20020910 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
WHILE DRIVING AT 40MPH ON A DOWNWARD INCLINE AND WITH NO WARNING AIR BAGS DEPLOYED FOR NO REASON, DISTRACTING CONSUMER'S VIEW, AND CAUSING CONSUMER TO PULL OVER. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
20011128 AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
DRIVER'S SIDE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON DASHBOARD. CONSUMER TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC, AND HE HAD TO RESET MODULAR . DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF PROBLEM. THERE WAS A CAMPAIGN BULLETIN FOR AIR BAGS; BUT, THIS VEHICLE NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN.*AK
20010820 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK
20010711 POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
SHIFTING TO REVERSE; METAL SOUND SCRAPING GROUND. *AK
20010308 SEATS:FRONT ASSEMBLY:RECLINER
WHILE BEING HIT FROM BEHIND DRIVER SEATBACK FAILED BACKWARDS, CAUSING INJURY TO CONSUMER'S BACK. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORDMATION.*AK
20000831 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
I FEEL THAT THE ENGINE IN THIS CAR WAS DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD HAVE LASTED MORE THAN 52,000 MILE. THE CAR WAS WELL MAINTAINED AND WAS UNDER THE MILEAGE IT IS WARRANTEED FOR.
20000612 ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE
WHILE DRIVING OR WHEN PLACING VEHICLE IN REVERSE, VEHICLE WILL CUT OFF WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, CAUSING LOSS OF ALL POWER. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED DEALER, AND DEALER HAS REPLACED SOME PARTS, BUT PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
20000522 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK WHEN USING THE KEY. *MJS
20000522 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
HEADLIGHT FAILED TWO TIMES. *MJS
20000522 POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY
TRANSAXLE REPLACE, FAILURE CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO SLIP. *MJS
20000522 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON. *MJS
20000515 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:DOORS:LATCH
DOOR WILL NOT UNLOCK WHEN USING THE KEY. *MJS
20000515 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
HEADLIGHT FAILED TWO TIMES. *MJS
20000515 POWER TRAIN:AXLE ASSEMBLY
TRANSAXLE REPLACE, FAILURE CAUSING TRANSMISSION TO SLIP. *MJS
20000515 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE
AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON. *MJS
20000302 AIR BAGS
AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT REMAINS ILLUMINATED, INDICATING A MALFUNCTION WITHIN THE AIR BAG SYSTEM. VEHICLE IS NOT INCLUDED IN RECALL 95V101000 DUE TO VIN. PLEASE GIVE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
19990902 AIR BAGS
AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON AND WON'T GO OFF. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR REPAIRS, AND THE DEALER CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. *YC WHILE HOOKED UP TO THE COMPUTER, FOUND HIGH VOLTAGE AND ALSO FOUND ALTERNATOR WAS OVERHCHARGING - REPLACED ALTERNATOR. *SLC
19990902 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR
AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON AND WON'T GO OFF. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR REPAIRS, AND THE DEALER CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. *YC WHILE HOOKED UP TO THE COMPUTER, FOUND HIGH VOLTAGE AND ALSO FOUND ALTERNATOR WAS OVERHCHARGING - REPLACED ALTERNATOR. *SLC
19990728 Crash AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
WAS DRIVING 35MPH USED FRONT SIGNAL TO TURN ONE THEN SUDDENLY TURNED THE OTHER. WAS REARENDED BY ELANTRA. UPON IMPACT, THE DRIVER'S AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. ENTIRE FRONT END HAD CRUMBLED & WAS PUSHED BACK. HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO BODY SHOP. INSURANCE INSPECTOR TOOK PICTURES. *AK
19990715 ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY
I EVENTUALLY TOLD THE FINANCE COMPANY AND THE DEALER I WAS NOT GOING TO PAY FOR THIS CAR BECAUSE OF THE DEFECTS. THE FINANCE COMPANY CAME AND TOOK THE CAR IN JANUARY OF 1996. IT WAS PUT ON MY CREDIT AS A REPOSESSION, WHICH WAS NOT THE CASE. THE CAR WAS SOLD TO ME AS A NEW CAR AND THE CAR HAD 1500 MILES ON IT WHEN IT WAS SOLD TO ME AS A NEW CAR. I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE END OF THAT SITUATION, BUT RECENTLY, 5 YEARS LATER AFTER THE FACT, I WAS SERVERED COURT PAPERS LAST MONTH FROM THE FINANCE COMPANY, FOR A PAYMENT OF $6,000 FOR REMAINDING BALANCE ON THIS LEMON. I KNOW THAT THIS CAR WAS DEFECTED AND WAS IN AN ACCIDENT, THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS NO HISTORY ON THE CAR. I KNOW THERE IS, AND POSSIBLY AN ACCIDENT RECORDED. PLEASE LET ME KNOW. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. *AK
Compare 1994 Hyundai Elantra to Similar Vehicles
NHTSA Investigations
EA12008 Engineering Analysis Closed
Headliner Bracket Detachment
PE12012 Preliminary Evaluation Closed
Side Curtain Air Bag Improper Deployment
PE09011 Preliminary Evaluation Closed
FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS RUSTING
PE08044 Preliminary Evaluation Closed
ENGINE STALLING - FUEL PUMP FAILURE
PE97002 Preliminary Evaluation Closed
WINDSHIELD WIPER FAILURE
Vehicle Safety Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
How many complaints does the 1994 Hyundai Elantra have?▼
The 1994 Hyundai Elantra has 110 NHTSA complaints, 26 crashes, 2 fires, 18 injuries, and 0 deaths reported.
What are the most common problems with the 1994 Hyundai Elantra?▼
The most-complained component for the 1994 Hyundai Elantra is AIR BAGS:FRONTAL with 25 complaints. Other frequently reported areas include STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR and ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:ALTERNATOR/GENERATOR/REGULATOR.
Is the 1994 Hyundai Elantra safe to buy?▼
Review the complaint history, crash and fire reports, safety ratings, and recall status on this page to make an informed decision. No NHTSA crash test rating is available for this model year. Compare with other model years using the links above.
Where does this data come from?▼
All complaint, recall, and safety rating data is sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Complaints are filed by vehicle owners through NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation.
Data vintage: August 2026. Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) complaints database, NHTSA recall campaign API, NHTSA NCAP crash-test ratings, and NHTSA FARS for fatality cross-reference.
Every figure on PlainCars is rendered directly from NHTSA complaint and safety data, no number is typed in by an editor. This year-specific record is rendered from NHTSA ODI, recall, and NCAP rows for the 1994 Hyundai Elantra; no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.