2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA

910 complaints filed with NHTSA.

910
Complaints
72
Crashes
13
Fires
59
Injuries
0
Deaths

NHTSA Safety Rating

5/5
Overall
4/5
Front Crash
5/5
Side Crash
4/5
Rollover

Complaints by Component

ComponentCount
ENGINE135
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM122
AIR BAGS121
STEERING88
UNKNOWN OR OTHER66
SERVICE BRAKES58
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)44
SUSPENSION43
POWER TRAIN40
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC37
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL26
WHEELS17
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM15
TIRES14
EXTERIOR LIGHTING13

Recalls (4)

15V87100023/12/2015

ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Elantra vehicles manufactured October 29, 2010, to October 25, 2011. Due to an electronic stability control (ESC) sensor malfunction, the brakes for one or more wheels may be applied unexpectedly and the engine power may be r

23V65100022/09/2023

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2015 Elantra, Genesis Coupe, Sonata Hybrid, 2012-2015 Accent, Azera, Veloster, 2013-2015 Elantra Coupe, Santa Fe, 2014-2015 Equus, 2010-2012 Veracruz, 2010-2013 Tucson, 2015 Tucson Fuel Cell, and 2013 Santa Fe Sport vehicles. The Anti-Lock B

20V39300002/07/2020

EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2012 Hyundai Elantra and Sonata Hybrid, 2012 Accent and Veloster vehicles. The 12V accessory socket outlet may have been over-tightened during installation, possibly disabling the thermal fuse and allowing the outlet to overheat with prolong

13V11500001/04/2013

AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW

Hyundai Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Elantra vehicles manufactured from November 12, 2010, through March 5, 2013. A support bracket attached to the headliner may become displaced during a side curtain airbag deployment.

Recent Complaints

20251016CrashAIR BAGS

Car accident. My car was T-boned on the passenger side, the side airbag did deploy. The impact from the accident pushed my car into on coming traffic and I hit 2 other cars. One in the front grill and the other in the left rear quarter panel. The front airbag did not deploy and my chest hit the steering wheel. My car was totaled and I was taken to the hospital and had 5 CT scans. The one for my chest showed a contusion which I continue to have pain from. I also had neck sprain or strain and had

20250821CrashSEAT BELTS

. During the accident on February 1, 2025, at the moment of impact, the passenger seat belt suddenly unlatched and became stuck on my right hand. As a direct result, I suffered a fracture in my right hand at the exact point where the belt got caught, as well as fractures in my foot, ribs, back, and multiple other injuries. This seat belt failure left me completely exposed to much greater danger, including the possibility of being ejected through the front windshield. If it had not been for my fe

20250809CrashAIR BAGS

Seatbelt failed passenger was thrown forward hitting windshield afterwards airbag deployed throwing passenger upwards hitting roof of vehicle Issue: Delayed airbag deployment Issue: Seatbelt failure

20250809CrashSEAT BELTS

Seatbelt failed passenger was thrown forward hitting windshield afterwards airbag deployed throwing passenger upwards hitting roof of vehicle Issue: Delayed airbag deployment Issue: Seatbelt failure

20241203CrashSTEERING

My steering wheel started making loud rattling and clunking noise. This happened when I turned or slowed down or went over a bump. It got worse very quickly. I suddenly could not steer at all. So I ran into a pole. Thankfully it wasn't another car or a person. Many people have this same issue. This needs to be recalled ASAP. It's either the pinion and rack issue or the steering wheel issue.

20241203CrashWHEELS

My steering wheel started making loud rattling and clunking noise. This happened when I turned or slowed down or went over a bump. It got worse very quickly. I suddenly could not steer at all. So I ran into a pole. Thankfully it wasn't another car or a person. Many people have this same issue. This needs to be recalled ASAP. It's either the pinion and rack issue or the steering wheel issue.

20241003FireSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) 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 contact stated while the vehicle was parked and turned off, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the engine compartment had c

20240307FireENGINE

The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving the vehicle, there was a smoke odor and the engine caught fire. The check engine light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the road and pushed the vehicle to a safe place where the fire would not spread to other objects. The vehicle was not drivable. There were no injuries and no police or fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. T

Mileage: 225,000

20240307FireFIRERELATED

The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving the vehicle, there was a smoke odor and the engine caught fire. The check engine light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the road and pushed the vehicle to a safe place where the fire would not spread to other objects. The vehicle was not drivable. There were no injuries and no police or fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. T

Mileage: 225,000

20240229FireSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact’s friend owned a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact’s friend received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while the friend was leaving the store and driving out of a parking space, the friend heard a noise coming from the engine and observed black smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact's friend attempted to put the vehicle in park but w

Mileage: 120,000

20231222FireSERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC

The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, she noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she immediately veered to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. The contact stated that she opened the hood, and saw fire. The contact stated that she went across the street and called 911. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle and the dashboard burned. The fire department extin

Mileage: 105,000

20231204CrashSERVICE BRAKES

Car went off the road in the snow and was totalled. Brakes did not lock or vibrate to alert that the car was starting to slide

20231204CrashSTEERING

Car went off the road in the snow and was totalled. Brakes did not lock or vibrate to alert that the car was starting to slide

20220914CrashAIR BAGS

A 2015 ford car hit me and the passenger airbags deployed, but did not inflate due to a hole in the airbag at the seam

20220827CrashFUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

Car accelerated/surged when foot released from the gas pedal. Happened three separate instances. Last instance smashed into wall and damaged front bumper. Car so scary to drive we towed it to dealer. Replaced throttle sensor for $400. Related to NTSA OID 11439675

20220826CrashSTEERING

My steering column makes a clicking noise and the cruise control comes on when it wants to also the horn won't work on the steering wheel, and I was in an accident where I got hit in the front and the airbag didn't even deploy

20220826CrashAIR BAGS

My steering column makes a clicking noise and the cruise control comes on when it wants to also the horn won't work on the steering wheel, and I was in an accident where I got hit in the front and the airbag didn't even deploy

20220826CrashFORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL

My steering column makes a clicking noise and the cruise control comes on when it wants to also the horn won't work on the steering wheel, and I was in an accident where I got hit in the front and the airbag didn't even deploy

20211016CrashUNKNOWN OR OTHER

Going down a hill breaks completely failed and had to go off road to avoid increased speed. Resulted in Hitting tree. By failed I mean no pressure on break pedal and with pedal pushed to floor it did nothing to slow or stop vehicle. Now breaks seem to be working again but worried this will reoccur while at faster speeds.

20210906CrashAIR BAGS

A pickup pulled in front of me causing my car to impact it. Despite significant frontal damage to my car the steering wheel airbag did not deploy.