Complaint volume
271 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Hyundai Elantra Complaints
271 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Hyundai Elantra, grouped by component category.
271 Total complaints
11 Crash reports
7 Fire reports
6 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are engine, unknown or other, air bags. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 11 crash reports, 7 fire reports, 6 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 90 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 41,237 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, unknown or other, air bags?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Hyundai Elantra?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Hyundai Elantra
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Hyundai Elantra complaints?
11 Crash
7 Fire
6 Injury
1 Fatality
20 Towed
6 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Hyundai Elantra complaint categories?
ENGINE 80
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 29
AIR BAGS 8
STEERING 8
STRUCTURE 8
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7
POWER TRAIN 6
WHEELS 6
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 5
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5
271 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My car was stolen due to Hyundai's failure to design and manufacture the vehicle with adequate security measures, thereby making them incredibly easy to steal. These design flaws have impose significant safety risks and have place my family under a substantial financial burden. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ENGINE | MY 2018 HYUNDAI ELANTRA SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING. THE ENGINE AND OIL LIGHTS COME ON AND THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF ANYWHERE WHILE I AM DRIVING AS OF APRIL 02, 2023. I HAD TAKEN MY 2018 HYUNDAI ELANTRA TO THE DEALER TO HAVE THE CRANK SENSOR REPLACED AND THEY COMPLETED THE REPLACEMEMT TODAY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 09, 2023. NOW MY 2018 HYUNDAI SHUTS OFF MORE OFTEN THAN BEFORE. I WAS TOLD BY THE HYUNDAI CORPORATION OFFICE TO TAKE MY VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER AND INFORM THEM THAT MY 2018 HYUNDAI ELANTRA IS SHUTTING OFF MORE FEQUENTLY THAN BEFORE....AS OF TODAY, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 09, 2023. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | We own a driving school. My husband was giving a road skills test for a student in our 2018 Hyundai Elantra. For unknown reasons the car rapidly accelerated. He told the driver to get off the accelerator. She said she was not on the accelerator. He looked over and her foot was on the brake. We have an instructor's brake and by pressing it my husband was able to overpower the Elantra accelerator They missed another car by inches, but he was able to stop the car. They continued down the road and the car's rpms where high. He tested the car by putting the transmission in neutral, The car revived but the student's foot was on the brake. They continued to the office using the instructor's brake to control it. After the car was shout off and restarted It never had this same issue. We just brought it to the dealership for inspection of problem. Our mechanic looked at the car but could not find a reason for the problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | While driving at any speed, vehicle momentarily does not respond to any gas pedal input. Driver presses on gas pedal but no change in speed, no rpm change no warning lights on dash. After a few seconds vehicle responds again randomly. Puts driver at danger due to not being able to same speed as traffic very dangerous! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My complaint is that my 2018 Hyundai Elantra keeps dying. I feel like it's a major safety issue. I can stop at a stop sign, light or slow down and it will quit. We've had work done on it and they say they have it fixed but it's still doing the same thing. It will just die, the engine light will come on or it will say key not recognized. I'm at my wits end. There has to be some type of recall to get this fixed because I've heard where this can happen while driving down the interstate or wherever. That can cause major problems. I just got this car in March and I love it, but we bought as is so we're stuck not knowing what to do now. I'm hoping you can help us find out the problem. Thank you. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | UNKNOWN- intermittently - multiple times a day for the last month the car starts making clicking noises like a card in the spokes of a bicycle. Mechanic could not find the cause. UNKNOWN- two times in 2 weeks- while making a turn my car stalled in the middle of an intersection, all the lights on the dash went on, and wouldn't start up again for a couple minutes. Then car starts and runs fine besides the intermittent clicking | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | My right rear brake has a short in the wire. It goes on and off where I hit bumps in the road. I have tried replacing and nothing works. My car was broke into and steering column was busted. They person who broke into my car was able to put a USB port onto the ignition and start my car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | ENGINE | Knocking coming from the engine, OIL in the engine, Oil pressure light came on. Was looked at by two private mechanics and the dealership and was told the engine was faulty and not to drive it. The engine needed to be replaced. Was denied replacement by corporate since it just passed the warranty and was told to go to the BBB if I didn’t like it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2023 | AIR BAGS | Was involved in accident on interstate. The car in front of me began decelerating and as a result, I did the same. The car behind me crashed into me at high speed and pushed me into the car in front. (3 cars involved total). The front and rear ends of my car were completely crushed to the point where the drivers door will not open more than about a foot. At no point did my airbags deploy. My car is serviced regularly and no warning lights were on. I was not injured but am extremely lucky that this was the case. A police report was filed. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE,ENGINE | First, the plastic around wheel wells began to come out, then other parts of underneath near the skid area at the front of car begin to drag. Eventually a lot of the plastic pulled away underneath the car taking some of the front bumper. Then the car ran hot and had zero fluid in the radiator even though I regularly have oil changed and fluids topped off. Now the air conditioner throws out hot air when it on. I’ve regularly had oil changed. After only 3500 miles of having oil changed my oil light would come and car stalls when I’m turning. This could get me hit and killed. I bought car from car max and took it back as I have Extended Warranty that I’m paying for. They told me I had to have an appointment nearly a month out. I told them car needed to be seen now, that engine is probably going to go. CarMax refused to see my car and I now have an appointment at the Huyandi dealership . CarMax stated that Hyundai would replace my engine for free. I would like to state that I used car fax and found out car was a rental car and driven in three states. Also according to the vin number the oil in my Hyundai was changed for the first time At 18,000 miles. I still owe three years and I’m not going to have a car because it may blow the engine before I can get it into dealership. I NEVER would have bought the car had I known it was a rental, but CarMax kept telling me it was a one car owner. The car had 36,000 miles on it and I should have known. Yes, it was a one car owner by the Car rental agency and driven by hundreds of people, who didn’t care because it was a rental. Also, the check engine light is on and I can’t get car inspected or renew my tag. I had to replace calipers on both sides of car and I’ve had to have it aligned three times. It also makes a thumping sound on right front tire while I’m driving it. Feels very unsafe. Replaced brakes tires and it still makes noise. There needs to be a way to protect the consumer!!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2023 | ENGINE | I noticed around 97k miles that car just died as I turned left out of a parking lot at low speed. Thought nothing of it at first maybe I hit the keys with my knee. Then it happened again at 101k and recurred consistantly always within 1000 miles of an oil change at the scheduled interval in the manual. Then at 117k it did it again but when I started the car it developed a loud knock. I got the car home and took it to my mechanic and they said that the engine would need replaced. This is incredibly dangerous as it happens while traveling at speed and you lose control of power steering and acceleration. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | ENGINE | I purchased this car as a used car at CarMax in July 2022 and it drove fine for about 10,000 miles, but starting in February 2023, my engine started to misfire. The first misfire happened when I started my car. I was told by my local mechanic that I needed a new engine after a compression test was run. My engine misfired a 2nd time while I was merging on the highway and a third time while I was starting my car. I only have 68,975 original miles on my car. The first 2 misfires illuminated the check engine light and the third misfire illuminated the check engine light, the battery light and oil pressure light, however my mechanic didn't find any codes with my third misfire. My car regularly rough idles and has a delay when I accelerate as well. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | ENGINE | ENGINE SHUT DOWN AND INOPERABLE. POSSESSION OF CAR LESS THAN 2 YEARS, DRIVEN TO COLLEGE, WORK, ETC. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | UNKNOWN | Crash: No Fire: No Injuries: 1 Fatalities: 1 Medical attention | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while operating the vehicle, smoke and an oil leak coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the local mechanic who diagnosed that the engine was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 93,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 93,000 |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | - Due to a lack of a sufficient Theft system in my vehicle, the vehicle was easily stolen by individuals who broke into my back windows, removed the steering column and used a USB drive to hotwire the vehicle. The vehicle was found later by Minneapolis police, and my insurance company deemed it a Total Loss, as they would no longer insure the vehicle because the same models have such a dramatically high theft rate. - My safety was put at risk due to the vehicle's ability to be easily stolen and driven by individuals with criminal intent, leaving me vulnerable without a vehicle and having my personal life turned upside down. I have had issues with my finances, loss of work, and personal well-being due to the vehicle's theft, because of Hyundai's failure to install standard security software in the vehicle, which has resulted in Hyundai being investigated for violating national and state specific consumer protection and safety laws. - Hyundai did not notify me about this lack of security in the vehicle at the time of my purchasing the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | I just started my drive and my car seems to have rebooted while I was driving. The whole ordeal only lasted a few seconds. Things I noticed: 1) The steering locked (Guessing the electronic controls were down) 2) A few telltales were triggered and then the instrument cluster went blank 3) A the same time, the infotainment system went blank. Both the instrument cluster and the Infotainment came back after a few seconds 4) The engine revved up a bit at some point This has never happened to me before. I suspect it may be because of a new build software that was flashed to fix a security issue with Hyundai cars but I'm not sure. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | STEERING | Anti theft components and alarm did not activate during attempted theft | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The paint on all white 2017 & 2018 Hyundai vehicles are defective. I received an extended warranty but was denied stating it had expired. This is very unethical practice in not addressing this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2023 | ENGINE | Engine internal parts failure causing the car the to become a danger to the occupants of the vehicle and to others on the road the 1.6 litter gdi Engine is known for having Engine problems but little is said about the 2018 tgdi 1.6 litter in the hyundai elantra sport having the same issues. I thought I was getting a safe car for my wife and my children I guess I was wrong. We are second owners of the car we bought it from carmax and we got the max care extended warranty they knew hyundai had engine problems sold us the car without revealing any information about the problems and the when the engine problems accrued they along with another actual hyundai dealer have done everything in their power not to help so I'm stuck paying $16,000 for a car that does not run. I am extremely disappointed in their willingness to accept any responsibility for the faulty engine they $3,600 out of my pocket just for them to check out the engine to see if the would replace it which would not be reimbursed. That is a lot of money just to throw in and hope they'll fix it if not a new motor is $10,000. We don't have $13,600 just laying around. This engine issue has to be addressed I'm sure there are other people having this issue. Thank you for your time | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2023 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that after refueling, the fuel gauge indicated that the fuel economy was 20 miles/gal. The contact stated that the fuel economy should have been 28 miles/gal. The contact stated that the fuel gauge was proving an incorrect reading. The vehicle was taken to the dealer however, the cause of the failure was not yet determined. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| Feb 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | Engine seizes or stalls shutting off the car completely and randomly. This puts myself and passengers and other on the road at serious risk of injury or death due to not being able to maintain speed or control of vehicle. It is available for inspection upon request. It has been an ongoing issue since 2020 and the dealership has “fixed the issue” twice. It is not fixed as it keeps happening. They deny any further issues and claim they cannot replicate the issue. I drove it from the lot again today after they “fixed” it and had it shut off on my way home. There has not been a check engine light that comes on in the past however this time it did making today the first time the check engine light came on. The check engine light came on before the car shut off while driving home from dealership. I put date of occurrence as of today but the first time it happened was back in 2020. It will shut off while at a stop light or even going 45 mph. I am unsure of how many miles were on the car at first occurrence. I think around 20 or many 30k | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ENGINE | Engine is defective and using excessive amounts of oil and will eventually fail or seize resulting in catastrophic failure or leaving customer with a lemon that they still own on. Hyundai hasn't issued a recall for this make and model but should have. As a result, been forced to constantly check the oil levels, and oil must be added to the engine more frequently than even the owner’s manuals recommend. MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (ENGINE LIGHT) suddenly came on at 123K miles. When engine light appeared, customer checked oil level which revealed low/no oil. Engine oil pressure warning light fails to come on dashboard display. Oil change had been scheduled months in advance but not due until about another 770 miles. Customers must suffer through extremely long wait times often 3-4 months later for service appointment at dealership even just for an oil change. The customer also expected to leave vehicle for up to a week or longer just for a diagnosis meanwhile footing the cost to rent a vehicle. Customer having to service vehicle elsewhere for diagnostic only for code to clear temporarily before reappearing. Major issues cannot be addressed timely dealerships, leaving customer with one of two options: drive the car until it fails or foot the bill for a $10,000 engine replacement outside of any Hyundai dealership. Engine should be recalled & replaced under warranty. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2023 | ENGINE | I fill up my oil at regular service intervals. When i drive my car after 3500 miles if i turn the engine stalls. This is dangerous due to loss of power. This has happened multiple times. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS | Passenger seatbelt alarm will sound randomly even when nobody is in the passenger seat. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |