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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Since I've purchased this car I've had problems with the car when moving when stopped. When I first start to drive, stops at a stop sign or red light, the car hesitates, shudders and vibrates when pushing the gas. There is a delay when stopped and then taking off, to the point that I have been honked at while the car just idles before it shudders and moves on. I've been asking about the problem since I purchased the car and have been told it is normal for the sport model or they been unable to replicate the problem at the dealership. The safely issue is that I'm worried I'm going to be rear ended while waiting for the transmission to kick in. No warning lights. Please research this problem and suggest a fix to Hyundai. The delay is also felt when the automatic transmission is shifting in lower gear, no problem once the car is on the highway or straight a way driving with no stopping. Thank you for your consideration. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ENGINE | Multiple events of engine shutoff while driving. This results in loss of power braking, power steering and any acceleration. This occurs both at highway and non-highway speeds. This is obviously a safety concern, as, until the engine is restarted, there is difficulty in safely manuevering the vehicle. The engine may or may not be immediately able to restart. This occurs with the vehicle in gear during normal driving conditions (IE, driving at a steady speed on flat road) This is accompanied by multiple CEL faults relating to CCV timing, engine misfire, etc. This was a known issue in prior engine revision (Theta 2.0L), and appears to be subject to a recall of the same engine (Nu 2.0L) in other models. This vehicle was taken to the local dealer and confirmed to need an engine replacement with a similar failure mechanism as the Theta 2.0L (failed lubrication of pistons resulting in premature wear leading to early failure resulting in misfire/"piston slap") | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | My brake lights kept burning out. I replaced them and they burned out the same day. It seems that the wire harness is corroded. I believe this is a manufacturer issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | ENGINE | I just purchased this car on may 10 2022 after only having it a week engine light came on.startes to loose power and shake really bad. Took to shop replaced spark plugs and some other .think that was just a week ago .now while driving to day car just cuts of now don't wants to start.no waring lights just died .wondering do I have a lemon. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | I have been having issues with my car since November 2021. My car would not go over 35 miles per hour, if I let my car sit for a couple of days I would have to jump my car. My check engine light came on and then 10 minutes later went off. So I finally got it in to the Hyundai dealership after months of them not having enough mechanics. So they did a multipoint inspection and came back saying the catalytic converter needed to be replaced even though no codes in the system. So I was coming back from Florida when my car stopped accelerating on the highway and my check engine light. So I had to take the long way home which means no highways and anytime I stopped I had to throw my hazards on until it would pick up any speed. I took it to Jiffy Lube in SC and that's when my car was reading 8 different misfire codes so I did my tune up with them and that is when I was told that my engine valve was cracked and dumping oil on my spark plugs and coil pack. Yesterday my engine valve replaced and another set of spark plugs in 2 weeks and it is still reading misfire codes and still no change in acceleration. I have only had my car 4 years and my catalytic converter should not be gone. I have not really moved my car in 10 months because my husband passed and I had 2 surgeries. My family can't take another loss if something happens to me because of this car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | STEERING | Steering wheel of my 2018 value edition elantra periodically locks up and won't turn left or right.. and car has to be taken to a stop and turned on and off to reset it. The star bushing located in the bottom of the steering column has a known issue among many elantra owners of being defective in elantras. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ENGINE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | At slow speeds car just shuts off engine. Starts back up but does it constantly. Also the engine lifters are starting to make noises like a clacking someone said it was a defective motor. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | paint is continue to peel off of my hood and it looks horrible. I am a good driver I didn’t cause this. It’s a random spot on hood | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | I've had several issues over the years with this vehicle but nothing too major but more so a nuisance. Such as the car hesitating when accelerating, light bulbs constantly burning out on the vehicle within less than a year of being replaced by myself , etc. It is now April 2022 and vehicle problems begin arising, I heard a weird noise coming from the engine (after much personal research learned this is a knocking sound). Which also happens to be the same issue from the prior year models. One day while out running errands the car just completely dies and goes into limp mode while I was turning onto a busy street (very dangerous). I drove it a very short distance back & forth to work a couple of times because thats as far as I felt going safety wise. The engine jerked forward one day but still continued to run. Then one day on my way home from work when I began slowing down to turn into a driveway. The car completely died again. It went into limp mode enough for me to creep and barely park it where I ended up having to get out & push the vehicle. It doesn't turn over or start at all now. The car gave absolutely no warnings no codes for me to turn to regarding what was going on etc. Hyundai says in order for it to be covered under the warranty that I have to provide them with information. Which I have no problem doing. However based on the research that I've done from other Hyundai Elantra owners others have had similar issues. My Car is barely 4 years old & only has about 65,000 miles on it. I went with Hyundai's because I wanted something that would be safe and reliable especially because I had a child coming into the world at any moment. I ended up going with this vehicle which isn't even 5 years old & it has already become a lemon. Hyundai currently has the vehicle as I try to figure out what to do with it. Since I no longer feel safe driving it. There are no warning lamps etc that came on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH and attempting to down due to traffic, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle skidded and the brake pedal became firm. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed with front and rear brake failure. The contact was informed that the rotors needed to be resurfaced and the brake fluid flushed and replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 93,148. | Crash: No Fire: No | 93,148 |
| May 2022 | FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE,POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle did not drive smoothly. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil and fuel. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 130,000 |
| Apr 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The car is very easy to steal. Company I work for had to hire security to stand at the gates because of so many thefts. They call themselves "The Kia Boys". The cars are so easy to steal that kids 13 and younger are stealing them. There is even a tik tok video that went viral showing how steal them quickly. Hyundai refuses to issue recall saying only that the newer models won't have same problem, but that doesn't help people who are losing their vehicles that are still paying on them. These teenagers are wrecking the cars and getting killed. And some have also been killed by the people they're stealing from. https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc6onyourside.com/amp/news/local/columbus-police-homicide-of-teen-is-linked-to-operation-game-over-car-theft-ring https://www.google.com/amp/s/jalopnik.com/two-thirds-of-milwaukee-s-stolen-cars-are-made-by-kia-o-1848174995/amp | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer replaced several unknown sensors; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced due to oil clogging the valves. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,644. | Crash: No Fire: No | 64,644 |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS | The air bag warning light randomly comes on disabling the air bags. It seems to turn on when the passenger seat gets moved forward or backward fast. In looking into this, it would appear Hyundais over the years have had this issue. It turns off sometimes when some one sits in the seat. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ENGINE | Engine would randomly idle mild to very rough when started and would sometimes correct and sometimes not correct while driving. This would turn on the check engine light for a misfire on cylinder 4. All ignition coils were replaced, and same code would happen. Hyundai was aware of this being a widespread issue and did a software update (Tech Bulletin 90C042R1). The problem continued, but seemed the check engine light would not come on as soon as before the software upgrade. Took back to dealership and they said the ignition coils would need to be Hyundai brand, change cylinder 4 to OEM and still having the issue. Engine also burns about 1 quart of oil every 7000 miles and often has a rough idle, with very rough idle periodically. I feel this would put myself and others on the road in danger if the engine were to fail while driving due to the ongoing damage rough idling appears to be causing to the engine. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I'm really disappointed when I notice last Saturday that my car was stolen (Elentra SEL 2018). When I met the police officer he told me this is normal with Hyundai vehicles!! NORMAL!! Fortunately, the car has been recovered but it's undrivable. When I was with the truck driver who towed my car to my home, he told me "do you believe that I towed 7 cars from Hyundai/Kia in the last 24 hours!!!". Also, another truck driver, who towed my car from my home to the repairing shop, told me he towed 5 stolen cars (Hyundai/Kia) on the day I met him. I search on the internet and I found this is really a big issue, and people and tv news said that how it is easy for kids to steal a Hyundai car in a couple of minutes! I feel that I own a toy for kids or a piece of jerk NOT a VEHICLE!!! And of course, there is no recall from Hyundai to fix this problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Vehicle was locked with the keys removed from the vehicle. A back window was smashed and the vehicle was stolen. They were able to start the vehicle without keys. The vehicle was recovered and deemed to be a total loss by the insurance adjuster. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | The contact owns 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, she heard the seat belt warning alarm sound. The contact re-buckled her seat belt however, the seat belt chime was still audible. Additionally, the contact stated that the driver’s side door opened independently and later the trunk also opened independently. The contact also stated the battery had to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle had to be towed to the dealer due to a battery failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 45,000 |
| Mar 2022 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle began to shake and vibrate and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that two cylinders were misfiring. No further information was available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 55,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 55,000 |
| Mar 2022 | POWER TRAIN | When taking a right turn onto a main road the car surged up to 7000rpms at at least 5mph, with no warning. Next morning taking it to work until hyundai was opened it shifted odd and the check engine light came on. On lunch taking it to hyundai the car would no longer reverse and needing pushed. After 3 weeks hyundai said gear 1 and 5 was incorrect, slipping all gears. The new transmission they put in was delayed when shifting and would continue to reverse after switching from reverse to drive then hard shift forward. It is currently getting a third transmission. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | In regards to my 2018 Hyundai Elantra Limited currently with 47000 miles, driving and noticed the a/c temp display which also controls fan speed stopped working, display was blank. Checked all other electrical equipment inside car with no problem except that the heated seat function didn't work also.while doing an exterior inspection noticed that all lights except the headlights worked.After the interior and exterior inspection and no error codes or indicators on the dash, I had the alternator, battery and starter checked along with probe testing every fuse in the car and under the hood checked and everything was fine. The Car has been perfect up to this point which is alarming because if the headlights go out while driving at night or in the rain this is a safety problem and driving citation. My only indication of when this happens is if the a/c control display goes out. The problem is intermittent and Hopefully it won't happen again and I couldn't find any other similar things like this happening to others. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ENGINE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. While driving and turning the steering wheel was firm. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The driver added oil to the engine. There was an abnormal sound detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and informed them to schedule an appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Whenever I come to a complete stop engine dies. At traffic light's, stop sign's, when I'm in reverse and stop to put it in drive, and when I park the car. This happened with a 2015 Sonata I had last year and it ended up being the motor had metal shavings from manufacturing. I thought Hyundai resolved this problem year's ago but, I have a 2018 doing the same thing the 2015 did. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact pulled over but was unable to restart the vehicle. The contact stated there was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the engine replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was then towed to a local dealer and was awaiting diagnostic testing. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 110,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 110,000 |
| Jan 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2018 White Hyundai Elantra. 9/21/2021 We first noticed the paint was peeling. The car had 39k miles on it. We proceeded to notify the dealership and they said it wasn’t covered. Over the last few months entire chunks of paint have been coming off of the hood and roof. We have multiple estimates and they all require the car to be fully repainted. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |