Complaint volume
236 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
2020 Hyundai Elantra Complaints
236 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Hyundai Elantra, grouped by component category.
236 Total complaints
20 Crash reports
6 Fire reports
11 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, power train, exterior lighting. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 20 crash reports, 6 fire reports, 11 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 69 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 30,137 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to engine, power train, exterior lighting?
- 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 2020 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.
2020 Hyundai Elantra
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Hyundai Elantra complaints?
20 Crash
6 Fire
11 Injury
1 Fatality
20 Towed
9 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Hyundai Elantra complaint categories?
ENGINE 70
POWER TRAIN 26
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 20
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 13
STEERING 10
POWER TRAIN,ENGINE 9
SERVICE BRAKES 7
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING 5
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5
236 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The camera keeps flickering and does not stay on. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | ENGINE | Took car into closest mechanic on Saturday 11/09/24 and was informed that both engine mounts were completely shot. Mechanic informed me car was unsafe to drive. Had the car repaired as Hyundai service center was closed. I contacted Hyundai on Monday 11/11/24 to let them know what happened. Received call yesterday from case manager that since I didn't take car to Hyundai facility they would not reimburse me the money paid on the repair. Mechanic at service station said it was unsafe to drive the car of his property. The mechanic also told me he has never seen either engine mount completely shot in care that was only 4 years old. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ENGINE | My vehicle stalled. I was heading to work and vehicle just cut off while driving. The day before it had started making a strange knocking, clicking sound. It will not charge and will not start up. I have not contacted manufacturer and not inspected by manufacturer. I checked vin # but not on recall list. I have kept my car up to date with servicing.The noise it made when it started to stall was really loud and then cut off. My safety was put at risk because I take the highway to work everyday and almost reached the highway that day before it stalled. My car is used for taking my kids to school, doctors appts and work. I am thankful my kids were not in the car when this happened. It had to be pushed off the road in a high traffic area causing a safety issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ENGINE | Engine failure: Engine light came on and oil level was abnormally low, even though oil had been changed not long before. Before able to add buy more oil to add when checked, the engine gradually lost pressure and wouldn't stay started. Died in the middle lane of highway all of a sudden. Inspection under hood showed that there was oil all around on engine and some on the ground. Towed to dealership and was not told of interim recall 21V-301. Possible acceleration of engine oil consumption due to bad piston oil rings. Later I researched and found that Hyundai was to inform owners that they were encouraged to check the level of oil periodically between oil changes...that accelerated oil consumption was possible due to this issue of the oil rings. Had to research and find myself. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | The warning lamp (engine light) illuminated blinking on and off. Engine code P1327 read on the diagnostic check, riding on the expressway was a little uncomfortable, engine was losing power which is unsafe at high speeds. I’ve contacted the nearest Hyundai dealer and scheduled an appointment for the car repair. I take care of the car and any repairs for maintenance and I never have any problems whatsoever until day. After doing research Hyundai had or has a recall for my vehicle with the VIN NUMBER starting with KMH, for engine replacement and I want to know if Hyundai can fix this issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | STEERING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact called on behalf of their son who owns a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while their son was decelerating, speed was unknown, and coming to a stop sign. The next thing their son was able to recall was that the vehicle had suddenly turned right crashing into an electrical pole nearby. The air bags deployed. The driver had lost consciousness during the crash making it difficult to recall all that occurred. The vehicle was towed but they had not yet received any confirmation if the vehicle had been totaled. The electrical pole had fallen and began to catch fire. The fire department had put out the fire. The contact was not completely sure of the damage done to the vehicle. The driver lost consciousness and received an injury on their right arm. Medical attention was needed. The contact could only assume a police report had been filed but had not heard from the police department to confirm. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: Yes Fire: Yes Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The high beams failed and Hyundai will only say that my VIN isn’t part of the recall. Service Campaign T5G covers the exact same symptoms that my car is experiencing. Since Hyundai refuses to acknowledge that the safety issue in this campaign affects more than what they’ve previously admitted, myself and other owners are left to repair the defect at our own expense. A Google search brings up more than a few posts of owners that were also denied the recall because Hyundai says that their 2020 Elantra VIN isn’t included in the recall. This shows that Hyundai refuses to acknowledge the full scope of the vehicles that have defect. Proper headlight function is absolutely necessary. High beams not working even cause state inspections to fail. Hyundai needs to be forced to fix this major defect in a safety critical lighting system, as it is clear that they have no desire to keep the owners of their 2020 Elantras safe. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds and releasing the accelerator pedal to come to a stop, the vehicle sputtered, made a clicking sound, and stalled. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to pull over to the side of the road. The contact shifted to neutral(N) and was able to restart the vehicle. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The mechanic related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine) and referred the contact to the manufacturer for assistance. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 70,000 |
| Aug 2024 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | The soldering of the end cap in the engine fuel rail failed and allowed gas under pressure to leak out. Fuel sprayed out in the engine compartment and the smell was evident inside and outside of the vehicle while in operation. Not sure how it did not start an engine fire. Repairing was a simple task that I handled as this is the only vehicle available to me. Ordered a new fuel rail which was only available from a dealer without issue and completing the repair went without issue. Did not have anyone else look at the problem as once I figured out the problem, did not want to drive the car anywhere. I have the old fuel rail for anyone who needs to inspect it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | It makes noise when driving a mph | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,ENGINE | A fire started in the passenger headlight assembly. The car had only been running for about 7 minutes directly prior to the fire being noticed. At the time of the fire it was parked & turned off. No injuries. It burned thru/melted part of the bumper & damaged something with the windshield washer fluid. Several people were at risk due to there being a fire! The car was parked at a gas station when the fire broke out. I don't think they have done a thorough investigation yet. It is current at Hyundai of Metairie in Metairie LA. According to the service technician my car is not the only one they have there that had the same thing happen. No warning signs, sounds, or anything else. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 15 MPH and turning right during rainy weather conditions, the brake pedal was lightly depressed however the wheels locked. The vehicle drove over a pothole and the contact lost control causing the vehicle to skid 50 feet. The contact crashed into the curb on the driver's side front tire. No warning light illuminated. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was undriveable and towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the driver's side control arm, the front tire suspension, the tire and rim, the front bumper, and the grill needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that he had also experienced the same failure recently during a rain storm where the vehicle braked independently and he again lost control and crashed. The contact stated that he observed that the ABS warning was illuminated. The contact stated that he had not been injured during the incident. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,520. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | 64,520 |
| Jun 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | Car is almost stalling Randomly on the highway . The rpm’s go up and car won’t speed up slows down . Stalls very randomly I am terrified to drive it , I used to have so much confidence on a newer Hyundai . | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ENGINE | The car starting knocking while driving and later found out it’s due to a knock sensor issue, at first the check engine light didn’t come on, days later it’s been blinking on and off since then. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2024 | ENGINE | On [XXX} 2023, [XXX]. I was driving to work which is only 5 miles away. All my my dash lights came on. Next thing I know smoke, and fire started billowing out from under the hood. I started having a panic attack because the electrical system died and I could get out of the car. I then realized all I had to do was open the door handle. I called 911 and the police and fire department came and put the fire out. The entire under the hood was burned and some windows cracked from the heat. It was a scary ordeal. Im not sure what cause the engine to catch fire. I filed a report with the police and the car was towed. My insurance came and towed it to do an evaluation. They deemed it a total loss and blamed the engine. There was a recall on my engine for fires and state farm documented it in my loss report. I'm not sure who to go after for this because I had the car for 10 months, put $4000 down. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| May 2024 | SUSPENSION,ENGINE | Unknown | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ENGINE | The component which failed was the engine. This engine has been burning oil from the day in which we bought it. This engine puts everyone at risk because it failed in the middle of traffic, and We could have been hit by oncoming traffic. The problem could not be reproduced because the engine tied up in the middle of the road. We had the vehicle towed to the dealer who said it was not covered under the warranty due to abuse. The oil had been changed at the proper intervals, and we are sure the engine failed because it was a poorly made engine. This engine had exactly 69,993 miles when it tied up. We attempted to have it repaired at 54 thousand miles but the dealer said we need more money to check it out, but when they sold it they said the engine was covered. When we brought it in we asked for a loaner, but initially they refused. Three weeks later, we demanded a loaner as we happen to see the owner Steve Taylor at the customer service desk and he complied. After a month and a half without our car getting repaired they said we did not change the oil at the proper intervals, and said we need receipts for every oil change. We have a fully equipped auto shop in our steel-frame barn in which we replace engines for our Cars-for-Christ fundraiser program, and completed all the oil changes through our own mechanic. Before we could retrieve our purchase our oil purchase receipts they said, Hyundai will not replace this motor and it is not covered, we can put another engine in your car for 10,000 dollars. We still owe 14thousand on this car, and 4 thousand of that was for the 2017 Sonata which we bought that failed and we had to trade that to buy this 2020 Elantra. I have read all the complaints on these engines and they are OIL BURNERS. We put full synthetic oil in this engine and before it was time to change the oil, it was out of oil. We had to constantly put oil in this car about 1.5 to 2.5 per month. Now, we must replace this engine and pay 14k? HELP!!!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | THIS VEHICLE RECENTLY HAD A NEW ENGINE AND NEW TRANSMISSION INSTALLED INTO IT IN FEBRUARY OF THIS YEAR. LESS THAN 10K MILES ON IT. THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON ON 4/12/2024 AND I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALER IMMEDIATELY. THEY CALLED ME ON 4/15/2024 STATING THAT THEIR ENGINEERS AND TECHS HAD HAD PROBLEMS ON THE TRANSMISSION RECENTLY INSTALLED ON IT DUE TO MANUFACTURING AND/OR FAULTY PARTS, AND TO REPLACE THAT TRANSMISSION WITH A NEW ONE. STILL WAITING TO GET THE VEHICLE BACK AT THIS POINT IN TIME. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | ENGINE | The vehicles engine has gone through a gradual decrease of power and then the car went into "Limp mode" and began burning oil. I have taken it to dealer multiple times and they would run diagnostic and never find anything significant. When it went into limp mode I took it back to dealer and they ran diagnostic and said the engine was bad. They said that the car is out of warranty and they would not cover the repairs. When I look into the problems that the vehicle was exhibiting there was a recall 203 that describes my problem exactly. When I look it shows this was completed at around 6000 miles. I believe this was done to early in the vehicles life and it didn't exhibit any of these issues. Now at 80,000 miles the engine now has all the issues described in the recall and the manufacturer will not replace or repair the engine | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | POWER TRAIN | I have a code "P0867 Transmission Fluid Pressure" that showed up on my car. Yes. Dealership refused to fix under "Service Campaign [XXX]". Dealership confirmed issue. No. There is a check engine light that appeared. To continue after the questions, Max Hyundai of Manhattan, address: 8020 US-24, Manhattan, KS 66502. Refused to fix my vehicle under "service campaign [XXX]". As the service campaign indicates Code P0867 must be present, which it is. As well as a VIN that starts with [XXX], which my vehicle also has. As well as 20MY Elantra's. Which my car falls into that category as well. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | The forward collision or emergency braking system gets activated by direct sunlight. Almost every day I drive with the sun directly in front of me in the morning and the car can activate this system with no need when going 30 to 75 mph on the 405, an extremely busy highway. There have been many almost rear ends if I wasn't able to accelerate through the braking. This is a weekly if almost daily occurrence. The independent auto shop said it can happen but they have replaced break pads twice and I'm only at 60,000 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | Engine seized while going 55-60mph with warning lights only 15 seconds before my vehicle completely stopped on the highway [XXX] ) The engine was replaced by Hyundai along with the manifold and catalytic converter. Vehicle lost all control and power and started excessively knocking while I tried to get to the shoulder but only made it to the right lane. The safety of others and myself were out at risk due to no control of the vehicle. Repair order attached INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | STEERING | Good morning, I was hearing a rubbing noise every time I turned my steering wheel on my 3020 Hyundai Elantra. I did some research and found a Hyundai service bulletin explaining the worm gear shaft. I brought it to my local Hyundai dealership in Manchester New Hampshire. They confirmed that it was indeed the worm gear shaft. They replaced it and charged me but when I called the Hyundai corporate office, they explained to me they would not be able to reimburse me even though it has happened on many of their Hyundai and other cars. I am requesting help for this unfortunate situation. The cost of replacement was over $500. Why is the worm gear shaft problem not a recall as of yet? If I would not have had this fixed, it would have caused other problems in the steering. Ty | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | POWER TRAIN | Transmission failed - car disabled at 85mph | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | TOOK OUR VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALER ON 1/30/2024 TO HAVE THEM LOOK AT THE ENGINE AS MY REGULAR MECHANIC STATED THE "ENGINE WAS KNOCKING" AT THE MOST RECENT OIL CHANGE, AND GET IT TO THE DEALER AS IT SHOULD BE UNDER WARRANTY. TURNS OUT IT DID NEED AN ENGINE WHICH THEY REPLACED YESTERDAY FINALLY, HOWEVER WHEN THEY TOOK IT FOR A TEST DRIVE THEY STILL HEARD NOISES. THEY EXAMINED IT FURTHER AND TODAY THEY NOTIFIED ME IT ALSO NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS VEHICLE WE HAVE HAD SINCE WE BOUGHT IT NEW IN JANUARY OF 2021, HAD LESS THAN 10K MILES ON IT WHEN WE TOOK IT INTO THE DEALER ON 1/30/2024. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE. THANK GOODNESS I HAD ALL MY RECEIPTS TO PROVE REGULAR PROOF OF MAINTENANCE ESP SINCE I HAVE A REGULAR GUY AND DID NOT HAVE IT DONE AT THE DEALERS. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |