Complaint volume
126 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
2021 Hyundai Elantra Complaints
126 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2021 Hyundai Elantra, grouped by component category.
126 Total complaints
8 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
3 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 seat belts, forward collision avoidance, electrical system. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 8 crash reports, 1 fire report, 3 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 12 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 32,057 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to seat belts, forward collision avoidance, electrical system?
- 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 2021 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.
2021 Hyundai Elantra
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2021 Hyundai Elantra complaints?
8 Crash
1 Fire
3 Injury
1 Fatality
11 Towed
3 Medical attention
What are the most common 2021 Hyundai Elantra complaint categories?
SEAT BELTS 20
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 18
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 12
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 11
ENGINE 6
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 5
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE 2
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 2
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 2
126 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The reverse camera does not work | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2024 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | High Beam Assist, Check Rear Cross-Traffic Safety System, Check Blind-spot safety system, Check forward safety system, Check Lane Keep Assist System, Traction Control disabled. ALL of those messages came on while driving. Rear backup camera quit working, reverse lights do not engage. No remedy for recall still. Vehicle is unsafe to operate without recall being fixed. This is my only transportation, FIX it!!! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Radar equipped to front of vehicle has malfunctioned, disabling all forward safety systems and adaptive cruise control. Without this equipment functioning, cruise control is completely disabled and the vehicle will not automatically brake or provide forward warnings. The vehicle component has not been inspected, but this is a recurring issue amongst other owners of this model. There is a warning lamp that turns out that states "Check Forward Safety System" | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,BACK OVER PREVENTION | Back up Camera. When reversing cannot see out back window do to incline of glass making hard to reverse. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. The vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. There was not any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding a significant safety issue with my vehicle’s backup camera system. The backup camera consistently malfunctions, displaying glitchy images with distorted lines across the screen. This issue renders the camera essentially unusable, as it fails to provide a clear view of the area behind the vehicle, posing a serious safety hazard. This malfunction directly impacts my ability to safely reverse, especially in crowded areas where visibility is crucial. The camera’s unreliability puts pedestrians and other drivers at risk, as I am unable to fully ensure that my path is clear when reversing. I strongly believe this defect poses a significant safety concern that needs to be addressed by the manufacturer. I request that the NHTSA investigate this issue and take appropriate action to ensure that this problem is resolved for myself and the many other affected vehicle owners. Thank you for your attention to this matter. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Several times, including yesterday, my forward collision avoidance engaged by braking suddenly and strongly and INAPPROPRIATELY, almost causing me to be rear-ended. I was nowhere near the car in front of me, and fortunately due to traffic was traveling below the speed limit. This seems to happen whenever there is an overpass above the road. I have reported this to Hyundai, and they don't seem very concerned. Very dangerous. I would think there could be a software or sensor update that can correct this situation. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2024 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield is damaged very easily when a small rock hits it on the road. It's been hit before the recall and the new windshield is damaged. It's a hazard especially if it can be easily cracked. I've had other vehicles that can handle small rocks on road ways. These are damages from tiny rocks. This windshield is very weak, the Crack continues to spread all over day to day. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Rear backup camera suddenly stopped working and when in reverse the sensors kick in and breaks the vehicle when there's no object or vehicle behind. Also the code for the backup sensor came up but dealer didn't do anything. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | One day I was on the highway driving and the front collusion safety warning appeared. I thought the warning went off because the sensor was dirty due to dead bugs. However, I pulled over and the sensor did not appear dirty. After awhile the sensor went off on its own. Then a few weeks late the front collusion safety warning appeared again while I was driving on the highway. The warning has not fixed itself. I cannot use my cruise control. I took it to the Hyundai dealership and they told the me senor is off alignment and it will cost $500 to repair because they have to remove the entire bumper. I have seen on Hyundai forums this is a common problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Over the past 4 months, this car's safety sensors have randomly activated on 4 different occasions. The car will suddenly brake when this occurs, which puts me and the other drivers around me at risk of crashing. Each time, I've taken it to a Hyundai dealership for repairs. They always claim they can't recreate the issue and don't fix anything. I've provided the dealer with pictures and videos of the warning lights on my dashboard. It doesn't seem to help them diagnose the problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | My car has two warning lights on my dashboard. First one is Check Foward Safety system. Second one is Check Smart Cruise Control System. Both of them turned on when I was driving in the middle of a highway. These warning lights activated out of the blue, without any unusual circumstances.I cannot use my smart cruise control system and the car is not able to alert me about forward collision. This issue has already been addressed through a recall for my vehicle's model and year in Korea. My vehicle was produced in Korea and was imported to the United States; however, Hyundai has not issued a recall regarding the same problem in the United States. This is a safety concern, and Hyundai should repair it free of charge, and the company should compensate customers who have already undergone repairs for the repair costs. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Since last year around 55k miles, my backup camera has stoped working. The first incident happened as I was about to back out of my garage. I opened the garage door and put my car into reverse. As I looked down at the screen and began to back up, I realized the screen showed me an image of a closed garage door ever though the door was open. Almost as if it had taken a screenshot or froze. The second occurrence was similar except it was when I was parking in a job site parking lot. When I put my car in reverse to park, what came on my screen was the image of the highway about 15 minutes prior. I’ve had several experiences like this where the backup camera freezes, has static-like lines all over the screen, discoloration, or delayed effects. This is dangerous because if someone is looking down at the screen and doesn’t realize the backup camera is giving an incorrect output, this can result in an accident (whether it be a single car or multiple car accident). This is because you can end up hitting something/someone if you get delayed feedback on the camera and don’t realize. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Back up camera doesn’t work. When put in reverse the screen is static and when you press the back up camera button it won’t turn on | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2024 | STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Significant water leak which I believe is due to a failure in the door seals. My personal safety is at risk due to a mold issue. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by the Hyundai dealership’s service department (multiple visits). This problem is well documented by many individuals in the Hyundai Forums site. The results were the dealership pushes the vehicle back at the consumer without it being corrected. Problem has been occurring since purchased. I recognized the issue in early 2023 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Forward collision sensor suddenly failed to function properly. This issue was NOT caused by any damage or a collision; it happened while driving on the highway. Hyundai does not fix this under any warranty, even though the issue was not caused by damage. It appears to be a bad quality/faulty sensor. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2024 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Pop up display "Check Forward Safety System and Check Smart Cruise Control System" during driving on the free way with no reason. 3 month ago same thing happened. fixed that problem with re-calibration to the front sensor. But. same problem happen today. This problem is recalled in south korea on last year. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owned a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked unattended. Approximately thirteen hours later, he was notified by the fire department that the vehicle had caught fire. A police report was filed. There were no reported injuries. The vehicle was parked where the fire occurred. The local dealer was contacted but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot and later the contact's insurance provider declared the vehicle a total loss, the cause was assumed to be electrical. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 24,000. | Crash: No Fire: Yes Towed | 24,000 |
| Feb 2024 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I have had to get the horn replaced on my ELANTRA six times the horn goes out and this can be a very big safety hazard as it has caused people to almost hit me because they didn’t see me and my horn wasn’t working to alert them this needs to be addressed as soon as possible as this could cause someone to lose their life in the wrong instance | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | vehicle only has 14k miles and is showing an error message for "check forward safety system" and "check smart cruise control system" after some research found this is a very common issue with multiple Elantra's where the front radar goes bad causing safety systems such as automatic braking/acceleration, and cruise control to not work. this is a big safety issue that has been reported by many drivers. the error happened going a steady 40mph with no other cars around on an open road. nothing was hit the radar just suddenly failed | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | While my son was driving on the highway, the smart cruise control suddenly stopped working with "Check forward safety system" and "Check smart cruise control system". | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The horn is a known issue to stop working on the Hyundai Elantra. I have had my car for 10 months, and the horn does not work. This is a very big safety concern and I have been told by mechanics and other Hyundai Elantra owners this is a constant issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | When driving at 55MPH with cruise control on, the car suddenly accelerated to 75MPH, this happened on the open road and was able to keep under control. Auto has less than 10,000 miles. I will be contacting Hyundai customer service for a case number on this incident. First indication of a problem was cruise control, auto braking failed iin June of 2023. This follows a replacement of defective front radar unit by Hyundai which was replaced at 8295 miles on July 26, 2023. This problem first occurred in late June/early July of 2023. There was no warning. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I bought my 2021 hyuandai elantra on September 7 2023 almost 2 months ago and the emergency braking system comes on pretty often while driving my vehicle on the road and freeway so the brakes will lock on me whenever the car is in drive which could cause a serious crash and probably cause damage over time to brake pads and other things this problem has occurred over 5 times within 2 months | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | Headlight lens are holding condensation , I've noticed this problem a few times now , and at night time it is a problem to see unless the brights of the lighting is engaged ,, RE: it's not my eyes , I've just got new bifocal glasses ,,, or maybe they just need adjusted up a bit , I will take it in for inspection, the Hyundai Elantra 2021 , I just purchased on 07/12/2023 , along with the seatbelt recall , I now know why they seem to not always want to latch together several times , thank you for the help researching my new car | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2023 | SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 2 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle accelerated. The vehicle collided with a median and another vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact sustained stomach chest and arm injuries that required medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 52,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | 52,000 |