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2016 Hyundai Elantra complaints

Owner reports filed with NHTSA about this vehicle, newest first and reproduced as filed. They are unverified accounts: one proves nothing, and a pattern across many is the thing worth reading. Back to the full 2016 record →

Service Brakes
Filed Mar 22, 2023ME

The brake line on the car rusted out, and subsequently ruptured, leading to a loss of brake fluid and a total loss of brake function. The failure was quite abrupt. The fluid leaking had been noted within 24 hours of brake failure, but the brake warning lights only came on after the rupture had occurred and were noted at the same time that the brakes failed to work. The rupture happened while the car was being backed out of the driveway, but before entering the roadway, and the car was able to be safely towed to the dealership for an assessment. Repairs and a brake line replacement are being planned, and the dealership has documented and photographed the brake line corrosion and rupture. A recall is currently underway in Canada for this exact problem in this model of the Elantra (among other years and models) but there is nothing yet being reported for customers in the United States. The vehicle has spent most of its time in the Northeast US since its original purchase, so it seems reasonable to assume that the climate conditions here (being similar to Canada) have led to the same brake line failures.

Unknown or Other
Filed Mar 22, 2023PA

Disk brake backing plates rusted through, flaking. Could lodge in brake pads.

Engine
Filed Feb 23, 2023TN

No mechanical issues . Left work one morning driving to work . Made it home turned the car off .and the car never cranked back up . Sent to shop for assessment says the motor . I have routine maintenance done . No check engine light appeared . Car had been jerking on and off

Engine
Filed Feb 21, 2023NJ

My transmission failed while driving, car stopped being able to accelerate, i was luckily in my neighborhood but if this happened on a major road I could’ve been seriously injured or even killed. i had to tow it to a local shop and they said they have to completely replace the transmission. no prior warnings on the dashboard or any indications my car was about to fail. I only had slight issues a week beforehand. this vehicle is unsafe and costs thousands to repair

Unknown or Other
Filed Feb 11, 2023MD

My car was stolen out of my driveway, taken for a joy ride, and abandoned on the side of the road. This year/model of car is experiencing extremely high levels of theft across the nation (e.g, 7K in Chicago alone, and 59,991 nationwide through August). This is due to: 1 - the ease with which it can be stolen with no special tools, due to poor design 2 - a popular "TikTok Challenge" to steal these cars This presents an extreme public safety concern as: - the cars are typically stolen by teenagers and taken for joy rides, posing a hazard to other drivers - this can lead to dangerous high-speed police chases - having cars abandoned haphazardly on the sides of roads is a traffic hazard - owners who recover their cars may be unaware of equipment safety issues that may have been caused by reckless driving - insurers are dropping coverage of these cars, which may force lower-income owners to drive uninsured To date, Hyundai has done nothing to address this issue.

Engine
Filed Feb 3, 2023TX

Car stutters at low speed.

Engine
Filed Jan 26, 2023MN

Leaving work on 1/24/23 my car failed on the 4 lane, on the ramp coming into the town I live in, and again in the middle of a 4 way intersection. I only live 2 miles from where I work. My engine light was flashing, lost all power/acceleration, transmission would not switch and kept my RPM's really high, took multiple times to get it re-started, and engine was knocking/surging/sputtering. I got it taken to my local shop the next day and they told me my engine needs to be replaced. It was throwing 6 different timing codes and my oil was very shiney (filled with metal shavings). My car was not leaking oil, all services were kept up to date, any mechanical issues were always taken care of, and my car only had 92k miles on it. If the engine failure wasn't from the bottom of the engine, warranty won't cover it (mine was stated that failure was from the top). How is this not considered with the recalls of other Hyundai's that hold the same engine?

Exterior Lighting
Filed Jan 23, 2023TN

-Exterior lighting continuously burns out and I am willing to have my vehicle inspected. Lights that continuously burn out are both headlights, all blinkers, all break lights. -Since the lights burn out so frequently (sometimes as soon as you install a new bulb) I am concerned that without adequate lighting I am at risk for an accident by not being able to properly see at night, be noticed by other vehicles during rain, and risk of being rear ended due to not having adequate break lights. I have spent hundreds of dollars replacing bulbs since I have owned the vehicle and I am also at risk of getting ticketed. -I have informed the dealer of my problem on multiple visits to the dealership. The first time the associate simply responded with "Yeah, they're known for that" and asked if I wanted them to replace the bulb for an up-charge. The second time the response was "There aren't any recalls, you'll have to pay to have it thoroughly inspected and fixed". -The vehicle components have not been thoroughly inspected by anyone. -I do have a warning indication when my blinkers go out. The arrows on the dash will stay lit constantly and there is a faster pace blinker tick when it is not working properly. Other than that there are no other warnings. These issues have been occurring ever since I bought the vehicle in November of 2016. Most recent date I had to buy 2 blinkers, 1 tail light, 2 break lights, and one headlight is listed in the additional details section.

Visibility/Wiper
Filed Jan 21, 2023FL

Back windshield is completely bubbled and pealing. I’ve noticed this year is notorious for it.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 20, 2023CT

When I use the shift control to shift my car into drive, nothing happens. The car does not transition into drive, and when I step on the gas, the engine just revs. This happens most often after I have driven the car for at least an hour. When I shut the car off and later (5 to 10 min) return to my car, I can not get the car to shift into drive. It will go in reverse and neutral but not drive. When I start the car first thing in the morning, the car goes into drive with no problem. I have to avoid parallel parking due to fear of not being able to get the car to go into drive after I have shifted in reverse to parallel park.

Engine
Filed Jan 8, 2023AZ

Driving then while stopped at a red light out of no where the engine starts shaking like crazy, once it turned green and I took off the engine light came on then immediately turned off after accelerating. Add oil Was working perfectly fine until a week later it did the same thing the. Engine light came on but seemed faulty as it would blink, shut off then be solid, and then fluctuating like crazy then all that stopped after the car was turned off. Later that day I drove it and it wasn’t accelerating properly. Next day when getting it looked at the second we started it white smoke everywhere

Engine
Filed Jan 8, 2023NY

The engine stalled after fluctuating power from the throttle and accelerator. The engine began making a knocking sound as I tried to bring the vehicle off to the side of the road with a loss of engine power. No warning lights or indicators displayed on the dashboard the indicated the engine was malfunctioning. This malfunction or engine defect caused a serious decrease in speed which impeded the flow of traffic leading to to the chances of being in an accident or having the engine explode without warning. This vehicles malfunction jeopardized my safety, my passengers, and the other drivers on the road.

Engine
Filed Dec 31, 2022CA

Car suddenly started to jolts while decelerating from 25mphs -20mins. Car “stall & jolts” from park to drive. Stuck in park for a couple seconds. Dangerous , unable to go from park to drive is a safe timely manner No check engine light or trouble codes, car is maintained

Unknown or Other
Filed Nov 30, 2022ID

The trunk latch has malfunctioned, exactly what is happening with 2016 Hyundai models that are recalled for the trunk latch not staying latched. Suddenly the latch will no longer stay closed. There were no warnings.

Engine
Filed Nov 22, 2022125,000 milesCT

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled with the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that there was a hole in the engine block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the starter needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was provided a case number. The manufacturer offered to cover a percent of the cost of the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 125,000.

Unknown or Other
Filed Nov 14, 2022MO

Was driving about 25 mph coming to slow down to turn and my car just died there was no warning no lights came on the dash the car just shut off put it in park and it started with no problem it has done it three times even while I was just driving down the road wasn't stopping or anything

Unknown or Other
Filed Nov 7, 2022AL

Trunk latch won’t work, there is a recall on other models for this problem but they say this isn’t on recall

Latches/Locks/Linkages
Filed Oct 25, 2022MD

2016 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. CONSUMER IS SEEKING REIMBURSEMENT FOR COST ASSOCIATED WITH REPLACING A TRUNK LATCH ON VEHICLE.

Engine
Filed Oct 20, 2022TX

Fuel Injector went bad in engine with 77k miles & they won’t honor the repair. The car had a knock sensor recall that I never received a letter on & received no warning that the engine was failing.

Vehicle Speed ControlCrash
Filed Oct 18, 202258,000 milesAZ

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving out of the driveway, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. During the incident, the engine's RPMs suddenly increased before the vehicle erroneously accelerated forward and crashed into a tree causing body damage to the vehicle. During the crash, no injuries were reported and no police report was taken. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 58,000. The contact stated that the failure occurs very rarely at approximately 1 to 2 times a year.

Engine
Filed Oct 18, 2022CA

Idle was rough when car was at the stop light, etc. Took car in to the dealership and they confirmed the issue. Car engine replacement has been approved by Hyundai Motors. I think that the NTSB should be looking in to this as there are currently 71 cars ahead of mine, with the same issue, at this one dealership. Other Hyundai dealership must be having the same issue, this cannot be happening only at this dealership. My engine will not be replaced until April, 2023. It is now October, 2022. That is the reason why the dealership has no cars to loan, the wait list for their car loaners is four months. I am the only owner of this car. I purchased it brand new from this dealership, and have followed the advised maintenance for this car. The "Customer Care" (big joke) told me that I have to pay for my own rental and that they would reimburse only a portion of the rental. I seriously think that this is a recall issue.

Engine
Filed Oct 5, 2022IL

My engine has almost completely burned through its oil twice. I have done routine oil changes and maintenance on the vehicle and the first time this happened, I had driven 3,000 miles since my last oil change (full synthetic, so it should be able to go up to 5,000 miles). The second time, it was out of oil at 1,200 miles. I took the car to Hyundai after the first incident and they said no error codes came up, so there was nothing they could do. This safety issue could cause my engine to stall mid drive, causing a potentially fatal accident. There are no warnings that the engine is low on oil, making this an even more alarming and dangerous defect. Hyundai will not help consumers with this issue, and there is a class action lawsuit against them right now for this problem. Many are saying the exact same thing happened when taking the vehicle into the dealer; they were turned away and charged for no help. I was told to just keep putting oil in my car, but it has gotten exponentially worse since this all began.

Electrical System › Wiring › Rear Compartment/Trunk
Filed Oct 4, 202280,000 milesTX

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 35-40 MPH, he looked in the rearview mirror and noticed that the trunk of the vehicle was open. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that he was unable to lock the trunk using the lever on the front seat, key fob, or the button on the trunk door. The contact continued driving. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the next availability would be in February 2023. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Engine
Filed Sep 6, 2022CO

88,750 miles - Engine began profuse knocking suddenly when traveling down the road under 50mph. Stopped at a service center and they found no oil in the engine. Like THOUSANDS of others with the same complaint, the engine burned the oil which caused it to destroy itself LONG before the oil change interim had arrived.

Service Brakes
Filed Aug 31, 2022CA

I believe it is the transmission/ power train that failed. It slides gears and the engine stalls. While driving, I was almost hit because I could not speed up. I had to decelerate in order for the gear to not stutter.

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Trunk Lid › Latch
Filed Aug 29, 202251,000 milesNC

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 48 mph, the trunk door erroneously opened. The contact stopped the vehicle to investigate the cause of the failure. The contact discovered that the trunk latch had malfunctioned and the trunk would no longer remain securely closed. The contact used a rope to secure the trunk. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 51,000.

Visibility/Wiper
Filed Aug 25, 2022FL

The back windshield where the tinting is placed continuously peels or has bubbles in the tinting causing me not to be able to see safely or accurately.

Engine
Filed Aug 4, 2022WA

At 75,000 miles my engine randomly blew on the freeway, I rolled down the off-ramp where I lost all power and had to put it in neutral and put the emergency brake on so I didn’t roll through a red light at the bottom of the ramp. Absolutely no warning, nothing else was wrong with the car, mechanic said oil and everything else looked perfect but that it was a manufacturer defect due to the pistons in the engine. Now I owe 8.5k on a car I can’t drive because neither insurance nor Hyundai will take responsibility. Great 👍🏻

Engine
Filed Jul 15, 2022MO

Going through oil like crazy, continuous engine knocking

Power Train
Filed Jul 8, 2022TN

On 06/10/2022 Going down the road went to shift gears and it was stuck in 5th gear. Finally got it released and safely made it home. Ever since you can shift the gears and reverse while engine isn’t running but once I turn on the vehicle it refuses to shift into any gears including reverse. I have a FIXD OBD2 sensor and it showed no warning messages before, during, and now. No codes are showing up when plugged in. Matter of fact it says there’s no issues with my car ? I had a mechanic take a look since he was willing to come to my house considering I currently don’t have the funds to get it checked out & he said it’s probably my clutch has went out, but that can’t be the case considering it will turn on still. I have no messages appear on the dash & I have plenty of transmission oil. Today is 07/08/2022 and it has just been sitting there due to the fact I’ve lost my employment and can’t afford to have it looked at

Structure › Body
Filed Jun 30, 2022NY

The paint is peeling off my Hyundai Elantra and I only have 28000 miles on it. It started peeling 2 years ago. I can supply pictures. I visited my local Hyundai dealership, where I bought the car, they made me wait for an hour then told me there was nothing they could do. I noticed someone scratched the paint with a fingernail from their workshop. I also called the Hyundai corp and they said there was nothing they could do.

Structure › Body
Filed Jun 20, 2022SC

The trunk latch stopped working. There was a recall in 8/2021 for the same issue with Hyundai and Kia models. I strongly believe this recall should be extended to include 2016 Hyundai elantras because this is a safety issue. God forbid someone were to get stuck in the trunk they would have no way of getting out as I do not have a trunk release button on my key fob or a key hole on the trunk itself. The only way to open the trunk is the lever on the drivers side floorboard which stopped working abruptly approximately one month ago. I live in SC and I strongly believe the heat has something to do with the malfunction. Heat was implicated in the 2021 recall. Please assist as this is a widespread issue with no solution or acknowledgement from Hyundai.

EngineFire
Filed Jun 15, 202267,000 milesCA

The contact owns a 2016 Hyundai Elantra. The contact's wife was driving approximately 12 MPH smelled a burning odor, as she parked at the residence she saw smoke emitting from under the hood and the vehicle ignited and began to burn. The contact stated that the engine caught on fire. The contact stated his wife did not notice any warning light was illuminated. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire with water. The fire department wrote an incident report. The police department was also on scene but did not issue a report. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The front of the vehicle was severely damaged. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 67,000.

Fuel/Propulsion System
Filed Jun 15, 2022NV

Inside of my car smells like gas strongly everytime it gets hot outside. I also can see the fumes coming out of the gas tank.

Service Brakes
Filed Jun 9, 2022FL

The stop lamps on my 2016 Hyundai Elantra (date of delivery 7/9/2015) began to illuminate continuously on 5/13/2022 in Miami, FL - even after I turned off the engine. Consequently, my battery fully discharged. The traction control warning lamp was illuminated, too. These symptoms are precisely the ones identified in the 12/13/2017 Brake Pedal Stopper Replacement Recall Campaign 170 for model year 2013-14 Hyundai Elantras . According to the January 2018 Hyundai TSB 18-01-005 a deteriorated brake pedal stopper pad can result in the stop lamps illuminating continuously, illumination of the traction control warning lamp, the ability to move the shift lever without depressing the brake pedal, or activation of the engine management system’s brake pedal override feature. The TSB says that any of the described symptoms can increase the risk of a crash. It appears Elantras manufactured after model year 2014 were produced with defective brake pedal stoppers. For example, see NHTSA ID Number: 11292278 (12/31/2019 complaint – Davie, FL) and NHTSA ID Number: 11182014 (2/22/2019 complaint – Orlando, FL). AAA jump-started my car and I took it to Braman Hyundai in Miami today. Sure enough, they found that the brake pedal stopper pad deteriorated and that led to a complete battery discharge. They replaced the brake pedal stopper pad and battery. Both the dealer and Hyundai Consumer Affairs say too bad - 2016 models were not part of the recall (for the same brake pedal stopper pad). The danger

Engine
Filed Jun 3, 2022MD

April 2022 Car engine stalls while at stop sign or light. Started happening once or twice every few weeks. Took the vehicle to two repair shops but could not diagnose the issue. Vehicle giving no diagnostic codes or warning lights. May 2022 vehicle is now stalling and losing acceleration while driving on busy highway, leaving me and my children on the highway shoulder. Car loses acceleration and coasts to a complete stop. No warning lights have come on previously. Could not book an appointment with Hyundai dealer until June 25, 2022. As of June 3rd 2022, check engine light is on and car having trouble starting back up after stall. Vehicle is stalling and losing acceleration 2-3 times a day no matter the speed. Booked appointment with Hyundai dealer in another area for June 9, 2022.

Engine
Filed May 25, 2022WA

The car stalls at low idle intermittently. The transmission is leaking badly and won't drive. One day the engine began smoking badly. If I hit a dip in the road well braking the brakes don't work at all for a second.

Power Train
Filed May 16, 2022GA

My 2016 Hyundai Elantra started jerking and losing acceleration power. I got stuck at a stop sign because the car lost the ability to change gears. It felt very unsafe to be stuck in the middle of traffic and have to wave people around my vehicle at night. I’ve taken it to two different mechanics who have both said my vehicle has experienced premature transmission failure due to a factory defect. The car has 90,000 miles. I am a second owner so my warranty ended at 60,000 miles. There was no warning or dash lights. It was very abrupt and unexpected.

Electrical System
Filed May 14, 2022MD

I was driving my vehicle damages stop accelerating the check engine light battery light and all light all came on in a vehicle just came to a complete stop and did not let me restart the vehicle. This has happened to me a second time.

Electrical System
Filed Apr 20, 2022TN

Engine Code: P0335 Crankshaft Position Sensor 'A' Circuit Severe Issue Consequences of Continued Driving - Rough running - possible Misfire - May not start In my case I was at work and it wouldn’t start at all. It ended up having to be towed. Had the battery tested and it was fine then I bought a “FIXD” sensor and it told me the problem

Air BagsCrash1 injured
Filed Mar 25, 2022MN

My daughter and friend were in an accident, traveling 50 miles an hour and hit the center barrier on the highway. The air bags didn’t employ. The Minnesota Department of Transportation came up on the accident right away and got them safely off the highway so they wouldn’t get hit by other cars. They have provided us with the video of the accident. My daughter and friend had no protection due to air bags not deploying. She has been seen by a doctor for whip lash, neck and headache pains as symptoms. As well as being traumatized by the incident me lack of protection. We have sent the pictures and video to the insurance and they are reviewing to determine if the vehicle can be repaired of totaled. Although, question as to whether they would fix it with what appears to be defective air bags. We will not put her back on the vehicle if repaired without some air bag inspection. Traffic control told her not to call police at accident site due to danger of being on the highway. We did extensive research on the car before buying and we don’t show any recalls as of today. We are very lucky they weren’t seriously injured and don’t want this to happen to anyone else.

Engine
Filed Mar 20, 2022CA

So back in November of 2020 I had a few instances where my car had issues shifting into a different gear while I pressed the gas. It was like it stalled and was suspended for a moment making a really weird noise and then got punched into the next gear super fast and made a bad noise. I was driving between 20-35 miles when these occurrences happened. I went to the Hyundai dealership and had them look at my car but they found nothing. The mechanic test drove it but they found nothing was wrong. The attendant made notes on my account about all of this so that there would be a record. He told me to come in again if I had any more issues like this. Fast forward to now March 19th 2022, there were 4 occurrences in one day, where my car felt like it was stalling differently. While I was pressing the gas pedal driving between 20- 30 miles when suddenly it felt like there was a delay like liquid trying to pass through a tube but bubbles of air were blocking it from getting the liquid to flow. Which made my car shake and feel like I was driving over a bumpy road. I feel like if there had been cars in front of me for the first few instances, I could have rear-ended them. Luckily, that was not the case. Now, for the other occurrences on March 19th, 2022 if a car would have been going faster behind me, they could have rear-ended me, especially because of the stalling in acceleration. I've made an appointment with the dealership for the end of this week but I am rrying to go in as soon as p

Engine
Filed Mar 7, 2022OR

At 94,000 still under my engine warrant and paid thousands on "guess repairs" for the past 3 months. Shakiness of engine upon start up followed by completely shutting down and not starting. I have taken it to an auto shop and TWO different hyundai dealerships that have charged me for thousands of dollars on things like new spark plugs, fuel injector flush, O2 sensor, even tested all fuel injectors and came back with no issues. Hyundai says codes aren't showing any issues and sending me home with the same dangerous symptoms!! Even the guy at dealership said "this is why I don't buy Hyundai." I can't find someone to help my case and I feel powerless. I have read so many similar online complaints for my same make and model and nobody is getting the help they need. It's WRONG for the consumer to have to pay for the mistakes made by a manufacturer. Please, somebody take this case on! My engine has all the issues described in the 2016 elantra engine recall, I don't understand how my VIN # does not show up under recall. I am at a dead end and Hyundai won't do anything but continue to charge me for services that are not fixing my car. Recent dealership even claimed he can't show me the diagnosis of codes because their "computers don't work that way." I know there is a lack of honesty. My Hyundai case manager denied the recalls I asked about that are true and all over the internet. It's like they are paid to try and hide public information just to continue to profit off services that

Engine
Filed Mar 1, 2022CA

Piston defect caused engine to seize, car was parked when engine would not start so I had it towed to Hyundai dealership where it is still. Nothing has been done to my car but was told I'm one of the persons who have been affected by the recent lawsuit that closed and I could not file a claim.

Engine
Filed Feb 11, 2022CA

Have 2016 Elantra with just over 65k miles on it, 2nd owner, performed an oil change every 3k-4k miles. Recently performed an oil change and in the oil was an astonishing amount of medal from the interior of the engine. Classic signs of premature engine failure. The car shakes while it’s in idle at a stop light. Performed a 2nd oil change a few days later, and again CHUNKS of medal debris in the oil.

Engine
Filed Feb 8, 2022MA

Sudden loss of power accompanied by a pinging vibration and no response when stepping on gas pedal !

Latches/Locks/Linkages › Tailgate › Latch
Filed Feb 4, 2022NE

The latch to open the trunk failed, which made the trunk fail to close. Earlier, the latch was not opening the trunk.

Unknown or Other
Filed Jan 29, 2022IL

Vehicle turns off without warning while driving . No lights appear. Has been in the shop for 2 months . No codes appear on diagnostic device.

Engine
Filed Jan 23, 2022TX

Oil consumption is 5 quarts every 3 weeks, always do proper maintaince on car and it goes thru oil at an unbeliveble rate, and spoke to other owners that have the same problem with the same year car

Engine
Filed Dec 29, 2021AL

My car suddenly lost power and would not accelerate over 20 mph. It gave no warning whatsoever. No check engine light no dash lights at all. It seemed as if it was in some type of protection mode. I took it to the dealer and was told it was my catalytic converter. They replaced the manifold catalytic converter and sent me on my way. Within 15 minutes the check engine light was on and has been on ever since. The back of my car is covered in soot and my car uses about 4 quarts of oil per 2 weeks. My car was NOT like this before. I received a letter about a recall and when I took it to the dealer I was brushed off like it didn't apply to my car. My car was doing the EXACT thing that the recall letter stated. I have kept my car maintenance up and fully feel this is a mechanical default.

Reading these

NHTSA publishes every complaint as the owner wrote it and investigates only a fraction. Spelling, capitalisation and judgement are the filer’s own. What carries weight is repetition: the same component failing the same way across many filings, and whether the manufacturer eventually opened a recall for it.

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