2013 Hyundai Elantra Powertrain (other) Problems

2013 Hyundai Sonata has a loud knocking noise from engine. Purchases 8/5/25 at 43K miles, currently at 44K miles. There is a Technical Service Bulletin, # 22-EM-009H dated June 2022 about an extended warranty but its time limit is questionable. Unknown and undocumented when purchased. Not listed as an official recall so not covered under warranty repair and the only course of action I have been given is install a new motor quoted at $15K from local Hyundai dealer. Further research shows that driving should be limited to avoid further engine issues/fires. Occurrence since January 2026. Progressively worsening. Cause for concern. Is there an official recall on for the piston flap pending? Unsure if accident noted below is due to the issue.

NHTSA ID

11730541

Incident

Jan 29, 2026

A significant engine failure occurred while driving, presenting as loud knocking from the engine. The issue developed without prior warning lights or messages. The vehicle was inspected by a dealership and the problem was confirmed as internal engine failure (piston slap/engine knock). The dealership recommended full engine replacement. The engine is available for inspection upon request. There was no evidence of sludge or lack of maintenance noted during inspection. The most recent oil change had been performed less than 1,000 miles prior to the failure, indicating the issue was not caused by lack of maintenance. This condition creates a safety concern due to the potential for sudden engine failure, loss of power, or engine seizure while driving, which could increase the risk of an accident, especially at highway speeds. The issue has been confirmed by a dealership and has not been repaired due to cost.

NHTSA ID

11729406

Incident

Mar 3, 2026

CAR STALLS WHEN DRIVING AND THE CVVT FAILED AND HYUNDAI REFUSES TO PAY FOR IT

NHTSA ID

11699562

Incident

Sep 28, 2025

My engine is ticking. The auto shop told me that my motor is shot and the same thing happened to my sons car. We both have the same car same year. There has been a law suit for this issue.

NHTSA ID

11629824

Incident

Sep 6, 2023

I was driving under 10 miles an hr because the roads were still wet from the night before as i am on the ramp to get on the highway barely turning the wheel it locks all the lights come on the dashboard such as abs and i crash into a railing because i couldn't move anything. Again only last week after this has been supposedly resolved driving barely going 2 miles my bf was actually driving and again roads were wet same thing all the abs sensor lights come on the dash the wheel locks and the car doesn't move, it's scary and ridiculous the amount of others I have found experiencing the same issue and from that accident I can barely drive now my anxiety and ptsd from the event has even affected my work so now I am losing money I didn't think I would ever fear being in a car and I hope you guys fix this so no one experiences what I am currently experiencing.

NHTSA ID

11614022

Incident

Nov 17, 2003

The car failed to go into the park. The vehicle was in park and continued to roll, and we placed the emergency brake on. The vehicle was towed to the dealership. The dealership replaced it with a new shift cable clip, and now the car operates. We noticed the vehicle had a previous recall that was repaired in 2019. The shift clip repair is for the same clip that failed, resulting in being unable to shift in gear. When asked why we were charged for a recall repair that didn't last, we were told we could only fix a repair once and that we needed to pay. The concern is if this vehicle was Parked on an incline I could roll forward running into something and someone. From the record there was roughly 40k miles between recall repair and the failure of the clip that was supposed to fix this problem.

NHTSA ID

11613546

Incident

Sep 9, 2024

The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle hesitated upon the depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact also stated that the vehicle would shut off while idling with the check engine warning light illuminated. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11558322

Incident

Jun 1, 2023

Mileage

200,000 mi

The contact owns a 2013 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, she heard an abnormal knocking sound coming from the engine compartment, and the vehicle lost all motive power. The driver was able to pull over to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle then stalled and failed to restart. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, who diagnosed a general engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 155,000.

NHTSA ID

11550983

Incident

Oct 3, 2023

Mileage

155,000 mi

TRANSMISSION stopped running at 100,000 miles

NHTSA ID

11504298

Incident

Jan 6, 2023

Well not even at 100,000 miles yet suspension noise all four engine not good as its not work well with the way they have set up with no dip stick suspension clink clack crazy not even at 100.00

NHTSA ID

11490141

Incident

Jun 15, 2022

In March of 2022 I took my car to have its regularly scheduled oil change at Mellow Motors and while I was there the service technician recommended I make a follow up appointment with the Hyundai dealership due to irregularities he noticed in the engine. I took my car to the dealership and dropped it off hoping this would be a minor concern that would be resolved quickly. When Hyundai initially contacted me that they would need to do a more thorough evaluation/diagnosis, I was surprised and concerned that something more significant may be wrong with the engine as the car was relatively new (previously garaged and serviced every 6 months), had low miles (54,000 miles), and had been taken care of extremely well since it was purchased new off the lot by my grandparents. When I started gresearching engine concerns in Hyundai Elantra’s 2013, I was even more surprised to find that engine issues were actually not uncommon in this year of Hyundai Elantras, and the issue known as "piston slap" not only lead to total engine failure, but could develop for no discernible reason, and was so common Hyudai had settled a class action lawsuit related to the matter instead of facing a recall on these vehicles. I found out I missed the date to file a claim by 8 months. Despite learning this, given the circumstances of the engine diagnosis (“Started vehicle found piston slap noise. Found scuffing on all four cylinder walls. As per TSN replacement of block assembly and necessary component required”) and learning that my car was included in the settlement, I figured Hyundai would offer to fix my engine under the settlements extended warranty clause to ensure their cars to ensure safety, or at the very least, offer to partially pay for the engine replacement, but I have been denied coverage for this engine concern. I think this is a very significant safety concern and that this year of Hyundai Elantra's should be recalled and replaced.

NHTSA ID

11471549

Incident

Mar 7, 2022

I was stopped at a traffic light, when my car stalled out and shut off, completely random, no warning signs whatsoever. No warning lights, no weird unusual sounds from the vehicle, just all of a sudden it shuts off! So I had to hurry and put it into park, turn the key back to off, and try to turn it back on. It BARELY started, once it was started we had a green light plus it sounded like it was going to stall out on me again. BUT when I pressed down on the gas peddle, there wasn't any normal acceleration. The car was in 5th gear and wouldn't shift down to allow it to accelerate at all like it should. So I am trying to get out of the middle of the intersection, had the peddle to the floor, and it's barely moving. While I'm trying not to die, I also noticed that there was NO RPMS being shown on the dashboard. Like absolutely 0 RPMS. This isn't the only time this has done this to me!! It seems like it's becoming more frequent, although still without warning indicating that it was going to act this way. And of course it's been at a busy intersection, basically playing chicken with my life. My husband hooked up a code reader to see if anything pops up and nothing indicates any sort of problem. It will be going to the shop for them to look at asap, but I haven't been able to successfully replicate the issue on command, it just does it whenever it wants to, conveniently when it's just myself and my 9 year old son in the car, no one else that may be mechanically inclined along. This has happened twice now, 1st time last week, and the latest time was today. It gets serviced regularly like it's supposed to, and it will be up for inspection in July 2022.

NHTSA ID

11467573

Incident

Jun 4, 2022

The car experienced (1) poor acceleration, (2) check engine light come on, (3) engine stalling, (4) Tachometer drops to zero. It was first found the MAP sensor was faulty. After the sensor was replaced, the car ran but stalled again intermittently. It was found the problem was caused by crank shaft position sensor (fault code P0335). After the senor was replaced about three weeks ago, the car has been running fine.

NHTSA ID

11422487

Incident

Apr 12, 2021

MY CAR WAS REPAIRED FOR NOISE IN ENGINE A YEAR AND HALF LATER MAKING SAME NOISE WHY IS THAT? THE COMPUTER WAS UPDATED WHEN I GOT THE RECALL ON IT NOW I HAVE NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS WITH THE SAME SOUND OF ENGINE

NHTSA ID

11413669

Incident

Apr 24, 2021

A TICKING/KNOCKING NOISE IS GOING ON IN THE ENGINE, POWERTRAIN. IT'S BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I BOUGHT THE VEHICLE AND IS WORSE IN COLD WEATHER. IT IS BELIEVED TO BE A VALVE TRAIN ISSUE. THE KNOCKING GETS WORSE WHEN I ACCELERATE, ALSO. THIS APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH 2013 HYUNDAI ELANTRAS, BUT THERE ISN'T A RECALL FOR THE ENGINE. I CONTACTED HYUNDAI AND THEY'VE BEEN SLOW TO RESPOND. MY VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY WITH THE BUSINESS THAT I BOUGHT IT FROM. THEY'RE USING THE QUICK, TEMPORARY WARRANTY TO GET A NEW USED ENGINE, BUT I'M CONCERNED THAT THE SAME TICKING/KNOCKING NOISE WILL OCCUR WITH THE NEW USED ENGINE, BECAUSE THEY REFUSE TO USE A DIFFERENT BRAND ENGINE. I'D PREFER THAT HYUNDAI DO A STRAIGHT UP RECALL FOR THE ENGINES THAT CONSISTENTLY PERFORM THIS WAY - WITH A KNOCKING NOISE THAT HINDERS THE PERFORMANCE OF THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

11390202

Incident

Jan 15, 2021

Mileage

75,000 mi

MOTOR BLOWN WHEN VEHICLE HAD 130000 MILES AFTER REGULAR OIL CHANGES.

NHTSA ID

11372302

Incident

Aug 20, 2020

Mileage

130,000 mi

THE CAR FEELS LIKE IT CAN'T GET POWER SHAKES SLOW TO ACCELERATE FOR HALF A BLOCK THEN ACCELERATION. IT'S HAPPENED 5 TIMES TODAY. OTHER DAYS IT SOUNDS LIKE IT'S NOT RUNNING SMOOTHLY AND THEN DOES OK AFTER AWHILE. THIS HAPPENED WITH CAR IN PARK, BACKING UP, GOING FORWARD, 2 DIFFERENT STOPS AT LIGHTS AND 2 MORE STOPS TIL I GOT HOME.

NHTSA ID

11315884

Incident

Mar 3, 2020

Mileage

100,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE BATTERY INDICATOR AND HEADLIGHTS FLICKERED. OTHER UNKNOWN INDICATORS ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL WERE ALSO ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER AND DECELERATED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 16408283. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 217,500.

NHTSA ID

11282850

Incident

Nov 27, 2019

Mileage

217,500 mi

TAKATA RECALL THE ENGINE SURGING, KNOCKING, RPM WAS GOING UP, AND DOWN, THEN WOULD CAUSE THE CAR TO TAKE OFF FROM THE LIGHT LIKE A JET IN WHICH ALMOST CAUSED ME TO GET INTO CAR WRECKS, IT WOULD GO BELOW 40MPH, WHILE RPM WOULD BE UP AT 5 WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY THEN NOT GO FORWARD. THE CAR SHAKES SO BAD DUE TO THE SURGING OF THE TRANSMISSION

NHTSA ID

11209609

Incident

May 1, 2019

Mileage

39,555 mi

ABOUT 3 MONTHS AGO MY 2013 HYUNDAI ELANTRA BECAME SLUGGISH IN ACCELERATING. IT HAS GRADUALLY GOTTEN WORSE. I TRIED FUEL CLEANERS, PREMIUM GAS, AND NOW A TUNE UP REPLACING COIL PACKS AND PLUGS. THE VEHICLE CRAWLS AND DOES NOT ACCELERTE AS QUICK AS IT SHOULD. IT CUTS OFF OR REFUSES TO MOVE WHEN GIVEN GAS AT ALL STOPS. I SWITCH OFF THEN ON AT RED LIGHTS AS IT SEEMS TO WANT TO TAKE OFF WHEN THE ENGINE IS STARTED. WHEN I REACH ABOUT 50MPH THE RPM HAND GUNS AND THE BOTTOMS OUT TO STAY AT ZERO WITH NO CHANGE IN ACCELERATION. THERE IS NOW A WHIRRING NOISE SPORADICALLY COMING FROM THE ENGINE. AFTER THE TI E UP THE ISSUES CONTINUE WITH CUTTING OFF ,ROUGH IDLING, EXTREMELY SLOW SNAIL ACCELLERATION WITH THE ENGINE LIGHT ON.

NHTSA ID

11203790

Incident

Apr 25, 2019

Mileage

160,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STABILITRAK AND TRACTION CONTROL WARNING INDICATORS FLASHED, THE STEERING WHEEL MADE AN ABNORMAL NOISE WHEN TURNED IN EITHER DIRECTION, AND THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED SLOWLY WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. RANCHO GRANDE MOTORS (1404 AUTO PARK WAY, SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA 93405, (805) 543-4745) WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 39,600.

NHTSA ID

11191600

Incident

Mar 23, 2019

Mileage

39,600 mi

MY ENGINE STARTED MAKING TICKING NOISES AROUND 75000, TOOK CAR IN FOR 75000 MILE MAINTENANCE AND ASKED SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO CHECK FOR NOISE AND CAR ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. TECH LATER TOLD ME ITS NORMAL AND NOTHING THEY CAN FIND WRONG WITH CAR. NOW I SEE FROM LOOKING ON THE INTERNET ITS A COMMON PROBLEM BUT NOW MY CAR IS OUT OF WARRANTY. I ALSO WENT IN BEFORE MY WARRANTY ENDED TO HAVE THE 100000 MILE MAINTENANCE SERVICE AND COMPLAINED ABOUT THE SAME ISSUE, THEY STILL SAID IT NORMAL. TODAY I JUST CONTACT MY LOCAL HYUNDAI SERVICE DEPARTMENT TO SEE WHAT OPTIONS I HAVE.

NHTSA ID

11187137

Incident

Feb 12, 2016

Mileage

75,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING ON BELTWAY DOING 55 MPH THE VEHICLE WON'T ACCELERATE AND ALSO MAKES SOUNDS WHEN PUSHING ON GAS THE RPM WILL BE MOVING BACK AND FRONT EVEN WHEN CAR NOT MOVING. CAR SMELLS LIKE SOMETHING IS BURNING. THE CAR WILL START TO SLOW DOWN AND SHUT IT SELF OFF.ALL LIGHTS WILL TURN ON THEN I SHUT CAR OFF COMPLETELY THEN TURN BACK ON AND IT STARTS UP LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES. THEN WHEN SITTING STILL AT A LIGHT THE CAR SHUT OFF.

NHTSA ID

11171873

Incident

Oct 20, 2017

TIMING CHAIN IS DAMAGED AND CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD AND HAVE KEPT UP WITH THE MAINTENANCE

NHTSA ID

11139555

Incident

Sep 5, 2018

Mileage

118,000 mi

WHEN DRIVING VEHICLE WOULD TAKE TO AWHILE TO GET TO SPEED CITY STREET/HIGHWAY AND MAKING A CLICKING SOUND WHILE DRIVING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP TO DIAGNOSIS THE PROBLEM 3/16/18 FOUND THAT BOTTOM END OF ENGINE MAKING A KNOCKING NOISE THAT ENGINE AND DETERIORATED INTO MULTIPLE PIECES.AT 57041 MILES. IT TOOK AT LEAST TWO WEEKS FOR ALL THE PARTS FOR THE NEW ENGINE TO ARRIVE,. FOUR MONTHS LATER 6/5/18 VEHICLE MOTION DRIVING AROUND WITH A CRACKED TRANSMISSION AND NO CHECK LIGHTS CAME ON TO REVEAL THERE WAS PROBLEMS. IT WAS BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION WHEN SERVICING MY VEHICLE FOR AN OIL CHANGE, THE TRANSMISSION WAS CRACKED WITH FLUID LEAKING FROM IT AT 60922 MILES. THE TRANSMISSION HAD TO BE REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE..

NHTSA ID

11129221

Incident

Mar 16, 2018

Mileage

57,041 mi