2016 Hyundai Elantra Electrical Problems

The vehicle's security system malfunctioned immediately after service at Parks Hyundai of Gainesville on 05/27/26 for Recall 256 & Campaign P33. The alarm blares & emergency lights flash while I am driving on public roads. This defect first presented in the dealership parking lot upon pickup. This creates a severe safety risk: the high-decibel alarm is a major distraction, the flashing lights confuse other motorists, & the malfunction prevents me from using turn signals, violating safety protocols. I demonstrated this to the service manager on 06/10/26. While the technician acknowledged the defect during a road test & performed a 'cap reset' (documented on the repair order), this attempt failed to resolve the issue. Despite this, the service manager refuses to acknowledge the defect, claiming it is an 'intended feature' of a 2023 recall at a different facility (993). This contradicts the technician's findings & my years of incident-free driving until the work on 05/27/26. The dealership initially omitted my return visit from their records, only acknowledging it after I confronted them in writing. An independent shop confirmed this electrical failure likely stems from P33, but requires proprietary dealer tools to diagnose. Attached video proves the vehicle runs while the alarm blares, confirming no relation to old Campaign 993 logic. Attached Repair Order proves the technician acknowledged the defect & attempted a repair. Despite this, the service manager ignores the documentation, his own technician's findings, & my demonstrations, blaming my locking habits while refusing a deep diagnostic. After 16 days in their possession, neither the dealer nor manufacturer has provided a remedy. If this malfunction were an intended feature, it would be an ongoing hazard; it creates a distraction, causes a panic response, & prevents the adequate use of turn signals while in operation. The vehicle is unsafe, & the dealership & manufacturer have failed to provide a valid repair.

NHTSA ID

11743948

Incident

May 27, 2026

No accident has occurred as of yet (for my case). Ongoing issues with Hyundai left brake bulb and center brake bulb burning out due to over-amperage. These two are on their own 10A circuit separate from the 5A circuit for the right brakelight bulb. It appears that these two bulbs are possibly receiving 15A and therefore burning out prematurely (3 months or less). I recently replaced these two bulbs at the same time, and now my battery is shorted. To keep my battery charged, I need to pull my 15A Brake Lamp fuse while the car is parked. This has now caused my ABS light to come on, as that system relies on the signal from the 15A brake lamp circuit. I suspect that some 15A components (10A+5A) received 20A (15A+5A) and welded shut. I am still looking for it to trace it down, resources are limited and I'm intent on just buying the $35 diagnostics book. Hyundai dealership did not inform me that this fuse was pulled while I drove home from the shop yesterday, creating an unsafe condition. They quoted me $500 to replace a brake lamp relay and the ABS (I'm assuming the whole ABS, but maybe just the control module), I declined. My plan for now, as this car isn't driven much, is to trace it down and find the shorted component. From my research, this is clearly affecting many years of Hyundais and Kias, not just my Elantra and not just my year. In fact, it's SO common that there are facebook groups (such as this one [XXX] ) dedicated to helping owners remedy this defect. I think a recall service, and a full investigation of what is electrically wrong with these cars, and what the actual remedy should be, is necessary based on the amount of cars that could be impacted. Hyundai & Kia technicians I am SURE are intimately knowledgeable about this issue by now and us owners are on the hook, having only 80,000 miles of warranty on anything purchased used. Please reach out with any add'l questions. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11711743

Incident

Jan 17, 2026

My fuel pump comes up and my check engine light saying that it needs to be replaced when I fill up my car it automatically resets my mileage for AAA and trippy and it will tell me that I have no gas even though I just filled up or it will say I’m full when I know I’m empty so it’s not reliable. It comes and goes. And then for an electrical issue my Car will randomly stop working and then like come back up and it was underneath the positive plug. there is a clip that someone had to extend because it was too short and causing electrical surges so it’s still a problem if I go over a bump it gets loose so that clip under the positive terminal I believe is loose and makes my car shut off in the middle of driving at once and then it came right back on

NHTSA ID

11694187

Incident

Oct 6, 2025

Just driving down the road and the drivers side front window fell down. I tried to push the switch for to make it go lback up because it was windy and rainy. It just made the window drop down more. I was wondering if anyone else has had this complaint . It’s pulled back up and taped but it won’t go back up and tape keeps coming loose. It’s expensive to fix . I also fixed my trunk latch which was on a recall because when I called the dealer at that time there was no recall on it. I was stuck at Walmart and it wouldn’t close. The dealer wanted over 700 to fix trunk latch so I bought the part to fix it but I am checking to see if anyone else has complained on the window motor .

NHTSA ID

11603617

Incident

Jan 15, 2024

Clockspring Failure. 2016 hyundai elantra, 123k miles. Airbag light on, horn does not function. Likely unavailable for inspection due to being replaced soon. Inability to use horn to alert reckless drivers swerving into my lane. Airbag will not deploy if needed in an accident. The dealership seemed aware that the clocksprings go out in Hyundai's and is confident this is the issue. Warning lamp prior/at the same time as the horn stopped working.

NHTSA ID

11549425

Incident

Oct 8, 2023

My Hyundai Elantra started completely shutting off while I was driving. This happened on multiple occasions like in slow traffic and while going high speeds on the highway. This is scary and dangerous when my toddler child is in the car. I took it to 3 different mechanics and no one can find any codes or anything wrong with it---but it continues to happen and put my life and my daughters life at risk. I have seen so many people complaining of the same thing--but nothing has happened? This last dealership has had my car for 3 weeks (and counting) but still cannot find the issue. I have about 125,000 miles on the car.

NHTSA ID

11518693

Incident

Mar 6, 2023

My Elantra stalled while driving twice the other day. The first time I occurred on a Highway inter belt and the second occurred in slow moving traffic. I had the car evaluated by 2 different repair shops. Both said they could not reduplicate the problem or find any malfunctioning codes. No warning lights appeared when the car stalled. I had this happen before last fall. I had it repaired. They changed spark plugs, performed engine oil system purge, serviced fuel injector and air induction and realigned tires. Until the day before yesterday, the car performed well. In researching my car issue, I have learned that this is a top complaint of many 2016 Elantra owners.

NHTSA ID

11517957

Incident

Apr 17, 2023

Car stutters at low speed.

NHTSA ID

11505482

Incident

Feb 3, 2023

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.

NHTSA ID

11494547

Incident

Oct 11, 2022

Mileage

125,000 mi

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.

NHTSA ID

11464608

Incident

Apr 25, 2022

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

NHTSA ID

11461512

Incident

Apr 10, 2022

MY CAR IS A PUSH START N IT WILL NOT TURN OFF .. I OUT THE BOTTOM TO TURN IT OFF BUT THE ENGINE IS STILL CONSTANTLY RUNNING IT WON'T TURN OFF

NHTSA ID

11405679

Incident

Mar 26, 2021

FRONT HEADLIGHTS NEED REPLACING ONE MONTHLY. HAD IT REPAIRED AT THE DEALERSHIP WHILE STILL UNDER FACTORY WARRANTY. I WAS TOLD IT WAS A WIRING ISSUE BUT SEVERAL MONTHS AFTER THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTS. THE FRONT HIGHBEAMS AND DAYLIGHTS HAVE BEEN REPLACED FOR GOING OUT (NO LONGER WORKING) 12 TIMES IN 2 YEARS.

NHTSA ID

11382810

Incident

Feb 22, 2019

Mileage

46,000 mi

THE CAR DOES NOT TURN OVER WHEN YOU INITIALLY START CAR YOU HAVE TO TURN THE KEY BACK AND TRY STARTING AGAIN IT HAS BEEN CONSISTENTLY DOING THIS FOR OVER A YEAR AND NO MECHANIC CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. OTHER THAN THAT THERE IS NO ISSUES WITH THE DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

11317982

Incident

Mar 12, 2020

Mileage

70,000 mi

WHEN I ATTEMPT TO START THE CAR THE ENGINE TURNS BUT WON'T TURN OVER. THE CAR DOES THIS MORE OFTEN IN VERY COLD WEATHER. EVEN IN WARM WEATHER IT WILL START SOMETIMES AND SOMETIMES I HAVE TO TRY MULTIPLE TIMES AND SOMETIMES IT WILL NOT START AT ALL. THERE ARE NO CHECK ENGINE OR OTHER INDICATORS THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE CAR. THE ONLY OTHER THING THAT MAY OR MAY NOT BE RELATED THAT IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT I NORMALLY EXPECT IS THAT SOMETIMES THE WHILE DRIVING, THE CAR WILL NOT ACCELERATE IN A TIMELY MANNER. THERE IS A BIT OF A HESITATION AS IF THE FUEL OUTPUT IS NOT INCREASING. THIS HAPPENS WHILE I'M ALREADY DRIVING (FOR EXAMPLE WHEN I'M GOING FROM THE ACCESS ROAD AND ENTERING THE HIGHWAY OR WHEN THERE IS A SPEED LIMIT INCREASE OF SOME KIND). I WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC THAT THE PART AFFECTED IS CONNECTED TO OTHER SYSTEMS IN THE CAR THAT HAVE AN ELECTRICAL COMPONENT SUCH AS THE FUEL PUMP.

NHTSA ID

11311658

Incident

Jan 8, 2020

Mileage

72,000 mi

HI... I OWN 11 ELANTRA'S. 4-2013, 3-2016, 2-2018, 1-2019, 1-2020. I OWN A DRIVING SCHOOL. THEY ALL HAVE A PROBLEM WITH BURNING OUT LIGHT BULBS, HEADLIGHTS ,SIDE MARKERS AND TAIL LIGHTS. I AM REPLACING BULBS 2 TO 3 TIMES A WEEK. I ALSO HAD TO REPLACE SOCKETS BECAUSE THEY MELTED. THE PLASTIC HOLDERS FOR THE HEADLIGHTS AND THE CENTER BRAKE LIGHT ALSO MELTED. I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW IF THERE IS A REMEDY FOR THIS OR ONE IN THE PROCESS. I ALSO HAVE A COMPLAINT ON WHY IT SO DIFFICULT TO REMOVE THE HEADLIGHT BULBS.

NHTSA ID

11302462

Incident

Jan 28, 2020

STARTED ASCENDING OVER A BRIDGE WHEN CAR STARTED TO PUTTER. THEN SMOKE CAME OUT OF THE TAILPIPE. POWER FLICKERED THEN WENT OFF. WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. TURNED OFF THE CAR AND IT WAS SMOKING. LOOKED UNDERNEATH THE CAR AND SAW DRIPPING FLUID THEN A SPARK. THAT IS WHEN THE CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE.

NHTSA ID

11100294

Incident

Jun 5, 2018

Mileage

72,000 mi

WHEN CAR IS SLOWING AT INTERSECTION, CAR WILL SHAKE VIOLENTLY AND COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. ONCE CAR IS PUT IN PARK AND KEY IS TAKEN OUT, CAR STARTS UP IMMEDIATELY. HAS HAPPENED 5 TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF 2 WEEKS. SEEMS LIKE I HAVE TO PUT MORE PRESSURE ON GAS PEDAL TO GO EVEN SLIGHTLY FASTER.

NHTSA ID

11084193

Incident

Apr 6, 2018

Mileage

59,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING THE CLOCK WILL START TO FLASH THEN THE HEADLIGHTS WILL FLASH AS THE RADIO/CLOCK FLASHES. IF HEAD LIGHTS ARE OFF THE LIGHT BY GAUGES WILL START FLASHING MAKING A CLICKING NOISE, THE BATTERY LIGHT WILL SOMETIMES COME ON AND FLASH ALSO. IF I TURN THE AIR ON THE FLASHING WILL STOP. THIS HAS HAPPENED ABOUT 6 TIMES IN THE LAST TWO WEEKS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10920146

Incident

Oct 30, 2016

Mileage

20,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE DRIVER COASTED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, AND RESUMED DRIVING. ON ANOTHER OCCASION, WHILE DRIVING 55 MPH, THERE WAS A KNOCKING NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR CONDITIONER COMPRESSOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 21,000.

NHTSA ID

10884151

Incident

Jul 6, 2016

Mileage

21,000 mi

VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY IGNITED 4/5/2016 @ ~3:45PM (SEE PICTURES ATTACHED) WHILE PARKED IN A FENCED, GUARDED, PRIVATE CORPORATION EMPLOYEE PARKING LOT, DESTROYING ITSELF & BOTH VEHICLES PARKED ON EITHER SIDE OF IT. 5 MONTHS OLD, 11,000 MILES ON ODOMETER, ONLY PRIOR SERVICES WERE OIL CHANGES AT 3K & 10K @ WALMART & JIFFY-LUBE.

NHTSA ID

10854106

Incident

Apr 5, 2016

Mileage

11,000 mi