2018 Hyundai Elantra Problems

On July 13, 2026, my engine light came on and I don't understand why. My oil change was update and not sure what else can be wrong. So, I went to AutoZone so that can do a diagnostic and they gave me a printout of the problem. Took the vehicle to the shop gave him the printout from AutoZone so that he will know what the problem is. Brought the part and that didn't take the engine light off and I paid $300 for nothing because I am still experiencing the issue. I took it back to the shop and the guy said that I need to replace my engine. I have had the car for about three years and not understanding why the engine needs to be replaced already. Then the passenger seat belt light keeps going off when there's no one sitting in the seat. I think there's a problem with the engine and my seatbelt light, but there's a recall on the vehicle. I replaced the air filter like it was suggest to me the car dealer where I purchase the car from. So, I did that and the car is running a little loud at times.

Since having our car, the check engine light came on several times with us being told we will need an engine replacement. Recently, our car stalled out several times while driving on different occasions leading us to look up the recalls.

This vehicle lacks an engine immobilizer, a defect that has made 2011-2022 Hyundai and Kia vehicles unusually susceptible to theft via a method widely publicized on social media as the "Kia Challenge." My vehicle was stolen using this method, driven approximately 30-40 miles, and abandoned. It was found stripped of parts, including the catalytic converter. This defect is already the subject of a nationwide class-action settlement (hyundaitheftsettlement.com) and a multistate Attorney General settlement. I am filing this report to ensure my vehicle/incident is included in NHTSA's records on this ongoing safety issue.

Alarming rate of oil consumption causes sudden loss of power / acceleration which definitely increases probably of causing an accident. Local repair shop confirmed extremely low oil level with no evidence of where oil went shortly after oil change and annual safety inspection. All the dashboard warning lights came on when it happened but low oil warning light came on prior to event. No warning whatsoever, just sudden loss of power and completely lit up dashboard.

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The car began stalling and started to become unresponsive while I was driving to work. While I was not 100% sure of what component was malfunctioning at the time, I suspected that it might be a timing chain problem because I had this same exact issue happen to to this car back in January 2025. I did not expect this issue to occur again because at the time of the previous problem, the dealership confirmed that issue was the timing chain and the VVT system, and replaced those components with new parts. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The car started stalling and sputtering, then became unresponsive while I was driving. If I were in a high-traffic area, I'm not confident that I would have been able to accelerate, stop, or safely pull over to the side of the road without putting myself and/or someone else in harms way. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the car is currently at the dealership and they confirmed that the issue is the timing chain and the VVT system. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Yes, the car is currently at the dealership and they confirmed that the issue is the timing chain and the VVT system. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? No, there were absolutely no warning lights, messages, or symptoms prior to the failure.

In early May 2023 I was driving my 2018 Elantra vehicle on the expressway. I had hot an area where there was traffic and had to slow down and move along with the speeds everyone else was going. When I slowed down my engine quit. Everything turned off and the car was stalled. I was able to turn the car back on and start the engine but there was a loud knocking sound coming from the engine and when applying my foot on the gas it wasn't going anywhere. It stalled in traffic again. I put it in park, and restarted it and got enough gas for it to move and get off the main road. I called a tow company and had a certified mechanic take apart the engine $600 and Inform me the engine was shot. The car had maybe 80,000 miles on it. I had no idea what to do. The car sat at the repair shop for several weeks while I figured out what to do. I had it towed to a Hyundai dealership and had them look at it. They told me that there was no recall and that since I wasn't the original owner their powertrain warrenty was not valid. They did their diagnosis, another $300 just for them to tell me the same thing the other mechanics told me, the engine was shot and needed to be replaced. They put together a list of items that needed to be replaced and repaired and it came out to over $17,000 and Hyundai would do nothing for me. A vehicle with less than 80,000 that's engine fails is a recall in my book. It's now been over 2 years and I continue to pay for a car I cannot drive, and Hyundai still doesn't accept responsibility. This is a faulty car and would never recommend to anyone. Look at all the complaints regarding the engine and powertrain, obviously this is an issue. Hyundai needs to acknowledge this and replace these failing engines. Maybe by the time I'm done paying this car off they will take responsibility and the NHTSA will fully support the individuals that are owed a vehicle or engine replacement.

Cars engines stopped for no apparent reason pulled over and it started back up but it stopped two more times within a two block radius both times it restarted the date was2/17 26 on the next day it did the same thing but only once

I have a 2018 Hyundai Elantra with about 155k miles. It has been consuming oil excessively and has developed serious drivability issues. If I try to accelerate even slightly harder than normal—especially above 2,000 RPM—it makes a metallic, chain-type rattling noise, loses power, and produces heavy smoke from the exhaust. The smoke sometimes continues even after shutting the engine off and restarting. Because of this, I’ve been avoiding rapid acceleration and slowly working up to highway speeds. The car also periodically shakes at idle, idles higher than normal at times, and the RPMs will occasionally rise on their own. In the past it has stalled randomly, and sometimes it feels like the transmission is “stuck” and won’t shift properly. Despite all this, there are currently no check-engine codes. This is terrible and clearly there’s been lawsuits and other recalls regarding the same issue and same engine but nothing for mine? I am out of warranty and had no clue the amount of issues the car was going to have until last year and I’m screwed now, insurance doesn’t cover issues with the engine or transmission. Neither will Hyundai?! Last year Hyundai performed a CVVT repair that cost about $6,000, which temporarily improved things, but the symptoms returned shortly afterward. When I brought it back, they said they couldn’t recreate the issue. The car is now out of warranty. Separately, the car was stolen two months ago due to the immobilization fault and TIk TOKs videos and the police said it has been hundreds of these Elantras stolen and destroyd and the ignition and wiper control switch/harness were damaged, which still hasn’t been repaired.

The dealership replaced my engine and spark plugs when the pistons were grinding metal causing a catastrophic failure in November of 2024. In July of 2025 I started experiencing the same issues and the dealership stated that Hyundais ignition coils have a high rate of failure because they changed the design and used my old ones from my engine replacement. It is now I brought my car into the dealership July 18th and they stated that was their best guess but they didn’t now forsure. I was never informed of the high rate of failure until I was experiencing it.

Engine is knocking cannot find a solution for this problem car stalls wen coming to a stop the car completely powers off , noticing a weird smell now ,

The rare brake light is working fine but the car dashboard computer keeps on saying „Check rare brake light“ intermittently. It either needs a repair (although brake lights are working) or a replacement. Please resolve this issue because other Elantra owner have reported the same.

Passenger side brake light keeps going out and has been replaced twice

My car's steering wheel is making a weird rubbing noise after driving for a short time on wet roads. It sounds like rubber is being turned against something (ie not metallic-sounding) This occurs whether I am in park, drive, reverse, and occurs when turning the wheel in any direction. No warning lights turn on. Currently, it only occurs after driving on wet roads (it doesn't actually have to be actively raining; just for the roads to be pretty wet from a recent rain). My mechanic did hear it one time when I was able to drive over immediately after it rained, and said it sounded like it was coming from the area of the MDPS, but, was later unable to duplicate it (the sound usually goes away after sitting for 2-3 hours). I've contacted the dealer because there are numerous TSBs out regarding the steering column; however, they said since they can't duplicate it, they will not repair it under warranty or as a courtesy (the jury is out as to whether it is covered under my drive-train warranty, but, as I said, since it's only a TSB, they won't cover it anyway at this point). I am concerned it will get worse and cause me to lose power steering/cause an accident.

The BSD system keeps malfunctioning Hyundai to me that I should report it to yall because it should be recalled if just stops and also the brakes keep having a burning smell to them and the steering wheel when you turn left and right keep making loud popping noises those things should be recalled

The factory paint on the hood, roof, and front fenders is delaminating, with the largest defect being on the hood. These are available for inspection upon request. As this is progressing, structural pieces may begin to rust, but this also presents a critical visibility issue. During one drive on 6/8/2026, the hood paint began flaking away significantly at highway speeds, which could have jeopardized my or following drivers visibility in conditions that were already rainy. Yes the paint has been inspected by Hyundai and a private body shop. We first noticed some delamination on the hood about 6 months ago, but prior to that there were no warning signs of this progressively worsening paint failure.

The paint is chipping and cracking and just falling off. It started on the hood now it’s going to around the windows seals and part of the roof.

I had my car brakes replaced checked for the past three months it's been making a grinding noise when braking at slow speeds had the car checked 3 different shops, they said rotors and pads are perfectly fine almost new, but the grinding is still there dust shield is not touching pads are new, rotors on specifications normal now i am reading this could be due to abs system the grinding my car is a 2017 bought on 2018 so shows up as 2018 and there are some recalls on the abs for this car please help. I am concerned about that grinding and there isn't anything metal to metal hubs everything is fine, I can only hear when braking at slow speeds and bumper to bumper braking kind of riding the brake to come to stop grinding creaking

We were heading back to Ohio at Mile marker 8 75N Kentucky when we heard a boom. Then we saw smoke as my husband was pulling over. We jump out to get our child out of the car seat and at the same time a pickup truck pulls up with two guys. They yell that our cars on fire and began putting the fire out with a fire extinguisher. We had an oil change before we left Ohio by Valvoline. This area of the hwy isn't really patrolled and only has a volunteer fire department. A constable just happened to pass by US on the way to Indiana.

On July 13, 2026, my engine light came on and I don't understand why. My oil change was update and not sure what else can be wrong. So, I went to AutoZone so that can do a diagnostic and they gave me a printout of the problem. Took the vehicle to the shop gave him the printout from AutoZone so that he will know what the problem is. Brought the part and that didn't take the engine light off and I paid $300 for nothing because I am still experiencing the issue. I took it back to the shop and the guy said that I need to replace my engine. I have had the car for about three years and not understanding why the engine needs to be replaced already. Then the passenger seat belt light keeps going off when there's no one sitting in the seat. I think there's a problem with the engine and my seatbelt light, but there's a recall on the vehicle. I replaced the air filter like it was suggest to me the car dealer where I purchase the car from. So, I did that and the car is running a little loud at times.

I was in a car accident. I was hit on the passenger rear side and the car spun out of control but none of the airbags deployed. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer but we did reach out to them and are in the process of filling out a questionnaire. The vehicle is currently being assessed in a body shop as we work with the insurance to see the final damages.

My Elantra was taken by theft. Rear driver side door broken. Ignition harness torn apart and the car was driven away from my senior living home parking lot on July 23rd at 3 P.M. Police were called but car was taken off the lot before they arrived. I received call from police on July 27th that the car was in an impound lot in St. Paul. Drivers side front tire blown out, wheel severly damaged. Some body scratched in left rear. Front passenger seat badly stained. Other damage unknown. Vehicle been at Walser Hyundai since about August 1st. Shop waiting for parts for repairs.

THE TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYSTEM CONSISTENTLY INDICATES LOW TIRE PRESSURE ON 3 OF THE 4 WHEELS WHETHER STATIONARY OF WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. MANUAL CHECKING OF THE TIRE PRESSURE INDICATES THE TIRES ARE AT CORRECT PRESSURE. THIS PROBLEM FIRST BEGAN WHILE IN WARRANTY. HYUNDAI DEALER DID A REPAIR. NEXT TIME IT OCCURRED, THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND DEALER WANTED A LARGE AMOUNT OF MONEY TO REPLACE THE SENSORS AND MONITORING SYSTEM. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN NOTED ON THIS SITE FOR THIS MODEL. I UNDERSTAND THERE'S ACTUALLY A RECALL ON A SIMILAR MODEL. PLEASE INVESTIGATE.

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TURNING RIGHT OVER UNEVEN SURFACES (OR BUMPS), THE VEHICLE MAKES CRUNCHING/CREAKING SOUNDS THAT MAY SUGGEST SUSPENSION ISSUES OR FEAR OF DRIVING THE VEHICLE. DEALER DOES NOT UNDERSTAND THE ISSUE AND UNABLE TO REPAIR. IT WOULD APPEAR RELATED TO ENGINE MOUNT RUBBER THAT CAN REDUCE NOISE IF APPLYING LUBRICATING SPRAYS, BUT UNSURE IF ANY AFFECT TO VEHICLE SAFETY.

SINCE MY CAR HAD 7,000 MILES, I AM EXPERIENCING A CREAKING SOUND AROUND FRONT WHEELS WHEN TURNING AT SLOW SPEED, MORE SO WHEN ON UNEVEN PAVEMENT.

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the seat belt was inoperable. The contact stated that the air bag was falling out of the air bag enclosure. The vehicle failed to start immediately but was started after several attempts. The air bag and seat belt warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that the battery terminal posts were inoperable. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who tightened the battery post. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

Passenger seatbelt alarm will sound randomly even when nobody is in the passenger seat.

2018 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO PROBLEMS WITH WINDSHIELDS ON BOTH VEHICLES. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE WINDSHIELD WAS TOO EASILY SCRATCHED BY AN ICE SCRAPER DURING WINTER. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE GLASS SUN ROOF SUDDENLY EXPLODED. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE SUN ROOF WAS IN THE CLOSED POSITION AT THE TIME OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT INDICATED THAT THE SUN ROOF HAD NEVER BEEN OPENED PRIOR TO THE FAILURE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER AND LOCAL DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. ALSO, WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE A WARNING MESSAGE SOMETIMES DISPLAYED ERRONEOUSLY, INDICATING THAT THE SUN ROOF WAS OPEN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,928. THE VIN WAS INVALID.

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact stated that while entering the vehicle, the contact noticed an unusual burned spot on the back rest of the front passenger's seat. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,040.

The contact owns 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 MPH, she heard the seat belt warning alarm sound. The contact re-buckled her seat belt however, the seat belt chime was still audible. Additionally, the contact stated that the driver’s side door opened independently and later the trunk also opened independently. The contact also stated the battery had to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle had to be towed to the dealer due to a battery failure. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was approximately 45,000.

While driving at low speed (25mph) I could hear a sound coming from one of my tires that sounded like I had rolled over a large piece of tape. I slowed the car and it sounded like something was stuck on a tire. I pulled over and found nothing when I examined all 4 tires. In the morning I checked the tires and tire pressure was good on all 4. Drove to work and I could hear the fapping sound. As I was driving 55mph, the drivers rear tire blew apart into small 2" square pieces. The tire fragments tore through the fender-well, destroying it as well. This happened early in the morning and I was able to keep control of the vehicle. Westlake RP18 size 195/65/R15. Less than 6 months old and under 15,000 miles on them.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 HYUNDAI ELANTRA EQUIPPED WITH NEXEN TIRES, TIRE LINE: NPRIZAH8, TIRE SIZE: 195/65/R15 N/A, DOT NUMBER: 153T. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE TIRE EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE COCONUT CREEK HYUNDAI LOCATED AT (4960 N. STATE ROAD 7, COCONUT CREEK, FL 33073) WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT THE TIRE WAS PREVIOUSLY PATCHED. THE CONTACT REPLACED AND ROTATED TIRES. ONE MONTH LATER, THE DRIVER SIDE ORIGINAL TIRE ALSO EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT. THE CONTACT REPLACED AND ROTATED THE TIRE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT LESS THAN A MONTH LATER A THIRD TIRE OF THE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT EXPERIENCED A BLOWOUT. THE CONTACT REPLACED THE TIRE. A DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 14,600.

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the contact stated that while entering the vehicle, the contact noticed an unusual burned spot on the back rest of the front passenger's seat. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,040.