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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2010 Hyundai Elantra — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 454 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

454
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
49
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
13
Involved Fire
owner-reported
53 / 1
Injuries / Deaths
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Hyundai Elantra — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

454 complaints

461 complaints

675 complaints

1,330 complaints

386 complaints

262 complaints

293 complaints

767 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Steering 233 reports
Electrical System 58 reports
Air Bags 52 reports
Service Brakes 44 reports
Power Train 34 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 25 reports
Structure 24 reports
Electronic Stability Control (esc) 21 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Service Brakes ODI 10490511 12/30/2012

I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO FIRESTONE AUTO FOR AN OIL CHANGE AND INSPECTION. THE TECHNICIAN FOUND THAT WHEN HE APPLIED THE BRAKES THEY PULSATED. UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION HE FOUND THAT ALL OF THE BRAKE ROTORS ARE RUSTED AND PITTED. THE REAR ROTORS ARE WORST THAN THE FRONT. HE ALSO NOTED THAT THE REAR BRAKE SHOES ARE WORN OUT AND NEED REPLACED. NORMALLY THE FRONT PADS ARE REPLACED TW…

Power Train ODI 11385478 12/29/2020

VEHICLE HAS 85,000 MILES AND THE TRANSMISSION SLIPS IN 2ND AND 3RD GEARS. DOES NOT MATTER IF THE WEATHER IS WARM OR COLD OR IF ENGINE IS WARM OR COLD. REOCCURRING PROBLEM FOR SEVERAL MONTHS.

Structure ODI 11385202 12/28/2020

BACK SEAT DOOR BEHIND DRIVER WILL NOT OPEN OR SHUT. THE DOOR HANDLE BECOMES STUCK. THIS DOOR HASN'T BEEN USED MUCH SO THIS ISN'T NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR AND SHOULD BE A RECALL. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS WE CAN'T ACCESS THE DOOR FOR MY CHILD.

Steering ODI 10937970 12/28/2016

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 10 MPH, THE POWER STEERING FAILED AND THE EPS WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V100000 (STEERING), BUT THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE OCCURRED FIVE ADDITIONAL TIMES AFTER THE RECALL SERVICE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN W…

Structure ODI 10373198 12/28/2010

AM THE OWNER OF A 2010 ELANTRA WHICH WAS PURCHASED NEW IN THE SPRING AND HAVE EXPERIENCED MY TRUNK OPEN SUDDENLY MANY TIMES OVER THE PAST 10 MONTHS - EITHER WHILE DRIVING AND/OR IN THE GARAGE. ONCE WHERE IT WAS PARKED FOR 4 DAYS AND RESULTED IN THE BATTERY DISCHARGING FULLY BECAUSE THE TRUNK LIGHT WAS LEFT ON. THE DEALER CLAIMS THAT I MUST SOMEHOW BE PRESSING THE FOB BUTTON …

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2010 Hyundai Elantra, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

Check Another Car

Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2010 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
Owners have filed 454 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2010 Hyundai Elantra, most often about steering. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Hyundai Elantra years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.