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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2011 Hyundai Elantra — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 461 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

461

Complaints

filed with NHTSA

Involved a Crash

owner-reported

Involved Fire

owner-reported

Injuries

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.

2010 Hyundai Elantra

454 complaints

2011 Hyundai Elantra

461 complaints

2012 Hyundai Elantra

675 complaints

2013 Hyundai Elantra AVOID

1,330 complaints

2014 Hyundai Elantra

386 complaints

2015 Hyundai Elantra

262 complaints

2016 Hyundai Elantra

293 complaints

2017 Hyundai Elantra

767 complaints

2018 Hyundai Elantra

283 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 96 reports

Air Bags 81 reports

Steering 78 reports

Suspension 67 reports

Electrical System 52 reports

Service Brakes 49 reports

Electronic Stability Control (esc) 37 reports

Unknown Or Other 36 reports

In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Air Bags ODI 11292245 12/31/2019

THE AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON! I'VE NEVER BEEN IN A VEHICLE ACCIDENT OR A FENDER BENDER FOR THE LIFE OF THE VEHICLE.I CAN'T GET AN INSPECTION STICKER

Engine ODI 11292142 12/30/2019

THE ENGINE IS KNOCKING AT ALL TIMES

Suspension ODI 10938819 12/30/2016

THE FRONT COIL SPRING ON MY ELANTRA BROKE AS I BACKED UP OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND PUNCTURED MY TIRE. THERE IS A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE HYUNDAI RECALL #133 NHTSA CAMPAIGN #1SV629000. I HAVE CONTACTED MULTIPLE DEALERS AND HYUNDAI CUSTOMER CARE AS TO WHY MY VEHICLE DOES NOT APPLY TO THIS RECALL EVEN THOUGH MY CAR MEETS ALL THE CRITERIA. THEY COULD NOT GIVE ME AN ANSWER AND I WAS TOLD…

Suspension ODI 10938366 12/28/2016

THE LEFT FRONT STRUT AND SPRINGS BROKE AFTER HITTING A POT-HOLE COMING OUT OF A GROCERY STORE. I PULLED OUT OF THE PARKING LOT ONCE THE TRAFFIC LIGHT TURNED GREEN. HAVE HIT POTHOLES BEFORE WITHOUT BREAKING STRUTS OR SPRINGS. SPRINGS FOR MY 2011 HYUANDAI ELANTRA ARE ON BACK-ORDER.

Electrical System ODI 11291408 12/26/2019

MY HEADLIGHTS KEEP GOING OUT , THE BATTERY KEEPS DYING AND THE CAR WILL NOT CRANK AFTER YOU PUT GAS IN IT WITH THE IGNITION OFF . I HAVE TO LEAVE THE CAR RUNNING WHEN I PUMP GAS . MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS COMES ON AND OFF WHEN IT PLEASES . MY TIRE LIGHT IS USUALLY ALWAYS ON , JUST BEEN HAVING LOTS OF TROUBLE WITH IT HERE RECENTLY

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

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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 2011 Hyundai Elantra reliable?

Owners have filed 461 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, most often about engine. 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.