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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2016 Hyundai Elantra — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 293 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

293
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
22
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
5
Involved Fire
owner-reported
17
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.

454 complaints

461 complaints

675 complaints

1,330 complaints

386 complaints

262 complaints

293 complaints

767 complaints

283 complaints

251 complaints

253 complaints

131 complaints

101 complaints

98 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 111 reports
Unknown Or Other 54 reports
Power Train 31 reports
Air Bags 26 reports
Electrical System 22 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 19 reports
Steering 19 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 18 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Engine ODI 11499608 12/31/2022

Car suddenly started to jolts while decelerating from 25mphs -20mins. Car “stall & jolts” from park to drive. Stuck in park for a couple seconds. Dangerous , unable to go from park to drive is a safe timely manner No check engine light or trouble codes, car is maintained

Wheels ODI 10938914 12/31/2016

THIS IS OUR THIRD ELANTRA. WHILE WE LIKE THE LOOKS OF THE VEHICLE AND THE WAY IT GENERALLY HANDLES WE ARE GREATLY DISSATISFIED WITH THE TIRES THAT ARE STANDARD ON THE VEHICLE. SINCE WE LIVE IN WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA AND EXPERIENCE WINTERY WEATHER WE HAVE FOUND THAT THESE TIRES ARE VERY DANGEROUS ON WINTER ROADS. WE ARE SURE THAT MANY PEOPLE ARE INVOLVED IN ACCIDENTS UNLESS DI…

Air Bags ODI 11385651 12/30/2020

DRIVER'S FRONT SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY WHEN CAR WAS HIT AT SPEED (ON THE PASSENGER SIDE) IN INTERSECTION BY ANOTHER VEHICLE RUNNING A RED LIGHT.

Power Train ODI 11707629 12/29/2025

While driving on the freeway at normal highway speed, the vehicle experienced a sudden and catastrophic engine failure. The engine immediately lost power, and the vehicle shut down within seconds. There was no prior warning or opportunity to take corrective action. The vehicle became completely disabled and could not be driven. This occurred late at night with limited traffic…

Engine ODI 11445497 12/29/2021

My car suddenly lost power and would not accelerate over 20 mph. It gave no warning whatsoever. No check engine light no dash lights at all. It seemed as if it was in some type of protection mode. I took it to the dealer and was told it was my catalytic converter. They replaced the manifold catalytic converter and sent me on my way. Within 15 minutes the check engine light w…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2016 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 2016 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
Owners have filed 293 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2016 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.