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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2018 Hyundai Elantra — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 283 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

283
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
12
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
7
Involved Fire
owner-reported
6 / 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.

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

54 complaints

22 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 141 reports
Unknown Or Other 54 reports
Electrical System 43 reports
Power Train 24 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 19 reports
Steering 16 reports
Exterior Lighting 16 reports
Structure 15 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Engine ODI 11562821 12/31/2023

I noticed around 100,000 miles that my car was going through oil when I heard a ticking in the engine. I pulled over and checked and there was no oil on the dipstick. No warning lights or nothing. I just kept adding oil after that and thinking that I will never buy another Hyundai again but never thinking my engine would fail full of oil. In June of 2023 my car lost power just…

Suspension ODI 11291741 12/28/2019

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.

Engine ODI 11707292 12/27/2025

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 e…

Air Bags ODI 11445043 12/27/2021

When I first purchase the car It was stated that i had no issues, I have records stating this. Also, I was having tremendous issues with the tires. Four months later I encountered an car accident. I was getting off of an exit and as I was getting off there was a car in the middle of the street that was broken down with no hazardous lights on. I suspected that the car was movi…

Power Train ODI 11163322 12/24/2018

I BOUGHT THE CAR ABOUT A MONTH AGO. AND TODAY I EXPERIENCED THE CAR WHILE DRIVING AT 55MPH WHEN I WENT TO ACCELERATE TO GO THE SPEED LIMIT OF 65 ON THE MAJOR HIGHWAY GOING INTO SALISBURY, MD THAT THE CAR WOULDNT SPEED UP. AND ABOUT 30 SECONDS LATER THE TRANSMISSION SEEMED TO HAVE DOWN SHIFTED A COUPLE GEARS DUE TO THE RPMS GOING FROM 4600ISH RPM DOWN TO 2000 RPMS AND THAN THE…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2018 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 2018 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
Owners have filed 283 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2018 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.