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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2020 Hyundai Elantra — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 252 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

252
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
21
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
6
Involved Fire
owner-reported
16 / 2
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.

1,330 complaints

386 complaints

262 complaints

293 complaints

767 complaints

283 complaints

251 complaints

252 complaints

131 complaints

101 complaints

98 complaints

54 complaints

22 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 107 reports
Power Train 47 reports
Exterior Lighting 28 reports
Electrical System 27 reports
Unknown Or Other 25 reports
Steering 20 reports
Forward Collision Avoidance 14 reports
Service Brakes 14 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Power Train ODI 11633328 12/31/2024

transmission failed while driving & now doesn’t drive.

Engine ODI 11707760 12/30/2025

Reporting motor has a cold start ticking sound coming from the motor.

Power Train ODI 11707780 12/30/2025

Was driving car after a recent oil change. The oil change was performed early because the car was ticking and found oil to be low. Was going to take into dealer to be looked into but the car made a loud sound and stopped immediately and turned off. Luckily I was not driving too fast but had I been this could have posed a risk to myself, my passengers and other drivers. This co…

Engine ODI 11445317 12/28/2021

Checked VIN for open recall and that number doesn't come up. My engine had to be replaced under factory warranty. The issue was the exact same as a current recall. I am concerned that Hyundai is not expanding the recall in an effort to downplay the issue. 2020 Elantra, 2.0 liter engine, stalling while driving. The tech found the piston rings were bad. I hope this will help oth…

Engine ODI 11562044 12/27/2023

The contact owns a 2020 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the engine cranked but the engine failed to turn over. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed engine and the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the dealer inform…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2020 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 2020 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
Owners have filed 252 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2020 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.