MODELYEARINDEX

Which Hyundai Elantra years to avoid

Across 12 scored model years, the 2013, 2017 and 2012 model years carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates.

Ownership label · Hyundai Elantra Full report
F
Grade 2010–2021
2013 vs model median 4.0×
Model median3× median
Tires & Wheels 111
Steering 81
Suspension 79
Avoid

2013 · 2017

Best

2018 · 2019

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
0.74× 112 B
2011
0.75× 132 C
2012
1.50× 321 D
2013
3.96× 709 F
2014
1.10× 177 C
2015
0.77× 118 C
2016
0.85× 136 B
2017
2.56× 466 F
2018
1.02× 181 B
2019
0.90× 169 B
2020
1.17× 207 C
2021
0.98× 233 C
2022 P
0.96× 205 C
2023 P
1.23× 239 C
2024 P
0.54× 102 B
2025 P
0.23× 40 A

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What owners report

The component groups most often named, with one representative report. These are unverified — allegations, not findings.

2013 F 709 reports · median 22,000 mi

  1. Tires & Wheels 111

    Driving on the pa. Turnpike at 65 MPH, hit a small pot hole and the back left tire blew. I needed to be towed because the car air pump did not work. This was the second flat in one month. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Steering 81

    August 25, 2012 - returning from work on route 28, a high speed expressway, truck in front of me slammed on brakes and decided to switch exit ramps. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Suspension 79

    The accident happened while I was driving on the freeway with light traffic traveling around 60 MPH. It first began when I felt an unbalance of the front right tire. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

103 crash · 23 fire · 62 injuries

2017 F 466 reports · median 40,000 mi

  1. Engine 99

    The contact owns a 2017 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that there was a strong chemical odor inside and near the front end of the vehicle. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  2. Body & Interior 81

    The contact owns a 2017 hyundai elantra. While drivng various speeds, the vehicle's trunk opened without warning on numerous occasions. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

  3. Electrical 49

    The car hesitates, jerks and pulls at the acceleration moment when stoped. Foor instance im ligths or traffic jams. It causes a completely lost of power and terrible shaking. owner complaint filed with NHTSA

38 crash · 15 injuries

The best year for the Elantra

Ranked by overall score among years with a full 60 months on the road.

2019 is the best-scoring Elantra model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 75 out of 100 — a score that combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations. On complaint rate alone the lowest is 2010 at 0.74× this model’s median, against 0.90× for 2019.

Yearvs medianReportsGrade
2019 0.90× 169 B
2018 1.02× 181 B
2010 0.74× 112 B

Recalls

29 campaigns on record, 2 carrying a Park It or Park Outside warning.

Campaign Component Model years Units affected
13V113000 EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH 2010 1,712,336
23V651000 Park it SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE 2011–2015 1,649,478
20V061000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE 2010 476,111
17V769000 SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:PEDALS AND LINKAGES 2013, 2014 390,467
20V393000 EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL 2011, 2012 272,126
22V354000 SEAT BELTS:FRONT 2021, 2022 230,233
24V879000 BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA 2021, 2022 226,118
15V100000 STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM 2010 204,768
24V146000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH 2015, 2016 186,588
13V115000 AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW 2011–2013 186,250
21V301000 ENGINE 2019, 2020 158,493
15V871000 ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) 2011, 2012 155,000

+ 17 further campaigns

How long do they last?

Complaint records show when problems get reported, not how long a car survives. Where owners gave an odometer reading, faults on the 2013 were reported at a median of 22,000 miles. Treat that as the point problems start being noticed, not a lifespan.

Common questions

Answered directly from this model’s record.

Which Hyundai Elantra years should you avoid?
2013, 2017, 2012 carry the highest severity-weighted complaint rates of any Hyundai Elantra model year measured over an identical 60-month window.
What is the best year for the Hyundai Elantra?
2019 is the best-scoring Hyundai Elantra model year with a full 60 months on the road, at 75 out of 100. The score combines complaint rate, recall campaigns and open investigations.
How many recalls does the Hyundai Elantra have?
29 distinct recall campaigns are on record across all scored Hyundai Elantra model years. A recall is a matter of record: the manufacturer filed a defect report with NHTSA.

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2013 Elantra
Complaints in window
709
Severity-weighted
1,149.5
Model median (weighted)
290
vs model median
3.96×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
6
Open investigations
1
Score 6.7 F