CarComplaints.com Notes: Be aware that there's a significant trend of owners complaining that the Elantra's fuel economy is significantly less than the EPA estimates.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
3 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
3 / 0
Average Mileage:
43,760 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2012 Hyundai Elantra electrical problems

electrical problem

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2012 Hyundai Elantra Owner Comments (Page 1 of 6)

problem #115

Aug 252023

Elantra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

I complied with Hyundai's voluntary recall of my 2012 Elantra, supposedly designed to deter theft with some sort of software update. Four weeks after this, four teenager rolled up to my house in a stolen Hyundai Sonata. One of them jumped out of the car, smashed my car's back window, and stole my car. This whole process took place in broad daylight, in front of multiple witnesses, over approximately 30 seconds. I contend that Hyundai's "voluntary recall" was 1) fraudulent, in that it does not do anything to fix the actual problem; 2) dangerous, in that it led owners to believe their car was safe when it fact it was not; and 3) a waste of taxpayers' time, as it caused me to take several hours off of work. Hyundai should be compelled to 1) ACTUALLY fix these vehicles; 2) compensation any Hyundai owners whose vehicles were stolen. While I have insurance protection on this vehicle, I will almost certainly need to pay more money than that to replace this car with one of comparable utility to me.

- Berkeley, CA, USA

problem #114

Nov 172022

Elantra

  • miles
Please find below a description of the malfunction in my Hyundai Elantra, as this is the reason I'm requesting inclusion in a recall. Since the week of Thanksgiving 2022, I've had several instances of my vehicle stalling without warning before engaging the transmission; for example, my car once stopped moving completely on the freeway while entering the onramp at 55 mph. Since then, the problem has only gotten worse, stalling up to seven or nine times per week. Because of the severity of this issue, I-€™ve had it inspected multiple times and would gladly submit it to another one if requested. Obviously, a defect of this magnitude with no obvious cause not only puts me at risk as the driver, as I can-€™t prepare for a sudden stop, but all road travelers around me are also subject to this issue. As you know, a sudden halt could lead to collusion involving numerous people. To date, an independent service provider has not been able to identify the issue or recreate the problem, as it occurs randomly with no warning lights or signals to prepare me for what-€™s about to happen. Should you need further details, I may be reached at susanramsey1@gmail.com.

- Laguna Woods, CA, USA

problem #113

Jun 072022

Elantra

  • miles
I received notice of Safety Recall Number 193 from Hyundai Motor America. I contacted the service department at 2 local dealerships - Hyundai Fairfax and Hyundai Springfield - about a month ago to try to schedule this preventive maintenance but neither location replied to my inquiry. I don't know if recalls are optional for dealerships but I don't know what else to do. I was informed in an online chat that I could submit this dealership complaint through your website. I hope you can advise on my options/next steps. Thank you.

- Falls Church, VA, USA

problem #112

Feb 212022

Elantra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The sterring wheel makes a noise and sounds crazy every time you tuen it back and fourth the windows wont go down on there own and i replaced the fuse so that electric the gas goes down everytime i fill up its goes down to half tank like its eating the gas

- Hartford , CT, USA

problem #111

Mar 022022

Elantra

  • miles
My motor has a knocking noise, it has not been inspected by anyone, oil has been changed, engine light is on, also my tail lights an brake lights go out an I have changed them 3 different time in the last 2 months, it could cause a accident, I have called dealership an I have no recalls. But when I look it up I see other people who own same car has the same issues.

- Chillicothe, OH, USA

problem #110

Nov 272019

Elantra

  • miles
I honestly believe I was ripped off for this vehicle I-€™ve been having to replace one thing after another since I-€™d gotten it. The brake system on the front passenger side seems to keep grabbing when I-€™m not even touching the brake. every time I change the brakes only the front passenger side gets worn down way more then the others. I was thinking it was brake drag, but I litteraly greased my brakes and guide pens then it started making the squeeking noise again when I wasn-€™t touching the brake. It also compromises my engines functions. my engine lags out and I have a feeling it-€™s putting more torque into the engine and transmission than it was supposed to, and now is causing problems in them. It causes safety issues because the brakes are one of the most important systems on a vehicle it can cause me a bad accident if the caliper becomes to worn from heat damage, because it excessively is putting pressure on it. I haven-€™t taken it to the dealership to recreate the issue yet, but I did mention it in the very beginning because I had suspicions of my vehicle having problems, but they said they couldn-€™t find anything when they ran the vin. They didn-€™t actually test my vehicle which was what I needed. My check engine light has been on.

- Dexter, NM, USA

problem #109

Aug 032021

Elantra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Charging port. Doesn-€™t connect to phone. Unstable power source

- Atlanta , GA, USA

problem #108

May 012020

Elantra

  • miles
One day I noticed that my steering wheel was loose and it was making a clicking noise. One another occasion, while I was driving, my vehicle I noticed that all of a sudden the airbag light came on. I thought that it was a minor electrical malfunction (because my flat tire light has been on for years and I never know when I really have a flat), so I ignored it until I went to use my horn to alert an approaching vehicle of my presence, and it didn't work. It hasn't worked properly since. If I use my keys to lock the door it will beep, but if I attempt to use the horn itself I get nothing.

- Lumberton, NC, USA

problem #107

Mar 152020

Elantra

  • 75,500 miles
Battery draining overnight. Brake lights and interior lights going off and on overnight. All of this goes off while stationary.O

- Mineola, TX, USA

problem #106

Jun 012020

Elantra

  • 98,000 miles
After it rains, ( in motion or standing still ) water comes through the light above sun visor, soaks the driver's side floor front and back, and goes into dash this is causing corrosion to all electrical components in the dash could cause failure to devices and a fire hazard. The touchscreen went black, so I pulled the fuse only to notice the fuses had corrosion. My feet get soaked making the pedals slippery. I did research online only to realize I am not the only one with this problem. The water on the floor has soaked through the carpet and pad to about 1/2" of water at the highest point. This could cause mold and mildew to be circulated through the car. The car has gotten condensation on the windshield after it rains and the sun comes out. The moisture inside the vehicle is starting to cause damage to all electronics.

- Mcdonald, PA, USA

problem #105

Nov 042020

Elantra

  • 114,250 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

A few weeks ago, I was driving my 2012 Hyundai Elantra (114,000 miles on it) and it started to sputter and I could not accelerate above 20 mph and engine light came on. There had been a similar intermittent probelm prior to this. I had it towed to my dealer and ended up with a replaced coil pack on one cylinder. On 11/4/20, I was run off the interstate by a semi because as I entered the highway, I could not accelerate beyond 20, and then 40 mph and the tacometer regisered 0. I took car back to dealer where they said that the "tech reset adapt.values" ("valves" is what they told me verbally). Well I left with the car after the supposed "fix" and 1/2 mile from the dealership, the same de-aclleration occured, and this time when I went back to dealership the manager had the tech run the diagnostics on original problem on his ipad and tech said the coil pack was fine. The manager then had the tech run all system computer checks and the second time around, an error pointed to the crankshaft so they ran all the computer updates, which took a good 20 minutes, and said that likely fixed the issue. I thought the issue was fixed but today, two days later, I was driving the car and the engine just stopped in the middle of the street while I was driving. I restarted the car and drove it a few miles and I noticed again that the tacometer was not working. This is the 4th time I had to take it to the dealership. I asked them why they didn't run updates when the car is in for routine maintenance and he said they only do so when a problem is noted. The initial issue almost got me killed on the highway. And according to the dealership, other drivers of Hyundai vehicles are experiencing the same issue. Someone will be killed if this safety issue isn't resolved. The issue has not been resolved as of today, 11/6/2020 regardless of what prior svc reports upload states.

- Dayton, OH, USA

problem #104

Nov 032020

Elantra

  • 120,000 miles
For the past several months I have had a reoccurring issue with my 2012 Hyundai Elantra. About 1-3 times a week, my car will not start. All lights, radio, etc. Work fine when key is turned to on/start position but car will not start. It makes one click sound and then nothing. Generally, if I keep trying it will eventually start. Sometimes it takes 10 minutes and sometimes it takes a few hours. Along with this, about once a week my car will shift gears hard. It is an automatic and otherwise shifts fine. I have had routine maintenance completed on time since I bought this car in 2016. I have brought my car to my mechanic several times in the last few months and he cannot determine the problem since the car does not do this regularly. I read online that it could be the neutral safety switch (range inhibitor) so I replaced that. The problem still exists. I contacted the Hyundai dealership from which I purchased my car and they have no answers.

- Southport, NC, USA

problem #103

Nov 012020

Elantra

  • 102,000 miles
Car was parked and completely off. I put the key in the ignition and turned it partway. All electronic components and headlights came on. I turned the key all the way and it would not start. There was a loud rythmic clicking and each time it clicked all the electronics flickered. Jumping the battery did not work.

- Wixom, MI, USA

problem #102

Oct 262020

Elantra

  • 118,000 miles
The vehicle was stationary. My tire was flat on the side of the road in a desert and I turned the car off to change my tire. I tried to start my vehicle and all accessories turn on and the car unlocks with the electric key fob but the car doesn't start. Inhibitor switch is bad is faulty. It starts sometimes and doesn't start at sometimes. Many people have become stranded due to this defect and have reported it on car guru and many other Hyundai forums. Everyone believes there should be a recall for this faulty issue.

- Alamogordo, NM, USA

problem #101

Oct 232020

Elantra

  • 146,817 miles
I have been experiencing failures from my speed control. It moves slow on it own regardless of how high the meter says. When braking the car shakes and then on its own it goes off and all the lights on the dashboard comes on. This has happened to me 3 times on the highway. The engine light also came on recently and now my car vibrates/ shakes when idle or when it starts.

- Fayetteville, GA, USA

problem #100

Mar 012020

Elantra

  • 0 miles
The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 60 mph, when the vehicle stalled causing another vehicle rear ended her vehicle. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact did not have any injuries or seek medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not drivable. The insurance adjuster deemed the vehicle was loss. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of unknown. Invalid VIN.

- San Pedro, CA, USA

problem #99

Aug 312020

Elantra

  • 83,000 miles
Several months ago the car alarm went off for no apparent reason (the car was sitting in our garage and no one was attempting to steal it). When it went off it was very early in the morning...like 2 or 3 am. We tried everything we knew to try to shut it up...finally disconnecting the battery. We took it to our local Hyundai dealer where we were later told that one of the many sensors had gone bad and they would order a replacement part. That seemed to take care of the problem initially...but a few months later the alarm went off again at 2 or 3 am for no apparent reason. We called the dealer and were told they had no available appointments for two weeks. We waited the two weeks while the car sat unused and disconnected from the battery and then brought it back to the dealer. This time they had the car for most of a week saying that they could not replicate the alarm discharging. We finally just picked up the defective car...and that very same day...again at 2 am, the alarm went off again. My husband tried everything he was told to try to shut it up...nothing worked. So, he went to again disconnect the battery...but the dealer had tightened the cables to the battery too tightly. After spending an hour and half a can of WD40 we were able to disconnect only the positive cable to the battery...and there it has sat for nearly a month...unused and disconnected. I contacted Hyundai directly and they seem unable much advice other than 'take it to another dealer or back to the same dealer and ask them to try again.' We would like to just get rid of this car but could not sell it in good faith with this current problem...so it is both unusable and not worth much as a trade in.

- Bear, DE, USA

problem #98

Aug 182020

Elantra

  • miles
The dash console continues to go go out to the point the odometer, speed, mileage and other instrument panel information is not visible. When I purchased the vehicle they replaced the dash console and 2 yrs later is needing replacement again.

- Yukon, OK, USA

problem #97

Jul 112020

Elantra

  • miles
This is the second time this happens to me. The eps light turns on, the steering wheel gets tight. So the power steering disconnects from the engine. You literally can't steer. This last time it happened I was driving down a grade at night. If incoming traffic would of been coming I would have crashed into them or go down the cliff. The power steering was replaced once by dealer already less than a year ago. This car is un safe and I refuse to drive it any more. I was able to push it in neutral to the shoulder once I put it in park the car shook and it shut down.

- Temecula, CA, USA

problem #96

Mar 012020

Elantra

  • miles
Dash display of odometer/mpg/et cetera no longer is readable due to dim or missing digits. This was repaired under recall several years ago but has recurred. I no longer can see necessary information about the car's equipment or drivability status. This occurs at all times, driving or stationary.

- San Diego, CA, USA

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