10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 6
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
19,310 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.

2018 Hyundai Elantra engine problems

engine problem

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2018 Hyundai Elantra Owner Comments (Page 2 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #64

Apr 142023

Elantra

  • miles

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

I just started my drive and my car seems to have rebooted while I was driving. The whole ordeal only lasted a few seconds. Things I noticed: 1) The steering locked (Guessing the electronic controls were down) 2) A few telltales were triggered and then the instrument cluster went blank 3) A the same time, the infotainment system went blank. Both the instrument cluster and the Infotainment came back after a few seconds 4) The engine revved up a bit at some point This has never happened to me before. I suspect it may be because of a new build software that was flashed to fix a security issue with Hyundai cars but I'm not sure.

- Fremont, CA, USA

problem #63

Feb 082023

Elantra

  • miles
Engine internal parts failure causing the car the to become a danger to the occupants of the vehicle and to others on the road the 1.6 litter gdi Engine is known for having Engine problems but little is said about the 2018 tgdi 1.6 litter in the hyundai elantra sport having the same issues. I thought I was getting a safe car for my wife and my children I guess I was wrong. We are second owners of the car we bought it from carmax and we got the max care extended warranty they knew hyundai had engine problems sold us the car without revealing any information about the problems and the when the engine problems accrued they along with another actual hyundai dealer have done everything in their power not to help so I'm stuck paying $16,000 for a car that does not run. I am extremely disappointed in their willingness to accept any responsibility for the faulty engine they $3,600 out of my pocket just for them to check out the engine to see if the would replace it which would not be reimbursed. That is a lot of money just to throw in and hope they'll fix it if not a new motor is $10,000. We don't have $13,600 just laying around. This engine issue has to be addressed I'm sure there are other people having this issue. Thank you for your time

- Forsyth , GA, USA

problem #62

Feb 272023

Elantra

  • miles
Engine seizes or stalls shutting off the car completely and randomly. This puts myself and passengers and other on the road at serious risk of injury or death due to not being able to maintain speed or control of vehicle. It is available for inspection upon request. It has been an ongoing issue since 2020 and the dealership has -€œfixed the issue-€ twice. It is not fixed as it keeps happening. They deny any further issues and claim they cannot replicate the issue. I drove it from the lot again today after they -€œfixed-€ it and had it shut off on my way home. There has not been a check engine light that comes on in the past however this time it did making today the first time the check engine light came on. The check engine light came on before the car shut off while driving home from dealership. I put date of occurrence as of today but the first time it happened was back in 2020. It will shut off while at a stop light or even going 45 mph. I am unsure of how many miles were on the car at first occurrence. I think around 20 or many 30k

- Eugene , OR, USA

problem #61

Jan 262023

Elantra

  • miles

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

Engine is defective and using excessive amounts of oil and will eventually fail or seize resulting in catastrophic failure or leaving customer with a lemon that they still own on. Hyundai hasn't issued a recall for this make and model but should have. As a result, been forced to constantly check the oil levels, and oil must be added to the engine more frequently than even the owner-€™s manuals recommend. MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP (ENGINE LIGHT) suddenly came on at 123K miles. When engine light appeared, customer checked oil level which revealed low/no oil. Engine oil pressure warning light fails to come on dashboard display. Oil change had been scheduled months in advance but not due until about another 770 miles. Customers must suffer through extremely long wait times often 3-4 months later for service appointment at dealership even just for an oil change. The customer also expected to leave vehicle for up to a week or longer just for a diagnosis meanwhile footing the cost to rent a vehicle. Customer having to service vehicle elsewhere for diagnostic only for code to clear temporarily before reappearing. Major issues cannot be addressed timely dealerships, leaving customer with one of two options: drive the car until it fails or foot the bill for a $10,000 engine replacement outside of any Hyundai dealership. Engine should be recalled & replaced under warranty.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #60

Feb 022023

Elantra

  • miles
I fill up my oil at regular service intervals. When i drive my car after 3500 miles if i turn the engine stalls. This is dangerous due to loss of power. This has happened multiple times.

- Columbus, OH, USA

problem #59

Jan 242023

Elantra

  • miles
Engine completly stalled while driving, was parking in a parking garage, and was driving up on an incline to park and my car just stalled and all warning lights came on. No warning lights were present prior to, and all power was still on. I was stuck in the middle of the lane, blocking cars in. I was able to turn the car off and restart it and it started up with no warning lights and as if nothing just happened. I do not feel safe driving this car and will be having it inspected immediately

- Lombard, IL, USA

problem #58

Dec 192022

Elantra

  • miles

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

Without any warning, the vehicle suddenly shut off while driving in a very busy intersection. It was able to be started two times as we tried to get out of the way of other moving vehicles but it eventually had to be towed. There were no warning lights that appeared on the vehicle to give us any indication something was wrong. It was towed to the dealership and we were told that there was engine damage, the engine needed to be replace and that it would not be covered.

- Plainfield, IL, USA

problem #57

Nov 112022

Elantra 4-cyl

  • miles
My daughter is in college in Tallahassee. About 4 months ago, she told me that when she presses the accelerator, the car doesn-€™t go as fast as it should. In July 2022, the car was serviced in Tallahassee at the dealership; however, none of this is reflected on the receipt. In November she came home to Palm Beach County, on her way back, she told me that she was having the same issue when she pressed the accelerator. She made it to Tallahassee and I had her take it to the dealership. The Service Manager called me and said she had gone over the recommended miles for an oil change and this may have caused damage to the engine; however, he decided to change her oil and spark plug which coated about $318. She drove the car for a few days and noticed a loud tapping noise; also, the car rolls in all gears, and the same issue with when pressing the accelerator. Upon taking it back to the dealer, they told me that the engine would have to be replaced at a cost of $9500. The car had sat at the dealer since November 14, 2022 because no one would call back; provide updates after I started questioning the issues with other vehicles like this one based on my research. In addition, I was told the manufacturers warranty did not apply to my daughter-€™s car because she was the 2nd owner. I had the car towed today, November 30, 2022 to AAMCO. It is available if needed. This issue has put my daughter at risk because Tallahassee is very hilly. The vehicle not getting enough speed to drive up a hill, pass vehicles or possibly be hit from behind puts my daughter and others at risk. The dealership has indicated there is a problem with the engine that will require it to be replaced. The vehicle was inspected by Werner Hyundai in Tallahassee who said there was an issue with the engine. It is now at AAMCO. Outside of my daughter indicating the problem, I am not aware of any other warnings.

- Royal Palm Beach, FL, USA

problem #56

Jun 242022

Elantra

  • miles
The engine suddenly started stalling at stop sign or red lights at random times and the engine immobilizer light came on along with check engine and oil light. This was dangerous when turning left at an intersection. Car would be fine after restarting the car. Other times the ESC malfunction light would show while driving and the engine would not accelerate properly on the highway and the engine would also start jerking at times. Dealer said they could not fix it as this was an intermittent issues and they could not reproduce the issue when given for repair. Dealer and company did not agree to do a complete check and replace sensors, etc.

- Green Brook, NJ, USA

problem #55

Jul 232022

Elantra

  • miles
My Elantra was taken by theft. Rear driver side door broken. Ignition harness torn apart and the car was driven away from my senior living home parking lot on July 23rd at 3 P.M. Police were called but car was taken off the lot before they arrived. I received call from police on July 27th that the car was in an impound lot in St. Paul. Drivers side front tire blown out, wheel severly damaged. Some body scratched in left rear. Front passenger seat badly stained. Other damage unknown. Vehicle been at Walser Hyundai since about August 1st. Shop waiting for parts for repairs.

- Robbinsdale, MN, USA

problem #54

Aug 012022

Elantra

  • 70,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while her son was driving at an undisclosed speed, there was a loud sound coming from underneath the vehicle with the check engine warning light illuminated. Additionally, there was smoke coming from the front end of the vehicle. Another driver alerted her son that there was a flash of flame coming from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was opened. The manufacturer informed her that the vehicle was out of warranty and offered to cover 60% of the repair cost. The failure mileage was approximately 70,000.

- Audubon, NJ, USA

problem #53

Sep 152022

Elantra

  • miles
The car has a security vulnerability where the car is able to start without the key being present. Also, the engine will shutter randomly (car will shake) when in idle. This happens especially the first few minutes from a cold start.

- Stamford, CT, USA

problem #52

Jan 202022

Elantra

  • miles
My car will shut off as I-€™m driving it. I was going thru a busy intersection and my car turned off, I was in my car with my 3 babies traffic backed up and almost got slammed into. I had to get out and push my car to the side of the road. The check engine light started flashing then the whole dashboard started flicking

- Palm Bay, FL, USA

problem #51

Jun 122021

Elantra

  • 38,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 35 MPH, she depressed the accelerator pedal and the vehicle began to jerk and shake from the front end. The vehicle also hesitated prior to responding to the accelerator pedal being depressed. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The failure had become a recurring failure. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.

- Staten Island, NY, USA

problem #50

Sep 092022

Elantra

  • miles
While driving lost acceleration, car stalled multiple times. No dash light on at all when this happens. Having to add oil to my engine between oil changes.

- Holly Ridge, NC, USA

problem #49

Jul 112022

Elantra

  • miles
While driving, the acceleration stopped working and loud clanging noises were heard in the engine. There were no warning lights, nothing. I was driving on a busy road and the lack of acceleration created a major safety hazard for me and the vehicles around me. I eventually pulled over and restarted the car. It happened three more times on the way home. I got the car to my local mechanic and he said that it was the engine and it needed to be replaced. He saw this many times before on this model and told me to bring it to the dealer. I had the car towed to the Hyundai dealer/service center in Milford, Connecticut. I am waiting for them to look at it. I know that this has happened to many others with a 2018 Elantra and I am very upset that the car failed.

- Bethany, CT, USA

problem #48

May 012022

Elantra

  • miles
Engine stalls while driving. No warning, intermitted full shut down of the engine. Can happen multiple times in a row, only making it a few hundred feet before stalling again. The only remedy is to put the car in park and start the engine again, however, that is not always easy to do when on the road, and the car can only drift and brake. It is not safe when the car stalls, especially in traffic -- can be dangerous to myself and others on the road if I am unable to pull the car over or get it to start up again on the interstate. I have been to a mechanic, and 2 dealerships who claim they cannot replicate the problem, and even when it stalled in the parking lot when I was leaving, there were no error codes on the computer. This being said, without a code or a proper diagnosis, I am at a standstill because "nothing can be done or authorized' by Hyundai without a code. I have been suggested by both dealerships to try and run it and 'kill the engine' because it is still under warranty for another 15,000 miles--but this puts myself and other drivers at risk because the car is unsafe to drive. There is a code from July 16, 2020, a little less than 2 months before I purchased the car about an engine light, this has yet to be addressed. This problem appeared out of nowhere one day while driving on the interstate and has been an issue ever since.

- Shamong, NJ, USA

problem #47

Jul 132022

Elantra

  • 106,000 miles
The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle stalled and lost motive power. The check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed; however, the contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V301000 (Engine). The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 106,000.

- Round Lake Beach, IL, USA

problem #46

Jun 302022

Elantra

  • miles
My husband was driving the car when all of a sudden it stalled during morning rush hour traffic. As traffic zipped by us he quickly put the car in neutral and started the car. When it turned back on the car made a loud knocking noise. He proceeded to drive back home where it stalled one more time. When he was getting close to the house the knocking noise got louder. He then called our local Hyundai dealership and they stated that they would not inspect the car for well over a week. We then had a mechanic come over the house to take a look at it. The mechanic stated that we didn-€™t have any oil left in the engine. Even though we had an oil change three months, the engine had burned through all of the oil. We bought oil to fill the engine but chose not to drive the car anymore out of fear for our safety and of messing up the engine any further. The car has not been inspected yet by the manufacturer, but we are speaking to Hyundai Consumer Affairs about it. Also, before the incident and at the time of, there was no lights or warnings for the engine or that it was missing oil.

- Homestead, FL, USA

problem #45

Jul 032022

Elantra

  • miles
UNKNOWN - for the past several months, since my car hit the 70,000 mileage mark, my check engine light has come on while experiencing hard idling, delayed acceleration/power while driving - particularly on gradual inclines and hilly roads. I would suspect it has something to do with the power or fuel system. I have changed oil twice and had a diagnostic test done and mechanic is unable to pinpoint issue since it is not consistent.

- Montchanin, DE, USA

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