2018 Hyundai Elantra UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.
Complaint Timeline
Chronological view of owner reports
The paint, there was a recall in the last but my vehicle isn’t apart of it but I have a silver 2018 Hyundai Elantra and my paint is just peeling like crazy! It’s peeling all of the good the roof and now starting in the back of the trunk where the rear window is located. It is starting to rust on the hood.
I am writing to report an issue with a paint recall repair performed on my Hyundai vehicle. The vehicle was repaired in 2023 at Sheehy Hyundai of Waldorf. However, the paint has started peeling within one to two years of the repair, which indicates that the issue was not properly resolved. I spoke with Hyundai corporate office which offered no solutions and deferred me to the dealership whom performed the repainting. After speaking with the dealership I was told that is just what happens with this color vehicle and that a ticket of some sort was submitted and denied by corporate to fix the issue. I am seeking assistance from the NHTSA to address this matter and ensure that the recall repair is appropriately handled.
AFTER ANTI-THEFT SOFTWARE UPGRAGE MY CAR WILL LOCK ME OUT. I CANNOT UNLOCK THE CAR DOOR WITH THE KEY FOB OR BY USING THE KEY. THIS HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES. I DON'T KKOW IF IT WILL LOCK ME IN THE CAR WHEN THIS HAPPENS, SINCE THAT HAS NEVER HAPPENED. HAD TO CALL AAA TO GET BACK INTO CAR. ON ANOTHER OCCASION WAITED TWO HOURS AND THE CAR OPENED USING KEY FOB.
Out of curiosity, after searching up my current car I pulled a vehicle report from a NMVTIS approved site for my former car listed above. Upon searching up the vehicle history i learned i was a victim of odometer fraud. The miles listed for the owner of the car before me was 63,000 miles. However, when I purchased the car it was somehow listed as 20,518 miles. I am listed as title 4 and I registered the car in Atlanta, Georgia. I will attach the report below. I purchased this vehicle in September of 2021 from Efrid Chrysler Dodge Jeep dealership in Florence, South Carolina.
UNKNOWN
The paint on all white 2017 & 2018 Hyundai vehicles are defective. I received an extended warranty but was denied stating it had expired. This is very unethical practice in not addressing this issue.
My car was stolen due to Hyundai's failure to design and manufacture the vehicle with adequate security measures, thereby making them incredibly easy to steal. These design flaws have impose significant safety risks and have place my family under a substantial financial burden.
I heard it’s a TikTok Trent going on where’s as though they are stealing Hyundais, they tried to 4 times, I jus wanna now is there anything y’all can do to help like a kill switch or something? Cause this is getting out of control, they broke two of my windows, slashed one of my tires, broke my steering column and stole my license plate, too much money I have been putting out on this car, and the police not doing anything about it
- Due to a lack of a sufficient Theft system in my vehicle, the vehicle was easily stolen by individuals who broke into my back windows, removed the steering column and used a USB drive to hotwire the vehicle. The vehicle was found later by Minneapolis police, and my insurance company deemed it a Total Loss, as they would no longer insure the vehicle because the same models have such a dramatically high theft rate. - My safety was put at risk due to the vehicle's ability to be easily stolen and driven by individuals with criminal intent, leaving me vulnerable without a vehicle and having my personal life turned upside down. I have had issues with my finances, loss of work, and personal well-being due to the vehicle's theft, because of Hyundai's failure to install standard security software in the vehicle, which has resulted in Hyundai being investigated for violating national and state specific consumer protection and safety laws. - Hyundai did not notify me about this lack of security in the vehicle at the time of my purchasing the vehicle.
My complaint is that my 2018 Hyundai Elantra keeps dying. I feel like it's a major safety issue. I can stop at a stop sign, light or slow down and it will quit. We've had work done on it and they say they have it fixed but it's still doing the same thing. It will just die, the engine light will come on or it will say key not recognized. I'm at my wits end. There has to be some type of recall to get this fixed because I've heard where this can happen while driving down the interstate or wherever. That can cause major problems. I just got this car in March and I love it, but we bought as is so we're stuck not knowing what to do now. I'm hoping you can help us find out the problem. Thank you.
My door lock was busted and my car was broken into. Then my ignition was busted in an attempted theft. These cars are easily broken into yet nothing is being done to fix it! I have paid over $800 to fix something that should not have even been an issue. Hyundai and Kia have faulty locking mechanisms that make them easily broken into and stolen. This is ridiculous! They should have put out a recall and fixed this issue. This is a 2018 and I’m still making payments. I was never informed that this is an issue with these cars or I never would have bought it. It took over a month to get my car fixed and now I’m worried to death that someone will try and steal it again. I want some kind of fix to keep my car from being so easily stolen.
There is no immolizer the car can stolen with usb cord
Since I've purchased this car I've had problems with the car when moving when stopped. When I first start to drive, stops at a stop sign or red light, the car hesitates, shudders and vibrates when pushing the gas. There is a delay when stopped and then taking off, to the point that I have been honked at while the car just idles before it shudders and moves on. I've been asking about the problem since I purchased the car and have been told it is normal for the sport model or they been unable to replicate the problem at the dealership. The safely issue is that I'm worried I'm going to be rear ended while waiting for the transmission to kick in. No warning lights. Please research this problem and suggest a fix to Hyundai. The delay is also felt when the automatic transmission is shifting in lower gear, no problem once the car is on the highway or straight a way driving with no stopping. Thank you for your consideration.
paint is continue to peel off of my hood and it looks horrible. I am a good driver I didn’t cause this. It’s a random spot on hood
The car is very easy to steal. Company I work for had to hire security to stand at the gates because of so many thefts. They call themselves "The Kia Boys". The cars are so easy to steal that kids 13 and younger are stealing them. There is even a tik tok video that went viral showing how steal them quickly. Hyundai refuses to issue recall saying only that the newer models won't have same problem, but that doesn't help people who are losing their vehicles that are still paying on them. These teenagers are wrecking the cars and getting killed. And some have also been killed by the people they're stealing from. https://www.google.com/amp/s/abc6onyourside.com/amp/news/local/columbus-police-homicide-of-teen-is-linked-to-operation-game-over-car-theft-ring https://www.google.com/amp/s/jalopnik.com/two-thirds-of-milwaukee-s-stolen-cars-are-made-by-kia-o-1848174995/amp
I'm really disappointed when I notice last Saturday that my car was stolen (Elentra SEL 2018). When I met the police officer he told me this is normal with Hyundai vehicles!! NORMAL!! Fortunately, the car has been recovered but it's undrivable. When I was with the truck driver who towed my car to my home, he told me "do you believe that I towed 7 cars from Hyundai/Kia in the last 24 hours!!!". Also, another truck driver, who towed my car from my home to the repairing shop, told me he towed 5 stolen cars (Hyundai/Kia) on the day I met him. I search on the internet and I found this is really a big issue, and people and tv news said that how it is easy for kids to steal a Hyundai car in a couple of minutes! I feel that I own a toy for kids or a piece of jerk NOT a VEHICLE!!! And of course, there is no recall from Hyundai to fix this problem.
Vehicle was locked with the keys removed from the vehicle. A back window was smashed and the vehicle was stolen. They were able to start the vehicle without keys. The vehicle was recovered and deemed to be a total loss by the insurance adjuster.
Whenever I come to a complete stop engine dies. At traffic light's, stop sign's, when I'm in reverse and stop to put it in drive, and when I park the car. This happened with a 2015 Sonata I had last year and it ended up being the motor had metal shavings from manufacturing. I thought Hyundai resolved this problem year's ago but, I have a 2018 doing the same thing the 2015 did.
2018 White Hyundai Elantra. 9/21/2021 We first noticed the paint was peeling. The car had 39k miles on it. We proceeded to notify the dealership and they said it wasn’t covered. Over the last few months entire chunks of paint have been coming off of the hood and roof. We have multiple estimates and they all require the car to be fully repainted.
My multifunction switch appears to be defective. I have taken it to 2 different dealerships to be looked at. They have been unable to replicate any issues either time. Occasionally at night time the headlights will randomly turn off. This happened in auto mode as well as when it was pouring down rain and the wipers were on. The headlight indicator on the dash stays lit but the lights themselves turn off. This also happened driving to work in the early morning. When it is cold outside and also randomly the left signal indication doesn’t work in the lane changing function. I sometimes have to hit it 3-4 times before it decides to come on. Neither dealership I have used knows what is happening with the vehicle and I am not keen to spend $600 to have it fixed if it’s not going to 100% fix the issue.
This vehicle was so easy to steal 4 kids stole it and crashed it in a 45 minute span.
The vehicle would just randomly shut off while driving.
VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION TRAVELING 65-68MPH ON NJ GARDEN STATE PARKWAY WHEN REAR BUMPER FELL OFF. NOTHING TOUCHED THE VEHICLE (NO COLLISION). ROAD WAS STEADY (NO POTHOLES).
HEATING HOSE ASSEMBLY AND UPPER AND LOWER RADIATOR HOSES WORE OUT IN LESS THAN 2 YEARS ON A BRAND NEW CAR. I WAS TOLD IT WAS DUE TO NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. 5 DAYS AFTER I HAD AN OIL CHANGE AND MULTIPOINT INSPECTION DONE ON MY CAR, THE ENGINE OVERHEATED WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I HAD GOTTEN IT SERVICED.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPEN,I JUST GOT A NOTICE AND MY LYFT ACCOUNT IS CLOSED NOW
Trend Over Time
Complaints by year
Other Issues
Common problems reported
Quick Summary
The 2018 Hyundai Elantra has 28 UNKNOWN OR OTHER complaints on file. 1 crashes have been reported. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.