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What 459 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Hyundai Elantra Gt

These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.

All (459)Crash / fire / injury (31)Engine (96)Airbags (81)Steering (76)Suspension (67)Electrical system (52)Brakes (48)Electronic Stability Control (esc) (37)Transmission & drivetrain (25)Speed control (23)Wheels (20)

3 of 459 complaints match · Electrical system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Oct 9, 2020Electrical systemFire

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THE TRUNK AND FROM THE DOOR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. SHE OPENED THE DOOR, THE AREA FROM HER DASHBOARD ALL THE WAY DOWN TO HER GEARS WAS BURNED. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT AND THE POLICE ARRIVED AND BOTH FILED REPORTS. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT LET THE VEHICLE SMOKE OUT AND DIAGNOSED THE ISSUE AS AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. THE VEHICLE HAD A RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 20V393000 (EQUIPMENT) FOR THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE 12 VOLT ACCESSORY SOCKET LOCATED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY STILL AWAITING TO BE TOWED AWAY BY THE MANUFACTURER TO EMAIL A LETTER FOR THE CLAIM TO THE CONTACT. THE DEALER SMART HYUNDAI (1 SMART DRIVE, WHITE HALL, AR 71602 (870) 534-8122) TOLD THE CONTACT TO CALL THE MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 147,000.

NHTSA ODI 11363593

Aug 28, 2014Electrical systemAirbagsCrash1 injury

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2011 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE TRAVELING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE CRASHED HEAD ON INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED SEVERE LEG INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION AND A RIGHT KNEE REPLACEMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,092. UPDATED 10/8/14*CN PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT, THE CONSUMER TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BECAUSE THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS ON. SHE WAS INFORMED, IT WAS AN ELECTRICAL ISSUE. THE CONSUMER NEVER RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE. UPDATED 10/15/14 ACCORDING TO HYUNDAI, THE VEHICLE PERFORMED AS DESIGNED. THEY STATED THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS WERE NOT INTENDED TO DEPLOY DURING EVERY IMPACT THAT WAS GENERALLY DIRECTED AGAINST THE VEHICLE'S FRONT END. FRONTAL AIR BAS WERE DESIGNED TO DEPLOY WHEN A VEHICLE SUSTAINED A SUFFICIENT FORWARD DECELERATION TO TRIGGER THE AIR BAG SENSOR. THE AIR BAG SENSOR REACTED TO EXTREME DECELERATION OF THE VEHICLE'S FORWARD MOVEMENT. BASED UPON THE INFORMATION PROVIDED, IT APPEARED THE VEHICLE WAS HIT AT AN ANGULAR IMPACT INVOLVING LATERAL FORCES. UPDATED 11/26/14 UPDATED 12/17/14. *JB LAWYER ON BEHALF OF CLIENT. UPDATED 01/16/15.*JB UPDATED 02/24/15*LJ UPDATED 08/28/2017*CT

NHTSA ODI 10629085

Jun 5, 2014Electrical systemFire

MY MOTHER CAME TO A STOP AND NOTICED SMOKE AND THEN FIRE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. EVERYTHING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IS BURNT TO A CRISP. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10596530

Working with the data? Download all 459 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2011 Hyundai Elantra Gt verdict →