Home · 2015 Hyundai Elantra Hev · Complaints

What 258 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Hyundai Elantra Hev

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 (258)Crash / fire / injury (34)Engine (89)Brakes (55)Steering (25)Airbags (23)Electrical system (23)Transmission & drivetrain (17)Speed control (15)Body & structure (14)Fuel system (10)Suspension (9)

34 of 258 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters · page 1 of 2

May 5, 2025AirbagsCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle failed to stop as intended. The vehicle crashed into a guardrail. In addition, the air bags did not deploy. The contact was taken to the hospital and was treated for facial fractures. The contact was then transferred to another hospital for additional treatment to her face. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The vehicle was not inspected by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ODI 11659096

Feb 19, 2025Transmission & drivetrainSpeed controlFuel systemCrash

Drove my 2015 Hyundai Elantra on the coldest day of the year to an appointment. Car was fully warmed up. Pulled into a gas station to park and was going less than 3 mph, making a left hand turn into the space. Elantra suddenly accelerated hard and the car hit a cement pole, causing extensive front end damage. If car had full insurance coverage, it would have been a write off. Hood crumpled, radiator damaged, front grill broken, bent the engine bar in half. Significant damage but the air bag did not deploy. Had to have it towed home 35 miles. Damage was in the middle of the front of the car, so I was already in the parking space. No warning lights of any sort before this happened. Very dangerous and I would never buy another Hyundai. I bought this car brand new in 2015 and have had recalls taken care of (anti theft software one). Over the course of owning this car, other odd things have occurred as well, such as white smoke coming out of the engine upon acceleration, accelerated wear on the tires due to the back end, and engine will suddenly stop for no reason while driving (this happened twice) Inferior product!

NHTSA ODI 11643595

Jan 29, 2025Speed controlFuel systemCrash

On [XXX] I was parking in my parking spot outside my house, went to pull up 3 more inches in my parking spot when the vehicle accelerated at an extremely rapid speed, went over the high curb, up my front lawn into the tree in my front yard. It was a battle between the brake and the gas acceleration event. Then I put it gently in reverse, my car fled rapidly down into the parking lot at such a high rate of speed, I turned the wheel, my car hit 3 cars across the parking lot, shot across the parking lot, popped over that curb, went down an extremely steep hill, hit the cross street, went still in reverse over an island, wiped out two signs and crashed into a car in the middle of the 4 way stop and stopped. My insurance is blaming it on driver error like they are blaming thousands of drivers over the same experience, stating that I mistook the gas pedal instead of the brake and also stating that I did not attempt to brake, that is so far from the truth, you can look at the track marks on the ground and tell I was standing on the brake. What is being done about these awful scenerios. My car is currently in copart being assessed. My car was serviced at the hyundai dealership ever since I purchased it, all the records are there and in my possession, I had low mileage, less than 48,000 miles and planned on holding onto the vehicle for at least 6 more years. Now my car is sabotaged, being blamed like 1,000 of other drivers over the car malfunctioning. There is a sensor for the Throttle, a sensor for the Gas Accelerator that the Computer Control Unit brain waits for the analytical data from both sensors and adds additional throttle to the situation. Once the car is turned off the entire system resets itself, so there is no evidence of high throttle, gas accelerators sticking and the driver is blamed. Since the insurance companies have insured these vehicles there is a lot at stake for these cases to be proven and for the Hyundai manufacturer as well. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11639306

May 20, 2024Engine & coolingFire

The contact owned a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked outside his residence, it caught on fire. The contact stated the fire was emanating from the engine compartment. No one was injured during the fire. A volunteer fire department was notified and extinguished the fire. A fire department and police report were not filed. The vehicle has not yet been inspected by the insurance; however, the contact stated the vehicle was destroyed. The vehicle was not repaired and remains at the contact residence. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI 11589731

Dec 12, 2023BrakesAirbagsCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that upon accelerating from a stop light, the vehicle in the right lane abruptly attempted a U-turn, colliding with the contact's vehicle on the front passenger side. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were illuminated at the time of the collision, but the ABS warning light had illuminated intermittently before the collision. A police report was filed, and injuries were reported. The contact did not seek immediate medical attention but was treated days later for a concussion, a fractured collar, a broken rib, a broken wrist, and two herniated discs. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the Malfunction Indicator Lamp sensors, determining that the air bag warning would have been illuminated had the sensors have been functioning properly. The vehicle was repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulics); the VIN was included but parts were not yet available. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but did not assist. The failure mileage was 40,000.

NHTSA ODI 11559686

Nov 29, 2023BrakesFire

The contact owned a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately at 40 MPH, smoke was being emitted from the vents on the dashboard. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact pulled over, stopped the vehicle, exited, and saw flames emitting from under the engine compartment. The contact opened the hood and saw that the engine compartment was engulfed in flames. The contact stated that he called the fire department. The contact stated that the fire department arrived and extinguished the fire, however the front end of the vehicle had been nearly consumed by the fire. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to an impound lot and later declared a total loss by his insurance provider. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The contact stated that he recently received a letter from the manufacturer for NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and related the fire to this campaign. The failure mileage was approximately 79,000.

NHTSA ODI 11557396

Nov 28, 2023BrakesAirbagsSpeed controlCrashFire1 injury

The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while pulling out of a parking spot, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she depressed the brake pedal several times, but the vehicle failed to respond and crashed into a building. The driver's side air bag deployed; however, there was flame in the air bag upon deployment. The contact stated that the fire went out on his own. The contact sustained chest pain, and bruises on the chest, stomach, and legs. The contact did not seek medical assistance and was recovering at home. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The contact later received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) that she related to the brake failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11557229

Oct 24, 2023AirbagsCrash

My wife was in an accident. She was doing 35 mph and hit a Honda Accord. The airbags in the Honda deployed, but the air bags in our Hyundai did not deploy.

NHTSA ODI 11551671

Oct 2, 2023Electrical systemBrakesFire

Light smoke, from ABS module leak recognized as recall, yet manufacturer is not initiating any fix

NHTSA ODI 11547732

Apr 18, 2023SteeringWheelsBrakesCrash

When you go to stop at a stop.sihn or in general it fails to do so. It locks up an I slide an almost hit people multiple times. Today I was backing out of a parking lot an when I went to turn my steering wheel straight it locked up an failed to let me counter steer it. Causing me to go over a curb an almost blow my tire out. Leaving my tire with a big bubble on the side of my tire. Eventually going to lead to a blow out.

NHTSA ODI 11517721

Sep 13, 2022AirbagsSeat beltsBrakesCrash1 injury

I rear ended another vehicle going 60, I slowed down as much as possible however the seat belt did not lock, the airbags did not go off & the vehicle skid. The vehicle was taken to a lot by my insurance for evaluation.

NHTSA ODI 11484221

Apr 21, 2020AirbagsCrash2 injuries

I WAS IN AN ACCIDENT TODAY. I WAS HIT BY A TRANSPORT TRUCK ON THE HIGHWAY DOING AT LEAST 60 MILES PER HOUR. I WAS HIT 3 TIMES, TWICE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE (DOOR AND BACK TIRE AREA) THEN CAR WAS SPUN AROUND AND HIT HEAD ON. THE CAR HAD TO BE DRAGGED IF THE HIGHWAY, EVERYTHING UNDER THE HOOD WAS ON THE ROAD AND WINDSHIELD CRACKED. THE HOOD WAS LIFTED RIGHT UP AT WINDSHIELD. I AM MORE THAN CONCERNED THE THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. WHY DID OUR AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOY??? AFTER SPINNING ACROSS HIGHWAY AND COMING TO A STOP FACING ON COMING TRAFFIC. WE WERE APPALLED AND VERY SCARED. WHY DIDN'T THAT SAFETY FEATURE HELP KEEP US SAFE?

NHTSA ODI 11321847

Jan 20, 2020AirbagsCrash1 injury

ON NOV 8TH 2019 I WAS T-BONED ON MY FRONT DRIVER SIDE, BY A DRIVER THAT RAN THEIR RED TRAFFIC LIGHT. MY LIGHT WAS GREEN AND I WAS IN MOTION THROUGH THE INTERSECTION. MY AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY DURING THE TIME OF IMPACT. I HAD TO BE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL IN AN AMBULANCE BECAUSE OF INJURIES. AS I READ COMPLAINTS THOUGH, I SEE PEOPLE AIRBAGS ARE DEPLOYING WITHOUT IMPACT.

NHTSA ODI 11300481

Dec 9, 2019Airbags1 injury

AIR BAG DEPLOYED WHILE DRIVING WITH OUT IMPACT.

NHTSA ODI 11287995

Oct 10, 2019Fire

THE HYUNDAI ELANTRA WAS STATIONARY AND HOOKED UP TO JUMPER CABLES TO JUMP A DEAD CAR. THE ELANTRA WAS RUNNING TO ALLOW THE OTHER CAR TO CHARGE. THE FUSE BOX ON THE ELANTRA CAUGHT FIRE WHICH SPREAD TO THE JUMPER CABLES AND TO THE OTHER CAR. THERE WAS MUCH MORE DAMAGE TO THE INTERIOR OF THE ELANTRA THAN THERE WAS TO THE OTHER CAR, WHICH ONLY HAD MINOR COSMETIC BURNING. THE FIRE STARTED IN THE ELANTRA AND THE DAMAGE HAS NOT YET BEEN ASSESSED.

NHTSA ODI 11267657

Sep 22, 2019AirbagsFuel systemCrash

I STOPPED AT A LIGHT AND WENT TO MOVE UP A FEW FEET. I TOUCHED THE GAS PETAL AND THE CAR FLEW INTO THE TRUCK IN FRONT OF ME. AIRBAG DID NOT DEPLOY WITH THIS FRONT END COLLISION. I WAS ON A 4 LANE DIVIDED HIGHWAY IN 5 O'CLOCK TRAFFIC. NO RAIN. I AM UNSURE IF IT WAS THE GAS PETAL OR SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE GAS LINE ITSELF

NHTSA ODI 11257197

Jul 30, 2019AirbagsCrash3 injuries

I T-BONED ANOTHER VEHICLE WHO TURNED ACROSS MY LANE IN FRONT OF ME. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 30 TO 35 MPH AND HIT THE OTHER VEHICLE ON THE PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR WITH THE FRONT END OF MINE. NONE OF MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED. I INJURED MY NECK DUE TO THAT CRASH. ALSO MY CHILD AND HUSBAND WERE INJURED AS WELL. I AM REPORTING A FAULTY 2015 HYUNDAI ELANTRA AIRBAG. IT DID NOT DEPLOY IN MY CRASH. WE WERE INJURED IN THE ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI 11240586

Apr 15, 2019BrakesFuel systemCrash

VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO A STOP WITH FOOT STILL DEPRESSING BRAKE PEDDLE. BRAKES RELEASED AND CAR SURGED FORWARD HITTING THE VEHICLE IN FRONT. THE VEHICLE WAS COMPLETELY STOPPED BEFORE LUNGING FORWARD ON SOUTHBOUD EXIT 185 OF I95 IN BANGOR MAINE04401

NHTSA ODI 11196535

May 9, 2018SuspensionBody & structureWheelsCrash

ON SUNDAY, APRIL 15, 2018, I WAS PREPARING TI MAKE A RIGHT TURN ON MERRIMAC AVE IN NORFOLK VA, ON MY WAY TO CHURCH,, WHEN I HEARD A LOUD SCREECHING NOISE AND LOSS OF STEERING. A CAR WITH NO OCCUPANT WAS SITTING TO CAR SPACES FROM THE CORNER AND MY CAR STRUCK THE CAR. I GOT OUT OF MY CAR AND SAW MY RIGHT FRONT WHEEL LAYING ON THE GROUND AND MY RIGHT FRONT FENDER WAS SMASHED. I CALLED THE POLICE AND AAA. WHEN TRIPLE AAA ARRIVED THE DRIVER SAID THAT MY AXLE WAS BENT. MY AIR BACK DID NOT IMPLOD. THE POLICE CAME AND SO SUMMONS WAS GIVEN, JUST A REPOTR THAT IT WAS A NON-REPORTABLE ACCIDENT. MY CAR HAS BEEN IN A COLLISION SHOP SINCE THAT DAY. THE SHOP CALLED AND SAID THERE WOULD BE A DELAY BECAUSE THE AXLE THE MANUFACTURE SENT WAS DAMAGED!! THE SHOP HAD TO ORDER ANOTHER AXLE . I WENT ON LINE TO DETERMINE IF THIS MODEL HAS HAD OTHER REPORT OF AXLE AND SUSPENSION DEFECTS AND THERE WAS ONE REPORT THAT WAS EXACTLY THE SAME AS MINE. IS IT POSSIBLE THAT THIS MODEL MAY BE A DEFECTED ? I DID NOT TAKE ANY PICTURES I HAD LOST MY CELL PHONE

NHTSA ODI 11092627

Feb 21, 2018Transmission & drivetrainEngineCrash

ONE MORNING I STARTED MY CAR LIKE ANY NORMAL DAY AND THERE WAS A TICKING SOUND. IT WAS COLD OUT THAT MORNING SO I DIDN'T THINK MUCH OF IT BUT I TOOK IT TO GET ITS OIL CHANGED THE NEXT DAY AND THATS THEY TOLD ME THAT IT WAS SOMETHING INTERNAL AND I SHOULD TAKE IT TO A DEALER. I TOOK IT TO A DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS AN ENGINE KNOCK AND THAT THE ONLY WAY TO FIX IT WAS TO BASICALLY GET A NEW ENGINE.

NHTSA ODI 11074012

Feb 20, 2018BrakesCrash

I WAS ON THE BELTWAY AND THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WAS BRAKING AND I PRESSED MY BRAKES TO THE FLOOR AND UPON IMPACT IT WAS STILL ROLLING. WE PULLED OVER AND I WAS UNABLE TO STOP THE CAR. I HAD TO PULL UP THE EMERGENCY BRAKE TO FINALLY STOP THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI 11073779

Aug 9, 2016AirbagsCrash

MOVING SLOWLY TO RIGHT LANE & AIRBAG DEPLOYED.

NHTSA ODI 10894275

Jul 5, 2016AirbagsCrashFire1 injury

COMING OUT OF LEFT HAND TURN, AIR BAG DEPLOYED, CAUSING CUTS & CHAFFS ON BOTH ARMS AND CAUSING ME TO HIT A CONCRETE MEDIUM BLOWING OUT 3 TIRES.

NHTSA ODI 10882742

Jun 15, 2016Fire

THE ELANTRA THAT HAD 18000 MILES ON IT BURST INTO FLAMES AFTER SETTING OVERNIGHT. THE CAR HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN SINCE THE NIGHT BEFORE AND IT BURST INTO FLAMES IN MY DRIVEWAY AND COMPLETELY BURNED UP. THE FIRE DEPARTMENT HAD TO COME OUT AND PUT THE CAR OUT. THEY INVESTIGATED THE FIRE AND FOUND THERE WAS NO FOUL PLAY. IT IS UNKNOWN TO US WHAT CAUSED THE FIRE BUT WE FEEL IT HAD TO BE SOMETHING ELECTRICAL.

NHTSA ODI 10874497

May 25, 2016AirbagsCrash2 injuries

I WAS IN A CAR ACCIDENT WHERE I WAS MOVING AT ABOUT 2-5MPH TURNING LEFT AND STRUCK DIRECTLY ON THE DRIVER SIDE DOOR, THE VEHICLE THAT STRUCK ME WAS GOING ABOUT 40MPH AND WAS TRAVELING STRAIGHT ON THE ROAD. BOTH VEHICLES WERE TOWED AWAY FROM THE SCENE. NONE OF MY AIR BAGS, EVEN THE DRIVER DOOR AIR BAGS DESIGNED TO GO OFF IN THIS TYPE OF ACCIDENT WERE DEPLOYED. I SMASHED THE LEFT SIDE OF MY HEAD INTO THE WINDOW OF MY CAR , A CUT ACROSS MY LEFT CLAVICLE, RECEIVED FACIAL BRUISING, A CONCUSSION, AND AM HAVING ONGOING MEDICAL ISSUES RELATED TO WHIPLASH AND THE DISPLACEMENT OF MY NECK SPINE AND SHOULDERS. I ALSO HAD A PASSENGER IN MY VEHICLE WHO IS ALSO HAVING ON GOING MEDICAL ISSUES. THE DRIVER DOOR ON THIS CAR WAS COMPLETELY CAVED IN AND WOULD NOT OPEN, AND THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE BACK DOOR ON THE DRIVER SIDE ALSO. THE AIRBAGS NOT BEING DEPLOYED WHEN THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO IS A SAFETY HAZARD TO THE DRIVER AND PASSENGERS IN THIS CAR. OVER $7500 OF DAMAGES WERE MADE TO THIS 2015 HYUNDAI ELANTRA.

NHTSA ODI 10870854

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Working with the data? Download all 258 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 14, 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 2015 Hyundai Elantra Hev verdict →