What 274 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Hyundai Elantra

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.

NHTSA ODI 11505198

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

NHTSA ODI 11503464

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.

NHTSA ODI 11501833

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.

NHTSA ODI 11495563

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.

NHTSA ODI 11492952

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.

NHTSA ODI 11490273

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.

NHTSA ODI 11487254

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.

NHTSA ODI 11484966

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

NHTSA ODI 11484395

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.

NHTSA ODI 11484157

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.

NHTSA ODI 11484291

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.

NHTSA ODI 11480094

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.

NHTSA ODI 11477963

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.

NHTSA ODI 11475890

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.

NHTSA ODI 11472572

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.

NHTSA ODI 11472184

Multiple events of engine shutoff while driving. This results in loss of power braking, power steering and any acceleration. This occurs both at highway and non-highway speeds. This is obviously a safety concern, as, until the engine is restarted, there is difficulty in safely manuevering the vehicle. The engine may or may not be immediately able to restart. This occurs with the vehicle in gear during normal driving conditions (IE, driving at a steady speed on flat road) This is accompanied by multiple CEL faults relating to CCV timing, engine misfire, etc. This was a known issue in prior engine revision (Theta 2.0L), and appears to be subject to a recall of the same engine (Nu 2.0L) in other models. This vehicle was taken to the local dealer and confirmed to need an engine replacement with a similar failure mechanism as the Theta 2.0L (failed lubrication of pistons resulting in premature wear leading to early failure resulting in misfire/"piston slap")

NHTSA ODI 11469552

I just purchased this car on may 10 2022 after only having it a week engine light came on.startes to loose power and shake really bad. Took to shop replaced spark plugs and some other .think that was just a week ago .now while driving to day car just cuts of now don't wants to start.no waring lights just died .wondering do I have a lemon.

NHTSA ODI 11468352

At slow speeds car just shuts off engine. Starts back up but does it constantly. Also the engine lifters are starting to make noises like a clacking someone said it was a defective motor.

NHTSA ODI 11466189

I've had several issues over the years with this vehicle but nothing too major but more so a nuisance. Such as the car hesitating when accelerating, light bulbs constantly burning out on the vehicle within less than a year of being replaced by myself , etc. It is now April 2022 and vehicle problems begin arising, I heard a weird noise coming from the engine (after much personal research learned this is a knocking sound). Which also happens to be the same issue from the prior year models. One day while out running errands the car just completely dies and goes into limp mode while I was turning onto a busy street (very dangerous). I drove it a very short distance back & forth to work a couple of times because thats as far as I felt going safety wise. The engine jerked forward one day but still continued to run. Then one day on my way home from work when I began slowing down to turn into a driveway. The car completely died again. It went into limp mode enough for me to creep and barely park it where I ended up having to get out & push the vehicle. It doesn't turn over or start at all now. The car gave absolutely no warnings no codes for me to turn to regarding what was going on etc. Hyundai says in order for it to be covered under the warranty that I have to provide them with information. Which I have no problem doing. However based on the research that I've done from other Hyundai Elantra owners others have had similar issues. My Car is barely 4 years old & only has about 65,000 miles on it. I went with Hyundai's because I wanted something that would be safe and reliable especially because I had a child coming into the world at any moment. I ended up going with this vehicle which isn't even 5 years old & it has already become a lemon. Hyundai currently has the vehicle as I try to figure out what to do with it. Since I no longer feel safe driving it. There are no warning lamps etc that came on.

NHTSA ODI 11465352

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the accelerator pedal was depressed however, the vehicle did not drive smoothly. The contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil and fuel. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

NHTSA ODI 11463454

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer replaced several unknown sensors; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and it was diagnosed that the engine needed to be replaced due to oil clogging the valves. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,644.

NHTSA ODI 11462573

Engine would randomly idle mild to very rough when started and would sometimes correct and sometimes not correct while driving. This would turn on the check engine light for a misfire on cylinder 4. All ignition coils were replaced, and same code would happen. Hyundai was aware of this being a widespread issue and did a software update (Tech Bulletin 90C042R1). The problem continued, but seemed the check engine light would not come on as soon as before the software upgrade. Took back to dealership and they said the ignition coils would need to be Hyundai brand, change cylinder 4 to OEM and still having the issue. Engine also burns about 1 quart of oil every 7000 miles and often has a rough idle, with very rough idle periodically. I feel this would put myself and others on the road in danger if the engine were to fail while driving due to the ongoing damage rough idling appears to be causing to the engine.

NHTSA ODI 11462505

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that after starting the vehicle, the vehicle began to shake and vibrate and the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that two cylinders were misfiring. No further information was available. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 55,000.

NHTSA ODI 11457657

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while his daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled. While driving and turning the steering wheel was firm. Additionally, the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of oil. The driver added oil to the engine. There was an abnormal sound detected. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer and informed them to schedule an appointment. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no further assistance was provided. The approximate failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA ODI 11457159