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What 274 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 Hyundai Elantra

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 (274)Crash / fire / injury (20)Engine (135)Electrical system (42)Transmission & drivetrain (24)Fuel system (23)Lights (16)Brakes (15)Steering (15)Body & structure (14)Speed control (13)Airbags (11)

6 of 274 complaints match · Airbags · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Nov 20, 2024AirbagsCrash1 injury

I was in a car accident. I was hit on the passenger rear side and the car spun out of control but none of the airbags deployed. The vehicle has not been inspected by the manufacturer but we did reach out to them and are in the process of filling out a questionnaire. The vehicle is currently being assessed in a body shop as we work with the insurance to see the final damages.

NHTSA ODI 11626528

Jul 2, 2023AirbagsCrash

Was involved in accident on interstate. The car in front of me began decelerating and as a result, I did the same. The car behind me crashed into me at high speed and pushed me into the car in front. (3 cars involved total). The front and rear ends of my car were completely crushed to the point where the drivers door will not open more than about a foot. At no point did my airbags deploy. My car is serviced regularly and no warning lights were on. I was not injured but am extremely lucky that this was the case. A police report was filed.

NHTSA ODI 11529995

Nov 4, 2022AirbagsCrash

The contact owns a 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the contact crashed into a deer causing severe damage to the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. No injuries were sustained. No medical attention was required. A police report was filed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The dealer nor the manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 163,000.

NHTSA ODI 11492236

Dec 27, 2021AirbagsCrash

When I first purchase the car It was stated that i had no issues, I have records stating this. Also, I was having tremendous issues with the tires. Four months later I encountered an car accident. I was getting off of an exit and as I was getting off there was a car in the middle of the street that was broken down with no hazardous lights on. I suspected that the car was moving but it was not. As I am braking I was somewhat too close to the car and I ended up hitting the back of the car. At this time, the air bags did not deploy. Once the car was evaluated by the insurance company the car was considered totaled. The insurance company took the car to a salvage. This could have taken my life.

NHTSA ODI 11445043

Dec 22, 2021AirbagsCrash1 injury

Had a car accident, airbags did not deploy but the airbag light was on. Insurance inspector said they inflated but did not come out of their housing. The airbags did not deploy upon impact. I attached pictures of the accident to show the airbags did not deploy.

NHTSA ODI 11444671

Apr 18, 2019AirbagsCrash1 injury

VEHICLE HAD THE RIGHT AWAY AND WAS GOING STRAIGHT AND ANOTHER VEHICLE ROLLED A STOP AND BOTH CARS INTERSECTED.

NHTSA ODI 11197193

Working with the data? Download all 274 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 2018 Hyundai Elantra verdict →