Home · 2018 Hyundai Elantra · Complaints

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)

5 of 274 complaints match · Electrical system · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Nov 16, 2025Electrical systemEngineFuel systemCrash1 injury

Initial Fault Code: P0303 Replaced all 4 spark plugs and all 4 ignition coils. The check engine light extinguished momentarily but returned, logging P0303 and a new P0301 Replaced all 4 fuel injectors. CEL extinguished momentarily and then returned, logging P0303. Replaced the entire engine electrical harness. Concurrently, all related electrical components and connectors were meticulously cleaned with professional contact cleaner. CEL extinguished for significantly longer period of time, and then returned, re-logging P0303 and P0301. Thid suggested the ECU was "handshaking" with new components but re-logging the fault upon detecting the persistent core issue. A full compression test was performed. All cylinders reported results within specification. Using a borescope I inspected cylinder walls in piston tops. There was significant carbon residue buildup but nothing out of the ordinary for similar GDI engines. I still performed a PEA GDI specific chemical cleaning. It was a a little smoother afterwards, but the misfire persisted and CEL remained on. I also removed, cleaned, and tested common sensor faults, with no result. Also p0128 code and no start / electrical drain, and engine light started flashing numerous occasions had to stop the vehicle. I tried swapping the coils, but all that proved was that the coil was good, I did a power and ground test, it passed the connector had 12 plus volt power and a perfect resistance to static ground. The signal wire from the coil connector had perfect continuity to the ECU but had OL to chassis ground showing there was no short. A test light was used to see if anything was coming from the signal wire to the ignition coil and that test failed, there was no signal pulse. The diagnostic process has definitively proven a component-level failure inside the engine control unit. See attached file for more detailed information.

NHTSA ODI 11699689

Sep 28, 2023Electrical systemEngineFire

WHILE DRIVING, HEARD A LOUD POP THEN SMOKE CAME FROM THE ENGINE. THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FLASHED THEN WENT OUT. A PASSER BY COMING FROM THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION STOPPED AND TOLD ME THAT MY CAR WAS ON FIRE. I GOT OUT AND THERE WAS A SMALL FIRE ON THE GROUNG UNDERNEITH MY CAR. THEN OPENED THE HOOD WHERE THERE WAS A SMALL FIRE BEHIND THE ENGINE. ANOTHER TRUCK PASSING BY HAD A FIRE ESTINGUISHER AND PUT THE FIRE OUT. THERE WAS OIL ALL OVER THE ROAD. CALLED A WRECKER SERVICE TO COME AND PICK IT UP. UPON DELIVERY OF MY VEHICLE, THERE WAS OIL ALL OVER THE WRECKER. I'M VERY LUCKY TO HAVE HAD SOMEONE COME BY TO PUT THE FIRE OUT. I COULD OF BEEN IN THE CAR AND BEEN BURNED. THE INSURANCE COMPANY HAS BEEN OUT AND DONE A FULL REPORT ON IT. THERE WERE NO WARNING LIGHT THAT CAME ON DETECTING ANY ISSUES.

NHTSA ODI 11547127

Oct 13, 2021Electrical systemBrakesEngineFire

About month ago Sept the car would shut off when driving or stopping and find out it oil I had changed at the tire shop it was changed 2 n half months before that once oil changed running good low tire light ,oil light flash off and on at time well as of 10/12/2021 started do it my again so I check oil there no oil werid where oil go no leak on ground when I leave wherever I parked well went to Walmart get oil put oil in it and started driving not even more 35 miles bout sudden smoke coming from under engine then smell fire I pull over in parking lot at restaurant ran put fire out and it got worse trying grab my stuff and bf with me fire went inside car and under the car hear siren firemen coming if they hadn't gotten there when they did it almost went to the gas tank could of exploded firemen said look like electrical cause fire . Engine light ,oil and tire light were on now undrivable .

NHTSA ODI 11436659

Jul 16, 2020Electrical systemBody & structureEngineFire

ON JUNE 29,2020 MY 2018 HYUNDAI ELANTRA WITH ONLY 40,000 HAD A ENGINE FIRE AND TOTALED MY ENTIRE CAR THAT WAS PARKED AND TURNED OFF INSIDE OF MY GARAGE

NHTSA ODI 11339703

Jun 4, 2020Electrical systemCrash

CAR SHUTS OFF WHILE DRIVING AND AT LOW SPEED WHICH COST ME AN ACCIDENT AND ALMOST MY LIFE AND MY UNBORN I HAD THE CAR FOR ABOUT A YEAR IT FIRST STARTED TWO MONTHS AFTER I GOT THE CAR IT CUT OFF AT A LIGHT I WAS ABLE TO TURN IT ON IT DID IT TWICE THAN NEVER AGAIN UNTIL RECENTLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11327295

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 →