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What 53 owners told NHTSA about the 2023 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 (53)Crash / fire / injury (6)Electrical system (17)Driver assistance (13)Transmission & drivetrain (9)Speed control (8)Brakes (5)Engine (4)Steering (4)Airbags (3)Fuel system (3)Lane Departure (3)

6 of 53 complaints match · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jan 2, 2026Transmission & drivetrainAirbagsSpeed controlCrash

I was performing a low-speed maneuver to reverse-park into my driveway. After making a right turn between my driveway and the driveway of a neighboring townhouse across the street, I came to a complete stop. When I shifted the vehicle into reverse, the vehicle did not reverse as expected and instead unexpectedly accelerated forward. I applied the brake but was unable to stop the vehicle before it traveled forward into the driveway across the street and struck the garage door of a neighboring townhouse. The maneuver was being performed at low speed. Weather conditions were clear, and the driveway surface was dry. The cause of the unexpected acceleration is unknown at this time. No warning lights, messages, or alerts were observed prior to or during the incident. Immediately following the collision, I placed the vehicle into park and applied the parking brake, at which point the vehicle came to rest. Upon impact, the driver-side front airbag deployed. Smoke and a burning odor were observed coming from the deployed airbag. The incident posed a safety risk due to the vehicle’s unexpected forward movement during a low-speed maneuver and resulted in property damage. No injuries were reported. The vehicle remains available for inspection.

NHTSA ODI 11708433

Mar 12, 2025SteeringCrash

When driving in bad weather the car started to slide when my husband tried to turn the steering wheel and the steering wheel locked not allowing him to turn the car to avoid the curb. My husband has driven in snow for years as he was born in upstate NY and he has never had a vehicle lock when sliding.

NHTSA ODI 11647994

Apr 29, 2024BrakesDriver assistanceCrash

1. What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Ans: The Forward Collision Warning didn't detect any vehicle ahead of me at the time of collision which caused the crash. 2. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Ans: Me and my co passenger were luckily not injured but got almost killed during the collision. 3. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Ans: The dealership or the Hyundai Motor America couldn't replicate this issue. They didn't answer the question to why the detection didnt happen during the crash and why my Automatic Emergency Braking failed. 4. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Ans: Yes, Hyundai Motor America had a 3rd party company named Bosch inspect the vehicle to check for any fault during the time of cash. 5. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? Ans: No there was no warning signs displayed during the time of collision and no signs after the collision as well. Funny part after the collision my front bumper came off, my headlights broke, and many other components were damaged like my air conditioning and my seat heater and stuff but none of those issues showed in my blue link report(a report that shows any signs of warnings or crash detection's) that came to me the next business day in my email from Hyundai.

NHTSA ODI 11585829

Dec 25, 2023Driver assistanceCrash

On December 24 2023, the vehicle's forward collision warning failed. My son has a learner's permit. He was driving the car under my supervision. He pulled into a parking lot and hit a light post. We did not receive a warning, nor did the automobile automatically apply the brakes to avert the collision. There were no injuries. There was no property damage, except for our vehicle. I did not notify the police. In retrospect, we never hear alarms or warning when pulling into our narrow garage. Our other vehicles with the same safety feature do offer an alert in that context. I think the forward collision warning system is defective on this Hyundai Elantra. I have filed an insurance claim and notified the dealership by email. Next steps are pending after we hear back from our auto insurance claims adjuster.

NHTSA ODI 11561751

Jun 13, 2023Electrical systemAirbagsCrash2 injuries

I was rear ended and the air bags didn't deploy. The police and body shop said they should have. The car is unmodified and dealer serviced

NHTSA ODI 11526901

Jan 7, 20231 injury

Sunroof exploded while driving

NHTSA ODI 11500635

Working with the data? Download all 53 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 13, 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 2023 Hyundai Elantra Hev verdict →