Hyundai Elantra Reliability

11,853 NHTSA complaints (1992–2025). Complaint rate: 95.4 per 1,000 vehicles.

Severity Score
223.9
Complaints
11,853
Crash Rate
10.7%
Fire Rate
2.5%
Injuries
978
Fatalities
18

Hyundai Elantra Generations

Manufacturer redesigns the car every few years (a “generation”). Each generation has different engineering and common issues. Click a generation to see year-by-year breakdown.

GenerationYearsComplaints
Gen 11992–1995374
Gen 21996–2000851
Gen 32001–20061,784
Gen 42007–20101,598
Gen 52011–20164,612
2011588View→
2012913View→
20131,846View→
2014541View→
2015344View→
2016380View→
Gen 62017–20202,056
Gen 72021–present578

Which Years to Buy & Avoid

Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.

Bottom line: Avoid the 2010–2014 Hyundai Elantra (383 crash-related complaints). The 2022–2023 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: ENGINE.

Avoid These Years

2010–2014
~877/yr complaints · 383 crashes
2017
~1,054/yr complaints · 57 crashes

Average

1997
~196/yr complaints
2000–2004
~331/yr complaints
2006–2009
~328/yr complaints
2015–2016
~362/yr complaints

Better Years

2022–2023
~131/yr complaints
2005
~180/yr complaints
1998–1999
~129/yr complaints
1992–1996
~102/yr complaints

Too New

2024–2025
110 complaints so far

Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.

Looking at a specific Hyundai Elantra?

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Complaints by Model Year

NHTSA complaint count per model year

Hyundai Elantra — Complaints by Model YearPeak: 2013 (1,846)
05311,0611,5922,123199219951998200120042007201020132016201920222025

Common Hyundai Elantra Problems

Most reported component complaints to NHTSA

ComponentComplaintsCrash %
ENGINE1,5652.7%
STEERING1,1006.4%
AIR BAGS96732.5%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM8803.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER7985.1%
SERVICE BRAKES57317.1%
POWER TRAIN4243.1%
SUSPENSION4074.4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL35724.6%
STRUCTURE:BODY34011.5%

Year-by-Year Breakdown

NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.

YearGenerationComplaintsCrashesFiresDetails
1992GOODGen 14615View→
1993GOODGen 13921View→
1994GOODGen 1110262View→
1995GOODGen 1179325View→
1996GOODGen 2138114View→
1997Gen 219626—View→
1998GOODGen 27510—View→
1999GOODGen 2183244View→
2000Gen 2259432View→
2001Gen 344510010View→
2002Gen 3431807View→
2003Gen 3310591View→
2004Gen 3209323View→
2005GOODGen 3180435View→
2006Gen 320937—View→
2007Gen 43642619View→
2008Gen 44235739View→
2009Gen 43163916View→
2010AVOIDGen 44956717View→
2011AVOIDGen 55882911View→
2012AVOIDGen 59137214View→
2013AVOIDGen 51,84615756View→
2014AVOIDGen 55415820View→
2015Gen 53444512View→
2016Gen 5380306View→
2017AVOIDGen 61,054576View→
2018Gen 63861412View→
2019Gen 6314195View→
2020Gen 63023011View→
2021Gen 7207111View→
2022GOODGen 712751View→
2023GOODGen 713411—View→
2024TOO NEWGen 78611—View→
2025TOO NEWGen 7244—View→

See also: Hyundai Elantraaccident & safety statistics from our vehicle history database.

Buying a Hyundai Elantra?

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Hyundai Elantra Years to Avoid (1992–2025) — Reliability, Problems & Best Years to Buy | VinItel