Your vehicle report
2018 Hyundai Elantra
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 284
- Received Jan 2018 to Oct 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Engine burns excessive oil between changes19 complaints · 6.7% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Engine suddenly shuts off while driving17 complaints · 6.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Paint peels off roof and hood16 complaints · 5.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
No recalls naming this model year are listed in this data. This does not establish that your vehicle is free of safety problems.
View recall detailsBrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
- Engine burns excessive oil between changesFirst signal: Mar 2024
- Paint peels off roof and hoodFirst signal: Jan 2022
- Check engine light comes on repeatedlyFirst signal: Nov 2022
Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 12 crashes, 7 fires, 6 people injured, 1 death.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
- TPMS valve stems break or leak
- Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly
- Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed
1 more problem
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2018 | 25 |
| 2019 | 21 |
| 2020 | 20 |
| 2021 | 27 |
| 2022 | 50 |
| 2023 | 39 |
| 2024 | 40 |
| 2025 | 36 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 26 |
| Total | 284 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine burns excessive oil between changes | 19 | 6.7% | 10.4× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Mar 2024 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 1.2% |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 17 | 6.0% | – | |
| Paint peels off roof and hood | 16 | 5.6% | 15.5× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Jan 2022 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 0.2% |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 15 | 5.3% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 12 | 4.2% | 3.5× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Nov 2022 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 0.7% |
| Engine knocking from rod or main bearings | 12 | 4.2% | – | |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 11 | 3.9% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 10 | 3.5% | – | |
| Ignition key sticks or will not turn | 7 | 2.5% | – | |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 7 | 2.5% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 6 | 2.1% | 2× | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 5 | 1.8% | – | |
| TPMS valve stems break or leak | 5 | 1.8% | – | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 5 | 1.8% | – | |
| Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off | 4 | 1.4% | – | |
| Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly | 4 | 1.4% | – | |
| Steering wanders or pulls at highway speed | 4 | 1.4% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips | 3 | 1.1% | – | |
| Suspension clunking or rattling noise over bumps | 3 | 1.1% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
No safety recalls naming the 2018 Hyundai Elantra are listed in the data through October 2026. Check your VIN with NHTSA for current information; an empty list is not a safety assessment.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2018 Hyundai Elantra.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN