Hyundai Elantra Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data

Dear NHTSA, I am writing to formally report a safety concern regarding my vehicle involved in a car accident on December 19, 2025. Details of the incident: Vehicle Make/Model/Year:Elantra SEL Sport 2025 Vehicle Identification Number (VIN): [XXX] Date of Accident: December 19, 2025 Location of Accident: Dec 16,2025. Silver Spring, MD the Takoma Park. City of Takoma Park Police 7500 Maple ave Takoma 20912 Nature of Accident: Rear-end collision; the back of my vehicle was pushed in. Airbags: Did not deploy during the collision. Injuries Sustained: Significant back injury requiring medical attention. Despite the collision, the vehicle’s airbags failed to deploy, which I believe is a safety defect. I am concerned that this poses a serious risk to myself and other passengers. I am requesting that NHTSA: Investigate the potential airbag defect in my vehicle. Determine if there are recalls, safety notices, or manufacturer defects associated with this make and model. Provide guidance on any additional actions I should take regarding safety and potential claims. Attachments: Photos of vehicle damage Accident report / police report XXX Medical documentation of injuries I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter. Please let me know if you require any additional information. Sincerely, INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Anytime vehicle is over 35mph brakes fail, vehicle has to coast to a lower speed before you can engage braking. When you attempt to brake at the higher speeds, it click click clicks repeatedly while depressed fully, a mild grind and force against foot from pedal once you coast enough it suddenly will make the sounds less then all the sudden brakes work. Called one dealer (Hyundai sherman oaks CA) and as soon as we said brakes don't work over 35mph were hung up on, twice. The exact same words. Then downtown LA Hyundai basically said we don't accept tow one right now which obviously a non braking car won't drive. Hyundai of America is the ones that called downtown and connected us to them aware of the issues and time frame as we had just purchased the car from carvana and it was this way on delivery. Now returning vehicle to carvana since we can't seem to get a dealer to repair even though it has warranty.

The “consider taking a break” is extremely distracting and this feature is unable to be disabled. Spurious alarms create a distracting, unsafe driving condition, contrary to what it is aiming for.

Excessive vibration starting at 50 MPH. Its so bad that you hand becomes numb after one hour of driving. The vibration and shake gets so bad over 65 MPH that it becomes unless for a long trip. Vibration is happening on a 2025 Hyundai Elantra hybrid blue trim after 2,000 milles on a brand new vehicle purcahsed 2 months ago from Platinum Hyundai in Tracy, CA. Took it back to the same dealer twice for repairs. First they did wheel balance, and second time they did alignment. After both repair they said issue was fixed, but nothing changed, as it continues the same level of vibration over 50 MPH. Issue still presist and now Platinum Hyundai dealership in Tracy, CA says that is normal. If you are having same issue, please file complaints with NHTSA, so maybe they can do a recall on the vehicles. Hyundai Corporation of America is useless, as selling defective vehicles! THIS IS PERFECT EXAMPLE WHY I SHOULD HAVE BOUGHT AMERICAN QUALITY MADE VEHICLES, instead of JUNK FROM HYUNDAI!

Component/System Involved: Driver-side rear seat back latch / locking mechanism. The rear seat back would not latch or lock in the upright position. The vehicle and seat are available for inspection upon request. Description of the Incident: During normal use of the vehicle, the driver-side rear seat back unexpectedly moved forward because it was not latched. At the time of the incident, we were not aware that the seat back would not latch or could not be secured in the upright position. The condition was discovered only after the incident occurred. Safety Risk: Because the driver-side rear seat back was not latched, the seat back or attached child seat moved forward and struck a child passenger seated in the rear. This created a serious risk of injury and represents a failure of a safety-related interior component. Confirmation / Reproduction: After the incident, attempts were made to secure the driver-side rear seat back. The seat could not be latched under any condition. A Hyundai dealership later inspected the vehicle, confirmed there was an issue, and ordered parts. A dealer representative stated on video that a component appeared to be missing. Inspections: The vehicle has been inspected by a Hyundai dealership. No collision occurred. The vehicle has not been modified. Warnings or Prior Symptoms: There were no warning lights, messages, or indicators. No prior warning or indication of the seat latch failure was known before the incident. Cause (Best Assessment): UNKNOWN. Based on post-incident inspection and dealer findings, the condition appears consistent with a defective, improperly installed, or missing rear seat latch component from the factory.

The “Consider Taking a Break” notification while driving is incredibly loud and distracting even when on the lowest setting and can repeat up to every 20’ while driving. While it is helpful to take a break on extended trips, it is not reasonable to stop that frequently. On long drives, this alert becomes nothing more than an irritant and distraction. There is no option to disable or silence this warning outside of turning off ALL safety notification sounds.I will probably do that just to avoid this notification, which compromises all of the other safety notification sounds that are far more important (ex. Lane departure, forward collision, and blind spot detection).

RE: 2025 HYUNDAI ELANTRA LIMITED AUTOMATIC BRAKE CONTROL On a recent road trip, the automatic brake system activated twice in a manner that could have put our lives at risk. The list below applies to both incidents: On a four lane interstate highway at approximately 70 mph. Wide, level median. Full daylight. Dry pavement. Unlimited visibility. Flat landscape. No objects in the median or anywhere abutting the lanes. No wind. No car for at least a mile ahead of us, none next to us. Brakes were suddenly applied by the “assist.” Brakes so violent we were pushed forward in our seatbelts. Second incident so violent and persistent I started to pull off to the side of the lane for fear of being struck from behind. In both incidents, the “assist” eventually quit. Had this happened with a semi behind us unable to slow down fast enough we could have been severely injured or killed. Apparently, the “assist” cannot be turned off for good. Since the above incidents, we did try to shut off the’”assist" but it was back in operation the next time we started the car. This situation needs to be addressed. The “assist” seemed to want to assist us into an early grave.

The car has a "take a coffee break"warning light that dings when it comes on. It will randomly go off even if you don't leave your lane or cross a line. It's distracting and sometimes will go off if you have to veer around an object in the road making you think there's some other issue that you have missed, like a car beside you or something. Other times it will go off if you're just driving down the middle of the lane but wind is shaking the car, distracting you making you think there's an actual issue. There appears to be no way to turn this "feature" off and in traffic is very distracting and could cause an accident.

The “consider taking a break” warning pops up way too frequently and cannot be disabled. It completes the exact opposite of its intended purpose, and actually is a danger to driving, as it diverts your attention away from the road. It has no maximum warnings either - so it can divert your attention and distract you every few minutes for as long as you are driving.

When driving there’s a feature that flashes across the screen saying consider taking a break and makes noise. This happens especially during inclement weather and is an incredible distraction that I cannot disable.

Vehicle’s sunroof glass spontaneously exploded while driving. No rock or other foreign object impacted it. Interior shade below glass was closed at the time of the incident. Loud pop heard. Glass appeared blown up and out from explosion. Vehicle was a rental vehicle owned by Enterprise Car Rental.

Driver Attention Warning System. It is often incorrect, and EXTREMELY annoying, and distracting. It can not be shut off. It does not understand that wind, and potholes cause somewhat erratic driving habits, coupled with overly sensitive steering systems. Issue occurred on the Maine Turnpike, at legal speeds, and persisted for the entire journey from Gray to Houlton. Approximately EVERY five minutes, I would get an alert.