Hyundai Elantra N Reliability by YearBest & worst years, problems & recalls — NHTSA data
Comparing used Hyundai Elantra N options? We analyzed 5 model years (2022–2026) using real NHTSA complaint and recall data so you can spot stronger years, avoid riskier ones, and know what to inspect before buying.
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- Accident & damage history
- Odometer rollback records
- Open recalls & title brands
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the Hyundai Elantra N has 38 owner complaints and 6 safety recalls across model years 2022–2026. The most reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. 2022 drew the most complaints; 2025 drew the fewest.
- Make
- Hyundai
- Model
- Elantra N
- Model years analyzed
- 2022–2026 (5 years)
- Total NHTSA complaints
- 38
- Safety recall campaigns
- 6
- Crash-related complaints
- 3
- Fire-related complaints
- 0
- Worst model year (by complaints)
- 2022 (16 complaints)
- Best model year (fewest complaints)
- 2025 (7 complaints)
- Top reported issue area
- ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
- Reliability signal
- Average
By model year
Hyundai Elantra N: which years to avoid & which to buy
Based on total NHTSA owner complaints per model year. Higher complaint counts indicate a riskier year to buy used — lower counts suggest a cleaner reliability record.
These years have the most owner complaints. Inspect carefully and always run a VIN check.
These years have the fewest owner complaints on record — lower risk starting points.
Crash test ratings
NHTSA NCAP crash test ratings
New Car Assessment ProgramNCAP crash tests measure how well a vehicle protects occupants in controlled frontal crash, side crash, and rollover scenarios. Stars are awarded per category (5 = safest). These laboratory results are independent of owner complaints and are performed by NHTSA engineers on new production vehicles.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings
What the complaint data suggests
AverageThe HYUNDAI ELANTRA N has 38 NHTSA complaints and 6 recalls on record. 3 complaints involve crash-related incidents. This data reflects owner-reported issues submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- 38 total complaints filed with NHTSA
- 6 federal recall campaigns
- 3 crash-related complaints on record
- Review NHTSA complaint history for the most-reported components
- Check recall completion status at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Verify service records for frequently complained components
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with elevated complaint rates.
Consult the by-year breakdown to identify model years with fewer reported issues.
- Run a VIN check on the specific vehicle you are considering
- Verify all open recalls are completed at nhtsa.gov/recalls
- Request service records for the most-reported complaint components
- Have a certified mechanic inspect the vehicle before purchase
Problems by model year (best vs. worst)
Source: NHTSA public complaints database. Updated: Aug 2026
Safety recalls
NHTSA safety recalls
6 recalls foundSafety recalls are mandatory repair campaigns ordered by NHTSA when a vehicle defect poses an unreasonable risk to safety. Manufacturers are required to fix recalled vehicles free of charge. Always verify open recalls before buying a used car.
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP:CONTROL/DRIVE MODULE
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP:CONTROL/DRIVE MODULE
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
AIR BAGS:SENSOR:SIDE IMPACT
Source: NHTSA Recalls Database. Data covers model years 2022–2026. Always run a VIN-specific check below for the most up-to-date open recall status.
Common problems
What goes wrong most often
The vehicle systems owners complain about most, ranked from all 38 NHTSA complaints — these are the areas to inspect first on a used car.
Owner complaints
NHTSA complaint reports
38 totalThese are consumer-submitted safety complaints filed directly with NHTSA. Each complaint describes a real owner's experience. Complaints flagged as crash-related or fire-related are highlighted.
-I tried to use my horn to warn another driver ahead, but it was not producing any sound. -Everyone's safety was at risk because of a distracted driver that I was not able to get their attention due to the horn failing. -Yes, dealership verifies that the issue is present but refuses to repair. Many people online have experienced Hyundai horns failing. -Only dealership -No
Throw out bearing leak, resulting in excessive loss of brake fluid and potential for reduced braking ability. Low brake fluid warning light illuminated and was reported to Suburban Hyundai of Troy around 6,000 miles and again around 10,000 miles. Dealer confirmed leak was occurring at throw out bearing, and impacted clutch friction material as well, which could result in a potential inability to accelerate depending on fluid accumulation on clutch. Upon confirmation, dealer replaced throw out bearing, clutch, and perfomed brake fluid flush.
The subframe is pressed against the hard brake line. Hyundai is denying warranty claim saying this couldn’t have happened from factory, yet the subframe hasn’t ever been removed and there no evidence of it.
I had turned onto my road when I had to stop just before pulling into my driveway to park when my neighbor began backing up. I saw he was getting close to my vehicle so I began to hit the horn only to find out that it’s inoperable. Unfortunately, since my horn wasn’t working, my car ended up getting hit. Earlier this past week, I had just received a letter in the mail from Hyundai explaining they were extending the warranty on the horns for my model. If my horn was operable at this time, this accident could have been avoided. • the horn failed to operate when I went to hit it to get the other drivers attention only to find out it’s inoperable. • my safety could have definitely been more at risk if it were a higher impact situation. Thankfully it wasn’t. • the problem was acknowledged by Hyundai of America to the point that they sent out extended warranty notices to vehicle owners of my year and model vehicle. But I feel as though this should be a safety recall rather than a than an extended warranty notice. • the last time the horn was inspected by my local Hyundai dealer was in October 2024 during the routine NYS inspection. • there were no warning lights or notification in the computer system in my vehicle stating that my horn had stopped working. I had found out my horn wasn’t working in that very instance when my vehicle got hit by the other vehicle.
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Elantra N. The contact stated that there was an oil leak underneath the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer a total of 4 times. The dealer completed an oil consumption test and found that the engine was consuming one quart of engine oil every 100 miles driven. The vehicle had failed the oil consumption test twice. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and opened a case. The failure mileage was approximately 1,520.
Code P1326 coming on after car wash. This a known issue across the cars community. Remedy needs to be taken, goes into limp mode on interstate speeds which is very dangerous.
Read 14 more owner reports
Hyundai dealership “fixed” the recall on my car a few weeks ago. This morning my car stalled out on the highway twice due to fuel pump issues, one of those resulting in my car hitting a guardrail. Every warning light went on in the car and a service message to make an appointment at the dealership popped up. I do not believe this vehicle is safe to keep using
I find myself in this situation due to a defect in my 2023 Hyundai, which is under Full Factory Warranty. I have had all my required services completed by Hyundai on time, and as the consumer had no idea anything was wrong with my vehicle. On 31 August 2024, just 25 days after being service by Hyundai Yuma on 6 August 2024, this defect caused a catastrophic failure in my front driver side tire resulting in damage to my vehicle. My vehicle was towed to Hyundai Yuma on 1 September 2024, by Hyundai Roadside Assistance. After an inspection by Hyundai Yuma on 5 September 2024, it was determined that there was a defect in the camber of the alignment of the car that caused the catastrophic tire failure, damage to my vehicle's front skirt and bumper, as well as premature wear on all three existing tires to the point in which they are not safe to remain on the car. The only solution to this defect according to Hyundai Yuma is an Aftermarket component to correct the defect in the camber of the vehicle. Without this Aftermarket addition to the vehicle, the camber would remain out of specifications causing premature wear of any tires placed on the vehicle thus making it unsafe to operate. Therefore my car is currently inoperable and beyond my control
When vehicle gets wet, knock sensor trips and puts the vehicle in limp mode. Making it very dangerous to drive since everything is underpowered and makes it hard to get up to speed, shift, etc.
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Elantra N. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: (AWAITING); Manufacturer Recall Number: 262 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.
This is a known issue within these new Hyundai N cars and Hyundai is completely clueless. It’s a “p1326 code” that pops up after a carwash. Whenever the knock sensor gets wet it automatically puts the car into limp mode at highway speeds and it’s very hazardous. There has to be some type of cover that Hyundai has to put over the knock sensor or this will continue to happen to us while it’s a brand new car.
While driving through heavy rain on the interstate Friday night the CEL came on and the vehicle immediately lost power and went I to a limo mode causing my car to rapidly lose speed while on the interstate. Restarting the vehicle did nothing. I called the closest Hyundai dealer and they said " oh yeah the N models do that a lot in the rain or through carwashes, it triggers false knock sensor codes, you can try to get a parts store to clear the code or you can come in tomorrow and we will clear the code." I then got a parts store to clear the code and the vehicle has been fine since. I did a quick internet search and apparently this is very common and lots of owners have this happened multiple times a year and the dealer has no fix or intention of a fix
Hit a shallow pothole at or around 40-55 miles/hour. Estimate. Strut mount broke. Hit a shallow pot hole and strut mount broke and pulled car to the right. Safety issue for 18 year old driver. Dealer refused to receive vehicle and investigate. Said it was an insurance issue. Insurance inspected car. Adjuster said he has never seen a new car break strut mount. Car bottom graphics and underneath not damaged. Rust was on the brand new strut mount welds. Body shop advises that was reason of failure, rust on welds. Not right for a pothole to break strut and end up totaling out a brand new $38,000 car. Not right that insurance is responsible to pay for it and Hyundai would not even look at vehicle.
Hello. While driving my 2023 Elantra N, innthe middle of driving, it set a flashing check engine light. During this event, my car started sputtering in between shifts and would not climb over 2500 rounds per minute. During this event I was driving 70 miles per hour on the highway, causing me to almost get rear ended. The check engine light is flashing but is consitently set. The code that's causing the check engine light is P132600. After doing my own personal research in Elantra N forums, this has been a common fault among many Elantra N models. Hyundai has made no official recall for it yet.
This problem occurred in my previous vehicle which was a 2022 Hyundai Kona N. I took it through a car wash and had a check engine light turn on. The car went into limp mode and I had it towed to the dealership. The check engine light was a code from the knock sensor. Hyundai replaced the engine when the vehicle only had 5,200 miles on it. I have since traded that vehicle for a 2023 Hyundai Elantra N. Upon doing some research, it is a very common issue with the N trims of Kona's and Elantra's to throw a check engine light due to heavy rain or car washes. Sometimes this results in an engine replacement, other times just resetting the code. This issue needs corrected. So far, Hyundai has practically ignored me on this. I have sent in multiple screenshots of the same issues that others have been facing. When this check engine light comes on, the vehicle goes into limp mode which is very dangerous if traveling at highway speeds.
over the course of a year I get a "Transmission system error! Check Transmission oil Immediately" message. happened on April 15 2025, again June 20 2025 but car went into limp mode and did not go into 2nd and 4th gear. June 30 2025 went to dealership where ecu was reflashed.The problem went away but then came back on July 26 2025. Dealership could not see me during 2 weeks and by then message error cleared on its own. July 1 2026 message came on again and check engine light came on. Car again did not go into 2 and 4th gear and ended up stop moving. after leaving car off briefly and starting it back up and was drivable. Check engine light came on and I was able to plug in a reader and get code P0868. July second went to dealer and when car was driven into bay light went away. No scan was done to obtain code that was stored and dealer will not look at it. Escalated it to consumer affairs and they will not assist either. These are all symptoms from Recall 236 where the electric oil pump fails and puts my safety at risk.
Fuel injector randomly went out, I dont have the HPFP recall done on my car. Caused a massive amount of power loss while I was going down the road. Now hyundai wants to pretend like the HPFP had nothing to do with this. I keep being told its an emission part and isnt covered under powertrain warranty. Recall in question is Extension Z04 (TSB 25-FL-002H).
Faulty light switch that causes headlights to go on and off at night. Sometimes headlights will shut off completely and not come back on or vise versa staying on and draining the battery. Faulty switch cause complete loss of headlight control. Numerous others have reported the same issue online across all elantras in a certain year range as well as other models.
In Elantra N, the plastic piece (splash guard) under the engine is prone to coming loose and/or coming off while driving. This has happened to me and many many others. Its poorly manufactured, and fasteners (push pins) are really cheap. Part # should be 29110-IB000 The warranty doesn't cover this. This reddit thread has many people reporting same issue. Still there's no recall or TSB: [XXX] People are saying stuff like: "I was driving and the undercarriage guard just fell off. I ended up having to rip broken pieces off and zip tie the rest because I was in the middle of nowhere." Another person- "2022, during the next service the Hyundai mechanics went “Haha yeah, I’ve heard that happens…” and proceeded to do nothing about it." Another person- "Oh boy, this has been a sore spot for me... Mine came damaged when I bought the car, went through hell confirming part numbers, sourcing who had it cheapest (ended up being the dealer because all 3rd party Hyundai part sites want insane shipping for this), finally get it on, just for the same exact experience to happen at 75-80mph... Thought a tire was about to let go as the sound got more violent then CRACK. Realized what it was, then a second chunk broke off, and watched it almost boomerang into the car behind me ♂️." For reference [XXX] n This causes part to drag and come off also causing potential harm to other vehicles. Could you make Hyundai recall this or something to come up with a better solution to this part ? INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I had the recall completed for my Fuel Pump. The fuel pump is still not functioning properly as sometimes it does still struggle to start as sometimes it will turn over and take 5-7 seconds to start the car.
Showing 20 of 38 total NHTSA complaints. Source: NHTSA Complaints Database
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Before you buy, check the exact Hyundai Elantra N
These pages show model-year patterns across 5 years. Enter a VIN to verify the exact vehicle's accident history, title brands, odometer records, and open recall status before purchase.
The basics
How to read this data
Complaints, recalls, investigations — here’s what each number actually tells you about a used Hyundai Elantra N, in plain English.
What is an NHTSA Complaint?
An NHTSA safety complaint is a report filed directly by a vehicle owner or driver describing a safety-related issue. Anyone can submit a complaint at NHTSA.gov. The number of complaints is a signal of how common a problem is — but complaints per model-year matter more than raw totals, since popular vehicles naturally receive more reports. The Hyundai Elantra N has 38 complaints on record across 5 model years.
What is a Safety Recall?
A safety recall is a mandatory campaign issued by NHTSA when a vehicle component poses an unreasonable risk to safety or does not comply with federal motor vehicle safety standards. Unlike complaints (which are owner-reported), recalls are formally investigated and confirmed by regulators. Manufacturers must fix recalled vehicles free of charge. The Hyundai Elantra N has 6 recall campaigns in the NHTSA database.
What Are Crash Complaints?
Crash complaints are NHTSA filings where the owner indicates a crash occurred as part of the incident. 3 of the Hyundai Elantra N's 38 complaints involved a crash. This metric is particularly important because it indicates how often defects resulted in actual collisions — a key safety signal beyond general reliability.
How Is the Reliability Verdict Calculated?
The reliability verdict (Average) is generated by analyzing the vehicle's total complaints, recall history, crash complaint ratio, fire complaint ratio, and top component failures relative to class averages. This verdict gives buyers a quick interpretation before they review year-level details and VIN-level history. It should be treated as one decision input, not a substitute for a VIN-specific report.
Why Do Newer Years Have Fewer Complaints?
Newer model years appear to have fewer complaints because there has been less time for owners to file them. Complaints accumulate over years of ownership. A 2020 model year vehicle will typically show fewer complaints than a 2015 model year even if it is less reliable — simply because fewer owners have had time to report issues. Focus on complaints per year of market presence when comparing across model years.
Fleet Data vs. Individual VIN
Everything on this page reflects aggregated data across all Hyundai Elantra N vehicles on the road — not any specific car. Two Hyundai Elantra N vehicles of the same year can have very different histories: one may have been in three accidents and have an open recall; another may be clean. A VIN check gives you the individual car's history: accidents, title brands, odometer records, service history, and real-time recall status.
What Are NHTSA Investigations?
When NHTSA receives a pattern of related safety complaints, it opens a formal investigation. A Preliminary Evaluation (PE) is the first stage — NHTSA determines if a safety defect may exist. If evidence is strong, it escalates to an Engineering Analysis (EA), which can result in a mandatory recall. The Hyundai Elantra N has 0 investigations on record (0 active). Investigations listed above may have already led to the recalls shown on this page.
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Hyundai Elantra N reliability — frequently asked questions
Is the Hyundai Elantra N reliable?
Average. The Hyundai Elantra N has 38 NHTSA owner complaints and 6 recall campaigns across model years. A commonly reported issue area is ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. Use year-level data as a pattern guide, then verify the exact car with a VIN check before purchase.
Which Hyundai Elantra N years to avoid?
Years with the most NHTSA complaints: 2022 (16 complaints), 2023 (14 complaints), 2025 (7 complaints). Use these years as a shortlist for deeper inspection, and always run a VIN check on the exact vehicle before purchase.
What are the most common Hyundai Elantra N problems?
Top reported issues: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (9 complaints); ENGINE (8 complaints); UNKNOWN OR OTHER (7 complaints).
Does the Hyundai Elantra N have recalls?
Yes — 6 NHTSA recall campaigns have been issued for the Hyundai Elantra N. Check nhtsa.gov/recalls or run a VIN check to see if your specific vehicle has open recalls.