2019 Hyundai Elantra problems and recalls

Owner complaints on the 2019 Hyundai Elantra include 1 fatality report, 12 crashes and 3 fires across 249 filings.

249
Complaints
1
Recalls
12
Crash reports
3
Fire reports
4
Injuries
57.0
Severity index

Severity index 57.0 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 57.0p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 56 of 123 by severity index among 2019 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 54% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2019 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

EngineEngine: 131 complaints (52.6%)131 53%Exterior LightingExterior Lighting: 65 complaints (26.1%)65 26%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 37 complaints (14.9%)37 15%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 25 complaints (10.0%)25 10%Power TrainPower Train: 11 complaints (4.4%)11 4%SteeringSteering: 9 complaints (3.6%)9 4%Forward Collision Avoid…Forward Collision Avoidance: 7 complaints (2.8%)7 3%Service BrakesService Brakes: 6 complaints (2.4%)6 2%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
ENGINE13152.6%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING6526.1%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM3714.9%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER2510.0%
POWER TRAIN114.4%
STEERING93.6%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE72.8%
SERVICE BRAKES62.4%

Complaints filed per year

022442019: 82020: 82021: 392022: 382023: 442024: 342025: 442026: 34 (partial year)192021222344242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20198
20208
202139
202238
202344
202434
202544
2026 (year to date)34
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 1.4x those in 2020 to 2022 (122 against 85).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
21V30100028/04/2021ENGINEHyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Elantra, 2019-2021 Kona and Veloster vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.

Other Hyundai Elantra model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 14 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-09-07. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.