Hyundai Elantra Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2013 At least twice the 101 complaints of a typical Elantra year. Most described: the airbag warning light.
Best years: 2016 and 2019 Under three quarters of the 101 complaints of a typical Elantra year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 54 mpg combined, arrived in 2021 and has held since. Includes the Elantra GT hatchback, the Elantra Touring wagon (2010 to 2012), the Elantra Coupe (2013 to 2015), the Elantra Hybrid and the Elantra N.

Elantra problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Elantra year drew 101 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (89). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (101), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2013 Elantra Avoid Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	347	1,348	4
2017 Elantra Most described: stalling or shutting off	154	797	4
2023 Elantra Most described: loss of power or limp mode	142	173	4
2012 Elantra Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	116	676	5
2022 Elantra Most described: loss of power or limp mode	107	159	8
2021 Elantra Most described: backup camera problems	102	162	7
2020 Elantra Most described: the check engine light coming on, then stalling or shutting off	100	263	3
2018 Elantra Most described: stalling or shutting off	78	335	1
2014 Elantra Most described: stalling or shutting off	70	396	2
2016 Elantra Best Most described: stalling or shutting off	61	300	2
2011 Elantra Most described: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault	59	462	8
2019 Elantra Best Most described: stalling or shutting off	59	267	1
2010 Elantra Most described: power steering problems or locked steering	56	455	4
2015 Elantra Most described: stalling or shutting off	40	263	3

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Elantra for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	54 mpg Hybrid	4	4
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	54 mpg Hybrid	2	36
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	54 mpg Hybrid	2	64
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	54 mpg Hybrid	4	173
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	54 mpg Hybrid	8	159
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	54 mpg Hybrid	7	162
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	36 mpg Gas	3	263
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Gas	1	267
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Gas	1	335
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Gas	4	797	4 to 5 stars
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	2	300
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	3	263
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	31 mpg Gas	2	396
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	4	1,348
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	5	676	4 to 5 stars
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	32 mpg Gas	8	462	Not rated
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	4	455	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2013: 1,348 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Hyundai Elantra
Model year	Complaints
2010	455
2011	462
2012	676
2013	1,348
2014	396
2015	263
2016	300
2017	797
2018	335
2019	267
2020	263
2021	162
2022	159
2023	173
2024	64
2025	36
2026	4

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 29 to 37 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); highest in 2021. Hybrid: 54 mpg (2021 to 2026).

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 35 mpg · hybrid 54 mpg

Show as a table

Hyundai Elantra best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	29	–
2011	32	–
2012	32	–
2013	32	–
2014	31	–
2015	31	–
2016	31	–
2017	35	–
2018	35	–
2019	35	–
2020	36	–
2021	37	54
2022	37	54
2023	37	54
2024	36	54
2025	36	54
2026	35	54

Every Elantra year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Hyundai Elantra vs Honda CivicMPG, fuel cost, recalls and crash tests

Questions

Which Hyundai Elantra years should you avoid?

The 2013 Elantra is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 101 owner complaints of a typical Elantra year in its first three years. Owners of the 2013 most often describe the airbag warning light. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Hyundai Elantra years?

The 2016 and 2019 Elantra are the best years: they drew 61 and 59 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 101 complaints of a typical Elantra year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Hyundai Elantra years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2013 (347) drew the most, then the 2017 (154). Owners of the 2013 most often describe the airbag warning light or an airbag fault.

Which Hyundai Elantra years have the most recalls?

The 2011 and 2022 have the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (8 each). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Two recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 23V-526 (2023 models) and NHTSA 23V-651 (2011 to 2015 models).

What are the most common Hyundai Elantra problems?

In the 6,160 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe stalling or shutting off (636 complaints); engine failure or replacement (472 complaints); and the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (303 complaints, most of them for the 2012 and 2013). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Hyundai Elantra year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 54 mpg combined, first reached by the 2021 hybrid version and matched by every year since.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.