2010 Hyundai Elantra Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 454 owner complaints for the 2010 Hyundai Elantra.

Recalled components: brakes, steering, body structure, and exterior lighting. Most-described problem: power steering problems or locked steering (118 complaints, 26%). Most-reported area: steering (233 complaints, 51%; median mileage when it happened: 71,600).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Oct 2, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

Includes the Elantra Touring wagon.

4 safety recalls for the 2010 Hyundai Elantra

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.

Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA has opened 1 investigation that names the 2010 Hyundai Elantra; it is closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A recall query is a review of whether a recall covered the right vehicles or whether its fix works. NHTSA lists investigations by make, model and model year only, so one can apply to only some versions of a model, such as one engine; its summary says which.

What owners report

Owners have filed 454 complaints with NHTSA about the 2010 Elantra. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Power steering problems or locked steering118 · 26%
  Median 80,000 miles at failure, from 89 reports with mileage
• Steering rack problems: sticking, play or pulling25 · 6%
  Median 50,700 miles at failure, from 19 reports with mileage
• Airbag warning light or airbag fault15 · 3%
• Airbags did not deploy in a crash15 · 3%
• Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting14 · 3%
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration13 · 3%
• Rust or corrosion11 · 2%
• Stalling or shutting off10 · 2%

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Steering233 · 51%
  Most named: electric power assist system (4) · Median 71,600 miles at failure, from 169 reports with mileage
• Electrical system58 · 13%
  Median 49,600 miles at failure, from 34 reports with mileage
• Air bags52 · 11%
  Most named: frontal (4) · Median 63,800 miles at failure, from 38 reports with mileage
• Brakes44 · 10%
  Median 72,100 miles at failure, from 29 reports with mileage
• Powertrain34 · 7%
  Median 41,400 miles at failure, from 26 reports with mileage
• Speed control25 · 6%
  Median 41,500 miles at failure, from 18 reports with mileage
• Body structure24 · 5%
  Most named: body (18); body, door (3) · Median 58,800 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other19 · 4%

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Hyundai Elantra recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2010 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2013 Elantra drew the most (347) and the 2010 drew 56.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2010 Elantra MPG

Questions