2012 Hyundai Elantra Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 5 safety recalls and 675 owner complaints for the 2012 Hyundai Elantra.

Recalled components: brakes, equipment, stability control, body structure, and 1 more. Most-described problem: the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (87 complaints, 13%). Most-reported area: engine (140 complaints, 21%; median mileage when it happened: 69,400).

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

Year to avoidBest year

Includes the Elantra Touring wagon.

5 safety recalls for the 2012 Hyundai Elantra

Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then 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 3 investigations that name the 2012 Hyundai Elantra, not counting audit queries; all 3 are closed. An investigation means NHTSA is reviewing reports of a problem. It is not a finding that the vehicle has a defect.

A preliminary evaluation is NHTSA's first step, to gather information and decide whether to look further. An engineering analysis is a deeper review, usually opened after a preliminary evaluation. 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 675 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 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

• Airbag warning light or airbag fault87 · 13%
  Median 92,000 miles at failure, from 55 reports with mileage
• Won't start69 · 10%
  Median 50,500 miles at failure, from 54 reports with mileage
• Stalling or shutting off38 · 6%
  Median 76,000 miles at failure, from 29 reports with mileage
• Suspension parts (struts, ball joints, control arms)31 · 5%
  Median 70,000 miles at failure, from 23 reports with mileage
• Check engine light27 · 4%
  Median 49,000 miles at failure, from 17 reports with mileage
• Engine failure or replacement24 · 4%
  Median 84,200 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
• Shaking, shuddering or vibration21 · 3%
• Smoke or a burning smell19 · 3%
  Median 61,400 miles at failure, from 16 reports with mileage

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

• Engine140 · 21%
  Median 69,400 miles at failure, from 107 reports with mileage
• Electrical system129 · 19%
  Median 50,500 miles at failure, from 98 reports with mileage
• Air bags128 · 19%
  Median 86,500 miles at failure, from 82 reports with mileage
• Brakes98 · 15%
  Median 59,000 miles at failure, from 33 reports with mileage
• Steering90 · 13%
  Median 67,000 miles at failure, from 57 reports with mileage
• Suspension51 · 8%
  Median 41,000 miles at failure, from 42 reports with mileage
• Stability control44 · 7%
  Median 58,300 miles at failure, from 34 reports with mileage
• Unknown or other68 · 10%
  Median 71,000 miles at failure, from 40 reports with mileage

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 2012 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 2012 drew 116.

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.

2012 Elantra MPG

Questions