Due to a damaged printed circuit board, the rearview camera image may fail to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 271.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Santa Fe HEV, Elantra, Elantra HEV and 2022 Elantra N and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles.
A software error in the motor control unit may cause unintended vehicle acceleration after the brake pedal is released.
Risk: Unintended vehicle acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will update the motor control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 29, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 248.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Elantra HEV vehicles.
In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioner(s) with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 28, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 229. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall numbers 21V-796,22V-069,22V-218, and 22V-123 for Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles. All Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles already repaired under the previous recalls will need to have the new remedy completed.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Accent, 2021-2022 Elantra, and 2021-2022 Elantra HEV vehicles.
In the event of a crash, the front driver and passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
Risk: Exploding seat belt pretensioners can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 31, 2022. A second notice will be sent once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 223. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-354. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Elantra and 2020 Accent vehicles.
During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
Risk: A windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will remove and reinstall the front windshield panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 216.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles.
In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner could project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 211 and 009G. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall numbers 22V-354 for Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles, 22V-458 for Venue vehicles, and 23V-094 for Genesis vehicles. Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, and Genesis vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedies completed.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, Genesis GV80 and 2022 Genesis GV70 vehicles.
The driver and front passenger seat back recliners may have been improperly welded.
Risk: An improperly welded seat back recliner could separate from the seat back frame during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Dealers will inspect and if necessary, replace the seat back frame assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 21, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-888-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 204.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra vehicles.
NHTSA listing: ELANTRA. Hyundai campaign 204.
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 2021 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.
Seat belt pretensioners may rupture
Recall query RQ22003Closed May 26, 2023 (opened Aug 8, 2022)
On August 8, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Recall Query (RQ) based on 3 incidents alleging front seat belt pretensioners that may rupture during deployment, on model year (MY) 2020-2022…NHTSA's full summary
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 162 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 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
Backup camera problems13 · 8%
Unintended acceleration or surging10 · 6%
Jerking, lurching or harsh shifting9 · 6%
Cruise control problems7 · 4%
Stalling or shutting off6 · 4%
Loss of power or limp mode6 · 4%
Hesitation or slow acceleration6 · 4%
Driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages6 · 4%
Most named: warnings (30); adaptive cruise control (17)
Seat belts27 · 17%
Engine22 · 14%
Speed control21 · 13%
Brakes13 · 8%
Powertrain8 · 5%
Unknown or other33 · 20%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Hyundai Elantra recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2021 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 2021 drew 102.
Owner complaints
2021: 162 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
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
Safety recalls
2021: 7 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Hyundai Elantra
Model year
Recalls
2010
4
2011
8
2012
5
2013
4
2014
2
2015
3
2016
2
2017
4
2018
1
2019
1
2020
3
2021
7
2022
8
2023
4
2024
2
2025
2
2026
4
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.
In the 162 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2021 Hyundai Elantra, the problems described most are backup camera problems (13), unintended acceleration or surging (10), and jerking, lurching or harsh shifting (9). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can describe several problems.
Is the 2021 Hyundai Elantra safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2021 Hyundai Elantra earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
Is NHTSA investigating the 2021 Hyundai Elantra?
No. NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no open investigations for the 2021 Hyundai Elantra. It lists one closed investigation, which closed on May 26, 2023.
How do I check if my Elantra has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Hyundai dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Nov 12, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Nov 11, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026. Defect petitions, which ask NHTSA to open an investigation, are listed apart and only while open. Audit queries, which check whether a company met its recall and reporting duties rather than whether a vehicle has a problem, are not listed.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: ELANTRA, ELANTRA HYBRID.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.