AI Damage2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring: common problems
Owners of the 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring filed 22 complaints with NHTSA, most often about suspension and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 22
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Suspension 27% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 18% of all complaints
- 3 Electrical system 14% of all complaints
- 4 Powertrain 14% of all complaints
- 5 Steering 9% of all complaints
- 6 Tires 9% of all complaints
- 7 Wheels 9% of all complaints
- 8 Engine 5% of all complaints
- Suspension: 6 complaints (27% of all).
- Air bags: 4 complaints (18% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 3 complaints (14% of all).
- Powertrain: 3 complaints (14% of all).
- Steering: 2 complaints (9% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 22 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 4 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 2 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
I was stopped and was pushed a car length into a chevy silverado who was also stopped, my trunk took most of the damage but the front end was pretty bad too, but my airbags didn't deploy.
The contact stated that the air bags failed to deploy. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the air bag failure. The failure mileage was 1,800. ....
With the engine started and in park you can turn the steering wheel right or left and it has a thumping noise. It seems like it doesn't affect the steering but this is the car my wife drives and it makes her very nervous.
Unable to read the part of the dash that tells milage during the day. Only able to read it at night. Therefore, when I had my oil changed today, the mechanic had to ask me if I knew the mileage since he was unable to read it. I told him approx what I had last noticed it last night.
The driver window dropped to the door while I was driving. I went to the hyundai dealer who charged me over &400 and stated that this issue is very common for elantra. I have elantra touring and my car is no qualified for recall.
The clunking noise that resulted from this was first noticed in early march 2019, and occurs when going over bumps in the road. The date of occurrence of 3/1/19 is approximate.
She has put around 6-7 thousand miles on it since she bought it and despite having the car looked at by a mechanic prior to purchase, the engine has developed a ticking/knocking notice.
The dashboard srs airbag warning light went on yesterday and remained on as long as my vehicle was in motion. After turning off the engine, the warning light did not turn on again. The dealer's service technician thinks it is probably the clock spring because this is a common issue.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 7,904 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 22% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Elantra Touring has 29 complaints (6 years in the data). This year has 22, below average.
What to check before buying
- Suspension. Wheel alignment, control arms, subframe, even tire wear.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Powertrain. Shift quality under load, harsh shifts, transmission codes, CV joints.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: suspension, air bags, electrical system. Total complaints: 22. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: knocking, grinding or other noise (14%), airbags did not deploy (9%), won't start (9%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2012 Hyundai Elantra Touring from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2012 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.