AI Damage2013 Hyundai Elantra Touring: common problems
Owners of the 2013 Hyundai Elantra Touring filed 16 complaints with NHTSA, most often about wheels and engine. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 16
- involving a crash
- 2
What fails most often
- 1 Wheels 38% of all complaints
- 2 Engine 13% of all complaints
- 3 Tires 13% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 6% of all complaints
- 5 Exterior lighting 6% of all complaints
- 6 Service brakes 6% of all complaints
- 7 Visibility 6% of all complaints
- Wheels: 6 complaints (38% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 2 complaints (13% of all).
- Tires: 2 complaints (13% of all).
- Air bags: 1 complaints (6% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Exterior lighting: 1 complaints (6% of all).
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 16 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheels | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Other | 5 | 1 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
The driver's head impacted the driver's window, due to the failure of the side airbag to deploy, resulting in significant bruising and a serious concussion. The driver required medical attention in the emergency room. Driver was diagnosed with a concussion and upon further care a traumatic brain injury.
In the first incident (the one detailed in the metadata above), the tire blew out completely, causing the vehicle to lose control. In the other three incidents, sidewall bubbles developed requiring the tire to be replaced.
The brake light switch had to be replaced again. The brakes light was staying on while driving and barked. The same item was on a recall about 4 to 5 years ago. The part is still failing.
My engine is now experiencing 'rod-knock' and since I am the second owner and my car only has 80000 miles, hyundai will not repair or replace the engine, even though its a known manufacturing defect.
The engine needed to be replaced at approx 62,000 miles. I believe this vehicle should have been included with the larger hyundai/kia engine recall. It took 2 months to get a new engine since they are on back order.
Cpsc:purchased sylvania h11 silverstar bulb replacement for car headlight that shortly after turning headlight on exploded in my face during installation in walmart parking lot leaving very painful burns stinging and bleeding from glass shard lacerations to eye, face and hand then had intense headache nosebleed not…
The car was parked, and when I started the car and started driving the low tire light came on. After stopping to get air I discovered the tire was completely flat, and I had been driving on a flat tire.
Then a shattering sound happened and notice the cracks on the sunroof . The whole sunroof was shattered. I immediately cover the sunroof.
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 9,040 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 25% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Elantra Touring has 29 complaints (6 years in the data). This year has 16, below average.
What to check before buying
- Wheels. Wheel runout, cracks, signs of a wheel strike.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Tires. Tire age by DOT code, bulges, wear pattern.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
Other years of this model
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2013 Hyundai Elantra Touring?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: wheels, engine, tires. Total complaints: 16. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: tires: bulges, blowouts (13%), windows, sunroof (13%), A/C or heater (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2013 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 2013 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 2013 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.