AI Damage2010 Hyundai Elantra: common problems
Owners of the 2010 Hyundai Elantra filed 380 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering and electrical system. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 380
- involving a crash
- 45
What fails most often
- 1 Steering 51% of all complaints
- 2 Electrical system 13% of all complaints
- 3 Air bags 12% of all complaints
- 4 Service brakes 10% of all complaints
- 5 Powertrain 8% of all complaints
- 6 Structure 6% of all complaints
- 7 Vehicle speed control 6% of all complaints
- 8 Engine 4% of all complaints
- Steering: 195 complaints (51% of all), 7 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 48 complaints (13% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 46 complaints (12% of all), 24 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 39 complaints (10% of all), 9 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Powertrain: 32 complaints (8% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speed
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 380 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 195 | 7 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 48 | 2 | 0 |
| Air bags | 46 | 24 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 39 | 9 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 32 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 22 | 3 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 22 | 12 | 0 |
| Engine | 15 | 2 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 12 | 2 | 0 |
| Suspension | 11 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 7 | 2 | 0 |
| Engine and cooling | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 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.
On Sept 12th of this year I was involved in a multiple rollover with my Hyundai elantra and not one single airbag deployed nor did my seatbelt tighten up to keep me from moving around as much. Due to this I suffered a fractured vertabrae.
The air bags did not deploy upon impact. Due to the failure, his wife hit her right arm and chest on the steering column. The authorities arrived at the scene and rendered aid by the EMT. The driver of the vehicle that his wife crashed into sustained neck injuries.
There were no reported injuries: air bag deployment, police report or fire. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company.
Try it again yesterday and it makes this fast ticking or clicking noise automatically before I even try to start it and it doesn't stop until I turn off the key. And the worst
I experienced a crash with this vehicle when the steering failed (as indicated in the recall notice nhtsa code 15v100000). I communicated this failure to hyundai at the time this occurred but they denied that there was any issue with the steering.
I'm requesting nhtsa to investigate failures of several systems of hyundai elantra 2010: simultaneously failed/unresponsive braking, lurching/acceleration despite trying to push brake pedal, &failed power steering causing unsafe situation and accident in which air bags also failed to deploy despite 2 impacts to front…
While driving approximately 40 mph, the power steering assist suddenly malfunctioned and the driver was unable to turn the steering wheel. As a result, the contact's vehicle rear ended a second vehicle before crashing into a utility pole. The air bags did not deploy.
As the brakes were applied when slowly (<10 miles/hr) turning into a parking place in a parking lot of a strip mall perpendicular to the side walks (double sidewalk separated by a railing) in front of the stores, the car suddenly accelerated thru the parking space and up on the first sidewalk (it did not respond to…
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 1,042 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 3% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Elantra has 243 complaints (36 years in the data). This year has 380, above average.
What to check before buying
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
Other years of this model
- Elantra 199229 sources
- Elantra 199324 sources
- Elantra 199476 sources
- Elantra 1995112 sources
- Elantra 1996100 sources
- Elantra 1997115 sources
- Elantra 199855 sources
- Elantra 1999128 sources
- Elantra 2000197 sources
- Elantra 2001315 sources
- Elantra 2002342 sources
- Elantra 2003234 sources
- Elantra 2004182 sources
- Elantra 2005137 sources
- Elantra 2006155 sources
- Elantra 2007267 sources
- Elantra 2008315 sources
- Elantra 2009255 sources
- Elantra 2011433 sources
- Elantra 2012654 sources
- Elantra 20131,315 sources
- Elantra 2014386 sources
- Elantra 2015262 sources
- Elantra 2016413 sources
- Elantra 2017903 sources
- Elantra 2018387 sources
- Elantra 2019353 sources
- Elantra 2020349 sources
- Elantra 2021213 sources
- Elantra 2022178 sources
- Elantra 2023153 sources
- Elantra 202483 sources
- Elantra 202548 sources
- Elantra 20267 sources
- Elantra 999914 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2010 Hyundai Elantra?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: steering, electrical system, air bags. Total complaints: 380. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: steering or power steering problems (25%), warning lights, check engine (17%), knocking, grinding or other noise (6%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2010 Hyundai Elantra?
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 2010 Hyundai Elantra 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 2010 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.