AI Damage2013 Hyundai Elantra: common problems
Owners of the 2013 Hyundai Elantra filed 1,315 complaints with NHTSA, most often about service brakes and steering. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 1,315
- involving a crash
- 93
What fails most often
- 1 Service brakes 22% of all complaints
- 2 Steering 21% of all complaints
- 3 Engine 18% of all complaints
- 4 Air bags 13% of all complaints
- 5 Electrical system 12% of all complaints
- 6 Suspension 8% of all complaints
- 7 Wheels 6% of all complaints
- 8 Exterior lighting 5% of all complaints
- Service brakes: 283 complaints (22% of all), 28 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Steering: 271 complaints (21% of all), 8 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Engine: 233 complaints (18% of all), 7 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 168 complaints (13% of all), 41 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 155 complaints (12% of all), 7 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.
- 1.8 L · petrol · 4 cylnamed in 5 complaints
- automatic, 6-speed
- manual, 6-speednamed in 1 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 1,315 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) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service brakes | 283 | 28 | 0 |
| Steering | 271 | 8 | 0 |
| Engine | 233 | 7 | 0 |
| Air bags | 168 | 41 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 155 | 7 | 0 |
| Suspension | 99 | 3 | 0 |
| Wheels | 75 | 7 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 72 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 57 | 3 | 0 |
| Tires | 55 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure | 51 | 13 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 50 | 18 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 46 | 6 | 0 |
| Visibility | 43 | 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 airbags failed to deploy when I was in a car accident on 03/31/26. I was rear ended while at an intersection. The car that rear ended me had airbags that deployed upon impact. My car was the only car in which the airbags did not deploy despite the high impact.
2013 Hyundai Sonata has a loud knocking noise from engine. Purchases 8/5/25 at 43K miles, currently at 44K miles. There is a Technical Service Bulletin, # 22-EM-009H dated June 2022 about an extended warranty but its time limit is questionable. Unknown and undocumented when purchased.
It causes the car to stall unexpectedly creating a potential for serious accidents.
The air bags did not deployed. There was no injury sustained. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 72,000.
I was driving under 10 miles an hr because the roads were still wet from the night before as i am on the ramp to get on the highway barely turning the wheel it locks all the lights come on the dashboard such as abs and i crash into a railing because i couldn't move anything.
The brakes failed to operate and the airbags failed to deploy upon impact. The vehicle failed to slow down and was reacting as if the accelerator was stuck. There were no system warnings at the time of the accident or afterwards. Braking abilities resumed immediately after impact.
The driver could feel the steering wheel go thunk-thunk-thunk back and forth, as the servomotor for the electric power steering system went out of control. The failed coupler is between the servomotor and the power steering rack.
I had a rear tire blowout causing the car to stop rapidly causing me to hit my face on the steering wheel so hard I got knocked out . My foot pressed on the gas and I hit a parked car. And my airbags never deployed. Insurance didn't pay my claim because it wasy falt I hit a parked car. Because I was knocked out.
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 129 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 1% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Elantra has 243 complaints (36 years in the data). This year has 1,315, above average.
What to check before buying
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Engine. Cold start, unusual noises, oil leaks and engine codes.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
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 2010380 sources
- Elantra 2011433 sources
- Elantra 2012654 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 2013 Hyundai Elantra?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: service brakes, steering, engine. Total complaints: 1,315. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: warning lights, check engine (13%), knocking, grinding or other noise (13%), airbag warning light (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2013 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 2013 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 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.