AutoUtility currently tracks 297 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2016 Hyundai Elantra. Engine & Cooling issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 105 complaints (35.4% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 22 filings cite a crash, 5 cite a fire, 16 report one or more injuries.
- • Total NHTSA Complaints: 297 reports
- • #1 Reported Problem Area: Engine & Cooling (105 reports • 35.4% of submitted complaints)
- • Secondary Problem Areas: Powertrain & Transmission (31), Body & Structure (31)
- • Crash-Citing Complaints: 22 filings
- • Fire-Citing Complaints: 5 filings
- • Complaints Reporting Injuries / Fatalities: 16 injury filings • 0 fatality filings
Most Reported Problems for 2016 Hyundai Elantra
Top automotive subsystem defect categories ranked by unique owner complaint volume in federal records
Engine & Cooling
Powertrain & Transmission
Body & Structure
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #24V146000 LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH
Air Bags & Restraints
NHTSA records list 1 official safety recall campaign for this model year involving the same broad component area:
- Campaign #26V307000 AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE
Electrical System
Symptoms Mentioned in NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Hyundai Elantra
Specific mechanical, electrical, and driver-assist defect symptoms identified via deterministic narrative analysis
AutoUtility uses deterministic phrase matching to identify recurring symptom descriptions within consumer-submitted NHTSA complaint narratives.
Loss of Motive Power While Driving
Recent NHTSA Owner Reports for 2016 Hyundai Elantra
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"P0420 P0441 P0014 P1326 C1260 C1688 C2130 These are the codes that's affecting my car"
"Engine burned oil and had knocking sound, despite having regular oil changes. Stalked out while driving took to dealer initial said it was covered by the exerted coverage but ultimately denied. It had 111,000 miles on it. I believe this engine has the same issues as the others."
"The oil light & check engine started flashing. Took it to the auto shop. The mechanic stated that the oil level is very low and the engine has a bad lower-end knock. Removed the oil filter and found metal debris in the oil. No oil leaks were found under the vehicle at all. Oil is being burned out..."
"Transmission P0731 code. Vehicle will not shift into 1st gear when idle but will stay in 3 or 4 gear. Speedometer would indicate high speed when pressing on accelerator. At traffic light when light turn green car rev but would not shift into gear. Has only 130K miles. Car was towed to dealer and..."
"2016 Hyundai Elantra (75k miles) experiences severe, un-commanded Loss of Propulsive Power and a Severe Drivetrain Instability Hazard. At steady highway speeds, the automatic transmission completely loses hydraulic pressure, slips out of gear, and unexpectedly drops into a temporary "neutral." The..."
Complaint History for Hyundai Elantra
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Hyundai Elantra | 262 | 27 | 3 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Hyundai Elantra Current Page | 297 | 22 | 2 | Current |
| 2017 Hyundai Elantra | 788 | 37 | 4 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Hyundai Elantra | 330 | 12 | 1 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Hyundai Elantra | 250 | 12 | 1 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Hyundai Elantra | 253 | 20 | 3 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Hyundai Elantra | 158 | 8 | 7 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Hyundai Elantra | 154 | 8 | 8 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Hyundai Elantra | 164 | 16 | 4 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Hyundai Elantra | 58 | 5 | 2 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Hyundai Elantra | 33 | 3 | 2 | View 2025 Problems → |
| 2026 Hyundai Elantra | 0 | 0 | 2 | View 2026 Problems → |
Detailed NHTSA Component Breakdown for 2016 Hyundai Elantra
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 72 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Reported Injury Entries | Reported Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Engine NHTSA category: ENGINE | 76 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 17 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Doors, Latches & Locks NHTSA category: LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering NHTSA category: STEERING | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 7 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 7 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STRUCTURE,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 5 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension NHTSA category: SUSPENSION | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEAT BELTS | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Engine & Cooling NHTSA category: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ENGINE,ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires NHTSA category: TIRES | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,AIR BAGS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EQUIPMENT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat Belts NHTSA category: SEAT BELTS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats & Restraints NHTSA category: SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,AIR BAGS | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| STEERING,AIR BAGS,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,SUSPENSION,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,AIR BAGS,STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| WHEELS,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Official NHTSA Defect Investigations (1)
Formal safety defect inquiries and engineering analyses opened by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa...
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.