2023 Hyundai Elantra: What to check before buying

Horns go silent, sometimes within 7,000 miles, and keep failing after warranty replacement. Some cars have had the horn replaced four times. Hybrid versions shut off in traffic with a Check Hybrid System warning and restart only after a 12V battery reset. Other reports describe a backup camera that shows a green screen, a 12V battery that drains overnight and has been replaced repeatedly, and a burning smell in the cabin that dealers cannot trace. One rear-end crash with 2 injuries involved airbags that did not deploy.

Sudden power loss leads these reports. Hybrids show a hybrid system fault, lose propulsion at highway speed, and often need a 12V reset to restart. Transmission complaints describe slipping, jerky shifts, power cutting out between gears, and one transmission seizing in 5th gear. Some owners report unintended acceleration or lunging, including a crash where the car went forward after being shifted into reverse. A low oil pressure warning under hard acceleration, with a smoky odor, has owners pointing to the oil pump recall. Dealers often cannot duplicate the faults.

Automatic emergency braking slams on with nothing ahead, usually at 65 to 80 mph on the highway. Triggers include cars passing in an adjacent lane and driving under bridges or train tracks. Braking is hard enough to skid the tires, and one car did it at 750 miles. Owners worry about being rear-ended. Dealers find no codes and cannot reproduce it. One technician suggested keeping the warning on but turning off automatic braking. In the opposite failure, one car gave no warning or braking before hitting a light post.

Stalling while driving or backing up leads these reports. A red engine off warning tells the driver to shift to neutral and restart, and one dealer pointed to an unresolved Idle Stop and Go recall. On the Elantra N, a flashing check engine light with code P1326 appears after car washes or heavy rain and drops the car into limp mode at highway speed. Other reports cover sputtering and stalling at low speed despite repeated valve replacements, recurring low oil warnings, and leaks from the oil filter housing and coolant system.

Lane assist steers the car on its own. In one case it pulled the car into a ditch and the car was totaled. Another owner reports the wheel locking during a slide in bad weather, which led to a crash with a curb. A dealer blamed an alignment camber defect for a tire blowout that damaged one car. Other complaints describe severe hydroplaning near 7,000 miles and full shutdowns with a screeching noise that remove steering and brake control. Dealers could not duplicate the shutdowns.

Most complaints here describe false emergency braking. The car brakes with no vehicle ahead, at speeds from 20 mph to highway speed, and sometimes comes to a full stop on the highway. Passing traffic in the next lane appears to set it off. One car did it 6 times in 11,000 miles. Dealers say they cannot reproduce it. One crash report says the system failed to detect a vehicle ahead. Another owner found the subframe pressing against a brake line and was denied warranty coverage.

Cruise control can jump to 110 mph, lock at that setting, and refuse to be lowered. One car did this at about 50 miles, and the dealer duplicated the fault but could not fix it. Other cars slow down suddenly at highway speed, and one dealer blamed a backordered EGR valve. A Check Forward Safety System error after driving in rain disables adaptive cruise and emergency braking, and one dealer refused warranty repair. A hybrid owner reports the same fault returning after recall work was recorded as done.

These complaints come mostly from crashes. Owners report front airbags that did not deploy in a frontal hit and in a chain-reaction rear-end crash, and only the steering wheel bag deploying in a driver's side impact. Several of these cars were totaled and occupants were hurt. In a low-speed hit, the airbags reportedly went off 10 to 15 seconds after impact and cracked the windshield. Separately, the airbag warning light flashes on and off, and two clock spring replacements did not fix it on one car at 44,000 miles.