Approximately once every 500 - 2000 miles (maybe more frequently this year), my car suddenly begins to accelerate hard. This happens even if my foot is completely off the gas pedal. Usually, before the problem becomes severe, there are a few minutes in which I suspect the car is sometimes lurching forward, or losing some ability to accelerate. Then the problem worsens til the car is almost undriveable... it speeds up, I slow it down with the brakes, I release the brakes, the car speeds up, I slow it down with the brakes again, and so on. The problem goes away right away when I turn the car off and then back on. I brought the car to the the dealer to investigate this when the car was still pretty new, but they found nothing. I did have a recall repair (software update) done that I thought was related to this, but it made no difference. The check engine light does not illuminate, and neither do any other warnings. It's very scary when it happens. When it's bad and I don't have an opportunity to pull off the road, I can shift to neutral and let the car coast to a stop at the side of the road. Or I can turn the engine off and then back on, while the car is still moving.
The worst 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
- Acceleration11
- Electrical11
- Engine9
- Brakes5
- Fuel system4
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Acceleration11
- Electrical11
- Engine9
- Brakes5
- Fuel system4
- Driver assistance3
- Lights1
- Suspension1
- Transmission1
Recalls 4
Back over prevention: sensing system: camera
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Santa Fe HEV, Elantra, Elantra HEV and 2022 Elantra N and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles. Due to a damaged printed circuit board, the rearview camera image may fail to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
- Risk
- A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑855‑371‑9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 271.
Recall number 24V879000 · Recall details
Electrical system
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Elantra HEV vehicles. A software error in the motor control unit may cause unintended vehicle acceleration after the brake pedal is released.
- Risk
- Unintended vehicle acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will update the motor control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 29, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑855‑371‑9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 248.
Recall number 23V589000 · Recall details
Seat belts: front
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Accent, 2021-2022 Elantra, and 2021-2022 Elantra HEV vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
- Risk
- An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioner(s) with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 28, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑855‑371‑9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 229. This recall expands and replaces the federal safety agency recall numbers 21V‑796, 22V‑069, 22V‑218, and 22V‑123 for Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles. All Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles already repaired under the previous recalls will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall number 22V354000 · Recall details
Seat belts: pretensioner
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, Genesis GV80 and 2022 Genesis GV70 vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
- Risk
- An exploding seat belt pretensioner could project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑855‑371‑9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 211 and 009G. This recall is replaced by the federal safety agency recall numbers 22V‑354 for Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles, 22V‑458 for Venue vehicles, and 23V‑094 for Genesis vehicles. Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, and Genesis vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedies completed.
Recall number 21V796000 · Recall details
Technical service bulletins for the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid 47
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Inoperable horn
- Inoperable horn
- Inoperable horn
- Inoperable horn
- Inoperable horn
- This bulletin provides information related to the navigation and head unit software changes introduced in...
- Higher-than-expected engine oil consumption
- Higher-than-expected engine oil consumption
- The federal safety agency has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit...
- The federal safety agency has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag...
2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.6L 4‑cyl Hybrid | FWD | 49 | 52 | 50 |
What 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH during ice and snow, the engine revved, and there was an abnormal sound coming from the Hybrid battery. While turning, the contact stated that the vehicle had unintendedly accelerated. Additionally, the tire pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact believed that the failure was related to the Hybrid battery. The vehicle was driven to the residence, where it remained parked and was not driven since. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,900.
The headlights and back lights turn off at random times when the headlights are on the automatic setting. This problem happens very frequently at night, putting my family at risk when the lights go off and cannot see what is ahead of us. In addition to a cop pulling me over for not having my lights on and he asked me if I was playing with the lights since they were going on and off and luckily the cop did not give me a ticket when I explained and he saw the problem (he advised me to get on this website and to make a report). I have reported this problem to the Hyundai dealership for the past 3 years and I don’t even think they take the time to investigate. The dealership just keeps telling me that with another update in the software is going to get fixed. But that is not the case. This is a very dangerous problem that is going to get someone killed. Need to be fixed
Check Hybrid System alarmed in heavy traffic and derated my car and put me in a very dangerous situation.
I am writing to report a serious and ongoing safety issue with my 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid that remains unresolved despite multiple visits to Hyundai service centers and independent repair shops. I’ve also found numerous consumer discussions online describing nearly identical issues with the same model and newer Elantra Hybrid models, suggesting this may be part of a wider systemic defect. The core issue lies within the vehicle’s hybrid system. Shortly after a recent system/software update performed at a Hyundai dealership, a warning message began appearing at random intervals stating: “Check Hybrid System.” This typically first appears after extended driving — often around 3 hours — but once it occurs, the issue worsens if I continue to drive. Each time the warning appears, the vehicle suddenly and drastically decelerates without driver input, becoming dangerously slow and unresponsive, even while traveling at highway speeds. This creates an urgent safety risk, as I have had to maneuver off the road quickly to avoid collisions. After the initial warning, if I attempt to drive the vehicle again without sufficient downtime, the warning reappears much more frequently — sometimes within minutes. The only temporary relief is to stop using the vehicle and allow it to rest for at least six hours, after which the issue may temporarily subside. In every case, I must use the 12V battery reset button to restart the car, which I suspect may be clearing diagnostic codes before they can be properly recorded. Notably, the check engine light disappears after this reset, even if it was previously displayed. Given that the hybrid battery is located beneath the rear passenger seat, I am deeply concerned that if there is an underlying thermal or electrical issue, it could pose a serious or life-threatening risk to passengers. To date, no dealership or technician has been able to duplicate or permanently resolve the problem.
I have a safety recall is with a Rear view camera that hasn’t had a solution.
The Hybrid charging system fails once the vehicle is above 75 mph. After about an hour or two, the vehicle will die on the highway. This is a reoccurring issue putting our safety at risk. The dealership cannot find what the problem is. Online forums show similar issues with dealerships unable to solve the problem.
At around 93k miles my HECU unit apparently malfunctioned at the same time as the left front tire speed indicator. All of my safety features ABS, adaptive cruise control, lane departure, lane keeping etc do not work because of this.
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra HEV. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle started to lose motive power with a battery warning light illuminated. The contact stated that on several occasions, the vehicle had to be turned off and restarted for the vehicle to recharge and restart. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact informed the dealer that the failure was intermittent and within an hour the dealer stated had replicated the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 52,000.
When gas is pressed (even to floor) in drive, vehicle stalls, does not accelerate. Then vehicle jerks into propulsion after revving. Other instances, at deceleration the car will jerk and shake to a stop. I have mentioned the problem at every scheduled maintenance
Compare the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid
Other model years
Questions about the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid
Is the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid reliable?
Owners have filed 30 complaints about the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid, fewer than a typical Elantra Hybrid model year.
What is the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid year score?
The 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid scores 79 out of 100 (average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid?
Acceleration and speed control, with 11 complaints. Next is electrical (11).
How many recalls does the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid have?
4 recalls, covering back over prevention, electrical system and seat belts.
What gas mileage does the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid get?
Official estimates for the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid range from 50 mpg combined. The most efficient version (1.6L 4-cyl hybrid, FWD) gets 49 city and 52 highway.
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