I was turning into a driveway and I had slowed down to do so. When I took my foot off the brake the car lunged forward at a high rate of speed. I didn't have my foot on the gas pedal. It happened too fast for me to respond. The car crashed into the side of the garage and continued accelerating and it drove through the garage door. No airbag deployed. I was the only person involved and I am uninjured. The car has not been evaluated yet as it is still in the garage waiting for the tow truck to pick it up on Monday. It will be towed to an auction place in [XXX] and Hyundai as asked to evaluate the car before anything is done to it. I have asked my insurance agent to arrange that with the auction house. There was no warning prior to this happening. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Hyundai Elantra Hybrid sudden acceleration problems
10 of the 138 owner complaints about the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid describe sudden unintended acceleration, most of them for the 2021 model year.
- owner complaints
- 10
- worst model year
- 2021
- typical mileage
- 3,300
By model year
- 20251
- 20233
- 20222
- 20214
Often reported together
What owners say
The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Elantra HEV. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to slow the vehicle, upon releasing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle suddenly accelerated independently. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who determined that the power train control module required a software update. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The contact stated that while her daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The driver was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle failed to restart. The Hybrid system malfunction warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed back to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, a case was opened, and the contact was referred to the federal safety agency Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was 6,000.
Vehicle has an unintended acceleration recall and I have experienced it a few times during the past few months. almost crashed into vehicle before me after the traffic stop.
The contact owns a 2023 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at highway speeds, the Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking brake light illuminated, and the vehicle experienced phantom braking, causing the tires to skid and the speed to abruptly decelerate. Moments later the Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking light turned off, and the vehicle operated normally. The failure had occurred on several occasions. Additionally, the vehicle had experienced unintended acceleration, causing the vehicle to lurch forward. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of failure. The failure mileage was 1,500.
There are have been three significant safety issues with the car. 1. The forward collision alert system goes off without warning and with zero debris or cars in front of me. This has happened three times, putting my safety and those around me at risk. 2. The car has suddenly had what feels like the rear brakes locking up without warning midway through a turn. The car wheels were still spinning but the car stopped moving. This put me directly in harm's way. 3. While my foot was OFF the accelerator while I was approaching a stoplight, the car suddenly accelerated and lunged forward, nearly causing me to hit the car in front of me. I have taken the car in three times and called the dealership about this one more time and have had no resolution; they claim to be unable to replicate the issue. There were no warning messages prior to the failures.
On my way home waiting for the green light the car would not respond to the accelerator.. the engine would rev up on the tachometer but would not move. Finally the engine responded and the car took off reaching 83mph in a matter of seconds. After release of the accelerator I was able to get the car under control. At the next traffic light even with my foot on the brake the vehicle lunged forward nearly striking the car in front. I put the car in neutral and was able to use neutral and low gear to get it back home...the car was towed to the dealership the next morning.
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid. The contact stated that on multiple occasions while the vehicle was idling, right before releasing the brake pedal, the vehicle did not immediately accelerate forward while depressing the accelerator pedal. Additionally, while driving at various speeds, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. After stopping and turning off and restarting the vehicle the failure was self-corrected. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure or detect the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure, but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 2,000.
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that on several occasions while decelerating, the vehicle would lunge forward and the engine would rev. The contact stated that the vehicle would shut off while stopped. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the failure was not determined. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer three times where the failure was not determined. The failure recurred for the fourth time. The contact was awaiting a tow to the dealer Fitzgerald Countryside Hyundai. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 19,651.
According to the dealership where I bought this car, the ignition coil failed. This has happened two times so far, resulting in two separate trips to the dealership to diagnosis and repair the issue. They were able to reproduce and confirm the problem; however, what caused the coil to go out is unknown. The component has not been inspected by any other sources outside of the Hyundai certified mechanics at the dealership. No warning lights or messages appeared at time of occurrence; however the engine would rev up when switching between hybrid and gas modes causing the car to lunge forward. The car also would lose power and not accelerate placing me in extremely unsafe conditions as this has occurred on the highway both times. The car is currently at the dealership getting another ignition coil installed. The second time these symptoms appeared caused me to lose power while turning into a gas station from the highway almost resulting into a t-bone crash with a semi-truck. I purchased this car end of February 2021.
The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while pulling into the driveway, while slowing down, the vehicle inadvertently lunged forward. The vehicle seemed as though it was attempting to accelerate forward. The contact had to depress the brake pedal with excessive force to keep the vehicle from moving forward. The failure was independently remedied, and the vehicle started to perform as designed. The contact stated that failure occurred on three different occasions. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer however, the mechanic was unable to find a cause for the failure. The dealer informed the contact that they were aware of other vehicle owners experiencing the same failure with similar vehicles. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 3,300.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid sudden acceleration
Which Hyundai Elantra Hybrid years have sudden unintended acceleration problems?
The model years with the most reports are 2021 (4 complaints), 2023 (3 complaints) and 2022 (2 complaints).
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