2012 Hyundai Elantra: fire, smoke or burning smell

Filed Oct 16, 2026 · Brakes · 210,672 miles · VA · fire

The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, there was smoke coming from under the hood. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the road, and the contact exited the vehicle. The contact noticed fire coming from the engine compartment. The fire department arrived and extinguished the fire. The contact had previously scheduled an appointment with the dealer; however, three months prior to the fire, the dealer informed the contact that the parts were unavailable. The dealer stated a follow-up call would occur to reschedule once parts became available. The vehicle was towed to a local tow yard. The failure mileage was approximately 210,672.

Filed Apr 27, 2026 · Engine · FL · fire

The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that around 4:00 o'clock in the morning, she was awoken by the sound of her dogs barking; she then discovered that her vehicle had caught fire and had burned to the ground. The fire spread, which caught fire to a nearby mobile home and a 4-wheeler. The authorities were called to the scene, and the fire department managed to extinguish all three fires. No injuries were reported, and a police report was not filed. A neighbor's Ring doorbell camera captured the footage of the fire, which showed that the fire had started from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was filed. The vehicle was a total loss and remained in the contact's possession. The failure mileage was unknown.

Filed Apr 6, 2026 · Engine · 80,000 miles · PA · fire

The contact’s son owns a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while the contact’s son was driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unexpectedly stalled, and the rear of the vehicle caught fire. The contact’s son pulled the vehicle over to the side of the road, and the fire extinguished on its own. No fire or police report was filed. The contact was informed by local police that a trail of oil had leaked from the contact’s son’s vehicle while driving. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and refused to replace the engine under an unknown related engine recall. The approximate failure mileage was 80,000.

Filed Oct 3, 2024 · Brakes · TX · fire

The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The local dealer was contacted. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked and turned off, there was smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact stated that the engine compartment had caught on fire. The vehicle was extinguished by the Fire Department. A fire report was filed, and a fire report number was provided; however, the cause for the failure was not yet determined. A Police report was not filed. No medical attention was needed. The vehicle was towed to a salvage junkyard. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed that the vehicle would be destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was not available. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Mar 7, 2024 · Engine · 225,000 miles · FL · fire

The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving the vehicle, there was a smoke odor and the engine caught fire. The check engine light was illuminated. The contact pulled off the road and pushed the vehicle to a safe place where the fire would not spread to other objects. The vehicle was not drivable. There were no injuries and no police or fire report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 225,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Feb 29, 2024 · Brakes · 120,000 miles · SC · fire

The contact’s friend owned a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact’s friend received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V651000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that while the friend was leaving the store and driving out of a parking space, the friend heard a noise coming from the engine and observed black smoke coming from the front of the vehicle. The contact's friend attempted to put the vehicle in park but was unsuccessful. While driving at 5 MPH, the front of the vehicle struck the curb and stopped. No warning light was illuminated. There were no injuries. The Fire Department and Police Department arrived on the scene. The Fire Department extinguished the fire. The contact stated the Fire Department and Police Department filed incident reports. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 120,000.

Filed Feb 16, 2024 · Engine · CA

On [XXX], I was driving on the left lane of [XXX], between [XXX] , traveling [XXX], in Oakland, California. I had only driven for a few minutes after leaving work. After braking at a stoplight, my 2012 Hyundai Elantra stopped functioning and stopped on the road while driving. The "check engine" light went on, the "check battery" light went on and a "check fluid" light all went on at the same time for over 10 minutes. During those 10 minutes, I was unable to start the car. I put my hazard lights on and desperately called 911 and AAA. I continued to try and re-start the car. After 10-15 minutes, I was able to get the car started and pulled off the road. I was later able to drive home. I later had the car evaluated by a mechanic and he could not find a reason for my experience. The battery was replaced within the last 6 months, oil was changed recently and an engine coil was recently replaced. We get the car repaired/serviced regularly. I strongly suspect that my experience is related to Hyundai Recall 251 / the federal safety agency Recall 23V651000. This is a very serious safety issue (e.g. "engine could catch on fire while driving or parked...") and Hyundai has so far not been appropriately responsive about my safety concerns. The Recall was issued in September of 2023 and no remedy has been issued to date (as of 2/16/24). Hyundai owners should not be expected to just keep driving cars that are at risk of randomly catching fire while driving or ceasing to function while driving on a busy road. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) The contact wants to follow up on this complaint.

Filed Dec 22, 2023 · Brakes · 105,000 miles · CT · fire

The contact owned a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, she noticed smoke coming from underneath the hood. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that she immediately veered to the side of the road and exited the vehicle. The contact stated that she opened the hood, and saw fire. The contact stated that she went across the street and called 911. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle and the dashboard burned. The fire department extinguished the fire. A fire department report and a police report were filed. There was no injury sustained. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The contact later received notification of the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 23V651000 ( Service Brakes, Hydraulic) that she related to the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 105,000.

Filed Jun 11, 2019 · Engine · 135,000 miles · PR · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the engine caught on fire due to unknown reason. The fire department extinguished the fire and filed a report. A police report was filed. The vehicle had not been moved and continued to be parked at contact's residence. The contact called to the local dealer hyundai de hormigueros located at carr #2 km 165.7 bo. Lavadero, hormigueros, 00660, puerto rico, 1 787‑849‑6000 and had been made aware of failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed as of yet. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer had been informed of failure. The failure mileage was 135,000.

Filed Mar 19, 2019 · Body, Engine · 88,000 miles · TX · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 hyundai elantra. A few minutes after the vehicle was parked in the driveway after a trip, the sound of a horn was heard from the vehicle. Someone looked outside and saw the front end of the vehicle on fire. The fire was extinguished by a family member. There was no warning indicator illuminated. Neither a fire nor a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed and declared totaled by the insurance company. The contact sent an email to vandergriff hyundai (817‑912‑5122, located at 1120 w interstate 20, arlington, tx 76017), but there was no response. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The contact received notification of the federal safety agency campaign number: 14v310000 (structure). The failure mileage was 88,000. Parts distribution disconnect.

Filed Aug 24, 2018 · Brakes, Engine · 169,000 miles · CA

While driving at 35 MPH on left lane, engine suddenly died and car skidded a little because brake was deployed automatically or the wheel locked. It made 2 braking/skidding sound. Then suddenly I was able to steer again and position the car to the right for safety. Engine wont turn on. Burning smell and some smoke maybe from locked brake? Car towed to nearest hyundai shop.

Filed Aug 23, 2018 · Electrical · 130,000 miles · TX · fire

Tl* the contact owned a 2012 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that the vehicle caught on fire while parked in the driveway. The contact was pumping air into the rear driver's side tire via the vehicle's tire air pump system at the time of the fire. The vehicle was not turned on when the failure occurred. The fire department was called and extinguished the fire. A fire report was filed. The vehicle was deemed a total loss. The dealer (texoma hyundai, 2500 texoma pkwy, sherman, tx 75090, (903) 892-0999) was made aware of the failure and did not assist. The failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000. The VIN was not available.