Hyundai Elantra premature wear problems

Filed Oct 10, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · NJ

Vehicle is still in my possession and available for inspection upon request. My safety and the safety of others was put at risk due to vibration when braking caused by warped rotors, a vehicle that pulls to one side with an off-center steering wheel, abnormal tire wear including a bald tire with a sidewall bubble, and a transmission that has twice failed and recently felt like it was going to stall while accelerating. The wheel bearing/suspension noise was confirmed by an independent repair shop (Firestone) using a listening device at highway speed; however, the dealership's own inspection gave a conflicting finding of no issue. The transmission issues have been reproduced by the dealership in the sense that two replacements were performed; however, the most recent stalling sensation has not yet been independently confirmed. The vehicle has not been inspected by police or insurance. Warning lamps/symptoms included a horn malfunction (tied to Hyundai TSB 25-BE-005H-2) and headlight issues that coincided with transmission slipping on more than one occasion. These symptoms first appeared at approximately 10,000 miles with a wheel alignment flag, and have recurred and worsened over time, including three wheel alignments, two sets of front tires, and two rotor replacements.

Filed May 5, 2026 · Brakes · AZ

I am submitting this complaint to document ongoing brake related concerns on my 2020 Hyundai Elantra that may affect vehicle safety. Since April 2024, I have experienced repeated brake rotor warpage that causes vibration during braking, reduced braking consistency, and a noticeable change in stopping behavior. These symptoms raise concerns about braking performance and overall vehicle control. I reported the issue to Hyundai Motor America and followed their required warranty process, including an inspection at High Desert Hyundai. The dealership indicated the condition should be covered under warranty, but I was charged twice for what should have been a no cost warranty inspection. HMA later denied warranty coverage based on an undefined claim of “outside influence” without providing any criteria, explanation, or evidence supporting that conclusion. The denial prevented me from understanding the basis of their determination or how it applied to the brake condition. HMA then directed me into the BBB Auto Line program under case number HYU2605570 as the next step for disputing the decision. Throughout this process, Hyundai did not provide any additional information or documentation explaining the cause of the brake condition or addressing the safety concerns I raised. Because braking performance affects stopping distance and vehicle control, I am reporting this issue to the federal safety agency so the agency is aware of the repeated brake vibration and rotor warpage, the inconsistent braking behavior, and the lack of clarity from the manufacturer regarding the cause. I possess all invoices, communications, photographs, and documentation related to the inspections and interactions with the dealership, HMA, and BBB Auto Line, and I have maintained these records since April 2024. I also filed a complaint with the federal safety agency for this same reason on February 4, 2025, complaint no. 11638352, for reference.

Filed Jan 13, 2026 · Brakes · AZ

The brake lines in our 2011 Hyundai Elantra have rusted out and no longer hold brake fluid, which means the car is not safe to drive. Luckily we were able to get the car to our sidewalk and park it without injury. We found that Sauder Schelkopf is investigating a potential class action lawsuit against Hyundai for underbody corrosion and brake line failure in 2011-2016 Hyundai Elantra vehicles. It has been alleged that the underbody coating of these vehicles suffer from premature wear and failure, allowing the underbody to prematurely corrode. It has been further alleged that the failure of the underbody coating on these Hyundai vehicles can cause brake line failure and the failure of other essential components resulting in serious safety issues. Hyundai has a recall out to provide underbody coating free to customers but no mention of brake line replacement.

Filed Jun 16, 2022 · Engine · TX

Multiple events of engine shutoff while driving. This results in loss of power braking, power steering and any acceleration. This occurs both at highway and non-highway speeds. This is obviously a safety concern, as, until the engine is restarted, there is difficulty in safely manuevering the vehicle. The engine may or may not be immediately able to restart. This occurs with the vehicle in gear during normal driving conditions (IE, driving at a steady speed on flat road) This is accompanied by multiple CEL faults relating to CCV timing, engine misfire, etc. This was a known issue in prior engine revision (Theta 2.0L), and appears to be subject to a recall of the same engine (Nu 2.0L) in other models. This vehicle was taken to the local dealer and confirmed to need an engine replacement with a similar failure mechanism as the Theta 2.0L (failed lubrication of pistons resulting in premature wear leading to early failure resulting in misfire/"piston slap")

Filed Jan 8, 2020 · Wheels · 22,000 miles · ND

Premature wear on inside edge of rear tires. Wheel alignment indicates that the rear wheels are at the high end of the specification but there is no adjustment. On wet or icy road conditions the car lurches from side to side losing traction shifting side to side. Tires wear out after approximately 30k multiple brands have been tried. Dealer did multiple wheel alignments and eventually provided two new tires but never fixed the problem. I know of others who have bought the same year of vehicle and had the same issue. The lurking/shifting when driving on wet or icy road is very dangerous. The tire replacement issue is costly as well. Rear tires are chambered from factory causing this issue and no adjustment capabilities. This should be a factory recall and the rear axle should be replaced to properly align the rear wheels. My first set of factory tires where evenly on the front they were measured at 8/32 tread when the rear tires where unevenly from 8/32 on the outside to 0/32 on the inside two inches into the tire tread. Fought with deal fir months and months they finally won and wore me out. I just stop going to them and replace my tires as they wear out. Very costly and dangerous for others who don't know about the lurking/shifting to drive this car. There are no after market shim kits to correct this issue either. This should be a safety recall for this vehicle as the vehicle wheel alignment is not tracking properly with no adjustment.

Filed Oct 28, 2015 · Tires · 19,000 miles · NJ

Tl* the contact owns a 2013 hyundai elantra equipped with hankook optimo h426 tires, size: p205/55r16. After inspecting the tires, the contact discovered that the tread was prematurely worn. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the tires needed to be replaced. The tires were replaced, but the failure recurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate vehicle and tire failure mileage was 19,000. The dot number and VIN were unavailable.

Filed Aug 17, 2015 · Brakes, Wheels · 92,700 miles · NY

My wife owns a 2010 hyundai elantra and the complaint I've got is about the lug nuts. I had to replace the rear brake pads, brake shoes and rotors. The first problem I ran into on this project was that the lug nuts were so rusted that the lug wrench supplied with the car wouldn't fit over them - the chrome plating on the nuts had deteriorated allowing rust to built up underneath the plating so that the wrench wouldn't fit. (I thought of those individuals who had to change flat tires on the road and wouldn't be able to get the flat tires off.) I called the dealer to see if new lug nuts were covered under warranty but they said no, that they'd give me a 'deal' of $10/nut - around $200 to replace all them on the car! I still have the rusted lug nuts on the car but carry an additional wrench that will fit over them. I did manage to replace all the parts, including rusted and warped rotors mentioned in some of the other complaints I've seen but caution anyone who plans to tackle this job to be prepared for a grueling job.

Filed Dec 3, 2011 · Brakes · PA

At 17k miles, and my 4th oil change at the dealership, I was informed that hyundai recommended the rear brakes be lubricated at 15k miles to avoid future issues with the calipers/pads/rotors. I found this to be very unusual because the front brakes should be doing most of the braking on these front wheel drive cars and they only mentioned the issue happening with the rear brakes. I told them if this was actually true then there must be a manufacturer defect as I have never had this occur with any of the other foreign cars we have owned in the last 10 years. ( 4 honda's, 2 subaru's) this dealership is actually being proactive in that they are trying to prevent higher future repair costs, they mentioned the rotors having to be replaced if this "preventive maintenance" wasn't performed. Hearing this, I have searched the internet and have found the following: many people reporting rear pads wearing out way earlier than front pads, brake calipers were getting rusted and sticking, eventually seizing, overheating the rear discs and eventually damaging the rotors. There is definitely something defective in the rear braking system if hyundai admits that the rear brakes should be lubricated at 15k miles. But not the front brakes and that the rear brake pads wear out faster than the front pads.

Filed Mar 8, 2011 · Brakes, Locks · 3,850 miles · NJ

Trunk lid opens by itself either when driving or while parked. Had my 2010 elantra towed to dealer saturday 03/05/11 after hearing a loud sound under rear of car as if something metal had broken, then it sounded like something under the rear of the car had dropped, then a loud scraping noise occurred, this happened while turning right into my paved driveway. I stopped immediately and looked under the car, there was nothing in the road or my driveway. As I pulled the car in the driveway loud rattling and scraping sounds and sounds of springs stretching and breaking were coming from the left rear wheel, I looked for anything foreign stuck in the wheels and saw nothing. The dealer said all they found was rust on the rotor. Give me a break, all rotors rust and it rained all day sunday before they looked at the car. I had driven the car at least 45 miles that saturday before this all occurred, there would have been no rust left on the braking surface of the rotors by then. Besides rust does not cause the sounds that I heard. Also when the car was up on the flat-bed I noticed the left rear wheel was on a slant. I will ask the dealer to fully inspect the suspension and if they can pull the rear rotors off to inspect the emergency brakes and to check out why the trunk lid opens by itself on tuesday 03/08/11, and I will let the federal safety agency know the results. Updated ivoq 03/11/11

Filed May 9, 2006 · Brakes · 17,800 miles · CA

Dt*: the contact stated the resistance of the brakes has decrease considerably since the vehicle was purchased. The brake pedal must be depressed with extreme force to stop the vehicle. When the vehicle was inspected by an independent repair shop, it was determined that the left rear caliper was defective; causing excessive brake pad wear on the left side. As a result of the excessive brake pad wear, the left rear rotor has developed deep grooves. The manufacturer has not been alerted.