2021 Hyundai Elantra Problems, Recalls & Reliability
214 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2021 Hyundai Elantra, alongside 6 recall campaigns and 2 defect investigations. It scores 10/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Driver assistance leads the reports.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2021 Hyundai Elantra has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2021 sits among all Elantra years
What owners report
“While my son was driving on the highway, the smart cruise control suddenly stopped working with "Check forward safety system" and "Check smart cruise control system".”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Elantra
“Back up camera doesn’t work. When put in reverse the screen is static and when you press the back up camera button it won’t turn on”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Elantra
“The horn is a known issue to stop working on the Hyundai Elantra. I have had my car for 10 months, and the horn does not work. This is a very big safety concern and I have been told by mechanics and other Hyundai Elantra owners this is a constant issue.”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Elantra
“The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 22V354000 (Seat Belts) however, the part to do the recall repair was not yet available. The contact stated that the manufacturer had exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2021 Elantra
Recalls (6)
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…
Fix: 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…
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.
Fix: 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 Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Elantra and 2020 Accent vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver and passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 31, 2022. A second notice will be sent once…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will remove and reinstall the front windshield panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.…
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.
Fix: 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…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat back recliners may have been improperly welded.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and if necessary, replace the seat back frame assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 21, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at…
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 23V094000.
Technical service bulletins
79 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on electrical and engine — are on file for the 2021 Hyundai Elantra. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2021 Elantra TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2021 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
The 2021 Hyundai Elantra drew 214 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 10/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 2021 Hyundai Elantra problems?
The top reported problems for the 2021 Hyundai Elantra are driver assistance (64 complaints), electrical (34), and other (30).
Does the 2021 Hyundai Elantra have recalls?
6 recall campaigns apply to the 2021 Hyundai Elantra. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.