Hyundai · Elantra · 2018
2018 Hyundai Elantra: problems & reliability
NHTSA has logged 284 owner complaints and no safety recalls for the 2018 Hyundai Elantra. The most-reported problem area is the engine (50% of complaints), followed by electrical system and transmission & powertrain.
Common 2018 Hyundai Elantra problems
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Engine problems
142 owner complaints to NHTSA (50% of all complaints for this model year) involve the engine, including 3 crashes, 7 fires, 1 injury. One owner reported: “Got into an accident but there was immediately an engine fire”
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Electrical system problems
43 owner complaints to NHTSA (15% of all complaints for this model year) involve the electrical system, including 2 crashes, 3 fires, 1 injury. One owner reported: “Initial Fault Code: P0303 Replaced all 4 spark plugs and all 4 ignition coils. The check engine light extinguished momentarily but returned, logging P0303 and a new P0301 Replaced all 4 fuel injectors. CEL extinguished momentarily and then…”
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Transmission & powertrain problems
24 owner complaints to NHTSA (8% of all complaints for this model year) involve the transmission & powertrain. One owner reported: “What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? The car began stalling and started to become unresponsive while I was driving to work. While I was not 100% sure of what component was…”
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Fuel system problems
23 owner complaints to NHTSA (8% of all complaints for this model year) involve the fuel system, including 1 crash, 1 injury. One owner reported: “Cars engines stopped for no apparent reason pulled over and it started back up but it stopped two more times within a two block radius both times it restarted the date was2/17 26 on the next day it did the same thing but only once”
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Exterior lighting problems
16 owner complaints to NHTSA (6% of all complaints for this model year) involve the exterior lighting. One owner reported: “The rare brake light is working fine but the car dashboard computer keeps on saying „Check rare brake light“ intermittently. It either needs a repair (although brake lights are working) or a replacement. Please resolve this issue because…”
Owner complaints by area
| Area | Complaints | Share | Chart |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engine | 142 | 50% | |
| Electrical system | 43 | 15% | |
| Transmission & powertrain | 24 | 8% | |
| Fuel system | 23 | 8% | |
| Exterior lighting | 16 | 6% | |
| Steering | 16 | 6% | |
| Body & structure | 15 | 5% | |
| Brakes | 15 | 5% |
284 complaints filed with NHTSA in total, reporting 12 crashes, 7 fires, 6 injuries, 1 death. A complaint can involve more than one area.
2018 Hyundai Elantra recalls
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2018 Hyundai Elantra.
2018 Hyundai Elantra crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2018 Hyundai Elantra 4 DR FWD. Ratings can differ between body styles and drivetrains.
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Specifications
- Drivetrains
- FWD
- Body styles
- 4-door
Other Hyundai Elantra years
About this data
Problems, complaint counts, recalls and crash-test ratings come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public databases, last checked 2026-11-03. Complaints are reports from owners and have not all been verified by NHTSA.
How we score reliability: every model year starts at 100. Points come off for the number of owner complaints (on a log scale, up to 40 points), for each safety recall (2 points each, up to 15) and for complaints involving crashes, fires, injuries or deaths (up to 15). Popular vehicles get more complaints simply because more are on the road, so compare scores between similar vehicles. More about our method.
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