Reliable Auto DB

2021 Hyundai Elantra reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 130 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Hyundai Elantra over 6 years — 28 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Elantra years here — over the median of the other years, which is 23. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Camera, Front, and Windshield.

2012 Hyundai Elantra
Photo by SsmIntrigue, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0
Complaints

130

Per year

28

Recalls

6

Years on the road

6

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Forward collision avoidance (32 of 130), then Electrical system (30) and Seat belts (27). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, 3 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Next to 2020 and 2022

The 2020 Elantra has 250 complaints, 32 per year, and the 2022 has 101 complaints, 23 per year. The 2021 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2021 Hyundai Elantra. How we count. Data as of .

Recalls (6)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2024-11-21 · NHTSA campaign 24V879000
Summary 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 vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Remedy 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 for this recall is 271.
Recall seat belts, front 2022-05-19 · NHTSA campaign 22V354000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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's number for this recall is 229. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall numbers 21V-796, 22V-069, 22V-218, and 22V-123 for Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles. All Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles already repaired under the previous recalls will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall seat belts, front 2022-04-01 · NHTSA campaign 22V218000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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 remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 223. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-354. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Recall visibility, windshield 2021-12-28 · NHTSA campaign 21V00M000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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's number for this recall is 216.
Recall seat belts, front 2021-10-13 · NHTSA campaign 21V796000
Summary 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.
Remedy 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 numbers for this recall are 211 and 009G. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall numbers 22V-354 for Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles, 22V-458 for Venue vehicles, and 23V-094 for Genesis vehicles. Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, and Genesis vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedies completed.
Recall seats, front assembly, recliner 2021-04-28 · NHTSA campaign 21V302000
Summary Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat back recliners may have been improperly welded.
Remedy 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 1-888-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 204.

Complaints by component (130 total)

Forward collision avoidance
32
Electrical system
30
Seat belts
27
Engine
13
Speed control
10
Service brakes
8
Powertrain
7
Lane departure
6
Steering
5
Exterior lighting
4
Visibility and wipers
4
Back-over prevention
3
Engine and engine cooling
3
Structure
3
Air bags
2
Suspension
2
Visibility
2
Child seat
1
Seats
1
Show 11 more Show less
Crash-flagged

8

Fire-flagged

1

Injury reports

3

Death reports

1

Complaints filed per year

112021452022272023182024152025142026
Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings
  • "Windshield wipers intermittently malfunction in the intermittent setting. The wipers stop at random locations in the middle of the windshield, pause, move a short distance, stop again, and behave erratically. This can…"
    Visibility and wipers · filed 2026-09-14
  • "Vehicle was serviced to remediate Recall 271- backup camera replacement in January, 2025. In June 2026, vehicle is exhibiting the same issue. Rear camera is non functional in the following ways: 1. Vehicle is shifted to…"
    Electrical system · filed 2026-08-12
  • "See attached document for complaint."
    Engine and engine cooling · filed 2026-06-25
  • "Door Lock Actuator, the door latch is stuck on unlock and it won’t close or lock when the lock button is pressed on key fob."
    Electrical system, Unknown or other · filed 2026-06-22
  • "I am filing a complaint regarding a safety recall repair for my vehicle that is not being handled in a timely or reasonable manner by an authorized dealership Delray Hyundai 655 NE Sixth Ave, Delray Beach. Vehicle…"
    Lane departure, Back-over prevention · filed 2026-04-17

NHTSA crash ratings

Version Overall Front Side Rollover
2021 Hyundai Elantra 4 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid 4 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars
2021 Hyundai Elantra N-Line 4 DR FWD 5 stars 4 stars 5 stars 5 stars

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim Engine Transmission Drive City Hwy Combined Annual fuel cost
Elantra 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S7) Front-wheel drive 28 36 31 MPG $2100
Elantra 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S1) Front-wheel drive 31 41 35 MPG $1850
Elantra 2L, 4-cyl Automatic (AV-S1) Front-wheel drive 33 43 37 MPG $1750
Elantra 1.6L, 4-cyl Manual 6-speed Front-wheel drive 25 34 28 MPG $2300
Elantra hybrid 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) Front-wheel drive 49 52 50 MPG $1300
Elantra hybrid Blue 1.6L, 4-cyl Automatic (AM-S6) Front-wheel drive 53 56 54 MPG $1200

Specs and fitment

7th generation (CN7), 2021–present
Body styles Sedan
Oil 0W-20 (2.0L Smartstream and 1.6L turbo where equipped) , 4.2 qt capacity
Tire size 205/55R16 to 225/40R18 (trim dependent)

Known issues for this generation

NHTSA campaign 22V123000. Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front passenger-side seat belt pretensioner may explode upon deployment. An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury. Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 19, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 220. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-796 and 22V-069. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-354. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.

Compare

Previous year 2020 Hyundai Elantra Next year 2022 Hyundai Elantra See every Hyundai Elantra model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2021 Hyundai Elantra reliable?

Owners have filed 130 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Hyundai Elantra over 6 years — 28 per year. That is more complaints per year than most Elantra years here — over the median of the other years, which is 23. NHTSA has 6 recalls on file, including Camera, Front, and Windshield.

What are common problems with a 2021 Hyundai Elantra?

The complaints owners file most often name Forward collision avoidance (32 of 130), then Electrical system (30) and Seat belts (27). Those filings include 8 that report a crash, 1 that reports a fire, 3 that report an injury, and 1 that reports a death.

Is the 2021 Hyundai Elantra more reliable than the years next to it?

The 2020 Elantra has 250 complaints, 32 per year, and the 2022 has 101 complaints, 23 per year. The 2021 has fewer complaints per year than the 2020. The 2021 has more complaints per year than the 2022.

Has the 2021 Hyundai Elantra been recalled?

The 2021 Hyundai Elantra has 6 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2021 Hyundai Elantra?

Owners have filed 130 complaints about the 2021 Hyundai Elantra with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2021 Hyundai Elantra get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2021 Hyundai Elantra is 39.2 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What oil does a Elantra take?

5W-20 or 5W-30 (1.8L and 2.0L per manual)

What does NHTSA recall 17V-769 cover on the Hyundai Elantra?

NHTSA campaign 17V769000.

What generation is the 2013 Hyundai Elantra?

5th generation (MD) (2012-2016).