"How reliable is the 2012 Hyundai Elantra?"

"Based on 911 NHTSA complaints, the 2012 Hyundai Elantra has a median complaint mileage of 60000 miles. The most common issue is Engine."

"What are common problems with the 2012 Hyundai Elantra?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2012 Hyundai Elantra is Engine, accounting for a significant portion of the 911 total complaints filed."

2012 Hyundai Elantra: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 911 complaints

911

Total Complaints

60,000mi

Median Mileage

Engine

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

32,160 25th Percentile

60,000 Median Mileage

95,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Engine

136

Electrical System

122

Air Bags

121

Steering

Unknown Or Other

Service Brakes

Electronic Stability Control (Esc)

Suspension

Power Train

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHEN LOOKING THROUGH THE WINDOW SHIELD TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT, THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SIDES OF THE WINDOW BLOCK HIS VISION. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER TOLD THE CONTACT THERE WERE NO RELATED RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS ..."

"WHILE PULLING ONTO A CITY STREET AWAY FROM A CURB, THE CAR LUNGED FORWARD AND WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO DRIVE.I CHECKED TO SEE IF THE GEAR SELECTOR HAD JUMPED OUT OF D TO N. DID NOT. TRIED TO CONTINUE DOWN THE STREET, AND THE CAR DID THE SAME THING AT DIFFERENT INTERVALS. TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SHIFT ..."

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SHIFT ABNORMALLY INTO THE LEFT LANE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED WHEN DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSTICS WHERE THE TECHNICIAN ADVISED THE CO..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Engine 136 complaints

25th: 39,749 mi Median: 67,385 mi 75th: 97,125 mi

Electrical System 122 complaints

25th: 32,779 mi Median: 51,000 mi 75th: 72,000 mi

Air Bags 121 complaints

25th: 60,000 mi Median: 89,000 mi 75th: 116,000 mi

Steering 88 complaints

25th: 18,400 mi Median: 67,000 mi 75th: 100,156 mi

Unknown Or Other 66 complaints

25th: 46,350 mi Median: 71,000 mi 75th: 94,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 105 FL: 102 NY: 58 TX: 57 GA: 50 VA: 42 NJ: 42 MD: 41 OH: 32 PA: 31

Who Files Complaints?

Original Owners

99%

Second+ Owners

Hyundai Elantra — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1992	46	-	Automatic Transmission	1
1993	39	-	Engine	2
1994	110	-	Frontal	26
1995	179	-	Frontal	32
1996	138	92,000	Gasoline	11
1997	196	89,000	Automatic Transmission	26
1998	75	72,000	Gasoline	10
1999	183	92,750	Automatic Transmission	24
2000	259	48,000	Frontal	43
2001	445	69,000	Air Bags	100
2002	431	72,000	Air Bags	80
2003	310	65,500	Suspension	59
2004	209	31,000	Air Bags	32
2005	180	51,500	Air Bags	43
2006	209	68,250	Air Bags	37
2007	364	70,530	Visibility/Wiper	26
2008	423	55,409	Steering	57
2009	315	78,000	Steering	39
2010	494	62,000	Steering	67
2011	588	70,000	Engine	29
2013	1839	43,000	Steering	157
2014	540	54,000	Engine	58
2015	344	50,550	Engine	45
2016	378	54,128	Engine	30
2017	1054	41,000	Engine	57
2018	385	23,892	Engine	14
2019	309	43,500	Engine	19
2020	294	6,200	Engine	28
2021	205	15,500	Warnings	11
2022	127	23,500	Seat Belts	5
2023	131	7,000	Unknown Or Other	11
2024	86	7,654	Unknown Or Other	11
2025	23	-	Unknown Or Other	4

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28