The 2016 Hyundai Elantra has 2 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 190,081 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 387 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the engine. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
AIR BAGS26V3070002026-05-143,493 affected
Defect
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Elantra and 2016 Elantra GT vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.
Consequence
An air bag inflator that ruptures may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or passengers, increasing the risk of injury or death.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the air bag inflator, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed July 13, 2026. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 300. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall…
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 Elantra vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, "Internal Trunk Release."
Consequence
A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the trunk latch base sub-assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed April 5, 2024. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 256.
Complaints by component
ENGINE
107
1crashes2fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
52
1crashes1injuries
POWER TRAIN
27
AIR BAGS
26
15crashes1fires14injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
20
2fires
STEERING
19
2crashes2injuries
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
18
1crashes
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
17
4crashes1injuries
STRUCTURE:BODY
16
1crashes1fires1injuries
SERVICE BRAKES
15
1crashes
Total complaints387
What owners report
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“The vehicle's security system malfunctioned immediately after service at parks hyundai of gainesville on 05/27/26 for recall 256 & campaign p33. The alarm blares & emergency lights flash while I am driving on public roads. This defect first presented in the dealership parking lot upon pickup. This…”
“The vehicle's security system malfunctioned immediately after service at parks hyundai of gainesville on 05/27/26 for recall 256 & campaign p33. The alarm blares & emergency lights flash while I am driving on public roads. This defect first presented in the dealership parking lot upon pickup. This…”
“The vehicle's security system malfunctioned immediately after service at parks hyundai of gainesville on 05/27/26 for recall 256 & campaign p33. The alarm blares & emergency lights flash while I am driving on public roads. This defect first presented in the dealership parking lot upon pickup. This…”
“Unknown”
“Car just turns off randomly. This has happened at least 6 times within a month. Once on a highway. Last time it turned off a strange sound was coming out of the car also.”
“So I have a suspicion oh a connecting rod, might be a bearing but it’s making a tik tik noise, no other issue than that, no engine light no nothing, been doing it for a while but car still goes great”
“My car turned off while it was in drive. The oil pressure light flashed on for a second then disappeared. The car did not have anything else seem like it is wrong. I was put in dangers way because it turned off right before I was about to turn onto a very busy street and if it had done that in the…”
“No accident has occurred as of yet (for my case). Ongoing issues with hyundai left brake bulb and center brake bulb burning out due to over-amperage. These two are on their own 10a circuit separate from the 5a circuit for the right brakelight bulb. It appears that these two bulbs are possibly…”
Defect investigations
InvestigationDP21003 Opened 2021-11-12 · closed 2023-06-20
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003.…
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2016 Hyundai Elantra as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.