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Hyundai · NHTSA safety record

2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

29

Complaints

0

Crashes

0

Fires

0

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid have filed 29 safety complaints with NHTSA between July 2021 and January 2026. The most complained-about system is the electrical system, named in 11 of them (38%). The typical failure was reported at 17,326 miles, the median across the 6 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

24V879000 · November 21, 2024

The defect
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."
The risk
A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
The 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.

Hyundai Motor America · up to 226,118 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 29.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 11 38%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 10 34%
ENGINE 8 28%
SERVICE BRAKES 5 17%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 4 14%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 3 10%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 3 10%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 1 3%
POWER TRAIN 1 3%
SUSPENSION 1 3%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2023 at 12.

2021 2023 2026
2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:PROPULSION SYSTEM:HYBRID MANAGEMENT

44,900 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH during ice and snow, the engine revved, and there was an abnormal sound coming from the Hybrid battery. While turning, the contact stated that the vehicle had unintendedly accelerated. Additionally, the tire pressure warning light was illuminated. The contact believed that the failure was related to the Hybrid battery. The vehicle was driven to the residence, where it remained parked and was not driven since. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 44,900.

NHTSA complaint 11708400. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The headlights and back lights turn off at random times when the headlights are on the automatic setting. This problem happens very frequently at night, putting my family at risk when the lights go off and cannot see what is ahead of us. In addition to a cop pulling me over for not having my lights on and he asked me if I was playing with the lights since they were going on and off and luckily the cop did not give me a ticket when I explained and he saw the problem (he advised me to get on this website and to make a report). I have reported this problem to the Hyundai dealership for the past 3 years and I don’t even think they take the time to investigate. The dealership just keeps telling

NHTSA complaint 11672296, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN
Check Hybrid System alarmed in heavy traffic and derated my car and put me in a very dangerous situation.

NHTSA complaint 11671060. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I am writing to report a serious and ongoing safety issue with my 2021 Hyundai Elantra Hybrid that remains unresolved despite multiple visits to Hyundai service centers and independent repair shops. I’ve also found numerous consumer discussions online describing nearly identical issues with the same model and newer Elantra Hybrid models, suggesting this may be part of a wider systemic defect. The core issue lies within the vehicle’s hybrid system. Shortly after a recent system/software update performed at a Hyundai dealership, a warning message began appearing at random intervals stating: “Check Hybrid System.” This typically first appears after extended driving — often around 3 hours — but

NHTSA complaint 11661670, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I have a safety recall is with a Rear view camera that hasn’t had a solution.

NHTSA complaint 11632655. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The Hybrid charging system fails once the vehicle is above 75 mph. After about an hour or two, the vehicle will die on the highway. This is a reoccurring issue putting our safety at risk. The dealership cannot find what the problem is. Online forums show similar issues with dealerships unable to solve the problem.

NHTSA complaint 11624498. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2023 54 0
2022 39 1

Other 2021 Hyundai models

Every Hyundai on this site — 201 vehicles, 276 recall campaigns and 3 open investigation s.

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
Independent developer and analyst