2012 Hyundai Elantra: engine and transmission complaints
ELEVATED COMPLAINT SIGNAL
34%
181 of 536 relevant owner complaints are about the engine, transmission or fuel system
34% of relevant owner complaints on the 2012 Hyundai Elantra are about the engine, transmission or fuel system. That is elevated. Worth an independent inspection before you commit to one.
Better than 64% of the 1,230 model years we track (2010–2023).
Excludes 138 airbag, lighting and seat-belt recall complaints that would otherwise mask the signal (unadjusted: 27%).
The percentage is each model year's drivetrain complaint share. No elevated signal describes the model year, not any one car; a well-kept example of a flagged model can still be the right buy, and any of these still needs an inspection.
What owners reported
ENGINE08/06/2021CRASH1 INJURED
2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY SURGED FORWARD WHILE BEING DRIVEN 1-2 MPH OUT OF A PARKING LOT. THE CONSUMER STATED THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED, BUT FAILED. THE VEHICLE WENT OVER A PARKING SPOT BARRICADE, INTO A FEILD, AND CRASHED INT…
ENGINE09/20/20191 INJURED
I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE FROM A PERSON NOT DEALER. HYUNDAI WAS MINT CONDITION. DRIVES SMOOTH. ITS KEPT UP AND ONLY SERVICED AT HYUNDAI..144,000 MILES. MY 3RD DAY HAVING THIS CAR THE ENGINE TICKS AND KNOCKS. WHEN CHECKING THE ENGINE I LITERALLY BURNED MY FINGER TOUCHING THE ENGINE IT WAS SO HOT I HAD A BLISTER THE CAR RA…
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (11/14/2016CRASH1 INJURED
ON NOVEMBER 8TH, 2016, SAINT PAUL, MN, MY CAR WOULD NOT START UP. NO WARNING SIGNALS CAME ON AND JUST MADE A "CLICKING" NOISE". I CALLED HYUNDAI'S ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WHEN THEY ARRIVED HE TOLD ME TO TRY TO START IT UP. THE CAR THEN CAME ON WHICH WAS APPROX. A 45 MINUTE WAIT. IN OCTOBER 2015- EAGAN, MN, I WAS DRIVIN…
Three of 181 drivetrain complaints. The full report shows more, with quotes about the engine in the car you are looking at first.
Recall campaigns on this model year (5)
ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2011-2012 Elantra vehicles manufactured October 29, 2010, to October 25, 2011. Due to an electronic stabi…
AIR BAGS:SIDE/WINDOW
Hyundai Motor Company is recalling certain model year 2011-2013 Elantra vehicles manufactured from November 12, 2010, through March 5, 2013. A support bracket attached t…
EQUIPMENT:ELECTRICAL
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2012 Hyundai Elantra and Sonata Hybrid, 2012 Accent and Veloster vehicles. The 12V accessory socket outlet may …
This does not say whether a particular car has an open, unrepaired recall. That depends on the VIN.
Before you buy a 2012 Hyundai Elantra
Ask the seller whether the engine has ever been repaired or replaced, and whether the car has shown stalling, loss of power, rough idle, oil consumption or a check-engine light.
Drive it from a cold start and long enough to warm up. Many engine faults hide once the car is warm.
Get an independent pre-purchase inspection from a mechanic you choose, and tell them to focus on the engine.
5 recall campaigns on this model year. Whether a specific car still has one open depends on the VIN; the report checks that.
Ask for service records. A engine already replaced under warranty is a different car from one that was not.
Have the VIN?Paste it and get the full report for that car. First report free, then a 30-day pass covers a whole car search.
Experimental model-level information. This is not a vehicle inspection, vehicle-history
report, financial advice or purchase recommendation. It describes patterns across a model year, not the condition
of any individual vehicle. Combined across 2 body styles NHTSA files separately.
