2011 Hyundai Elantra Touring problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Vehicle Speed Control (7) · Steering (3) · Service Brakes (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Hyundai Elantra Touring model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
🛣️ Complaints by mileage
25 NHTSA complaints that reported an odometer reading.
Safety recalls (3)
Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/Traction Control/Electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/Module 2020-02-04 · campaign 20V061000 · 476,111 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Elantra and 2009-2011 Elantra Touring vehicles. On February 21, 2020 Hyundai expanded the recall to include 46,425 model year 2007-2008 Entourage and 2007 Santa Fe vehicles. Moisture may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short.
Risk: An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the car is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the vehicle's main junction box to prevent the risk of an ABS short-circuit while the car is turned off, free of charge. The recall began April 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 188.
Structure:frame And Members 2014-06-10 · campaign 14V310000 · 35,000 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2010-2012 Elantra Touring vehicles manufactured December 15, 2009, through May 7, 2012. The affected vehicles have a support bracket attached to the headliner that may become displaced during a side curtain airbag deployment.
Risk: If the headliner support bracket makes contact with an occupant during a crash, it may cause a laceration injury.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will apply adhesive strips to the headliner, free of charge. The recall began on July 28, 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 117.
Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch 2013-04-01 · campaign 13V113000 · 1,712,336 vehicles
Defect: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, m
Risk: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
Service bulletins (46)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Back Over Prevention: Warnings 2026-10-15 · 26-GI-004H · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some hyundai vehicles may be equipped with a parking distance warning (pdw) sensor(s) that may trigger various dtcs and display warning messages on the instrument cluster, resulting in the pdw sensor(s) failing to detect nearby objects or triggering multiple false alarms. this condition may be a res
Engine 2026-10-08 · 26-EM-016H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
some vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin outlines the combustion chamber cleaning procedure for vehicles diagnosed with this condition. all internal combustion engines consume some engine oil during normal operatio
Engine 2026-10-07 · 26-EM-015H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
certain vehicles equipped with internal combustion engines may exhibit higher-than-expected engine oil consumption. this bulletin provides the inspection and repair procedures for vehicles exhibiting this condition. all internal combustion engines consume engine oil as part of normal engine operatio
Air Bags 2026-04-10 · DTN DL · Other
the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by jilin province detiannuo automobile safety system co., ltd. (dtn). these inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehi
Air Bags 2026-04-10 · DTN DCS · Other
the national highway traffic safety administration (nhtsa) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by jilin province detiannuo automobile safety system co., ltd. (dtn), that have been identified in u.s. vehicles following prior
Exterior Lighting 2025-11-06 · 25-BD-012H TSB · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (drl), or fog lamp. this tsb illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. lamp assembly replacement is not necessary
Showing the 6 most recent of 46 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2019-06-06 · Unknown Or Other · 127,000 mi · 🔥 fire“vehicle caught fire while parked in garage. vehicle was not running and had not been driven for over 5 hours. fire originated in the drivers side of the engine compartment.…”
2019-05-16 · Engine · 45,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2011 hyundai elantra touring. while driving various speeds, an abnormal ticking noise was heard coming from the vehicle. the contact mentioned that the noise was persistent. luther burnsville hyundai (14700 buck hill rd, burnsville, mn 55306, (612) 424-7923) informed the contact to bring the vehicle in to be diagnosed. the ve…”
2018-12-14 · Vehicle Speed Control · 754,000 mi“after getting on the on-ramp on the highway i shifted my manual transmission from 4th to 5th gear to accelerate to 50 mph but the gear didn't shift to 5th and the engine was inadvertently revved up to 4 on the tachometer without any increase in speed; it felt as if i stepped down on the gas pedal while in neutral. i drove the next 25 miles home in …”
2018-11-02 · Vehicle Speed Control · 75,000 mi“tl* the contact owns a 2011 hyundai elantra touring. while driving 20 mph, the vehicle independently accelerated. the contact stated that the failure was intermittent. on several occasions, while the vehicle was stopped at a traffic light, the rpms revved while the brake pedal was being depressed. the vehicle was taken to herb chambers hyundai of a…”
2018-07-26 · Engine“my daughter bought the car used from carmax with 88,000 miles and 2 weeks later had a knocking and clicking sound from the engine. she took it back to carmax and they repaired it noting that the problem was with the cam shaft. 2 years later and 110,000 miles, the same noise occurred with regular oil changes. when we had the car engine diagnosed, th…”
2018-05-21 · Vehicle Speed Control · 85,000 mi“initial issue was automatic speed control (cruise cntrl), will not stay engaged. cruise no longer works in any way other than to turn it on. this issue began around jan 2017. next issue is esc off light intermittently comes on and will not reset without restart. latest issue is the 3rd brake light is the only brake light working. the brake ligh…”
2017-11-15 · Vehicle Speed Control“while driving or stationary and pressing the gas pedal sometimes the car will suddenly and unpredictably increase in acceleration or rpms, respectively, way more than intended even after releasing the gas pedal. a couple points to note: 1) the car is a manual transmission and during the described episode if you press the clutch and put the car into…”
2017-02-21 · Engine · 76,755 mi“oil leaked from the crankcase seal while driving. a mechanic replaced the seal, which failed almost immediately. there are metal fragments in the fresh oil.…”
2016-12-08 · Vehicle Speed Control“when accelerating, the engine does not always de-accelerate when the gas pedal is released. this is sporadic and unpredictable. our mechanic thinks it is a fault in the throttle body. it is dangerous because after accelerating the car will continue to accelerate for up to 10 seconds after my foot is off the gas pedal. or between shifts (manual tran…”
2016-05-19 · Suspension · 98,426 mi“our hyundai elantra had suspension problems and had to have the wheel bearings and drive shaft replaced, but no one ever told us there was a recall on the front coil springs. a week ago, one of the front coil springs snapped and gave us a blowout while we were driving. luckily for us, we were on a side road and not the freeway. we brought it to a l…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.