2010 Hyundai Elantra: problems, recalls and what it’s worth

Known problems on the 2010 Hyundai Elantra

No generation-wide weak spot is flagged in GarageIntel’s research for this year and model. A specific car can still have its own problems, so get it inspected.

2010 Hyundai Elantra recalls

NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2010 Hyundai Elantra. Repairs are free at a dealer for the brand, and a dealer can confirm by VIN which were already done.

• BrakesFire 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.

  Details 20V061000

  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.

  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.

• Steering

  If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Details 15V100000

  Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Elantra vehicles manufactured June 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010, and 2009-2010 Elantra Touring vehicles manufactured November 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010. The electronic power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may sense a discrepancy in the steering input signals and, as a result, disable the steering power assist.

  Fix: Hyundai will verify the proper operation of the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and update the EPS control unit, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 127.

• Lights

  Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash.

  Details 13V113000

  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, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

  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.

2010 Hyundai Elantra safety investigations and free repairs

No open safety investigations.

Free repairs to ask about (warranty extensions):

• Steering: Hyundai has announced an extended warranty for the motor driven power steering (MDPS) coupling on the following vehicles: ?

A dealer for the brand can check these by VIN.

Source: NHTSA, Sep 24, 2026.

2010 Hyundai Elantra safety and fuel

From NHTSA’s crash tests and the EPA’s fueleconomy.gov.

What owners complain about

454 complaints filed with NHTSA for this year and model, which is a lot.

Other Hyundai Elantra years

2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024