There are 14 owner-reported speed control & cruise complaints for the 2012 Hyundai Elantrain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
My wife was driving down the road, traction control light came on & one of the brakes locked up and she nearly avoided an accident. I took the vehicle to a local shop & they pulled a C1283 code. I was told it was part of a recall & take it to the dealership. I took it Hanania Hyundai & they told me it's not part of the recall. I have the TSB and will attach it. If my car is not part of it, I believe it should be because it describes my incident to a tee.
My 2012 Hyundai Elantra has been subject to various recalls – such as number 20V393000, "12V outlet may overheat" – but that seems trivial compared to a safety issue I've been experiencing. There are buttons on the Elantra steering wheel that control radio settings, cruise control, etc. For the past several years, these buttons have been malfunctioning (having effects as if you had pressed a button other than the one you actually pressed). This is a safety hazard if 1) a driver needs to cancel cruise control, and presses the appropriate button, but some other effect happens and cruise control is not cancelled. 2) a driver does not intend to engage cruise control, and presses a button that normally would not cause that to happen, but due to this malfunction, cruise control is engaged. ?? know that tapping the brake is an alternative way to cancel cruise control – but in an emergency driving situation, some drivers will not think of that quickly enough, and rely solely on the steering wheel buttons which are subject to frequent malfunctions. I am requesting a recall to fix this issue.
Initially it stalled while idling in my driveway on 2 different occasions. Several days later on a short errand 8/2/21, it stalled at a red light, the engine puttered, and it failed to shift gears at 20-25 mph and 40-50 mph unless I alternated between letting off and then reapplying the accelerator. Just continuing to press the accelerator made it slow down. No warning lights came on, but I took it to a local repair shop. They couldn't replicate the problem on several attempts, so I picked it up and drove it home slowly. I was afraid to use it - trying to accelerate on an entrance ramp and having it slow down would be dangerous. After it sat 2 months, my husband went to drive it a little. It stalled at a stop sign and had trouble shifting gears again. When I went to drive it to the repair shop, the Check Engine light came on immediately. I drove it carefully, and it was OK. The shop called the next day. They replaced the crankshaft position sensor because of a code, and it was ready. On the way home, it shook violently and flashed the Check Engine light the 2 times it tried to go to second gear. I had it towed to the repair shop. They couldn't replicate the problem, so they replaced the crankshaft position sensor again. As soon as I started home, it acted up again. I went back and had a mechanic ride with me. It acted up. He said he hadn't pressed the accelerator as hard as I did, he'd never seen anything like it, and to take it to a Hyundai dealer. I had it towed to a Hyundai dealer. They replaced a switch inhibitor, valve solenoid, harness, and gasket valve body cover - all in the transmission. As soon as I started home, it acted up again. I turned around and took it back. That was 11/18/21. I called on 11/23/21 and told my service writer about the NHTSA investigation opened 11/12/21 for speed control problems and said I thought my car might be having this throttle problem. He said he hadn't heard about it, and he's going to call me back tomorrow.
LOSS OF POWER WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 80MPH. VEHICLE FAILED TO RESPOND TO INPUT ON GAS PEDAL, AND ENGINE PRODUCED MINIMAL POWER. NO LOSS OF ELECTRONICS OR STEERING. FROM A STOP, VEHICLE PRODUCED LIMITED POWER AND SPEED REACHED MAXIMUM SPEED OF 15-20MPH. AFTER 30MIN, VEHICLE RESPONDED NORMALLY. NO WARNING LIGHTS APPEARED DURING OR AFTER INCIDENT. REASON FOR FAILURE UNKNOWN AT THIS TIME.
MY 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA WOULD STALL AT STOP SIGNS AND LIGHTS. IT WOULD STOP AND START AGAIN.. I WENT TO HYUNDAI TO CHECK IT OUT AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP. THE NEXT DAY I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND TURNING OFF THE HIGHWAY MY CAR STALLED OUT AND WHEN I TRIED TO PULL OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD THE BRAKES WERE HARD TO PRESS. USING ALL MY WEIGHT I GOT IT TO COME TO A STOP. IT WOULD NOT CRANK. I TRIED ABOUT THREE TIMES TO CRANK IT WHILE HOLDING DOWN THE GAS. IT EVENTUALLY ALLOWED ME TO CHANGE GEARS REALLY QUICK AND TAKE OFF. I MADE IT 5 MINUTES DOWN THE ROAD TO THE HOUSE BUT IT STALLED AS I PARKED. NOW IT WON'T CRANK AT ALL. FOR THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS I'VE BEEN TRYING TO CRANK IT. I'VE HAD THE FUEL PUMP, THE SPARK PLUGS, THE CAMSHAFT SENSOR, AND THE CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR CHANGED AND IT STILL ISN'T CRANKING
I WAS SLOWLY GOING INTO MY PARKING SPOT AND THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND LURCHED FORWARD. I TRIED TO BRAKE, DIDN'T SEEM TO DO ANY GOOD. IT HIT CONCRETE PROTECTING A STREET LIGHT AND WAS SMASHED UP AND STOPPED. IT WAS TERRIFYING. I THE CAR DID THIS ON IT'S OWN. I KNOW WHERE MY FEET WERE AND I WAS IN GOOD SHOES. I'M A CLASSICALLY TRAINED PROFESSIONAL BALLET DANCER AND I KNOW WHERE MY FEET ARE IN SPACE AND WHAT THEY ARE DOING. I DID NOT ACCELERATE, THE CAR DID IT ON ITS OWN LIKE THAT AMOS EPISODE IN DOCTOR WHO. IT WAS TERRIFYING, THIS CAR SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO. IT HAPPENED TWO OTHER TIMES, BUT IT DID IT AND THEN STOPPED. THIS TIME IT STOPPED WHEN IT HIT THE OBJECT. THE CARS I HAD BEFORE NEVER DID THIS. THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR AND I WAS LUCKY I WAS IN A SAFE PLACE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE HESITATED AND ONLY ACCELERATED TO 20 MPH. THE VEHICLE ALSO STALLED WHILE AT A COMPLETE STOP. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT A FAILURE CODE COULD NOT BE FOUND. THE MECHANIC CLEANED ALL THE SENSORS; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE WAS NOT CORRECTED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE THROTTLE BODY WAS CAUSING THE VEHICLE NOT TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND PROVIDED CASE NUMBER: 15986313. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 157,607.
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 STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) SENSOR MALFUNCTION, THE BRAKES FOR ONE OR MORE WHEELS MAY BE APPLIED UNEXPECTEDLY AND THE ENGINE POWER MAY BE REDUCED. THESE SYMPTOMS WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY ILLUMINATION OF THE ESC INDICATOR LAMP IN THE INSTRUMENT CLUSTER.
I'VE BEEN FEELING THE CAR PULLING FORWARD FOR A WHILE NOW. IT'S GOTTEN TO THE POINT WHERE I CAN ONLY PRESS ON THE PEDAL A LITTLE SO IT'S DOESNT SPEED UP TO FAST. WHEN THE CAR IS GOING UP HILL IT STARTS ACCELERATING ON ITS OWN AND WHEN YOU LET GO OF THE BREAKS YOU CAN FEEL IT ACCELERATING WITHOUT GIVING IT ANY GAS.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH, THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND CRASHED INTO A DITCH. PRIOR TO THE CRASH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER TO BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIE ROD WAS BENT AND THE BRAKE PAD ON THE FRONT PASSENGER WHEEL WAS MISSING. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 70,000.
MY CAR WAS SITTING AT MY APARTMENT. WENT TO GO TO THE STORE AND THE CAR WOULDN'T START. THE CAR WOULD NOT TURN OVER NO MATTER MANY TIMES I WOULD TRY AND START IT. I HAD TO CALL MY DAD WHO TOLD ME TO HOLD GAS PEDAL DOWN AND START THE CAR. THIS HAPPENED TWICE. TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP, SAID THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT WASN'T HAPPENING AT THAT MOMENT. CAR STARTS TO JERK WHILE DRIVING. STARTED OFF ONLY IN THE MORNINGS, THEN WHILE I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK, IT JERKED AGAIN THIS TIME MORE AGGRESSIVE. HAVE TALKED WITH HYUNDAI 3 TIMES ABOUT THIS ISSUE, SAID THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT UNTIL THEY SEE IT HAPPENING THEMSELVES. I AM HAVING TO PRESS THE GAS HARD TO GO AT LEAST 50 MPH. YESTERDAY 10/19/2015. I STOP TO GET GAS. FULL MY TANK UP, GET IN THE CAR AND THE WON'T START AGAIN! PRESS MY FOOT ON THE GAS, CAR WON'T START. HAD TO CALL TRIPLE A AND THEY SAY MY BATTERY IS LOW. BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2013, SHOULDN'T BE HAPPENING. SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THIS VEHICLE AND ALL I GET IS THEY HAVE TO SEE IT HAPPENING. I HAVE TAKEN THIS CAR TO THE SAME HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP IN SOUTH AUSTIN. I BOUGHT THE CAR FROM CARMAX. I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT ELSE TO DO.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE ATTEMPTING TO PARK, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY AND CRASHED INTO SOME BRANCHES. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE WAS ALREADY IN THE BRANCHES. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL DRIVABLE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED NOR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V871000 (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 19,000.
I WAS DRIVING IN DRY WEATHER AND ON NORMAL ROAD CONDITIONS WHEN THE ESC LIGHT BEGIN TO BLINK FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I COULD NOT ACCELERATE WHEN THIS OCCURRED, AND THEN THE VEHICLE BRAKES LOCKED UP. LUCKILY, I WAS ENTERING ONTO A ON RAMP AND THE VEHICLE SKIDDED TO A STOP ONTO THE SHOULDER. IF THIS WOULD HAVE OCCURRED WHILE TRAVELING AT A HIGHER RATE OF SPEED IT COULD HAVE BEEN VERY DANGEROUS. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A NEARBY HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP FOR REVIEW OF THE ISSUE. *TR
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE WOULD SUDDENLY DECELERATE WITHOUT WARNING AND THE ABS SENSOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE VEHICLE WOULD SKID AND THE CONTACT WOULD LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, BUT NO SOLUTION WAS OFFERED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 32,000.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 25, 2026