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2015 Hyundai Elantra Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 262 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Hyundai Elantra, most often about the engine (36% of complaints, typically around 74,000 miles). It is 13th of 27 Elantra model years by number of complaints and has 3 recalls.
⚠ Safety advisory1 recall for this car came with a park-outside warning. See below and check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
Most common 2015 Hyundai Elantra problems
Engine
95 complaints · 36%Half of these problems showed up before 74,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine.
Car cut off. Was no longer drivable. Had to get it towed to the dealership only to be told that I need a new engine. My car is a 2015 and only has 74,000 miles on it.
Starting a couple of weeks ago, my vehicle has been making a rattling noise while in park and while in drive (especially with accelerating). No check engine light. I took my vehicle to get serviced and was told there are metallic shavings in the oil to support that there is lower engine failure (crankshaft with too…
Brakes
55 complaints · 21%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles.
I was on the beltway and the car in front of me was braking and I pressed my brakes to the floor and upon impact it was still rolling. We pulled over and I was unable to stop the car. I had to pull up the emergency brake to finally stop the vehicle.
I bought my 2015 Hyundai Elantra from the carmax in oak lawn illinois in september of 2018 and since then I've experienced a few problems with the vehicle and carmax is only telling me that it was a plastic bag on the exhaust pipe and that it will burn off on its own. I took the car into them on april 17, 2019 and…
Other or unspecified
48 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 43,000 miles.
My car has 43000 miles and the clutch has gone out. The vehicle was in motion at the time and driving down an country highway. I could not shift gears and almost had a wreck from the car behind me.
2015 Hyundai Elantra with 43,000 miles on it. The car vibrates and shakes while in the drive or reverse when stopped with the driver's foot on the brake. The vibration and shaking vary in intensity. I brought the car to the dealer and they said the throttle body needed to be cleaned due to rough idle. I had the…
Steering
26 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles.
While driving with my daughter back to college this january (2020) my husband and I both noticed that the steering on her 2015 Elantra was sticking. We only noticed it at highway speeds. It seemed to be fine at lower speeds and while we were driving in town once we got to her school. But it was really bad on the…
The steering system develops a sticky/dead zone that feels like a notch in the steering, resulting in the inability to keep the car straight on the highway. It requires a bit of force to make micro corrections or to get past that hard resistance. Impossible to keep the car straight on the highway.
Electrical
23 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 50,000 miles. Parts named most often: ignition, instrument panel.
Electric problem : when car cools off ,sits in hard rain for numerous hours or overnight ,there is a problem after restarting. Neither the headlights nor windshield wipers or air blower works until the car is fully warmed up and driven for about half an hour all are ongoing. Suspension problem : a while back there was…
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds and making right or left turns, the vehicle inadvertently shut off. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as designed. The contact stated that failure also occurred while driving straight. The cause of the…
Air bags
23 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 25,500 miles.
Coming out of left hand turn, air bag deployed, causing cuts & chaffs on both arms and causing me to hit a concrete medium blowing out 3 tires.
I was driving on a road at 45 MPH and the car in front of me swerved so I started to swerve as well assuming that there was something in the road. He then jammed on his breaks in the swerve and so did I but I ended up hitting the back of the other car. He had a newer Hyundai sonata and I had a 2015 Hyundai Elantra se.…
Transmission
18 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 67,000 miles.
The contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while at a standstill and attempting to shift vehicle into drive, the vehicle failed to shift into gear. The contact stated that the check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not taken to local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The…
One morning I started my car like any normal day and there was a ticking sound. It was cold out that morning so I didn't think much of it but I took it to get its oil changed the next day and thats they told me that it was something internal and I should take it to a dealer. I took it to a dealer and they told me that…
Speed control
15 complaints · 6%Half of these problems showed up before 20,000 miles. Parts named most often: accelerator pedal.
The car was on highway and as I was getting off the car would not stop and in fact as I tried to press the brakes to stop the car would not stop until it crashed,
Safety concern: the contact owns a 2015 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle violently surged forward after depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact was able to avoid an accident by immediately depressing the brake pedal. The contact also stated that the vehicle was…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2015 Hyundai Elantra recalls
Air bags: inflator module
Risk: An air bag inflator that ruptures may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or passengers, increasing the risk of injury or death.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the air bag inflator, as necessary, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed july 3, 2026. Additional letters will be sent once the final remedy is available, anticipated august, 2026. Owners may contact hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 300. Vehicle identification numbers (vins) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on may 16, 2026.
Full defect summary
Hyundai motor america (hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 elantra and 2016 elantra gt vehicles. The driver's air bag inflator may rupture during deployment.
Doors and locks: latch
Risk: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the trunk latch base sub-assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed april 5, 2024. Owners may contact hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 256.
Full defect summary
Hyundai motor america (hyundai) is recalling certain 2015-2016 elantra vehicles. The trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the opening of the trunk from the inside. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of federal motor vehicle safety standard number 401, "internal trunk release."
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: An engine compartment fire while parked or driving can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures until the recall repair is complete. Dealers will replace the ABS fuse, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed april 10, 2024 through october 11, 2024. Owners may contact hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 251.
Full defect summary
Hyundai motor america (hyundai) is recalling certain 2011-2015 elantra, genesis coupe, sonata hybrid, 2012-2015 accent, azera, veloster, 2013-2015 elantra coupe, santa fe, 2014-2015 equus, 2010-2012 veracruz, 2010-2013 tucson, 2015 tucson fuel cell, and 2013 santa fe sport vehicles. The anti-lock brake system (ABS) module may leak brake fluid internally and cause an electrical short, which can result in an engine compartment fire while parked or driving.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Hyundai and kia ABS module fires
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) has received eight hyundai motor america (hyundai) and eight kia america, inc. (kia) part 573 recall reports between 2016 and 2023. The combined 16 safety recalls all involve the antilock braking system (ABS) modules or hydraulic electronic control units (hecu) manufactured by the equipment supplier mando. The part 573 recall reports contain varying defect descriptions and differing remedy descriptions for the same or similar equipment supplied by mando. Safety recalls included in this audit query (aq) review include: hyundai recalls 20v-520, 20v-543, 21v-161, 21v-160, 21v-303, 22v-056, 22v-810, and 23v-651. Kia recalls 16v-815, 20v-518, 20v-519, 21v
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
Summary
The office of defects investigation (odi) of the national highway traffic safety administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated october 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (etc) system on certain kia vehicles resulting in the opening of dp21-003. Accordingly, model year (my) 2005-2016 kia optima/k5, my 2006-2015 kia sorento, my 2007-2016 hyundai elantra, my 2007-2016 hyundai santa fe, my 2006-2015 hyundai sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a vehicle owner questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (odi) number 11439675.on november 12, 2021, odi opened defec
Questions about the 2015 Hyundai Elantra
- What are the most common problems with the 2015 Hyundai Elantra?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: engine (95 complaints, typically around 74,000 miles); brakes (55 complaints, typically around 56,000 miles); other or unspecified (48 complaints, typically around 43,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2015 Hyundai Elantra have?
- 3 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from May 14, 2026 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2015 a bad year for the Hyundai Elantra?
- It is 13th of 27 Elantra model years by number of complaints, with 262 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.