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2016 Hyundai Elantra Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Serious

395 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.42 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious24V146000

Latches/Locks/Linkages:Trunk Lid:Latch

person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.

Remedy & full details

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.

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."

Serious26V307000

Air Bags:Frontal:Driver Side:Inflator Module

air bag inflator that ruptures may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or passengers, raises the risk of injury or death.

Remedy & full details

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.

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.

Complaint volume

395 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

30Crashes
6Fires
22Injuries
0Deaths

Across 395 complaints. Severity Index 0.42.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Engine109 · 28%Unknown Or Other53 · 13%Power Train30 · 8%Air Bags26 · 7%Electrical System20 · 5%Steering19 · 5%Fuel/Propulsion System18 · 5%Vehicle Speed Control18 · 5%
  1. Engine — 109 reports
  2. Unknown Or Other — 53 reports
  3. Power Train — 30 reports
  4. Air Bags — 26 reports
  5. Electrical System — 20 reports
  6. Steering — 19 reports
  7. Fuel/Propulsion System — 18 reports
  8. Vehicle Speed Control — 18 reports
  9. Structure:Body — 16 reports
  10. Service Brakes — 15 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1995 (1) · 1996 (3) · 1997 (3) · 1998 · 1999 (2) · 2000 (1) · 2001 (6) · 2002 (6) · 2003 (5) · 2004 (5) · 2005 (4) · 2006 (1) · 2007 (6) · 2008 (7) · 2009 (4) · 2010 (3) · 2011 (5) · 2012 (4) · 2013 (4) · 2014 (2) · 2015 (3) · 2016 · 2017 (4) · 2018 · 2019 (1) · 2020 (3) · 2021 (6) · 2022 (5) · 2023 (2) · 2024 (1) · 2025

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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