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2020 Hyundai Elantra Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Critical

328 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.61 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical21V301000

Engine

damaged engine may stall, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Hyundai will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. Owner notification letters were mailed August 24, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Elantra, 2019-2021 Kona and Veloster vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.

Serious19V720000

Wheels:Lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs

wheel detaching from the vehicle raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, tighten the lug nuts, free of charge. The recall began November 15, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-251-0871. Hyundai's number for this recall is 184.

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019 Ioniq Hybrid and 2020 Elantra vehicles. The right-side rear wheel lug nuts may have been insufficiently tightened, allowing the wheel to detach from the vehicle.

Serious19V721000

Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Ball Joint

detached ball joint can cause a loss of vehicle control, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, tighten the ball joint fasteners, free of charge. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 185.

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020 Elantra vehicles. The lower control arm ball joint fasteners may have been insufficiently tightened allowing the ball joint to detach from the lower control arm.

Complaint volume

328 this model-year 6 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
11Fires
22Injuries
2Deaths

Across 328 complaints. Severity Index 0.61.

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

Engine101 · 31%Power Train43 · 13%Exterior Lighting26 · 8%Electrical System24 · 7%Unknown Or Other23 · 7%Steering19 · 6%Service Brakes13 · 4%Vehicle Speed Control10 · 3%
  1. Engine — 101 reports
  2. Power Train — 43 reports
  3. Exterior Lighting — 26 reports
  4. Electrical System — 24 reports
  5. Unknown Or Other — 23 reports
  6. Steering — 19 reports
  7. Service Brakes — 13 reports
  8. Vehicle Speed Control — 10 reports
  9. Fuel/Propulsion System — 9 reports
  10. Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings — 8 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 (2) · 2017 (4) · 2018 · 2019 (1) · 2020 · 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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