Loss of power steering on the 2013 Hyundai Elantra
When loss of power steering gets reported
Owners of the 2013 Hyundai Elantra report loss of power steering at a median of 30,000 miles. A quarter of the reports come in before 15,000 miles and a quarter after 130,000 miles, from 8 reports that carried an odometer reading.
A part like this is normally expected to survive 80,000 miles. It is the 34th most-reported problem on this model year.
The mileage distribution
The reported range runs from 10,000 miles at the tenth percentile to 130,000 miles at the ninetieth, a spread of 120,415 miles across the middle 80% of reports.
When the reports scatter this far, the mileage is telling you about how these cars were driven more than about the part itself.
50% of the dated reports were filed under 36,000 miles.
The whole distribution
| 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9,585 miles | 15,938 miles | 31,684 miles | 130,000 miles | 130,000 miles |
Read the 10th percentile as “one report in ten arrived this early”. Exact figures are shown in this table because it is the table of record; everywhere else on the site they are rounded to the precision the sample can carry.
What a percentile can and cannot tell you here
These five numbers describe the readings owners gave, in order. The median is the middle one: half the reports arrived below it. The 10th and 90th are the edges of the bulk of the distribution, and the distance between them is the part worth reading. A tight spread — say 70,000 to 95,000 miles — points at something that wears out on a schedule, and the schedule is knowable. A wide one, 20,000 to 190,000, points at a fault that hits some cars and never troubles others, which means the mileage on the listing in front of you tells you very little about your odds.
What these figures are not is a survival curve. Every reading here comes from a car whose owner filed a complaint, so the sample contains only failures: it cannot say what share of the fleet made it past 150,000 miles untouched, because those owners had nothing to report. Nor is the mileage the moment of failure — it is the odometer reading as recalled at the time of filing, which may be weeks later and is sometimes rounded to the nearest ten thousand by the person typing it.
Percentiles are shown at all only once 8 readings exist for the vehicle and mode. Below that the middle of a handful of numbers is noise wearing a decimal point, so the figures are withheld rather than dressed up.
What happens, and what it costs
Putting it right typically runs $600–$2,800 at an independent US shop. That range is an editorial estimate held in this site's failure-mode catalogue, not a figure from NHTSA, and it is a repair cost rather than a diagnosis cost.
This mode is classified as critical, which means a failure can leave the car unable to stop, steer, or stay out of the way of traffic. It is weighted accordingly in the risk score.
The same failure on other years
The same failure is reported on 6 model years of this car. It shows up earliest on the 2013, at a median of 30,000 miles, and latest on the 2008 at 120,000 miles.
By volume the 2009 carries the most reports, with 15; the 2013 has 11. A mode that appears across most years of a model is usually a design choice rather than a bad batch.
If one year stands out to the left, that is the year to avoid; if the whole line sits at a similar mileage, this is wear rather than a defect in one production run.
Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens
What owners wrote
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The mileage is the one the owner gave.
The electric power steering (eps) light came on and I had no power steering. Fortunately, it happened when I was starting the car and not while I was driving, which could have been a potentially significant safety issue. This happened with approximately 9,750 miles on the car. The majority of my driving is on the parkway and expressway. The dealership replaced the steering column. However, it is very concerning to me that there was a loss of power steering with such little mileage on the car. I was just very fortunate it happened while I was not driving. *tr
We purchased the 2013 hyundai elantra brand new in dec 2013. The car now has approx 9,200 on july 31, 2014, went to make a turn and several alarms went off on the car. The power steering went out. I was unable to complete my turn. Had the car towed to the dealership. They stated that the "column & shaft assembly" was bad and had to be completely replaced. It is very scary to be driving a car down a busy highway and all of the sudden not be able to steer the car. The steering wheel felt "locked".. *tr
First incident happened in april of 2014. Pulling out of my driveway the power steering went out. Called the dealership, made an appointment for the following week to bring my car in and it had only happened once at low speeds. Power steering went out 2 more times during the day, called the dealership back and informed them I was bringing my car in at that moment as I felt unsafe. On my way to the dealership driving down the highway, the power steering gave out on me while exiting the highway going 75 MPH. I was able to get off and luckily the dealership was right off the exit. The eps light was on and it threw a code. They told me my steering column was bad. They replaced it and all was fine. Then I had an issue with my factory installed remote start a few months later. They told me a circuit was blown and it had to be replaced. Now this year (may of 2015) I have had the remote start and the power steering go out on me once again. My car is in the shop, was told I needed steering column replaced again. I refused this answer, and they are digging deeper and have figured out there is an electrical problem with my car. I have had a…
Also reported on the 2013 Hyundai Elantra
Other brake problem
Other steering problem
Other engine problem
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault
Other wheel or tire problem
Other suspension problem
How far this goes
Complaints are voluntary, so 11 is a floor and not a count of affected cars. Mileages are typed in by owners and cluster on round numbers. And the mode itself is assigned by software reading the complaint text, which is reliable in bulk and fallible one report at a time.
Questions this page answers
At what mileage does loss of power steering happen on the 2013 Hyundai Elantra?
Across 8 owner reports that included an odometer reading, half were filed by 30,000 miles. A quarter were filed before 15,000 miles and a quarter after 130,000 miles. These are the mileages owners reported when they complained, not a prediction for any individual car.
How common is loss of power steering on the 2013 Hyundai Elantra?
11 reports have been filed with NHTSA, about 0.1 per 1,000 vehicles. Complaints are voluntary, so this is a floor rather than a count of affected cars.
What this is and is not. These are the mileages at which owners chose to complain to a federal agency, which is not the same as the mileage at which the part fails on every car. It skews toward failures that happened outside warranty, cost real money, or frightened someone. It is still the only public dataset that carries failure mileage at all, and the shape of a few hundred readings is informative even when a single one is not. Methodology · JSON · this failure on other cars
Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed