Model year report

2016 Hyundai Elantra: what breaks, and at what mileage

What breaks on the 2016 Hyundai Elantra

On the 2016 Hyundai Elantra, the failure owners report most often is other engine problem, and the reports cluster around 77,500 miles. The earliest to appear is other wheel or tire problem, reported by a median of 15,000 miles. Overall it scores 70 out of 100, high risk for a 2016.

High risk for a 2016 — 158th riskiest of the 255 2016 vehicles we can rate. 396 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork.

What owners report breaking

Owners have reported 62 named failure modes on the 2016 Hyundai Elantra, and the three most-reported carry 28% of everything filed, which is an unusually even spread for one model year.

Other engine problem leads with 73 reports, about 0.8 per 1,000 vehicles and with the middle half of reports between 59k to 100,000 miles.

Other powertrain problem follows with 20 reports, median 100,000 miles.

Other body or interior problem follows with 19 reports, usually reported between 46k to 70,000 miles. 1 of those report mention a fire.

By system, the reports fall mostly into engine (106), body (44) and transmission (37).

At what mileage it happens

157 of the reports on the 2016 Hyundai Elantra came with an odometer reading, and half of those were filed before 55,000 miles.

Cumulatively, 45% by 50,000 miles, 86% by 100,000 miles and 98% by 150,000 miles of the dated reports had been filed.

The busiest stretch is between 0 and 10,000 miles, which alone holds 16% of the dated reports.

38% of the dated reports were filed below 36,000 miles, which is early enough that a fair number of these cars were still under a factory warranty when the owner complained.

In the order they tend to show up: other wheel or tire problem around 15k, other steering problem around 46k, other electrical problem around 53k and other speed control problem around 58k.

Median

Other engine problem

78k
Other powertrain problem

100k
Other body or interior problem

63k
Other steering problem

46k
Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure

70k
Other speed control problem

58k
Other electrical problem

53k
Other fuel system problem

34k
Other wheel or tire problem

15k
No-start or intermittent start failure

72k
Other suspension problem

21k
Stalling while driving

32k

Tick median reported mileage Solid middle half of reports Faint 10th to 90th percentile Colour how bad the failure is when it happens

Showing the 12 most-reported failure modes of 62. The full list is in the table below.

How reports accumulate

Share of reports filed by each mileage

half by 55k

Every report with an odometer reading, cumulative, from 0 to 200,000 miles. A curve that climbs early is a car with early problems, whatever its total.

Line share of reports filed by that mileage
Dashed the median reported mileage

Severity, and what it costs

Across the named modes, 20 mention a crash, 5 a fire and 13 an injury. Those are the words owners used in their own complaints, and NHTSA does not verify them, but they are the closest thing in this data to a measure of what a failure actually did.

The average severity weight across every report on this year is 4.48, where a stalled engine or a failed airbag weighs many times more than a rattling trim panel, and a figure this high means the reports are dominated by failures with safety consequences rather than annoyances. The weighting is set out in full on the methodology page.

What the top failures cost to put right, as editorial estimates for an independent US shop rather than figures from NHTSA: other engine problem at $300–$4,000, other powertrain problem at $400–$4,500, other body or interior problem at $200–$2,000 and other steering problem at $350–$2,400. Dealer labour, a seized bolt or a part that is no longer made can push any of these past the top of its range.

37% of the reports on this year sit in the engine, transmission, drivetrain or cooling systems — the four where a repair bill is usually four figures.

Every reported failure mode

Mileage figures are percentiles of owner-reported readings. Click a column to sort.
Failure mode	System	Reports	With reading	25th	Median	75th	Per 1,000	Typical repair	Severity
Other engine problem	engine	73	30	59k	78k	99k	0.8	$300–$4,000	High
Other powertrain problem	transmission	20	5	—	100k	—	0.2	$400–$4,500	High
Other body or interior problem	body	19	10	46k	63k	72k	0.2	$200–$2,000	Moderate
Other steering problem	steering	18	11	4k	46k	60k	0.2	$350–$2,400	High
Liftgate, tailgate or trunk failure	body	15	2	—	70k	—	0.2	$250–$1,500	Moderate
Other speed control problem	adas	14	9	44k	58k	72k	0.2	$250–$2,000	Critical
Other electrical problem	electrical	12	8	21k	53k	71k	0.1	$250–$2,000	Moderate
Other fuel system problem	fuel	12	5	—	34k	—	0.1	$300–$2,200	High
Other wheel or tire problem	wheels	11	9	9k	15k	25k	0.1	$200–$1,500	High
No-start or intermittent start failure	engine	9	5	—	72k	—	0.1	$200–$1,800	Moderate
Other suspension problem	suspension	9	6	—	21k	—	0.1	$350–$2,000	Moderate
Stalling while driving	engine	8	2	—	32k	—	0.1	$300–$2,500	Critical
Other brake problem	brakes	8	3	—	15k	—	0.1	$300–$1,800	High
Complete transmission failure	transmission	7	1	—	50k	—	0.1	$2,800–$8,000	Critical
Ignition switch, key fob or immobilizer failure	electrical	6	3	—	80k	—	0.1	$250–$1,500	High
Alternator or charging system failure	electrical	5	1	—	500	—	0.1	$450–$1,600	High
Paint peeling or clear coat failure	body	5	2	—	60k	—	0.1	$600–$6,000	Low
Catalytic converter failure	emissions	5	2	—	83k	—	0.1	$900–$3,500	Moderate
Headlight failure or clouding	lighting	5	0	—	—	—	0.1	$150–$1,800	Moderate
Other driver assistance problem	adas	5	2	—	18k	—	0.1	$250–$1,800	High
Complete engine failure or seizure	engine	4	1	—	65k	—	0.0	$4,500–$12,000	Critical
Excessive oil consumption	engine	4	0	—	—	—	0.0	$900–$6,500	High
Airbag failed to deploy in a crash	airbag	4	1	—	55k	—	0.0	$1,000–$5,000	Critical
Airbag warning light or occupant sensor fault	airbag	4	1	—	67k	—	0.0	$300–$1,600	High
Other lighting problem	lighting	4	2	—	33k	—	0.0	$120–$1,200	Moderate
Other visibility problem	glass	4	1	—	5k	—	0.0	$150–$1,400	Moderate
Timing chain, belt or tensioner failure	engine	3	1	—	44k	—	0.0	$1,200–$4,500	Critical
Misfire or rough idle	engine	3	0	—	—	—	0.0	$250–$1,600	Moderate
Transmission slipping	transmission	3	0	—	—	—	0.0	$1,200–$5,500	High
CVT failure	transmission	3	3	—	56k	—	0.0	$3,000–$8,500	Critical
Torque converter failure	transmission	3	0	—	—	—	0.0	$1,100–$3,200	High
Control module (ECM/PCM/BCM) failure	electrical	3	0	—	—	—	0.0	$700–$3,000	High
Tire blowout or tread separation	wheels	3	1	—	134k	—	0.0	$200–$1,500	Critical
Tail light, brake light or signal failure	lighting	3	2	—	64k	—	0.0	$100–$900	Moderate
Fuel pump failure	fuel	2	1	—	67k	—	0.0	$600–$2,600	High
Fuel injector failure	fuel	2	0	—	—	—	0.0	$450–$2,800	Moderate
Fuel tank, filler or EVAP failure	fuel	2	1	—	27k	—	0.0	$250–$1,800	Moderate
Loss of braking	brakes	2	1	—	51k	—	0.0	$400–$3,000	Critical
Airbag inflator rupture	airbag	2	2	—	35k	—	0.0	$0–$0	Critical
Seat belt or retractor failure	airbag	2	2	—	68k	—	0.0	$200–$900	High
Lane keep or steering assist fault	adas	2	1	—	72k	—	0.0	$200–$1,600	High
Steering rack, gear or tie rod failure	steering	2	0	—	—	—	0.0	$700–$2,600	High
Steering column or shaft failure	steering	2	0	—	—	—	0.0	$600–$2,500	Critical
Control arm, ball joint or bushing failure	suspension	2	0	—	—	—	0.0	$400–$2,200	High
Rust or structural corrosion	body	2	0	—	—	—	0.0	$500–$6,000	High
Window regulator or power window failure	body	2	0	—	—	—	0.0	$250–$900	Moderate
Oil leak	engine	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$250–$2,200	Moderate
Engine knock or bearing noise	engine	1	1	—	52k	—	0.0	$2,500–$9,000	High
Radiator or coolant leak	cooling	1	1	—	180k	—	0.0	$350–$1,900	High
Overheating	cooling	1	1	—	125k	—	0.0	$400–$3,500	High
Shifter, linkage or stuck-in-park failure	transmission	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$250–$1,400	High
Wheel bearing or hub failure	drivetrain	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$350–$1,200	Moderate
Fuel leak or fuel odor	fuel	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$300–$2,500	Critical
Parasitic battery drain	electrical	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$200–$1,200	Moderate
Wiring harness or short circuit	electrical	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$400–$3,500	High
Infotainment screen failure	infotainment	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$400–$2,600	Low
Backup camera failure	infotainment	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$250–$1,200	Moderate
Brake line, hose or caliper failure	brakes	1	1	—	34k	—	0.0	$250–$1,600	Critical
Parking brake failure	brakes	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$250–$1,300	Moderate
Automatic braking for no reason	adas	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$0–$1,500	Critical
Strut, shock or spring failure	suspension	1	1	—	44k	—	0.0	$500–$2,000	Moderate
Sunroof failure or glass breakage	body	1	0	—	—	—	0.0	$700–$4,500	High
Unclassified problem	other	42	15	9k	15k	33k	0.5	—	Moderate

Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound. Repair costs are typical independent-shop ranges for the failure, not figures from these reports.

How often, against how many were built

Scaled by an estimate of how many of these cars exist, the 2016 Hyundai Elantra draws about 4.2 per 1,000 vehicles, which puts it in the 83rd percentile of complaint rates among 2016 vehicles we can rate.

That denominator is the weakest number on the page and it is fair to say so plainly. Rate per 1,000 uses a fleet-size estimate derived from recall paperwork for this exact model year. It is a lower bound.

The working figure is 93,294 vehicles. If the true number is twice that, every rate on this page is half what it says; the ranking against other 2016 vehicles, which is what the risk score uses, is far more robust than the rate itself.

What owners wrote

Verbatim from NHTSA complaint narratives, trimmed for length. The odometer reading is the one the owner gave.

Recalls on the 2016 model year

NHTSA has issued 2 recall campaigns covering the 2016 Hyundai Elantra, affecting an estimated 94,458 vehicles. A recall is a different kind of evidence from a complaint: it is the regulator and the manufacturer agreeing that something has to be fixed, and the fix is free for as long as the car exists.

The campaigns cover air bags:frontal:driver side:inflator module and latches/locks/linkages:trunk lid:latch. Whether the work was actually done on the car in front of you is a question only the VIN can answer, and the manufacturer or NHTSA will answer it free.

One caution about reading these together: a recall usually raises the complaint count for the same part, because owners who read about it go and file. The mileages stay informative; the counts get noisy.

26V307000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:DRIVER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE

3,493 vehicles 2026-05-14

Defect: 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.
Consequence: An air bag inflator that ruptures may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or passengers, increasing the risk of injury or death.
Remedy: 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.

24V146000

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TRUNK LID:LATCH

186,588 vehicles 2024-02-23

Defect: 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."
Consequence: A person inside the trunk compartment may become trapped, increasing their risk of injury.
Remedy: 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.

Recall work is free at a franchised dealer regardless of the car's age. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before assuming it was done.

How it ranks in the 2016 field

The score at the top of the page, placed among its peers. The zones are the same thresholds the scorer applies, read out of the scorer itself, so the picture and the band word cannot disagree.

Risk score against the rest of the 2016 field

Scores are ranked within the model year, never across years, because an older car has had longer to accumulate reports.

Left fewer and less serious reports
Right more, or worse
Marker this vehicle

Where 2016 sits in the model line

High risk for a 2016 — 158th riskiest of the 255 2016 vehicles we can rate. Because the ranking is against the same model year only, age cancels out of it.

Across the 30 model years of this car that carry enough reports to score, 1998 comes out best at 60 and 2020 worst at 82, with 2016 itself at 70.

If the model year is negotiable, 1998, 1996, 2025, 2005, 1999, 1997, 2007 and 2004 score lower than 2016 by a margin worth acting on. Same body, same engines, different luck — usually a supplier change or a mid-cycle fix, which the complaint data can show but never explain.

Within the 2014–2016 generation specifically, 2014 is the strongest year at 70 and 2015 the weakest at 71.

Scores compare each year against other cars of the same model year, so a low number on an older car is a real result and not an artefact of age.

Risk score by model year, out of 100

Shorter is better. Years with too few reports to score are shown without a bar rather than as a zero, because no data is not good news.

Within the 2014-2016 generation, 2014 Hyundai Elantra scores best at 70 and 2015 Hyundai Elantra worst at 71.

What to look at before buying one

The mileages below are where the first quarter of reports for each mode had already been filed, which makes them the point at which a fault is worth looking for rather than the point at which it happens: other steering problem from about 4k, other wheel or tire problem from about 9k, other electrical problem from about 21k and other speed control problem from about 44k.

On a 2016 Hyundai Elantra with more miles than that on it, the useful question to put to a seller or a mechanic is whether other steering problem has been dealt with, and if so with what parts and at whose expense. A car that has already had the repair is in a different position from one that has not.

Treat it as where to point the inspection, not as a prediction. A well-maintained example can sail past every mileage on this page, and a neglected one can fail well before the first of them.

The limits of complaint data

396 owner reports; fleet size estimated from this year's own recall paperwork. Every count on this page is therefore a floor: it is the number of owners who went to the trouble of filing with a federal agency, which is a small and self-selected fraction of the owners who had the fault.

Of those 396 reports, 157 carried an odometer reading, so the mileages here describe 40% of the sample rather than all of it. Owners also round: readings pile up on multiples of ten thousand, which is why this site publishes "about 90,000 miles" and not "91,438".

The failure modes are assigned by software reading the owner's own words, which is accurate in bulk and wrong in individual cases. A mode with a handful of reports may contain a misfiled one.

And nothing here predicts what one car will do. These are other people's complaints, filed years apart, on cars maintained by strangers. Read the page as a map of where this model year has previously gone wrong, then have the specific car in front of you inspected.

Questions this page answers

What are the most common problems with the 2016 Hyundai Elantra?

The most-reported failures are other engine problem (73 reports, median 77,500 miles), other powertrain problem (20 reports, median 100,000 miles) and other body or interior problem (19 reports, median 65,000 miles). Counts come from owner complaints filed with NHTSA, which are voluntary, so they show what owners bothered to report rather than every fault that occurred.

At what mileage do 2016 Hyundai Elantra problems start?

Other wheel or tire problem is the earliest failure mode to show up, with a median reported mileage of 15,000 miles and a quarter of reports before 10,000 miles. Across all failure modes on this year, the median report sits at 55,000 miles.

Is the 2016 Hyundai Elantra reliable?

It scores 70 out of 100 on our risk index, which is high — 158th riskiest of the 255 2016 vehicles we can rate. The score is a comparison against other 2016 vehicles, not a prediction about any individual car, and it is built from complaint rates, severity and how early failures appear.

Which year of the Hyundai Elantra is best?

Within the 2014–2016 generation, 2014 scores best at 70 out of 100 and 2015 worst at 71. Same body, same engines, different luck.

Where this comes from. Every figure above is computed from NHTSA owner complaints and recall records for this exact make, model and year. Complaints are voluntary and self-selected, so treat counts as a floor. The methodology page writes out each formula, and the same numbers are available as JSON.

What breaks at my mileage Compare with another car

Source Owner complaints and recall records published by the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, model years 1996–2027 Figures rebuilt 30 August 2026 Published by AtWhatMileage How every figure is computed