2017 Hyundai Elantra engine problems
315 of the 792 complaints owners filed with NHTSA about the 2017 Hyundai Elantra name the engine (NHTSA’s “Engine” heading — the engine and its cooling system). Filed under the same heading: 45 manufacturer bulletins, 1 NHTSA investigation. Every figure below is a document in a federal file, linked; none is a failure rate, and none is a verdict on any one car.
What owners filed about the engine
Source: NHTSA complaint database4 of the 315 reports a crash · 6 a fire · 6 injuries. Self-reported, unverified.
Filed per year: 2016: 1 · 2017: 6 · 2018: 13 · 2019: 25 · 2020: 36 · 2021: 46 · 2022: 48 · 2023: 51 · 2024: 42 · 2025: 25 · 2026: 22
Half of the 118 owners who gave an odometer reading reported the engine problem between 32,000 and 85,000 miles. A median of reports, not the life of a part.
792 complaints in all about the 2017 Hyundai Elantra, 22 filed in 2026. The whole picture, every system →
Counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many of these were sold; nothing here is a rate. NHTSA groups complaints coarsely, so “Engine” means the same area of the vehicle, not one fault.
Across model years: Hyundai Elantra engine problems, every year on file →
In owners’ own words
Source: NHTSA complaint databaseFiled with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, about the engine. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed; unverified reports — what was said, not a finding that it was true.
I am the second owner of a 2017 Hyundai Elantra GT hatchback. I have not had any issues with the car until last week. I was driving in town to pick something up and the engine started knocking and losing power. The rpms would go up but I could not go anywhere. Eventually I had to park the car and have it towed to my house.
I was driving down the freeway and moved over to pass a slower vehicle when the engine lost acceleration. I pulled over to the side oft the road and had the vehicle towed to the nearest garage. They told me the engine lost all its oil and the engine needed to be replaced. I find this hard to believe in a 4 year old car.
I bought it new in 2017 and paid it off a year early in May 2021. I have about 90,000 miles on it. When I was driving to a client's house on Friday, 16 July 2021, I was on the highway. It was making a lot of noise and would not accelerate. Eventually, the car completely died, would not start, did not have any dash lights, nothing.
I was driving on the freeway and started hearing some knocking noise coming out from the engine , I decided to go home and as I was getting close to my house , the engine seized and the car won’t start.
I have a 2017 Hyundai Elantra gt that currently has 108,000 miles and I already replaced the catalytic converter twice within 7 months. Last month, as I was driving on the freeway going home, I started hearing some knocking noise coming out of the engine. I decided to go to my house since I was close by.
What is on file about the engine
Source: NHTSA recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsNHTSA investigation
- DP22003 Loss of Motive Poweropened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023
- The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a letter dated July 13, 2022, petitioning the Agency to initiate a safety defect investigation into loss of motive power allegations attributed to oil drain pan assembly failures on certain Hyundai Motor America, Inc. and Kia America, Inc. vehicles spanning Model Years (MY) 2005-2021. The Petitioners cited examples of complaints i…
45 manufacturer bulletins filed under this heading
- 26-01-033H TSB Warranty extensionMar 26, 2026
- This TSB references the Op codes to use for claim submission and the Parts required based on the vehicle’s inspection results from TSB 22-01-023H-2 (DTC P1326 – Engine Bearing Inspection/Engine Replacement) or the latest version.
- 26-01-033H DN Warranty extensionMar 26, 2026
- This TSB references the Op codes to use for claim submission and the Parts required based on the vehicle’s inspection results from TSB 22-01-023H (DTC P1326 – Engine Bearing Inspection/Engine Replacement) or the latest version.
The 2 newest are listed; every one is on the model year’s page. Quote the document number at a service desk — it is a diagnosis the maker has already written down.
Trouble codes named on this system
P1326 P0301 P0014 P0303 P0128 P0300 P0017 P0302
Codes a bulletin or an owner’s complaint about the 2017 Hyundai Elantra names on this model year; a code with a record of its own links it.
Other systems with a record on the 2017 Hyundai Elantra
Source: the same files- electrical problems 113 complaints
- steering problems 72 complaints
- transmission and drivetrain problems 67 complaints
Common questions
Source: NHTSA complaint database, recalls and manufacturer communicationsAre engine problems common on the 2017 Hyundai Elantra?
They are documented: NHTSA holds 315 owner complaints naming the engine on this model year (40% of everything owners filed about it), and 45 manufacturer bulletins, 1 NHTSA investigation are filed under the same heading. Whether it is a problem on one particular car is a diagnosis, not a count, and a count says nothing about how many were sold.
Is there a recall for the engine on the 2017 Hyundai Elantra?
No recall campaign is filed under this heading for this model year (there are 4 filed under other headings). A bulletin is not a recall: it carries no federal duty to repair for free.
When do engine problems show up on the 2017 Hyundai Elantra?
Owners who gave an odometer reading reported it at a median of 55,000 miles; half of them between 32,000 and 85,000. That is when reports cluster, not the life of a part.
What does NHTSA's "Engine" heading cover?
The engine and its cooling system. Owners choose the heading when they file, so it says which area of the vehicle the complaint is about, not which part failed.