2021 Hyundai Elantra
Hybrid Gas Midsize car
The 2021 Hyundai Elantra is sold in the U.S. as a hybrid and gas midsize car with 6 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Elantra Hybrid Blue, is EPA-rated at 54 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 7 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of F. Owners have filed 158 complaints, most often about forward collision avoidance. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy (EPA)
| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elantra Hybrid Blue | Hybrid | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl + 240V Li-Ion | 53 | 56 | 54 | $1,150 |
| Elantra Hybrid | Hybrid | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl + 240V Li-Ion | 49 | 52 | 50 | $1,250 |
| Elantra | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 33 | 43 | 37 | $1,700 |
| Elantra | Gas | FWD | 2.0L 4-cyl | 31 | 41 | 35 | $1,800 |
| Elantra | Gas | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo | 28 | 36 | 31 | $2,000 |
| Elantra | Gas | FWD | 1.6L 4-cyl turbo | 25 | 34 | 28 | $2,250 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year and EPA reference fuel/electricity prices. Source: fueleconomy.gov vehicle records.
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Recalls (7)
Back Over Prevention
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Santa Fe, Santa Fe HEV, Elantra, Elantra HEV and 2022 Elantra N and Santa Fe PHEV vehicles. Due to a damaged printed circuit board, the rearview camera image may fail to display. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."
Risk: A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the rearview camera, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 14, 2025. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 271.
Electrical System
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2023 Elantra HEV vehicles. A software error in the motor control unit may cause unintended vehicle acceleration after the brake pedal is released.
Risk: Unintended vehicle acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will update the motor control unit software, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 29, 2023. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 248.
Seat Belts
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2022 Accent, 2021-2022 Elantra, and 2021-2022 Elantra HEV vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
Fix: Dealers will secure the seat belt pretensioner(s) with a cap, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed August 28, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 229. This recall expands and replaces NHTSA recall numbers 21V-796, 22V-069, 22V-218, and 22V-123 for Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles. All Accent, Elantra, and Elantra HEV vehicles already repaired under the previous recalls will need to have the new r
Seat Belts
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021-2022 Elantra and 2020 Accent vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver and passenger-side seat belt pretensioners may explode upon deployment.
Risk: Exploding seat belt pretensioners can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Interim notification letters, notifying owners of the safety risk, were mailed on May 31, 2022. A second notice will be sent once remedy parts become available. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 223. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-354. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.
Visibility
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020-2021 Santa Fe, 2021 Sonata, and Elantra vehicles. During manufacturing, the windshield may not have been properly bonded to the vehicle, allowing it to detach in a crash.
Risk: A windshield that detaches from a vehicle during a crash can increase the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will remove and reinstall the front windshield panel, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed June 20, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 216.
Seat Belts
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, Genesis GV80 and 2022 Genesis GV70 vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front driver-side and/or passenger-side seat belt pretensioner(s) may explode upon deployment.
Risk: An exploding seat belt pretensioner could project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.
Fix: Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 10, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's numbers for this recall are 211 and 009G. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall numbers 22V-354 for Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles, 22V-458 for Venue vehicles, and 23V-094 for Genesis vehicles. Elantra, Elantra HEV, Venue, and Genesis vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to hav
Seats
highProblem: Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat back recliners may have been improperly welded.
Risk: An improperly welded seat back recliner could separate from the seat back frame during a crash, increasing the risk of injury.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and if necessary, replace the seat back frame assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed on June 21, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-888-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 204.
NHTSA investigations
Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds (closed)
NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021.On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject matt
Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005
Engine — Loss of Motive Power (closed)
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 indicating that the subject vehicles were experiencing rapid loss of engine oil due to oil drain plug back outs, resulting in loss of motive power and/or catastrophic engine damage. Additional complaints were provided which alleged that the oil drain pans lack sufficient structural integrity and are
Opened Sep 12, 2022 · closed Dec 12, 2023 · action DP22003
Seat Belts:Pretensioner — Seat Belt Pretensioners May Rupture (closed)
On August 8, 2022, the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened this Recall Query (RQ) based on 3 incidents alleging front seat belt pretensioners that may rupture during deployment, on model year (MY) 2020-2022 of various Hyundai and Kia Models, resulting in 3 injuries (note: one incident occurred outside the U.S. and its territories).Between October 2021 and March 2023, Hyundai and Kia have filed the following 11 safety recalls for pretensioner rupture: NHTSA Recall No. 21V-796, 22V-069, 22V-123, 22V-127, 22V-218, 22V-354, 22V-447, 22V-458, 22V-816, 23V-094, and 23V-210.Hyundai/Kia have stated that the abnormal deployment of the pretensioners is due to over-pressurization of the preten
Opened Aug 8, 2022 · closed May 26, 2023 · action RQ22003
Owner complaints
158 complaints filed
8 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 3 injuries, 1 deaths reported by owners.
Filed by year — 2021: 13 · 2022: 50 · 2023: 39 · 2024: 24 · 2025: 18 · 2026: 14
Most-cited components
- Forward Collision Avoidance — 57
- Electrical System — 41
- Unknown Or Other — 33
- Seat Belts — 27
- Engine — 21
Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.
Crash ratings
| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
| 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
| 4 DR FWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | 10% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: lane departure warning.
Compare the 2021 Elantra with
Other Elantra model years
2026 Elantra
2 recalls · 3 complaints
C2025 Elantra
2 recalls · 33 complaints
C2024 Elantra
2 recalls · 59 complaints
D2023 Elantra
4 recalls · 165 complaints
F2022 Elantra
8 recalls · 155 complaints
D2020 Elantra
3 recalls · 255 complaints
B2019 Elantra
1 recalls · 263 complaints
A2018 Elantra
1 recalls · 330 complaints
D2017 Elantra
4 recalls · 790 complaints
B2016 Elantra
2 recalls · 299 complaints
Sources & method
Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.
EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records (ids 43613, 43612, 43047, 43046, 43446, 43447). Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.