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NHTSA campaign 23V589000 · manufacturer recall 248

2021–2023 Hyundai Elantra: electrical system recall

Unintended vehicle acceleration can increase the risk of a crash.

critical 37,997 vehicles affected 97% reported repaired

What was reported

Source: manufacturer filing, 49 CFR Part 573
Problem 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.

Reported to NHTSA Aug 18, 2023 by Hyundai Motor America, owners notified Sep 26, 2023.

What that means, in plain English

Source: WhichTrim's reading of the filing above — not NHTSA's wording

A software error causing unintended vehicle acceleration after brake release takes throttle control away from the driver without warning, fitting the critical definition of a failure that removes control of the vehicle at speed.

Written for us by a language model from the manufacturer's filed text, which is quoted in full above. Where the two differ, the filing is the record and this is only our summary of it.

The fix, from the dealer bulletin

Source: NHTSA remedy instructions and dealer notice
Stop-sale Yes: the bulletin says the vehicle may not be sold or delivered until repaired
Remedy Instructions filed: the dealer bulletin exists

Labour, as the warranty table lists it

  • 0.3 h · op 31D097R0

The operation code and time the manufacturer pays the dealer; a customer-pay estimate elsewhere is a different number.

The advisory, as filed: “As required by federal law, dealers must not deliver new vehicles for sale or for lease to customers until all open recalls have been performed.”

Read from NHTSA’s copy of the manufacturer’s dealer documents (manufacturer campaign 248). The procedure itself is in the bulletin; a franchised dealer has the current copy on the manufacturer’s portal, and that copy governs. Working a lot or a fleet? Recall Watch carries this line on every VIN it checks: remedy status, hours, stop-sale.

Which vehicles are covered

Source: NHTSA campaign 23V589000
Model yearClassSafety SignalRecalls on file
2021 Hyundai ElantraMidsize SedanF7
2022 Hyundai ElantraMidsize SedanF8
2023 Hyundai ElantraMidsize SedanD4

Those are the model years inside WhichTrim's range, 2016 onward. The campaign may cover others outside it, and the only thing that settles whether one specific vehicle is included is its VIN.

How much of it has been fixed

Source: manufacturer quarterly report, 49 CFR 573.7
Reported repaired 97%

of the campaign

The final figure: the six quarters of reporting that 49 cfr 573.7 requires have closed.

This is the manufacturer's own cumulative count of vehicles it has inspected and repaired, divided by the vehicles the campaign covers. It files that count with NHTSA every quarter for six consecutive quarters, starting from the quarter in which owners were told a remedy was ready, and then the obligation ends — so a figure on an older campaign is where the count stopped, not where it stands today.

It rarely reaches 100%, and not because the work was not done. The same report asks manufacturers to count vehicles they could not reach at all — exported, stolen, scrapped, or simply never located — and those stay in the denominator. A low number means a lot of these vehicles are still out there unrepaired; it does not tell you which ones.

The federal paperwork

Source: nhtsa.gov

Check one specific vehicle

A recall applies to a build range, so year, make and model cannot settle it. Type the VIN and the WhichTrim recall report checks this campaign’s build window and engine against it.

Campaign 23V589000 · the manufacturer calls it 248

Own one, or run a fleet? Recall Watch checks each VIN against every new NHTSA campaign and emails you when one lands, this one's expansions included. Or take a free one-line alert by model year.

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A recall covers a build range. Only your VIN settles it.

Check it with the WhichTrim recall report now, or have us check it every night and email you when something new is filed.

Photo: Taiga Miyamoto / Unsplash

Common questions

Source: NHTSA, 49 CFR Part 573

Is 248 the same recall as 23V589000?

Yes. 248 is the number Hyundai Motor America uses for this campaign in its own paperwork and in the letter it sends owners. 23V589000 is the number NHTSA files it under. One recall, two references — dealers and service departments generally quote the manufacturer's.

Does this recall repair cost anything?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to remedy a safety defect or a compliance failure at no charge, for vehicles up to 15 years old measured from the date of first sale. A dealer that asks you to pay for a recall repair is in the wrong.

How do I know whether my vehicle is included?

By VIN, not by model year. The manufacturer files a build range with NHTSA and only vehicles inside it are covered, so two identical-looking cars from the same year can differ. NHTSA's own lookup checks a VIN against the manufacturer's list.

What if the repair is not available yet?

It happens, and often. Manufacturers must notify owners when a defect is found even if the parts or the software are not ready, then notify them a second time once the remedy exists. The remedy filed for this campaign is described above.

What did the manufacturer say was wrong?

The problem, risk and fix quoted on this page are the manufacturer's own words as filed with NHTSA under 49 CFR Part 573. WhichTrim does not paraphrase them.

Who started this recall?

NHTSA's record credits NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. A recall can begin with the manufacturer's own testing, with a defect investigation, or with a compliance test against a Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard.