2018 Hyundai Elantra · symptom sheet
Engine stalls or loses power while driving
- 78owner reports
- 62,000median miles
- $900median quote
- 1involved a crash
Newest report Aug 24, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
186 of the 282 complaints on this car are about the engine. 78 of those describe stalling, which makes it the most reported problem on the 2018 Elantra.
Tick what matches of 78 reports
Stalling on other Elantra years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2021, 2022.
What this problem usually is
Stalling reports are some of the most alarming on the site. The engine quits while the car is moving, sometimes on a highway and sometimes at a stop. Many owners say it restarted right away and the dealer found no stored code, which is part of why these complaints pile up before anything gets fixed.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the engine (7 reports), the ignition coil or plugs (5 reports) and the battery (4 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the engine covers the 2018 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the engine on the Elantra
Loss of motive power. Closed dec 12, 2023.
Engine fires. Closed feb 5, 2024, led to recall 23V-877.
Engine stalling - fuel pump failure. Closed sep 3, 2008, led to recall 08V-429.
Post-crash fuel tank leak. Closed jul 13, 2004, led to recall 04V-208.
Fuel cap replacement campaign 36. Open, led to recall 00V-095.
None of these investigations covers the 2018 model year.
What owners paid
12 of the 78 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $213 to $2,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 12,000 and 110,000 miles, from the 32 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2018 Hyundai Elantra that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
If you are servicing a vehicle with a transmission slipping concern, follow the Service Procedure shown below and perform a stall test. This TSB provides a procedure to test each clutch in the transmission.
What owners wrote
“I am losing engine oil all the time to the point the car engine shut off My engine start losing oil after 2000 miles 1000 miles before oil change [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)”
Filed Apr 27, 2024 · 2,000 miles
“I fill up my oil at regular service intervals. When i drive my car after 3500 miles if i turn the engine stalls. This is dangerous due to loss of power. This has happened multiple times.”
Filed Feb 2, 2023 · 3,500 miles
“My car will shut off as Iâm driving it. I was going thru a busy intersection and my car turned off, I was in my car with my 3 babies traffic backed up and almost got slammed into. I had to get out and push my car to the side of the road. The check engine light started flashing then the whole dashboard started flicking”
Filed Sep 14, 2022
“While driving lost acceleration, car stalled multiple times. No dash light on at all when this happens. Having to add oil to my engine between oil changes.”
Filed Sep 13, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 1 of 78 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Engine failure, knocking or rod bearing 53 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 43 reports