Seventh generation (CN7)
2021 Hyundai Elantra
The most reported problem on the 2021 Hyundai Elantra is seat belt, with 29 complaints.
- 131owner complaints
- 6recalls
- 8involved a crash
- 39,573median miles at failure
Newest report Sep 27, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
What is your Elantra doing?
Each one opens a sheet built from the owner reports of that problem on the 2021 model year.
Is the 2021 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
The 2021 Hyundai Elantra has 131 owner complaints on file with NHTSA, close to the median of 145 for 2021 sedans on this site. Of the 12 Elantra model years since 2014, it has the 8th most complaints. Complaint counts rise with sales as well as faults, so read what owners report below before deciding.
At a glance
- Next to the 2020 and 2022
- At 22 complaints for each year on the road, the 2021 runs below the 2020 (36) and close to the 2022 (20).
- Top problem
- Two problems run close. Seat belt has 29 complaints and false collision warning has 28, out of 131 in all. Too few of the seat belt reports give a mileage to say when it starts.
- Crash, fire and injury reports
- 9 of the 131 complaints (7%) report a crash, a fire or an injury, about the 6% typical of vehicles on this site. Counted separately (one report can carry more than one), 8 reports mention a crash, 1 mentions a fire and 3 people were hurt. The reports record 1 death. The most crash reports, 3 of 8, fall under brake wear.
- Recalls behind the top problems
- Seat belt has a recall on the same system (21V-302, 21V-796 and 2 others). False collision warning has none. A recall on the same system doesn't always cover the failure owners describe, so compare its summary with the complaints.
- When owners filed
- Filings peaked in 2022 at 45 and have dropped every year since, to 15 in 2025. So far in 2026, 15 more have come in.
When each problem shows up
Each bar covers the middle half of the mileages owners reported for that problem. A quarter saw it earlier, a quarter later. The tick is the median. Most reported: seat belt or seat problems, 29 complaints.
middle half of reports, median tick. The heavier grey bars have 75 or more reports.
Behind you
Around your mileage
Ahead of you
How this compares
131 complaints is 1.5 times fewer than the median 2021 model on this site and about the median for a 2021 sedan. Among the 9 Elantra model years here it ranks 8th for complaints. Counts follow sales volume as much as reliability, so a truck that sells 700,000 a year draws more reports than a sedan that sells 200,000.
Service bulletins for the 2021 Hyundai Elantra
Hyundai filed 79 bulletins and other notices with NHTSA that list the 2021 Hyundai Elantra. 9 of them deal with a problem owners have reported on this car. 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.
Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 6 bulletins · 17 complaints
Some vehicles equipped with the AVN 5th Gen Wide system may exhibit a condition where the radio app crashes frequently when entering radio mode and/or displays a message that reads “Uneven Road Ahead, Drive carefully” on the cluster along with a warning ...
This bulletin is issued to provide the extended battery diagnosis procedure using GDS-M. This battery diagnosis function displays the various battery-related faults such as: ⢠Internal short circuit ⢠Battery deterioration ⢠Malfunction of electronic ...
4 more on this problem
Some 2021 ~ 2022MY Elantra (CN7, CN7a, CN7 HEV) vehicles may exhibit a condition with multiple warning lights displayed on the instrument cluster and various symptoms;
Some 2021 Elantra (CN7) vehicles may exhibit a condition with multiple warning lights displayed on the instrument cluster and various symptoms; multiple DTCs (Diagnostic Trouble Code), reduction in power steering assist, and not able to shift out of Park.
This bulletin provides information regarding the use of window mounted lockboxes without RFID shielding, which may cause battery drain on dealer stock vehicles. The lockbox is still within the range of the receiver when it is mounted to the rear window.
When using Wireless CarPlay, the system may intermittently auto disconnect. When Wireless CarPlay is disconnected, a pop up message âPhone Not Responding. Please reconnect it and try againâ will appear on the radio screen.
Adaptive cruise or lane keeping misbehaves 1 bulletin · 15 complaints
Certain 2021~2022MY Elantra (CN7/CN7A) vehicles may exhibit a warning light with DTC C1620, caused by a distorted signal due to internal contamination of the front radar reception antenna.
Engine stalls or loses power while driving 2 bulletins · 6 complaints
Certain Elantra (CN7/CN7a) vehicles equipped with the 2.0L MPI and Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT) need an update to the damper clutch logic to address a potential engine stall condition immediately following Forward Collision Avoidance (FCA) ...
This bulletin provides the service procedure to update the Transmission Control Unit (TCU) software for certain Elantra (CN7/CN7a) vehicles equipped with the 2.0L MPI and Intelligent Variable Transmission (IVT).
Complaints filed by year
45 complaints came in 2022, 4.1 times the year before. Owners file in waves when a problem gets press or an investigation, so a spike measures attention as much as failures.
NHTSA investigations
Loss of motive power. Closed dec 12, 2023.
NHTSA summary
Seat belt pretensioners may rupture. Closed may 26, 2023, led to recall 23V-094.
NHTSA summary
Recalls that include the 2021 Hyundai Elantra
Whether your car is included depends on its VIN. Check yours at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
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 and remedy
Remedy: 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.
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 and remedy
Remedy: 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 remedy completed.
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 and remedy
Remedy: 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.
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 and remedy
Remedy: 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.
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 and remedy
Remedy: 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 have the new remedies completed.
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2021 Elantra vehicles. The driver and front passenger seat back recliners may have been improperly welded.
Risk and remedy
Remedy: 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.
All 6 recalls on the 2021 Hyundai Elantra, with the owner complaints on each recalled system
Guide Buying one used? How to research one car’s history before you pay
Questions
What is the most common problem on the 2021 Hyundai Elantra?
Seat belt, with 29 of the 131 complaints.
At what mileage do 2021 Hyundai Elantra problems start?
Of the 22 complaints that give a mileage, a quarter came by about 10,000 miles and half by about 40,000.
Is the 2021 Hyundai Elantra better or worse than the 2020 and 2022?
Counted per year on the road, the 2021 has fewer complaints than the 2020 and about as many complaints as the 2022: 22 a year against 36 and 20.
How many 2021 Hyundai Elantra complaints involve a crash, fire or injury?
9 of them (7%). The typical vehicle on this site is at 6%.
Is there a recall for seat belt on the 2021 Hyundai Elantra?
Yes, NHTSA lists 4 recalls on the same system: 21V-302, 21V-796, 22V-218 and 22V-354. Its summary says which failure it covers, and that isn't always the one owners describe.