2016 Hyundai Elantra Engine Problems
Owners have filed 111 complaints with NHTSA about engine problems on the 2016 Hyundai Elantra, 38% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 73,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “oil change” (9% of reports).
- 111engine complaints
- 73,000median miles at failure
- 1mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 43%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Oil change: mentioned in 10 of 111 complaints (9%)
- Knocking sound: mentioned in 7 of 111 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do engine problems happen?
Based on 41 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 111 complaints, 1 mention a crash, 2 a fire.
Hyundai Elantra engine complaints by model year
| Model year | Engine complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Elantra | 3 | 14% | 4,000 |
| 2024 Elantra | 8 | 15% | 43,000 |
| 2023 Elantra | 19 | 19% | 7,645 |
| 2022 Elantra | 11 | 11% | 28,913 |
| 2021 Elantra | 13 | 10% | 71,250 |
| 2020 Elantra | 109 | 43% | 32,500 |
| 2019 Elantra | 133 | 53% | 76,000 |
| 2018 Elantra | 141 | 50% | 38,000 |
| 2017 Elantra | 290 | 38% | 49,000 |
| 2016 Elantra | 111 | 38% | 73,000 |
| 2015 Elantra | 92 | 35% | 73,500 |
| 2014 Elantra | 166 | 43% | 82,500 |
| 2013 Elantra | 233 | 18% | 65,000 |
| 2012 Elantra | 139 | 21% | 68,585 |
| 2011 Elantra | 92 | 21% | 81,000 |
| 2010 Elantra | 15 | 4% | 91,250 |
| 2009 Elantra | 13 | 5% | 86,500 |
| 2008 Elantra | 24 | 8% | 112,283 |
| 2007 Elantra | 12 | 4% | 140,000 |
| 2006 Elantra | 2 | 1% | 80,540 |
| 2005 Elantra | 4 | 3% | 104,250 |
| 2004 Elantra | 5 | 3% | 99,597 |
| 2003 Elantra | 1 | 0% | 3,500 |
| 2002 Elantra | 2 | 1% | 80,300 |
| 2001 Elantra | 4 | 1% | 126,100 |
| 2000 Elantra | 6 | 3% | 30,750 |
| 1999 Elantra | 2 | 2% | 150,000 |
| 1997 Elantra | 1 | 1% | 189,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists engine for the 2016 Hyundai Elantra. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
The motor started to make a ticking noise 5 months earlier. 5 months later at 180,000 miles a borascope finding, reveled all 4 cylinder walls were worn related to cylinder slap. Called Hyundai dealership and was told ithe car is too old and the milage too high for a warranty coverage.
Vehicle stalls while driving which is very dangerous. All dashboard lights go on prior to stalling. No engine light is on. Knocking sound coming from engine. Dealer states engine needs to be replaced. Car has been serviced regularly despite that Hyundai denies engine replacement. The knocking sound…
Engine burned oil and had knocking sound, despite having regular oil changes. Stalked out while driving took to dealer initial said it was covered by the exerted coverage but ultimately denied. It had 111,000 miles on it. I believe this engine has the same issues as the others.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2016 Hyundai Elantras have engine problems?
No. NHTSA has 111 owner complaints about engine for the 2016 Hyundai Elantra (38% of the 293 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Hyundai Elantra engine?
No recall currently lists engine for this vehicle.
At what mileage do engine problems start?
The median reported mileage is 73,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about engine problems on the 2016 Hyundai Elantra?
The most frequent phrase is “oil change”, in 10 of 111 complaints, followed by “knocking sound” (7).
See all 2016 Hyundai Elantra problems or engine problems across all Elantra years.