2022 HYUNDAI Elantra

Recalls, Specs & Safety Report

Expert Verdict
⚠️Elevated Concerns

The 2022 Hyundai Elantra showcases a concerning reliability profile with five recalls primarily centered around seat belt failures, which could significantly impair safety during a collision. The average failure mileage of 26,396 miles indicates that potential issues manifest early in the vehicle's lifecycle.

Key Factor:Critical safety recall issues

📋Why This Matters

Safety is paramount in any vehicle, and the defects associated with the 2022 Hyundai Elantra directly threaten occupant protection, particularly with the seat belt pretensioner failures. The possibility of these devices exploding during deployment poses an elevated risk of severe injury in the event of an accident. This concern becomes even more pronounced given that the Elantra competes in a highly populated compact car segment where reliability and safety are fundamental differentiators for consumers. Hyundai has worked hard to establish itself as a quality manufacturer with robust engineering practices; however, these recalls may tarnish the brand's recent reputation for reliability. The expectation for a compact sedan in this space often leans heavily towards dependable performance and peace of mind, making it imperative that manufacturers address such critical issues swiftly and effectively.

Focus Area:Safety Profile
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Expert Analysis

  • 📈
    Recall Trend:No Change in recalls
  • ⚠️
    Primary Risk Area:Warning
  • ⚖️
    Vs Brand: Worse than avg (1.7)
    📝
    Summary: The year-over-year safety trend for Hyundai shows a commitment to addressing previous shortcomings; however, the multiple recalls on the Elantra highlight an unsettling risk profile within its latest offering. Compared to segment expectations, this model's safety shortcomings stand distinctly out as potential red flags for both current owners and prospective buyers alike.

Safety & Reliability Score

51/100

Score Breakdown

Recall Impact-40
Complaint Impact-4.3
Investigation Impact-5

Technical Specifications

Key specifications for the 2022 HYUNDAI Elantra

Model Year2022
MakeHYUNDAI
ModelElantra
Fuel TypeGasoline
Body ClassPassenger Vehicle

Safety History Timeline

Scroll for more →
Aug21
ISSUEFirst Report
Jan22
NEWProduction
Jan22
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan22
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan22
RECALLRecall Issued
Jan22
RECALLRecall Issued
Mar22
RECALLRecall Issued
Apr23
INVInvestigation Opened

Consumer Complaint Analysis

⚠️

Most Reported Issue

14 complaints (16% of total)
➡️

Complaint Trend

Stable
No trend data

Safety Incidents

No critical incidents

Complaint Severity Distribution

Breakdown of 86 consumer complaints by severity level.

🟠High
4(5%)
🟡Medium
21(24%)
🟢Low
61(71%)

Mileage Failure Analysis

⚙️Engineering Insight

With peak failures occurring between 0-20k miles, owners should be acutely aware that significant issues may arise shortly after purchase. This early failure window suggests that owners might encounter critical problems while they are still acclimating to their new vehicle, emphasizing the importance of thorough pre-purchase inspections.

📊 Mileage data extracted from 12 of 86 complaints (14% coverage)
0-20k
5 reports (42%)
20k-40k
4 reports (33%)
40k-60k
1 reports (8%)
60k-80k
2 reports (17%)
80k-100k
0 reports (0%)
100k+
0 reports (0%)
* Analysis based on mileage data extracted from consumer complaint descriptions. Actual failure rates may vary.

🛠️ DIY Diagnosis Center

Experiencing an issue? Select a symptom to find official manufacturer solutions (TSBs).

Primary Risk Areas

SEAT BELTSAIR BAGSBACK OVER PREVENTION

🎯Risk Areas & Recommended Actions

Based on recall data, these components require verification:

1

Seat Belts

Issue: Potential explosion of front passenger-side seat belt pretensioner upon deployment.

Contact your dealership immediately to ensure recall repairs have been completed.

🔍

Confirm all recall repairs have been conducted before finalizing any purchase.

💡Visit NHTSA.gov or contact your HYUNDAI dealer to verify recall completion status.

Official Safety Recalls (5)

Campaign: 22V123000

SEAT BELTS:FRONT

Summary

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Elantra and Elantra HEV vehicles. In the event of a crash, the front passenger-side seat belt pretensioner may explode upon deployment.

Consequence

An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, striking vehicle occupants and resulting in injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the seat belt pretensioners, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 19, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 220. This recall is an expansion of NHTSA recall numbers 21V-796 and 22V-069. This recall is replaced by NHTSA recall number 22V-354. Vehicles already repaired under this recall will need to have the new remedy completed.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America

Campaign: 22V218000

SEAT BELTS:FRONT

Summary

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.

Consequence

Exploding seat belt pretensioners can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.

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.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America

Campaign: 22V354000

SEAT BELTS:FRONT

Summary

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.

Consequence

An exploding seat belt pretensioner can project metal fragments into the vehicle, strike vehicle occupants, and result in injury.

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.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America

Campaign: 22V632000

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL

Summary

Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2022 Elantra N and 2022-2023 Elantra vehicles. The emblem on the cover of the driver's front air bag may not have been welded properly, which can result in the emblem detaching upon deployment.

Consequence

A detached air bag cover emblem may strike a vehicle occupant, which can increase the risk of injury.

Remedy

Dealers will replace the air bag, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed October 14, 2022. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 234.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or go to www.nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America

Campaign: 24V879000

BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA

Summary

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."

Consequence

A rearview image that does not display reduces the driver's visibility and increases the risk of a crash.

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.

Additional Notes

Owners may also contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153) or go to nhtsa.gov.

Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America

NHTSA Investigations

1 investigation

Official NHTSA safety investigations for 2022 Elantra.

INV-2022-1000🟢 Closed

NHTSA opened investigation after receiving consumer complaints regarding Elantra performance issues.

Opened: Affected Units: 7,402

Consumer Complaints

86 total complaints

Consumer-reported issues submitted to NHTSA for 2022 Elantra.

Common Reported SymptomsAI Analysis

Warning16%
Accident9%
Acceleration Issues8%
Noise6%
Stall6%
Display5%
Safety Systems🔶 Medium
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

I am reporting a safety-related defect involving the vehicle’s infotainment and forward safety systems. When this occurs, the vehicle also shows a “Check Forward Safety System” warning message. Diagnostic trouble code C162078 is triggered, indicating a front radar out of alignment. As a result, critical safety features such as Forward Collision-Avoidance Assist, Smart Cruise Control, and other radar-based driver assistance systems are disabled. This issue creates a significant safety risk because the driver is not alerted to potential forward collisions and cannot rely on active safety systems. The blank infotainment screen also prevents access to vehicle settings, warnings, and camera functions. In South Korea, this same defect has resulted in an official recall and free front radar replacement and calibration. However, in the United States, customers are not covered under a recall and are required to pay out of pocket for radar realignment or replacement, even though the issue is identical and a lot of time the issue came back 3 months later and customer have to pay out of pocket once again to fix the same issue. Many owners report receiving official recall notices in other markets, while U.S. owners must independently diagnose the issue. Dealers often state that the problem may be caused by radar misalignment after a software update or system fault. In some cases, cleaning or recalibration temporarily resolves the issue, but in other cases, full radar replacement is required. This inconsistent treatment places U.S. consumers at a financial disadvantage and allows a known safety defect to remain unresolved. I am requesting that NHTSA investigate this defect and require the manufacturer to issue a U.S. recall with free repair, calibration, or replacement, consistent with actions already taken in other countries.

Brakes🔶 Medium
SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

My vehicle experienced a sudden and complete brake assist failure, including the emergency brake. I was unable to stop the vehicle, which directly resulted in a collision. Prior to the crash, the car showed no warning lights. After the accident, I had the vehicle inspected at the Hyundai dealership. The dealership stated they could not reproduce the failure and “found no issues,” which contradicts the symptoms. Since the crash, I discovered two Hyundai Technical Service Bulletins that directly match the failure I experienced: TSB 23-01-036H-1 (Relates to HECU/Electronic Parking Brake failure) TSB addressing DTC C1620 (Relates to FCA Sensor/Automatic Braking malfunction) These TSBs relate to brake assist malfunction, emergency brake concerns, and similar stopping failures. The dealership did not disclose these TSBs, did not apply the corrective procedures, and cleared the car as having “no defects.” The dealership wrote “could not reproduce concern” and “no problems found,” despite the vehicle having just been in a brake-failure crash. This brake failure created a major safety risk with potential for severe injury or fatality. I am reporting this because the defect appears unresolved, the dealership denied it, and the TSBs show Hyundai is aware of brake-related issues. I request that NHTSA investigate this brake-system failure as part of a potential manufacturer safety defect. The vehicle is currently secured at the dealership (Lithia Hyundai, Las Vegas) and is available for inspection upon request by NHTSA investigators.

Electrical🔵 Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I didn't know the horn wasn't working. I was driving and a vehicle almost backed into me on the drivers door. I couldn't warn them that I was behind them I was fortunate to move before they backed into me. I haven't taken the car to the dealer. I searched on the internet to see if this was an isolated incident and I found hundreds of incidents of people reporting faulty horns on Hyundai vehicles. This should be a safety and a recall issue/

Electrical🔵 Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING

The headlights go off and on randomly It happens during the day and evening I have brought it to the dealer two times and they said after five days they cannot duplicate the problem At night time it is very dangerous when the headlights go off as I drive in a rural area I have submitted daytime photos which shows the malfunction I cannot submit nighttime photos as it is too dangerous The problem occurs daily The vehicle is available for inspection

Steering/Suspension🔵 Low
STEERING,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Horn does not work

Other🔶 Medium
UNKNOWN OR OTHER

I was pulling into a parking spot, moving very slowly, and the car suddenly accelerated. I’m not sure if it was the brakes only because I was slowed down and preparing to stop. I was lucky that I only went into a PVC fence and no one was injured. There was no indication of any sort of a possible problem. No one looked at it because I had no idea that that could be done, and I wouldn’t know where to go.

Electrical🔶 Medium
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE

The car now shows a warning "Check Forward Safety System" and cruise control, understandably does not work. I have not had any collisions or accidents for this to occur. There seems to be no recall from Hyundai, however, this appears to be a safety issue that needs to be addressed by Hyundai.

Electrical🔵 Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The display screen goes out and displays a black screen not enabling the display of the GPS system

Engine/Powertrain🔵 Low
ENGINE

The contact owns a 2022 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while her daughter was driving 63 MPH, several unknown warning lights illuminated, and the message that the vehicle was in neutral was displayed. The contact pulled over to the side of the road and waited for a tow truck to arrive on the scene. The contact stated that a Police Officer showed up on the scene because the vehicle was blocking the right side of the roadway. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with engine failure. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The contact was referred to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 34,000.

Electrical🔵 Low
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEAT BELTS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER

FAULTY REARVIEW CAMERA My 2022 Hyundai Elantra sedan rearview camera fails to display clear image or displays no image when shift gear is in reverse position. 2021 and 2022 Hyundai Elantra sedan models were recalled - Recall #271. I need my vehicle repaired but have been told by Hyundai Corporate that my vehicle is not eligible. That is why I am filing this complaint.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are common issues with the 2022 Hyundai Elantra?

The most pressing issue reported with the 2022 Hyundai Elantra involves concerns surrounding the front seat belt pretensioners that may explode during deployment. Additionally, there are reports related to airbag malfunctions and back-over prevention systems which could compromise safety during operation.

How reliable is the 2022 Hyundai Elantra compared to its competitors?

While Hyundai has built a reputation for producing reliable vehicles over recent years, the five recalls reported for the 2022 Elantra signal potential reliability concerns that could detract from its competitive edge against rivals like Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic—both known for their strong track records in safety.

📊Year-over-Year Context

➡️Stable Pattern

Compared to earlier years, the 2022 model shows stable reliability patterns. No meaningful structural change detected in recall frequency between adjacent model years.

🧭What This Means for You

Families with young passengers, pregnant drivers, or those with frequent highway commutes should prioritize this information.

If you're unsure, we recommend starting with a VIN check or consulting a certified mechanic.

🔑

If You Own This Vehicle

  • Verify all 5 recalls have been completed using your VIN at NHTSA.gov or through your HYUNDAI dealer.
  • Unaddressed recalls pose real-world risks. Prioritize scheduling any pending repairs to maintain vehicle integrity.
  • Proactive tip: Enroll in HYUNDAI's owner notification program for real-time safety updates.
🛒

If You're Buying Used

  • Critical: Demand official documentation showing every HYUNDAI recall has been satisfied.
  • Investigate whether later Elantra iterations (2023+) rectified these persistent issues.
  • A pre-purchase inspection by a HYUNDAI specialist is mandatory given the recorded failure patterns.

This page is designed to help you decide, not alarm you.

Compare with Similar Vehicles

Data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Last updated: February 23, 2026.