49 NHTSA owner complaints · 1 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 6.12
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
Engine consumes large amount of oil requiring oil refill every week, without turning on check engine and/or engine oil light. Raising the chances to cause accidents due to engine failure while driving, and requiring mechanical intervention to rebuild the engine or a total engine swap. There are over 40 other complaints about this same issue, and it needs to be addressed.
Car was being driven home when car started shaking heavily and check engine light started flashing. Car had been needing 1qt of oil every 600-800 miles, depending on drive (highway would go longer). Pulled off to the side and plugged in code reader - found that cylinder 3 misfired and catalyst system below threshold. Was able to get the car home. Towed it to Hyundai dealership the following week once they were availa…
It uses a lot of oil with no visible leak or reason. I put new oil in all the time. All the time! For two years since buying it used. Warning light does not come on till it's out. Car is hot, of course, and stops running in the middle of the road. I see there is a recall on some elantras for oil piston seals but not this car. Seems it should be.
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 18V891000 | Electrical System | Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT vehicles. The panoramic sunroof motor may be incorrectly progr… |
EPA combined 28 MPG · estimated annual fuel cost $2,200
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (28 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is BUY with a reliability score of 84/100, computed from 49 NHTSA complaints and 1 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign(s) for the 2018 Hyundai Elantra GT, 1 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 14/12/2018. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.