2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA Complaints

THE CAR JUST WOULDN'T START , IT WORKED FINE THE PREVIOUS EVENING AND IT LOCKED AS WELL . TODAY MORNING NOTHING WORKS ,I HAD TO MANUALLY OPEN THE CAR WITH THE KEY , AFTER I PLACED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION NOTHING LIGHTED UP ON THE DASHBOARD . TRIED MULTIPLE TIMES . *TR

MY 2012 ELANTRA STARTED FINE THIS MORNING AND EVERY DAY PREVIOUSLY, BUT WHEN I WENT TO START IT AFTER SHOPPING, IT WOULDN'T START. I TURNED THE KEY IN THE IGNITION SWITCH AND NOTHING. HOWEVER, ALL OF THE LIGHTS INSIDE WORKED. I TRIED SEVERAL TIMES TO GET IT TO START AND IT FINALLY STARTED. I CAME HOME AND THEN AFTER A COUPLE OF HOURS, I WENT OUT TO GO SOMEWHERE AND ONCE AGAIN, IT WOULDN'T START. AFTER 3-4 TIMES OF TURNING THE KEY, IT FINALLY STARTED. I CURRENTLY HAVE IT READY TO BE PICKED UP TO GO TO THE DEALERSHIP AS I AM ASSUMING IT WILL NOT START AGAIN THE NEXT TIME. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS WITH THE EXACT SAME ISSUE AS WELL AS VIEWING VIDEOS OF THE SAME EXACT THING HAPPENING. I PURCHASED THIS CAR NEW IN JUNE OF 2012 SO I WOULDN'T HAVE TO HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT GETTING STRANDED, BUT I MAY BE REGRETTING MY DECISION. *TR

WHENEVER I TRY TO TURN ON MY CAR EVERYTHING TURNS ON EXCEPT THE ENGINE. THE LIGHTS AND EVERYTHING ARE FINE. THE BATTERY TESTS FINE. I HAVE BEEN TO THE DEALER 3 TIMES AND THEY SAY NOTHING IS WRONG WITH IT. IT HAS NOT STARTED APPROXIMATELY 15-20 TIMES. BASED ON ACCOUNTS FROM OTHERS WITH THE SAME VEHICLE WHO HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM THE ENGINE HAS ALSO STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING. THANKFULLY THE ISSUE HAS ONLY EVER OCCURRED WHEN MY CAR IS PARKED, BUT I'D REALLY RATHER NOT RISK IT HAPPENING ON THE ROAD IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. *TR

I ATTEMPTED TO START MY CAR LAST NIGHT AND IT DIDN'T START, LIGHTS WERE ON FULL POWER AND EVERYTHING BUT NOT A SOUND FROM THE ENGINE... TRIED MANY MANY TIMES DIDN'T START. THEN RANDOMLY IT STARTED. DROVE HOME PARKED WENT OUT THIS MORNING AND TRIED AGAIN DID NOT START. I HAVE TRIED MANY TIMES THIS MORNING BUT AGAIN IT HAS NOT STARTED. *TR

INTERMITTENT PROBLEM: CAR DIDN'T TURN OVER. I WAITED A FEW MINUTES, TRIED IT AGAIN AND IT STARTED. DEALER COULDN'T FIND THE PROBLEM. SECOND OCCURRENCE: WOULDN'T START, THEN IT DID WHEN I TRIED IT A THIRD TIME. THAT SAME DAY, CAR WAS IDLING FOR ABOUT 3 MINUTES AS I WAS SITTING IN IT. I HAD PUT IT IN PARK AND WHEN I TRIED TO PUT IT IN DRIVE, IT WOULDN'T BUDGE OUT OF PARK. I TURNED THE CAR OFF (FEARING THE WORST) AND IT STARTED AND ALLOWED ME TO PUT IT IN DRIVE. *TR

ONE DAY IN JUNE, I TRIED TO START MY CAR AND THE PARK SENSOR ABOVE MY ODOMETER WOULD NOT SHOW. BECAUSE OF THIS, THE CAR WOULDN'T START AT ALL. I HAD TO CONTINUE TO TRY TO START THE CAR, BY TURNING THE KEY MULTIPLE TIMES INSIDE THE IGNITION AND PRESSING MY FOOT ONTO THE PEDAL. IT FINALLY STARTED, BUT NOT WITHOUT APPREHENSION ON MY PART. THE REST OF THE TIME, THE CAR WORKED OK FOR THE MOST PART, BUT WHENEVER I REACHED A TRAFFIC LIGHT IT WOULD ACT AS IF IT WERE PARKED AND ACTED A BIT FUNNY. THE STORY ABOVE HAPPENED 8 MORE TIMES OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS. I HAD THE BATTERY CHECKED TO SEE IF IT WAS A BATTERY PROBLEM, ONLY TO REALIZE THE BATTERY WAS FINE. I TRIED OTHER TECHNIQUES, SUCH AS TURNING THE KEY COMPLETELY 90 DEGREES, BUT THAT DIDN'T SOLVE IT. FINALLY, I WENT TO THE DEALER AND UPON MY STORY BEING SHARED, THE MECHANICS IMMEDIATELY TOLD ME THAT THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SWITCH WAS NOT WORKING. THEY HAD NOTICED MORE HYUNDAI ELANTRA 2012 CARS IN THE PAST FEW DAYS HAVING THE SAME ISSUE. SINCE I AM UNDER THE 5 YEAR / 60,000 MILE WARRANTY, THIS ISSUE WAS FIXED AT NO COST. HOWEVER, WHILE THIS ISSUE WAS FIXED AT MY END. I WOULD HOPE THIS STORY WOULD SPUR A FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO THE TRANSMISSION RANGE SWITCHES ON ALL HYUNDAI ELANTRA 2012S AND SEE WHAT ISSUES (IF ANY) COULD RESULT OVER A FAULTED TRANSMISSION RANGE SWITCH. *TR

THERE APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH THAT MAY BE DUE TO THE SWITCH OVERHEATING. WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT I WILL PARK MY CAR AND WHEN I RETURN A FEW MINUTES LATER AND TRY TO START THE CAR NOTHING HAPPENS WHEN I TURN THE IGNITION SWITCH. IF YOU GO TO YOUTUBE.COM AND TYPE 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA IGNITION PROBLEM INTO THE SEARCH ENGINE YOU WILL SEE OTHER 2012 ELANTRA OWNERS POSTING VIDEOS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. I CALLED MY DEALERSHIP WHICH STATED THERE IS NO RECALL OF THE 2012 ELANTRA. AGAIN SINCE OTHER 2012 ELANTRA OWNERS ARE POSTING THIS ON YOUTUBE THAT TELLS ME THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. *TR

TURN KEY IN IGNITION. NOTHING HAPPENS. TURN OFF, TURN ON, EVENTUALLY IGNITION WORKS AND CAR TURNS ON. THIS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE FIRST VISIT TO DEALER TO TRY TO REMEDY ISSUE. FIRST TRIP TO DEALER 5/14/14. DEALER CAN'T RECREATE PROBLEM. PROBLEM CONTINUES. 6/11/14: TURN KEY, CAR WON'T START, TURN OFF, TURN ON, CAR WONT START. AFTER SEVERAL TRIES, HYUNDAI DEALER CALLED, SENDS A TOW TRUCK. TOW TRUCK DRIVER TURNS KEY. WON'T START. TOW TRUCK DRIVER SAYS YOU NEED TO TURN THE KEY AND HOLD IT DOWN TO "RESET THE COMPUTER, RESET THE BRAKE SWITCH." HE DOES THIS AND CAR STARTS. HE TOWS IT TO DEALER 6/11/14. DEALER CAN'T RECREATE PROBLEM (SANDS DOWN PAINTED GROUND AREAS). 6/26/14- CAR STARTS BUT IS STUCK IN PARK, CAN'T SHIFT TO DRIVE. TURN OFF. TURN BACK ON. ABLE TO SHIFT TO DRIVE. LATER SAME DAY 6/26/14, TURN KEY IN IGNITION. NOTHING HAPPENS. HOLD KEY DOWN AS INSTRUCTED BY TOW TRUCK DRIVER ON 6/11. TURN OFF, TURN BACK ON, CAR STARTS. READ UP ON THE ISSUE ONLINE. SYMPTOMS SOUND SIMILAR TO BRAKE SWITCH RECALL ISSUES ON EARLIER MODELS. *TR

DURING NORMAL VEHICLE OPERATION AT APPROX. 45 MPH, DRY PAVEMENT, THE VEHICLE BRAKES SUDDENLY LOCKED UP, CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SKID LEFT INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC WITH TIRES SCREECHING. DURING THE SKID INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC AND A FRIGHTENING ATTEMPT TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE, THE ABS LIGHT BLINKED SEVERAL TIMES THEN WENT OFF. THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN DEADLY CONSEQUENCES HAD I BEEN DRIVING IN HEAVY TRAFFIC OR ON AN INTERSTATE. ( A FEW DAYS PRIOR, WHILE TRAVELING AT APPROX. 50 MPH THE BRAKES WERE MAKING A HORRIFIC GRINDING NOISE WITH NO PRESSURE APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL. THIS RESULTED IN DECREASE OF SPEED IN THE VEHICLE IN WHICH IT WOULD NOT ACCELERATE ABOVE 40 MPH.) THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE HYUNDAI DEALER WHERE THEY QUESTIONED IF THERE WAS ANY PROBLEM. THE COMPUTER READINGS WERE ALL GOOD AND SHOWED NO PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE. FINALLY, AFTER A SERVICE TECHNICIAN DRIVING IT HOME FOR THE NIGHT AND EXPERIENCING THE PROBLEM TWICE HIMSELF, THEY REALIZED THERE WAS A SERIOUS ISSUE WITH THE BRAKES. THE HECU (HYDRAULIC ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT) HAD FAILED AT 31,685 MILES. THIS IS THE ANSWER THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAS GIVEN FOR THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE IS STILL CURRENTLY IN THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT BEING REPAIRED. I AM STILL IN FEAR OF DRIVING THIS VEHICLE EVEN THOUGH IT IS BEING REPAIRED. *TR

THE CAR SHUT ITSELF OFF WHILE WE WERE DRIVING. THE CAR WOULD NOT RESTART OR SHIFT INTO PARK AND THE KEY WOULD NOT COME OUT. FINALLY GOT THE CAR TO START IN NEUTRAL AND CAR SPUTTERED AND IT REGISTERED NO RPMS, SO IT DIDN'T MOVE. AFTER ABOUT 20 MINUTES CAR DID START IN NEUTRAL AND WE WERE ABLE TO MAKE IT HOME. *TR