Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2010 Hyundai Elantra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owned a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 mph, the accelerator pedal and brake pedal failed to respond. The vehicle began spinning and crashed into an embankment. There were no warning indicator lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to her residence. There were no reported injuries: air bag deployment, police report or fire. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. The vehicle was deemed a total loss by the insurance company.
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to stop the vehicle, the engine continued to rev. The vehicle was shifted into neutral(N) and turned off. While driving at low speeds approaching a stop sign, the engine revved up. The contact shifted the vehicle to neutral(N) and turned the vehicle off and then shifted to park(P); however, the vehicle continued to move while the brake pedal was depressed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was contacted and informed of the failure and the contact was provided the cost to have the vehicle diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted but no additional assistance was provided. The contact stated that the failure was related to NHTSA Action Number: DP21003 (Vehicle Speed Control). …
I have a 2010 Hyundai elantra. Two times in the last 3 months I was driving and for no reason at all my car would rev up and my speed would accelerate. In October this happened I was so scared that I quickly turned into a gas station and was hit by another vehicle. The next time it happened I was lucky on the road that wasn't busy and I was able to just take my foot off the gas until it returned to normal. After that I had no more issues until about 2 weeks ago. I was driving around 30 miles an hour when the engine just shuts down. But the power was still there. I honestly don't know how to explain it. first I tried pressing the gas pedal nothing happened no movement, no sound, nothing. So I put the car and park because it was still in drive. After that I tried restarting car and it sounded like it wanted to start but it wouldn't. Try it again nothing. …
Clockspring has failed . Hyundai has extended the clockspring warranty for 2011 to 2014 Elantras to a 15-year unlimited mileage but has excluded the 2010 models for some reason. I would like Hyundai to extend the warranty to all affected vehicles as it is a safety hazard.
Tl* the contact owned a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. While driving 13 MPH, the vehicle accelerated. The brake pedal was depressed and stuck to the floorboard and the steering wheel locked. The vehicle crossed opposite lanes and crashed through a gate and into a house. The air bags deployed long after the crash occurred. The contact was knocked unconscious momentarily and received medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to a tow yard. Three months later, the contact received notification of NHTSA campaign numbers: 13V113000 (exterior lighting, service brakes, hydraulic) and 15v1000 (steering). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and requested information to investigate the failure. The VIN was invalid. The failure mileage was approximately 63,000.
While my wife, linda, was driving less than 1-2 MPH, turning into a parking space, all of a sudden, the engine started racing and leaped forward. Hitting the brakes had no effect on stopping the vehicle. She desperately turned the wheel to miss parked cars, a steel pole was hit and torn out of the ground by the runaway vehicle. Finally the car came to rest after hitting a large concrete light pole, which must have stalled out the engine. My wife was in a state of shock and had to go to the hospital for tests / xrays. Even with the seat belt on, she received major impact from the steering wheel to her chest.
I'm requesting NHTSA to investigate failures of several systems of Hyundai Elantra 2010: simultaneously failed/unresponsive braking, lurching/acceleration despite trying to push brake pedal, &failed power steering causing unsafe situation and accident in which air bags also failed to deploy despite 2 impacts to front end but form only allowed 3 parts of car affected. My husband pulled out of our garage front first @approx. 1-2 MPH. When he tried to brake at end of driveway/check for oncoming traffic before entering road to park in front of our house. Brakes &power steering failed simultaneously as car lurched/accelerated forward. Car hit a van driving by &our vehicle bounced back into pole which sent car on sidewalk. Car continued to accelerate/lurch forward on sidewalk despite his foot on brakes. He continued to try to brake &steer but neither worked. …
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. While driving with the cruise control activated at approximately 65 MPH, the contact applied pressure to the brake pedal and pressed the off button for the cruise control to deactivate yet the cruise control would not deactivate. The contact stated that the vehicle crashed into a metal guardrail and the vehicle stopped fifty feet from the guard rail. The contact was uninjured and a police report was filed for the incident. The vehicle was towed to the dealer for body damage repairs. The manufacturer was contacted and a complaint was filed. The manufacturer was unable to provide further assistance but informed the contact that the vehicle was not equipped with a crash box. The approximate failure mileage was 9,700.
Tl* the contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration. The failure occurred without warning. The vehicle could not be stopped even when the brake pedal was depressed. The vehicle was able to be stopped and parked when the emergency brake was applied. The vehicle was restarted and operated as normal. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle failure mileage was approximately 42,000.
As the brakes were applied when slowly (<10 miles/hr) turning into a parking place in a parking lot of a strip mall perpendicular to the side walks (double sidewalk separated by a railing) in front of the stores, the car suddenly accelerated thru the parking space and up on the first sidewalk (it did not respond to the brake pedal pressure to slow) and knocked down the railing separating the first and second side walks. The driver pulled up on the handbrake to stop the car before it crossed the second side walk and crashed into the barbershop thus preventing further damage and no injury.
NHTSA investigations
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003.
Acceleration complaints in other Elantra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2010 Hyundai Elantra?
NHTSA has 22 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2010 Hyundai Elantra, 6% of the model year's 380 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Hyundai Elantra acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2010 Hyundai Elantra, though it has 3 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2010 Hyundai Elantra acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 41,000 miles, and 31% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 12 crashes, 0 fires and 4 injuries and 1 death to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.