Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (battery, alternator, wiring, ignition, instrument cluster, infotainment).
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 while driving at 30 MPH, the battery warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local Pep Boys where it was diagnosed that the failure was associated with an electrical shortage or the alternator. The contact stated while driving at 55 MPH to her friend's house for assistance with replacing the alternator, several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated upon attempting to veer to the side of the road, the brake pedal was depressed but the vehicle failed to respond. The contact shifted to park (P) but the vehicle failed to respond and continued rolling. The contact heard an exploding sound coming from underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact stated fiery particles hit the windshield and there was smoke coming in through the AC vent. …
So I was driving my vehicle like normal and all of a sudden the driver airbag light came on on the dash and as I'm getting closer to home my check engine light came on my ABS came on as well as my EPS and my TPS , was losing power to the vehicle. I made it home, put it in park and smoke started rolling. Look under the hood. There's a fire under the hood. I'm not sure what all damage it has caused, but it appears to be coming from the ABS and the electrical I don't know what damage was caused by the ABS catching fire, but I was unaware that there was a problem with the vehicle, I am I just bought the vehicle in May and it's just happened August 11 of 2023
The contact owns a 2010 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the battery became inoperable overnight. There were five unknown instrument cluster warning indicator lights illuminated. The contact called the local dealer, but the vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.
The EPS light started coming on intermittently back in Nov. 2025 and power steering became very difficult. I could get it to reset by turning off the car and turning steering wheel all the way to right and then left and then back to center and restart. The steering ability returned but the light eventually came back on. I had Firestone look at this in Nov. and they recalibrated but advised if problem returned that I should contact dealer due to recall for 2010 Elantras for same issue. The light came back on this weekend. I note the recall is for Elantras manufactured through April 30, 2010. My car was manufactured June 20, 2010.... 6 weeks after the dates of the recalled models. Clearly this issue is affecting my car also. I plan to call the dealer and try to get them to look at it and see if they will repair under the recall... …
My brake lights are not going off when I take my foot off of the brake pedal. I have had to start disconnecting the battery cable so it will not drain the battery. I stop lamp switch replaced when it was recalled. And the steering wheel tilt does not stay in the high spot it falls to the lowest position.
A few months after I purchased this car the electric power steering (eps light ) light came on and so I looked up my vin number to see if the car has ever had any recalls and that was one of the recalls . And I was told that if a car has any recalls the manufacturer if required to fix it free of charge .
I was driving my car to a doctors appointment when I was making a turn into the parking lot the steering wheel would not move and the EPS light came on. I struggled to park the car and after my dr. Appointment called my husband and he drove the car to brandon Hyundai where I purchased the car they took the car in and we got a rental car. They replaced column & shaft assy-steerin 56310-2h250 and bolt-safety lock 81919-31000 qty 2 work order says found steering column shorted out replace module, test OK 731sz recall 110-31c017r0 - stop lamp switch repl installed 93810-4dr0a-qqh switch assy-brake pedal qty 1 then there was another time on December 26, 2014 my granddaughter was driving the car and making a right turn from a two lane road onto a two lane road where cars where stopped at a red light when the steering wheel would not turn and the EPS light came on and she hit 2 cars that were …
2010 Hyundai Elantra: recently experienced a vehicle fire. It occurred on Tuesday, December 29, 2020. . I parked my vehicle on the street per usual and maybe 15 minutes after arriving home from work my mother began yelling that was my vehicle was in flames! I opened the front door and saw it was indeed in flames and popping and smoking. I immediately called 911 whom sent out the fire department. After they were able to distinguish the fire, they determined the cause to be electrical in nature considering the battery of the vehicle was completely gone. I have the case number as well. My vehicle was turned off and parked and randomly caught fire. Thankfully I wasnt in it when it happened or things could have beem alot worse. But I am now without a vehicle and on top of that I had to pay to get the vehicle removed from my apartments property.
vehicle caught on fire under apt complex carport causing extensive damage to property and 2 other vehicles.
Vehicle was took in to dealership last 4/22/2015 for EPS recall NHTSA campaign number: 15V100000 and Hyundai recall 127. They completed a software update. The recall does not fix the problem on 5/26/2016 was driving the 2010 Elantra and EPS light came on causing loss of steering capability. Called Hyundai they said it was not part of recall take to dealer. Dealer on 6/1/2016 stated that the software update was done but did not fix EPS steering issue and would need to replace steering column $2150. The recall obviously did not fix the problem and after doing research online have noticed many others are having the same issue. If a recall is to fix the problem the recall should be done fully and correctly not cheaply and halfway. The EPS causes stiff steering making it impossible for a person to steer. This could lead to many accidents and possibly death. …
Electrical complaints in other Elantra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are electrical problems on the 2010 Hyundai Elantra?
NHTSA has 48 complaints about the electrical system of the 2010 Hyundai Elantra, 13% of the model year's 380 complaints. The component named most often is 12v/24v/48v battery (2 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2010 Hyundai Elantra electrical problems?
No. NHTSA lists no electrical system 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 electrical problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 61,000 miles, and 7% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 5 fires and 3 injuries to electrical system 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.