2014 Hyundai Elantra Acceleration Problems

27 owners have reported speed control & acceleration problems with the 2014 Hyundai Elantra to NHTSA — 7% of all 396 complaints for this model year. The typical failure happened around 27,000 miles. That ranks #2 of 31 Elantra model years for acceleration complaints (a typical year has 10). No acceleration recall has been issued for this model year.

27complaints
27ktypical miles
0related recalls
5crashes
0fires
6injuries

Which parts fail

  • Cruise control
    1

Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).

Mileage when the problem started

  • Under 25k
    646%
  • 25k–50k
    323%
  • 50k–75k
    18%
  • 75k–100k
    215%
  • 100k–150k
    18%
  • 150k+
    00%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Hyundai Elantra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

The contact owns a 2014 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while at a stop when the contact accelerated to move forward and the vehicle accelerated at high speed and the contact noticed white smoke was coming from the exhaust of the vehicle. An independent mechanic diagnosed the vehicle and stated that the rings around the engine needed to be replaced and that the vehicle had an oil leak, The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 120,000.

120,000 miles · Oct 2019

This has occurred three separate times, but this report explains what happened during the most recent occurrence. I was driving at 40 mph. The car in front of me hit their brakes, so I lightly tapped my brakes to slow down. When I tapped the gas pedal, the car would not increase speed. The check engine light, oil light, and battery light each turned on simultaneously. The car then stalled completely, but the lights remained on and the car didn't lose power. I hit the brakes (which were now hard to push down), hit my emergency flashes so that the car behind me would pass me, pulled over to the side of the road, and then I turned off the car. When I turned the car back on, 30 seconds later, all of the lights were off and the car started with no issue.

Jun 2024

My car is only at 46000 miles.SinceI'm purchase from dealer it has given me the same issues of RPMs shooting up &speedometer going out of control the car wont go past 20mph & jerks back & forth, tyrning off while driving & has had a b"bad" drive since purchase. I dont know the issue and its never been fixed by dealer even though i took it in a few times for these issues. it now foing it again. my life is in danger with this care since purchase & hyundai shouldve replaced my car or engine but they do not care. this car is a lemon. and now the car can go on fire parked or driving? what can be done..on the nextvpart of complaint im putting down ladt week sice this is the newest incident of the desc.

Jan 2024

I own a 2014 Hyundai Elantra. When the accelerator pedal is engaged, the vehicle hesitates and only accelerates to about 20 mph. The vehicle also stalls while at a complete stop and while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to be diagnosed multiple times, but a failure code could not be found. The mechanic cleaned all the sensors; however, the failure was not corrected. The mechanic stated that the throttle body was causing the vehicle not to accelerate and stall while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall and The vehicle was not repaired.

May 2022

The piston rings do not seal leading to increased oil consumption and very low oil. My safety was put at risk because when I pulled out into traffic that was going at a high speed I could not accelerate. There was no warning or indication that this was going on prior to this incident. Yes this has been confirmed by a Hyundai dealership and the component was inspected. There was no warning sign before this incident.

Dec 2023

While driving over the last month, the car shuts off with no warning. There are no check engine or other lights that come on once it shuts down. There does not appear to be any consistency in the occurences, sometimes while idling, sometimes while driving 40 mph. Up until recently, the car would restart once I put it in neutral, but it now does not restart right away.

May 2023

my car will stall randomly at stop signs and red lights with absolutely no warning. it's super dangerous and has almost caused a wreck. i have taken it to mechanic and no codes are being thrown and it's showing nothing is wrong. it's a matter of time a accident happens and someone gets hurt. I would definitely like to figure this out!

Mar 2023

I was driving the vehicle normally down the highway. When I exited the highway, I came to a stop light and made a complete stop at which point the engine stalled. I restarted the vehicle, the check engine light appeared, but I couldn't get it to register any RPMs and I was left stranded in a busy intersection until help arrived.

Apr 2023

When driving the vehicle the tachometer and speedometer remain at zero. This has been happening on and off for about a month. Multiple scan tools have been used to scan the vehicle with no codes appearing. Sometimes the vehicle will rev up but not accelerate.

Dec 2021

Vehicle Information: 2014 Hyundai Elantra SE Sedan, 4-Cylinder, 6-Speed Automatic, FWD Build Location: USA-Built Version (Montgomery, AL - VIN '5NP') Ownership: Second owner, purchased Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) from the Hyundai of New Port Richey dealer (Florida) in March 2016. Vehicle is owned outright. Mileage: 128,638 Approximate Date Incident Noticed: October 1, 2025 DESCRIPTION OF CRITICAL SAFETY DEFECT & WARRANTY REJECTION I am reporting a failure of the clock spring assembly, which compromises critical safety features and poses an unreasonable risk, especially since this vehicle regularly transports passengers, including children. My VIN was rejected by the Hyundai TXXA Clock Spring Extended Warranty validator despite exhibiting the exact failures covered by the campaign. …

Oct 2025

NHTSA investigations

Throttle control system vulnerabilities

NHTSA investigation DP21003 · opened Nov 12, 2021 · closed Jun 20, 2023

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

’95’96’97’98’99’00’01’02’03’04’05’06’07’08’09’10’11’12’13’14’15’16’17’18’19’20’21’22’23’24’25’2622526791897141192418221627502715182515514102661
Acceleration complaints per model year, Hyundai Elantra.

Frequently asked questions

How common are acceleration problems on the 2014 Hyundai Elantra?

NHTSA has 27 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2014 Hyundai Elantra, 7% of the model year's 396 complaints. The component named most often is cruise control (1 mentions).

Is there a recall for 2014 Hyundai Elantra acceleration problems?

No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2014 Hyundai Elantra, though it has 2 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 2014 Hyundai Elantra acceleration problems start?

Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 27,000 miles, and 46% before 25,000 miles.

Is it dangerous?

Owners linked 5 crashes, 0 fires and 6 injuries 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.