Problems · by component
2017 Hyundai Elantra GT air bags problems
30 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2017 Hyundai Elantra GT cite air bags, 4% of all 735 complaints for this model year.
Complaints
30
4% of all complaints
Crashes
16
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
11
Reported by owners
What owners say about the air bags
Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“I was currently in an accident and my airbags did not deploy. My safety was at risk because I am pregnant. The vehicle was inspected by insurance representatives or body shop. No warning or other symptoms of problems prior to failure”
“The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while attempting to park the vehicle in a driveway, she was unaware if she was depressing the brake pedal or accelerator pedal; however, the vehicle accelerated out of control and crashed into her barn, where it came to a stop. No air bags deployed. The contact stated that she did not sustain injuries. No medical attention was required. The contact stated that a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed by her insurance company. The fire department was at the scene. The contact mentioned the vehicle was stuck in the barn on both the driver and passenger sides of the vehicle. The contact mentioned that the seat belt did not retract. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.”
“Air bag light will not turn off so I’m not sure if the air bags work. Oil is going missing from the car causing it to suddenly shut down. It also makes the rpm’s go really high (close to 5,000) when trying to go up hills or accelerate. I don’t see a leak, or puddles under the car, nor black smoke.”
“When my car was stolen and crashed the whole front end was smashed in but the air bags did deploy. I saw there's several recalls on these cars, one was the airbags. I never got any recall for it and it shows there are no recalls. The brakes have problems, being that it takes forever to slow down. I have to leave about 3 car lengths ahead of me because I can't stop, it takes a while to slow it down. And the steering wheel feels stuck. I had a friend drive it and he said the same thing. It's difficult to handle and not lose control. I'm to the place I'm scared to get on the highway anymore because not being able to stop quickly and swerving all over cause it's hard to control the vehicle. I have had zero recalls tho even with me experiencing this. And the paint is coming off, but at least that won't kill me.”
“For more than two years, at irregular intervals, the passenger air bag light on the front panel blinks and the associated chime sounds for about two minutes, then stops. This happens with no passenger in the seat. I have asked the dealer (Fitzgerald Hyundai in Rockville, MD) several times to look into this. My concern is that if the air bag alarm cannot be trusted when there is no passenger, how can it be trusted to work when it needs to? This seems to me to be an unsafe condition. The dealership stated that since the problem occurs intermittently, they cannot determine a cause, and advised me to contact Hyundai Motor America and would likely meet with a representative. I contacted the company in July, and was designated Case No. [XXX]. Over the next two months, in several email communications with "[XXX]," I was informed that I should take the car to another dealer. I noted that given the intermittent nature of the problem, there was no reason to believe another dealer would have better luck replicating and resolving the issue. That was the total of Hyundai Motor America's help. I terminated the case last month.”
“The contact owns a 2017 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated upon coming to a complete stop, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly over a concrete bar and drove up a hill. The contact depressed the brake pedal but to no avail. The contact steered the vehicle to the right direction to avoid entering a pool. She then crashed into multiple objects including trees, concrete parking bars, and multiple vehicles before coming to a stop. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact was taken to the hospital by ambulance and was treated for injuries to her neck and back. A police report was filed. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to an independent tow yard where it was destroyed. Parking barriers and trees were damaged as a result of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 25,000.”
Showing 6 of 30 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.
Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 13, 2026NHTSA vehicle page
Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.