Problems · by component

2012 Hyundai Elantra suspension problems

51 owner complaints to NHTSA about the 2012 Hyundai Elantra cite suspension, 8% of all 676 complaints for this model year.

Complaints
51
8% of all complaints
Crashes
0
Reported by owners
Fires
0
Reported by owners
Injuries
0
Reported by owners
01 —Owner reports

What owners say about the suspension

Verbatim from NHTSA complaints, newest first
“The contact owns a 2012 Hyundai Elantra. The contact initially received a recall notification from Hyundai Motors of America for an underbody corrosion preventative service. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was provided a list of repairs that needed to be performed on the vehicle. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic where pictures were taken to document the severity of the corrosion on the suspension. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where a second inspection of the corrosion was performed. Pictures of the suspension were taken by the dealer and submitted to the manufacturer; and the contact was provided a priority code number by the dealer. Despite the information that was submitted to the manufacturer, the manufacturer declined the repair. The contact was provided a case number by the manufacturer. The contact had the rear brakes replaced due to the severe corrosion; however, the issue remained. The failure mileage was approximately 29,586”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 20, 2023SuspensionODI 11527882
“On 10/30/2019 as I was driving down the highway at 75 mph, my front right coil spring broke and punctured my tire. Fortunately, I was able to get to the side of the road but was not in a safe area, putting others at risk. The faulty coil spring breaking and puncturing my tire could have caused a dangerous accident. Given my high rate of speed, I am very fortunate this did not cause an accident and injure myself or others. My car needed to be towed to a tire place, who discovered the broken coil spring, before again being towed to the dealership for repair. It was diagnosed that the spring broke and bent the seat on the strut assembly. Hyundai replaced my front right strut and spring under warranty but did not compensate for the destroyed tire to be replaced. On 2/6/2023 my other coil spring (left front) snapped as well. Fortunately it was where I park outside of my house so no tire was punctured and a potential accident was avoided. I just noticed it on the ground when I got out of my car. Hyundai has issued a front coil spring recall but only recalled a small window of manufacturer dates (11/12/10 to 3/31/11) and mine is not included as it was manufactured…”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Feb 20, 2023SuspensionODI 11508228
“My 2011 Hyundai Elantra with only 73,000 Miles on it was affected. Front Coil Suspension Springs cracked during winter month when road salt was being used for a big storm. I live in Northern KY almost on the Ohio border. It gets cold here and Road salt is used during the winter months which is why I believe the road salt has caused corrosion on the front coil springs .This defect has put my safety at risk as well as a passenger in my vehicle. I never received any type of recall notice ...... But see there is one. The repairs cost well over $1,000.00 . I have been doing alot of research on so many others with the same issue and according to many the recall is only for month specific manufacture date based on the date of manufacture. This is widespread far more than a few months that the vehicle was made. This is something that has slipped through the cracks and is very dangerous as I was told by the shop, In my case the edge of the broken coil spring was sharp and could have caused the tire the blow out. Could have been deadly. I am seeking a refund of the repair cost. I do have an invoice for repairs if needed as I had to repair immediately . This all happened with no warning .”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Oct 28, 2022SuspensionODI 11491311
“The component that failed was the front driver's side spring, and the piece that broke off is available for inspection upon request. The part failed while trying to leave my driveway to go to work on the morning of Fri, 3/18/22. Had the part failed while driving on the highway, I could have had an accident and worse. The vehicle was serviced by an independent service station, and verified that the spring fractured and had replaced the struts/springs on both front sides. The part has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance reps or others. There were no warning lights, but I only heard a very loud scraping noise as I tried to exit my driveway. There were no other symptoms or warnings. Side note: There is Safety Recall on the 2011 Hyundai Elantra for the exact same issue on cars in the NorthEast US States that salt their roads in the winter. That Safety Recall is NHTSA Campaign Number: 15V629000.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Mar 21, 2022SuspensionODI 11457726
“WHEN I'M DRIVING AND I COME TO A STOP MY CAR WOULD MAKE CLANKING NOISES I TURN MY CAR OFF AND TURN IT BACK ON AND IT WOULD STOP. WHEN IT WAS TIME FOR AN OIL CHANGE I CHANGED MY OIL AND ONE NIGHT I'M DRIVING HOME AND IT MAKES THE CLANKING NOISE AGAIN ALONG WITH A BURNT SMELL I PULL OVER TURN MY CAR OFF TURN BACK ON IT STILL CLANKING AND HAS CLANKED EVER SINCE. I TOWED MY CAR HOME AND HAVEN'T DRIVEN IT AGAIN BECAUSE WHEN INSPECTING IT, WE NOTICED MY OIL LEVEL WAS PERFECT BUT TIMING CHAIN WAS EXTREMELY LOOSE AND METAL SHAVINGS IN MY OIL.”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 28, 2020Suspension, EngineODI 11331341
“DRIVING IN A 35 MPH ZONE WHEN I DROVE OVER A SMALL POTHOLE. THE CAR MADE A LONG BANG NOISE, CAR BEGAN TO SWAY SIDE TO SIDE UNCONTROLLABLY. I LEARNED THAT MY COIL SPRINGS WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED AND HAD BENDED MY RIMS OF THE WHEELS INWARDS, AND THUS MY REAR WHEELS BECAME DEFLATED. HAD TO CHANGE THE COIL SPRINGS AND RIMS, BUT I NOTICED THAT 3-4 MONTHS LATER, THE COIL SPRINGS AND SHOCKS ARE DETERIORATING ONCE AGAIN AND CONTINUE TO HAVE THE LOUD BANG NOISES AND CAR DROPS HEAVILY AFTER GOING OVER SPEED BUMPS. ALSO, CAR IS HARD TO KEEP STEADY IN AREAS WHERE THERE IS WIND EVEN IN THE MILDEST FORMS, WHICH IS SCARY WHEN THERE IS HIGH WINDS DURING MY COMMUTE IN THE FALL AND WINTER. CAR WILL BE SWAYING SIDE TO SIDE EVEN WHEN DRIVING WAY BELOW THE SPEED LIMIT (SAY 30 IN A 50 MPH ZONE, OR 40 ON FREEWAY). *TR”
Owner complaint to NHTSAFiled Jun 6, 2020Suspension, StructureODI 11327583

Showing 6 of 51 reports. Read every report on NHTSA.gov.

Data from NHTSA Complaints API (owner reports, unverified) · synced Nov 3, 2026NHTSA vehicle page

Complaints are unverified owner reports to NHTSA and are not normalized for sales volume. One complaint can cite several components.