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2012 Hyundai Elantra Lights Problems

13 owner-reported lights complaints from NHTSA data

13
Complaints
Mar 2017Dec 2014
Date Range

Data sourced from NHTSA public database. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified mechanic.

Owner Complaints (13)

highEXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES
Filed: Jul 2025

Your brake pedal stopper pad broke and fell off, causing your brake lights to stay on constantly while driving—even after you turned off the engine. This is dangerous because other drivers can't tell when you're actually braking. You had to temporarily tape cardboard to the brake pedal arm to turn the lights off and on properly until you could get to a mechanic. The fix will likely involve replacing the brake pedal stopper pad and possibly the brake light switch.

Parts you may need:

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NHTSA #: 11674664
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC),ENGINE
Filed: Nov 2019

THIS VEHICLE I HAVE TO THE MECHANIC SEVERAL TIMES THIS YEAR AND IT FIXED THE YELLOW LIGHT GOES OFF FOR TWO MONTHS OR SO AND COMES BACK ON AGAIN. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR THE PAST YEAR.

NHTSA #: 11278494
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING,SERVICE BRAKES
Filed: Oct 2019

AFTER ABOUT 60,000 MILES ALL OF MY EXTERIOR LIGHTS ARE CONSTANTLY GOING OUT COMPLETELY. WITHIN THE LAST SIX MONTHS I HAVE CHANGED MY BRAKE LIGHTS AT LEAST 8 TIMES. MY HEAD LIGHTS HAVE BEEN CHANGED ABOUT FOUR TIMES AND MY HIGH BEAMS BOTH WENT OUT AT THE SAME TIME. ONE DAY I WAS DRIVING ON THE INNER STATE AND ALL MY BACK EXTERIOR LIGHTS WENT OUT. SOME DAYS THEY MAY WORK IF I HAVE THE LIGHTS POSITION IN THE ON POSITION INSTEAD OF AUTOMATIC DAYLIGHT POSITION AND VICE VERSA. THIS STARTED HAPPENING ROUGHLY AROUND THE END OF 2017 AND OVER TIME IT HAS GOTTEN WORSE.THIS IS VERY UNSAFE TO OPERATE A VEHICLE AND ALL YOUR LIGHTS GO OUT NOT TO MENTION ITS EXPENSIVE TO CONTINUE TO REPLACE BULBS THAT WON'T WORK BEYOND A MONTH.

NHTSA #: 11267533
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING
Filed: Sep 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE THE CONTACT'S SON WAS TAKING OUT THE TRASH, HE NOTICED THAT THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED ON THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE BRAKE LIGHTS OFF, BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. THE CONTACT UNPLUGGED THE FUSE BOX IN ORDER FOR THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO TURN OFF. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED THE CONTACT WITH REFERENCE NUMBER: 16138484. NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 104,339.

NHTSA #: 11255945
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING
Filed: Aug 2019

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT WAS ALERTED BY A BYSTANDER THAT THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. CAPITOL HYUNDAI (1050 CAPITOL EXPRESSWAY AUTO MALL, SAN JOSE, CA 95136, (669) 253-6081) WAS CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED FOUR TO FIVE TIMES WITHIN A YEAR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 40,000.

NHTSA #: 11245687
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING
Filed: Jun 2019

UNABLE TO READ THE PART OF THE DASH THAT TELLS MILAGE DURING THE DAY. ONLY ABLE TO READ IT AT NIGHT. THEREFORE, WHEN I HAD MY OIL CHANGED TODAY, THE MECHANIC HAD TO ASK ME IF I KNEW THE MILEAGE SINCE HE WAS UNABLE TO READ IT. I TOLD HIM APPROX WHAT I HAD LAST NOTICED IT LAST NIGHT. THIS IS A PROBLEM WHEN GOING ON TRIPS AND MY NAVIGATION SYSTEM SAYS TO STAY ON A CERTAIN HWY FOR 16 MILES, FOR EXAMPLE, AND I AM UNABLE TO READ THE DISPLAY. IT ALSO MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE TO CHECK MY MILAGE WHEN I FILL UP WITH GAS DURING THE DAY.

NHTSA #: 11228292
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS,ENGINE
Filed: Oct 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING AT UNKNOWN SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE JERKED AND THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. ALSO, THE BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED TO WORK. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER (HENDERSON HYUNDAI, 46 N BOULDER HWY, HENDERSON, NC 89015) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE FUEL INJECTOR WAS CLOGGED AND THE VEHICLE HAD AN OIL LEAK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

NHTSA #: 11034363
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING,ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC)
Filed: May 2017

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH AND DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE EXTERIOR BRAKE LIGHTS FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE TO AN AUTO PART STORE, BUT THE EMPLOYEE COULD NOT DETERMINE WHAT FUSE THE VEHICLE NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V871000 (ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 114,000.

NHTSA #: 10985859
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING
Filed: Mar 2017

YES , I HAVE BEEN BUYING LIGHT BULLS FOR MY CAR OVER THE LAST YEAR'S AND THEY GO OUT LESS THAN A MONTH TIME, I HAVE BROUGHT MORE THEN 10 AND THE PEOPLE AT THE PART STORE SAID IT'S A ELECTRIC PROBLEM, BUT THE PEOPLE AT DEALERSHIP WANT ME TO PAY 125 TO PUT IT ON THERE MACHINE. I DON'T THINK THAT'S FAIR.

NHTSA #: 10969566
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING,AIR BAGS
Filed: Mar 2017

I HAD MY CAR FOR A YEAR AND 3MONTHS AND HAVEN'T HAD THIS PROBLEM TILL NOW I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY I HIT A SMALL BUMP AND I'VE HIT BIGGER BUMPS AND NEVER EVER HAVE MY AIR BAG LIGHT COME ON, OR BREAK LIGHT MAY GO OUT IF I HIT A BUMP THIS NEEDS TO BE FIXED ASAP AND IT SHOULDN'T BE A FEE THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND I'M NOT HAPPY ABOUT IT PLEASE FIX THIS ISSUE

NHTSA #: 10966004
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING
Filed: Mar 2016

NO BRAKE LIGHTS WERE WORKING. STOP LAMP SWITCH STOPPED WORKING...FUSES WERE FINE. STOP LAMP SWITCH TO BE REPLACED. PRIOR YEAR MODELS HAVE A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM BUT NOT THE 2012.

NHTSA #: 10852546
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING
Filed: Dec 2014

MY HYUNDAI ELANTRA 2012 GLS SEDAN WAS SOLD AS HAVING DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS (DRLS) ACCORDING TO MONRONEY STICKER. NHTSA AND IIHS DICTATE THAT "DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS (DRLS) ARE HEADLIGHTS THAT ARE LIT WHENEVER A VEHICLE IS RUNNING. A LOW-COST METHOD TO REDUCE CRASHES, THEY ARE ESPECIALLY EFFECTIVE IN PREVENTING DAYTIME HEAD-ON AND FRONT-CORNER COLLISIONS BY MAKING IT EASIER TO SEE VEHICLES, PARTICULARLY AS THEY APPROACH FROM FAR AWAY." HOWEVER, DRLS DO NOT ENGAGE AUTOMATICALLY WHEN MY VEHICLE IS STARTED, AGAINST TO NHTSA AND IIHS DRLS DEFINITION. IN ORDER TO OPERATE DRLS IN MY HYUNDAI ELANTRA 2012, PARKING LIGHTS HAVE TO BE ENGAGED. IN OTHER WORDS, WHEN DRLS ARE OPERATIONAL, AMBER SIDE PARKING LIGHTS AND THE REAR TAIL LIGHTS ARE ALSO ON, WHICH OBVIOUSLY MASKS TURN AND STOP SIGNALS AND IN MY OPINION COULD REPRESENT A VERY REAL ROAD SAFETY ISSUE. IN ADDITION, WHEN DRLS ARE ENGAGED, THE INTERIOR GAUGE LIGHTS ARE AUTOMATICALLY DIMMED TO A NIGHT DRIVING LEVEL, WHICH MAKES IT MUCH HARDER TO READ THE GAUGE DURING DAYTIME AND REPRESENTS A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL. CONTACTING MULTIPLE LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALERSHIPS AND HYUNDAI EASTERN REGION HQS WAS FUTILE, SINCE THE ONLY ANSWER I WAS GETTING IS THAT THIS IS "A NEW DESIGN DRLS" AND NOTHING WILL BE DONE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. IRONICALLY, IT LOOKS TO ME THE END RESULT OF THIS "NEW DESIGN" REPRESENTS NOT AN INCREASED SAFETY FOR MY VEHICLE (ACCORDING TO PUBLICATIONS DOT HS 809 760 AND DOT HS 811 029 DRLS ARE AN IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE), BUT RATHER AN INCREASED RISK OF A COLLISION DUE TO MASKING TURN AND STOP SIGNALS, AND SUBSTANTIAL DIMMING OF THE CABIN. I NOTICED THERE ARE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS OF THIS NATURE ON THE NHTSA WEBSITE BOTH FOR 2012 AND 2013 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO READ MY COMPLAINT, AND I WOULD ASK NHTSA TEAM TO LOOK INTO THE SITUATION PROMPTLY AND TO ADDRESS THIS SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA #: 10664412
mediumEXTERIOR LIGHTING
Filed: Mar 2012

I BELIEVE THAT DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT ARE A GREAT SAFETY FEATURE. THE LIST OF STANDARD EQUIPMENT ON THE WINDOW STICKER SHOWS "DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS" (DRL). I HAVE FOUND THAT THE ONLY WAY TO HAVE THE DRL ON IS TO TURN ON THE PARKING LIGHTS. THE PARKING LIGHTS, LIGHT THE PARKING LIGHTS AND THE TAIL LIGHTS. I HAD DRL ON A 2003 CHEVY S-10 AND THEY ONLY LIGHTED THE HIGHBEAM AT A LOW VOLTAGE, WITH NO OTHER LIGHTS. THEY WERE ON ANY TIME THE CAR WAS RUNNING. HYUNDAI CANNOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I HAVE CONTACTED THE DEALER AND THE HYUNDAI WEBSITE. THEY SHOULD NOT LIST THE LIGHTING SYSTEM, THEY HAVE, AS "DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHTS". I KNOW THIS IS A MINOR ITEM BUT IT SURE DOES BUG ME. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA #: 10452877

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