These help you judge whether this one is worth its price.
Costly problem zones ahead at your miles come with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro. See plans
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What about the price? Check the asking price on two listing sites. Buying from a dealer? Run its offer through the offer X ray.
Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.
The full record
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What owners complain about
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Seller kit
Questions for the seller, test drive checks and price points
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Walk up to the seller ready
Questions to ask the seller of a 2020 Hyundai Elantra, built from this year's owner complaints and recalls. What to feel, hear and look at on the test drive, with boxes to tick at the car. Honest points to raise on price, from the records and never from guesses. Copy the questions to your phone in one tap.
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Write your offer
A ready to send offer for the seller, by text or email
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Send the seller a fair offer
Type the asking price and your own offer for the 2020 Hyundai Elantra, tick what you found, and get a polite message ready to text or email. Its reasons come from this year's owner complaints, recalls and crash ratings, and never from made up repair prices.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
When problems show up
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Will it outlast the loan?
The month of your loan each problem zone lands in
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Recalls
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Crash ratings
NHTSA's stars out of five, for each version it tested. Front crash stars only compare cars of about the same size and weight.
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Fuel economy
The EPA's estimates for each engine and transmission, and its own yearly fuel cost. Yours depends on how you drive and the shape the car is in.
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True cost to own
The loan, fuel, insurance and upkeep, a month and over 5 years
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What it really costs to own
What the 2020 Hyundai Elantra costs a month and over 5 years: the loan and its interest, fuel worked out from the EPA's figures for the version you pick, and your own insurance, registration and upkeep. A cost a mile, a link that reopens your numbers, and the breakdown copied to your phone in one tap.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
Every year of the Elantra
Owner complaints for each model year, this one outlined. Tap a year to open it. The newest 2 are not judged yet. Bars are totals, so older years stand taller; the verdict compares every year at the same age.
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Before you buy this one
Built from this year's numbers. Whatever the data says, the car in front of you is the one that counts.
Not every car needs every fix. Run the VIN at NHTSA to see which are still open. Repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand; ask before any work.
Engine
Apr 28, 2021 · Recall 21V301000
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Elantra, 2019-2021 Kona and Veloster vehicles equipped with 2.0L Nu MPI engines. The piston oil rings may not have been properly heat-treated, which could result in engine damage.
What can happen
A damaged engine may stall, increasing the risk of a crash. In addition, oil may leak onto hot exhaust components, increasing the risk of a fire.
The fix
Dealers will inspect and, if necessary, replace the engine, free of charge. In addition, Hyundai will deploy Piston Ring Noise Sensing System (PNSS) software. Owner notification letters were mailed August 24, 2021. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460.
Wheels and tires
Oct 9, 2019 · Recall 19V720000
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2019 Ioniq Hybrid and 2020 Elantra vehicles. The right-side rear wheel lug nuts may have been insufficiently tightened, allowing the wheel to detach from the vehicle.
What can happen
A wheel detaching from the vehicle increases the risk of a crash.
The fix
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, tighten the lug nuts, free of charge. The recall began November 15, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-251-0871. Hyundai's number for this recall is 184.
Suspension
Oct 9, 2019 · Recall 19V721000
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2020 Elantra vehicles. The lower control arm ball joint fasteners may have been insufficiently tightened allowing the ball joint to detach from the lower control arm.
What can happen
A detached ball joint can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix
Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, tighten the ball joint fasteners, free of charge. The recall began November 20, 2019. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 185.
Unverified reports, not adjusted for sales. One complaint can name several parts, so shares add up past 100%. Filed Sep 25, 2019 to Oct 15, 2026. 60% name a part that is usually costly to fix.
Owners reported 21 crashes, 6 fires, 16 injuries and 2 deaths in these complaints.
Engine112 · 44%Usually costly to fix
Transmission and drivetrain47 · 19%Usually costly to fix
Lights28 · 11%
What one owner wrote about the engine
The car went into 'limp mode' after rpm fluxuation. It's in the shop. Blake, a service manager at Temecula Hyundai, tells me it has "piston slap," which AI says is related to a piston ring recall for this car. Blake went on to say it has 2 power train issues (and needs a catalytic converter). NHTSA shows no recall, but whether engine or transmission, my…
Filed Oct 15, 2026NHTSA complaint 117713341 of 18 owner quotes
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14 more parts, and 18 owner quotes
Every part owners name for the 2020 Hyundai Elantra, with their own words about what went wrong. Usually costly to fix among them: Body and frame.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
5 checks, with a close look at the engine
The bar holds the middle half of the complaints that gave a mileage; the dark mark is the middle one. 84 complaints of 254 gave one. Owners file when something fails, so this shows when problems were reported, not how long the cars last. These cars are young, so problems at higher miles have not had time to show.
EngineCostly10,000 to 80,000 mi
Half of these 47 complaints came between about 10,000 and 80,000 miles, the middle one around 45,000.
050K100K150K200K250K
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Mileage for 1 more part, 1 usually costly
The mileage band for every part owners name, and your car's miles laid across them.
Run the VIN at NHTSA to confirm every recall was fixed.
This year has 3 recalls on file. Recall repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand. Ask the dealer to confirm before any work is done. Look up a VIN at NHTSA.
Ask the seller for the service records.
Look closely for any work on the engine. It is the part owners complain about most for this year.
Have a mechanic you trust inspect it before you pay.
Ask them to look hard at the engine. It is usually costly to fix.
Look at a vehicle history report.
It can show reported crashes, flood or salvage titles, and mileage that does not add up.
On the test drive, pay attention to the engine.
Start it cold if you can. Listen for knocking or ticking, and watch for warning lights and smoke.
About as many owner complaints as a typical year. Still get it inspected.
Confidence: Medium
Close to the Maybe line, so a few complaints either way could tip it.
How the dial was counted
Year verdict: Typical year: 213 complaints, the median of 8 nearby years. Each counted over its first 7 years and 10 months from January 2019; this one had 254.
28 Worthy, 1 Maybe, 2 Pass, of 32 years on file
Our take: worth a look.Owners filed about as many complaints as in a typical year of this model.
