The last of the old shape, and the last year Hyundai still covers the engine.

Hyundai is recalling certain 2015 and 2016 Elantras because the trunk latch may become damaged, preventing the trunk from being opened from the inside. That makes the car non-compliant with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 401, the internal trunk release rule, and the stated consequence is that a person inside the trunk may become trapped. Dealers replace the trunk latch base sub-assembly free of charge, and owner letters went out on 5 April 2024. Hyundai's own number for it is 256. Several 2016 owners in the complaint file report discovering the interior emergency release did not work, and at least one filed because the replacement part was not available when they booked. Run the VIN and confirm this one is closed before you buy.

This is the recall to pay attention to because it is still open. Hyundai is recalling certain 2015 and 2016 Elantra and 2016 Elantra GT vehicles because the driver's airbag inflator may rupture during deployment. The consequence in NHTSA's language is blunt: an inflator that ruptures may send sharp metal fragments at the driver or passengers, increasing the risk of injury or death. Dealers will inspect and replace the inflator as necessary, free of charge, but as of the campaign's own text the remedy was not finished — interim letters warning owners of the safety risk were mailed on 3 July 2026 and additional letters were to follow once the final remedy became available, anticipated August 2026. Affected VINs became searchable on nhtsa.gov on 16 May 2026. Hyundai's number for it is 300. Check the VIN on the day you view the car, not on an older printout, and factor in that the repair may still be queued.

If the car is white, this one is worth real money. Hyundai's bulletins state that certain vehicles with exterior white paint may show peeling or bubbling on the metal body panels — hood, fenders, roof, doors, quarter panels and trunk lid — and that the paint warranty for affected cars was extended from 3 years and 36,000 miles to 10 years with unlimited miles from original delivery, valid for original and subsequent owners. The bulletin listing the Elantra covers model years 2015 to 2018. It applies only to factory-applied paint and does not cover collision repairs, and it excludes any car previously declared a total loss or carrying a branded or salvage title. Walk the hood, roof and door edges in daylight before you talk price, and if you find bubbling, take the VIN to a dealer rather than a body shop.

A small one that is easy to miss. Hyundai's bulletin states that the warranty coverage for the front coil springs was extended to 10 years from original retail delivery or first use, or 120,000 miles, whichever comes first. The row listing the Elantra covers model years 2012 to 2016, so a 2016 is the last year in it. A broken front spring usually announces itself as a clunk over bumps and a corner that sits low. Look at the ride height across the front axle when the car is parked on level ground, and listen on a rough road during the test drive.

Separate from the inflator recall, a cluster of 2016 owners report the airbag warning light staying on, in one case after a passenger adjusted the driver's seat. More seriously, one owner describes a 50 mph impact in which the side airbags deployed but the front airbag never did, and the car was written off. This is a complaint-sourced pattern with no Hyundai bulletin behind it, so treat it as a thing to check rather than a known programme. The check itself is simple and takes five seconds: turn the ignition on and watch that the airbag light illuminates and then goes out. A light that never comes on at all can mean the bulb has been removed to hide a fault.

Hyundai's bulletins describe Campaign 993, an anti-theft software upgrade with window decals, alongside Campaign P32, a steering-wheel-lock programme, and Campaign 9A5, a reinforced ignition-cylinder protector, launched in response to thefts of 2011 to 2022 Hyundai vehicles not equipped with engine immobilizers and targeted through social media. A separate class settlement covers the same allegation and describes the affected cars usefully: vehicles built without an immobilizer have traditional turn-key-to-start ignition systems. Every Elantra row carrying these campaigns lists model years 2011 to 2022, so a 2016 is squarely in the population. These are campaigns and a settlement, not safety recalls, and the software is free. There is a physical test at the kerb: if the car starts with a key you turn, it is in this group; if it has a push-button start, it is not. Ask whether the 993 software has been applied, and if not, book it.

For 2016 Hyundai also sold an Elantra GT, which is a hatchback on a different platform and is filed by NHTSA as a separate model. Nothing in this report counts the GT: the 290 complaints and both recalls are the sedan's own, verified by reading the model field on every record. Two caveats are worth stating plainly. First, the airbag inflator recall 26V307 names the 2016 GT alongside the sedan, so it applies to both. Second, NHTSA's own filing is imperfect — two complaints inside the sedan's file describe the car in the owner's words as an Elantra GT, so a small number of hatchbacks sit under the sedan's label. If you are shopping and see a five-door Elantra, it is a different car with a different engine coverage history, and its rod-bearing extension runs three years later than the sedan's.