I bought my daughter a 2012 Elantra Limited. I borrowed it one day and took off under full acceleration out of a parking lot and noticed a lot of white smoke out of the exhaust and lost power for a second or two. Power came back and smoke gradually disappeared over the next minute.


I pulled over and checked coolant level and oil. All was fine. Car has not used coolant or oil since purchased. There are no leaks.


Any ideas if it is condensation in the exhaust that burned off because I revved the car high? Hyundai dealer checked out the car and found nothing wrong. They would not do a leak down test without more symptoms.

 

I have taken my car to the dealership and they replace a washer and say it is fixed but it is not. My car has been good for a while but last week upon acceleration I produced the notorious cloud of white behind my car. One thing I must say is people slow down and back off awfully quick. My coolant is quite low and I do smell a sweet smell on occasion in the cabin. If anyone has discovered what is leaking or the fix please let me know. I drive a 2013 Elantra with a standard transmission but I don't think the fact it is a standard has anything to do with the issue.

 

From the symptoms you described, it would lead one to believe there is a problem where coolant is getting into the combustion chamber(s)
There are a few ways to confirm this.
One way is to remove and examine the spark plugs. The cyl(s) allowing coolant to get in would have deposits on the plugs that don't always prevent firing , but the indication is there.
Another way is to pressure test the cooling system and see if there is a pressure drop.Because combustion pressure is greater than pressure testing, the spark plug check would be more reliable.

 

Hanky...thanks for your suggestion. I will have this checked out.