Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2003 Hyundai Elantra submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 13 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE ACTIVATING THE TURN SIGNALS IN EITHER DIRECTION, THE SIGNAL LIGHTS WOULD EITHER WORK INTERMITTENTLY OR NOT WORK AT ALL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 80,000.
HEADLIGHTS BURNING OUT. I HAVE REPLACED 10 DRIVER SIDE HEADLIGHTS AND 2 PASSENGER HEADLIGHTS SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2003. THE DEALER SAYS THEY DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS GOING ON.
2003 HYUNDAI ELANTRA HAS 69,173 MILES & HAS HAD NUMEROUS PROBLEMS WITH THE HEADLIGHTS BURNING OUT. THE MOST RECENT REPLACEMENTS DIDN'T EVEN LAST 1,000 MILES. 7/27/09 - LEFT HEADLIGHT- 69,173 (MILEAGE) 7/5/09 - BOTH HEADLIGHTS - 68,670 (MILEAGE) 5/6/08 - LEFT HEADLIGHT- 57,921(MILEAGE) 11/5/07 - RIGHT HEADLIGHT- 52,428(MILEAGE) 9/5/07 - LEFT HEADLIGHT- 50,633(MILEAGE) 4/9/07 - RIGHT HEADLIGHT- 45,223(MILEAGE) 6/3/06 - LEFT HEADLIGHT- 36,405(MILEAGE) 10/21/05 - 29,192(MILEAGE) I TALKED TO A MECHANIC- HE SAID THERE IS NOTHING THAT CAN BE DONE TO FIX THE PROBLEM OTHER THAN KEEP REPLACING THE BURNED OUT LIGHTS. I FIND THIS AN UNACCEPTABLE SOLUTION - IT IS A SAFETY HAZARD. MY SON WAS DRIVING HOME ON 7/5/09 & BOTH HEADLIGHTS BURNED OUT. HE HAD TO DRIVE HOME ON HIGH BEAMS. THERE IS NO REASON FOR A CAR TO KEEP BURNING OUT HEADLIGHTS. *TR UPDATED 08/04/09.8JB
TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT CONTINUED TO ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE MODULE FAILED AND WOULD COST OVER $600 TO REPAIR. THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE FAILURE AND THE MANUFACTURER HAS NOT BEEN NOTIFIED. IN ADDITION, THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS WOULD BURN OUT EVERY 3-6 MONTHS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE LESS THAN 36,700. UPDATED 9/1/09 *CN UPDATED 09/02/09.*JB
I'VE OWNED THIS 2003 ELANTRA SINCE JULY AND HAVE HAD BOTH HEADLIGHTS REPLACED. THIS IS UNCOMMON. THE CAR HAS ONLY 33,000 MILES. SOMETHING IS WRONG THE LIGHTS SHOULD LAST LONGER THAN THAT. *TR
HEAD LIGHTS - I HAVE A 2003 ELANTRA AND HAVE TO REPLACE HEADLIGHTS EVERY TWO TO SIX MONTHS. I NEED TO KNOW WHAT IS CAUSING THIS PROBLEM. DEALERSHIP ONLY CLAIMS THAT EVERYONE IS COMPLAINING OF THE SAME THING, BUT OFFER NO EXPLANATION. *TR
SINCE HAVING THE CAR, I BOUGHT IT USED A YEAR AGO, WHILE NOT NOTICING ANY MAJOR ISSUES, I STILL CONTINUE TO HAVE PROBLEMS WITH THE HEADLIGHTS GOING OUT. I HAVE HAD THE HEADLIGHTS CHANGED THREE TIMES NOW WITH ALTERNATING SIDES GOING OUT EVERY FEW MONTHS. I CANNOT IMAGINE THIS BEING A NORMAL OCCURRENCE. *TR
HEAD LIGHT BULBS KEEP BURNING OUT. I HAVE TO REPLACE THE HEADLIGHTS IN MY CAR ABOUT EVERY 3-6 MONTHS SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR NEW IN OCT 2002. AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID THERE WAS NO PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD THE DEALERSHIP REPLACE THEM, GARAGES REPLACE THEM, A NEIGHBOR WHO IS A MECHANIC AND MYSELF SO IT'S NOT THAT IT HAS NOT BEEN DONE CORRECTLY. I HAVE STARTED BUYING THE 2 PACK OF BULBS BECAUSE ALMOST LIKE CLOCKWORK ONCE THE ONE BULB GOES THE OTHER GOES WITHIN A SHORT PERIOD. I HAVE PUT ABOUT 10-15 BULBS IN EACH HEADLIGHT SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR BUT HAVE NEVER REPLACED THE HIGHBEAM BULBS ONLY THE LOW BEAM. *TR
WE PURCHASED A 2003 IN FEBRUARY 2006 , SINCE THEN THE HEADLIGHTS HAD TO BEEN CHANGED 3 TIMES, AND NOW AGAIN AFTER BEING STOPPED NOT KNOWING THE PASSENGER SIDE WAS OUT, IT WENT OUT RIGHT BEFORE WE GOT STOPPED ON API L 7,2007, BEING CHARGED WITH A TICKET. AND 3 POINTS OFF MY DRIVERS LICENSE WITHOUT A WARNING TICKET TO GET IT FIXED. THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL ON THESE CARS IT SHOULDNT HAPPEN THAT MANY TIMES. *AK
I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE DRIVER'S SIDE HEADLAMP 3 TIMES IN 3 YEARS. APPARENTLY I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE, THE CHATS AND BLOGS ARE FULL OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS INTERNATIONALLY. ACCORDING TO WHAT I HAVE READ, I AM ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES. OTHERS HAVE EXPERIENCED MUCH MORE FREQUENT REPLACEMENTS. CURIOUSLY ENOUGH, THE DRIVER'S SIDE LAMP IS THE ONE THAT BLOWS. I HAVE SAVED THE LAST LAMP REPLACED. IT IS A SYLVANIA SILVERSTAR. THIS IS THE THIRD BRAND OF BULB / LAMP. MY WIFE IS NIGHT BLIND. SHE TRIES TO AVOID DRIVING AFTER DARK. THE UNDEPENDABLE LIGHTING SYSTEM POSES A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD IN HER CASE AND I AM SURE IN SENIORS WHO REQUIRE MORE LIGHT TO SEE CLEARLY. *NM
DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE LENSES ON THE HEADLIGHTS CLOUDED OVER IN LESS THAN TWO YEARS, MAKING IT HARD TO SEE THE ROAD AT NIGHT. BOTH LOW AND HIGH BEAMS ARE AFFECTED. THE DEALER HAS BEEN ALERTED AND DETERMINED THE HEADLIGHTS NEED TO BE REPLACED.
I PURCHASED A USED 2003 HYUNDAI ELANTRA 4 DOOR SEDAN IN FEBRUARY 2005. IN JUNE 2005 I HAD TO HAVE BOTH LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS REPLACED. NOW IT IS JANUARY 2006 AND I WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THEM BOTH AGAIN. *NM
HEADLIGHTS WILL READ DIM BUT LIGHT WILL ACTUALLY BE ON HIGH BEAM, CAUSING PROBLEM TO OTHER DRIVERS. DEALER NOTIFIED. *AK
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
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