EXTERIOR LIGHTING
2005 Hyundai Elantra
Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data
Data refreshed
Overview
Our database contains 137 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2005 Hyundai Elantra, most frequently naming the airbags, driver assistance and brakes categories. 4 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 44 manufacturer communications are on file.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Complaint activity over time
When owners filed reports about this model year
View as table
| Month | Complaints filed | Cumulative |
|---|---|---|
| Apr 2010 | 1 | 62 |
| Jul 2010 | 2 | 64 |
| Oct 2010 | 1 | 65 |
| Nov 2010 | 3 | 68 |
| Mar 2011 | 2 | 70 |
| Apr 2011 | 1 | 71 |
| Jun 2011 | 1 | 72 |
| Aug 2011 | 1 | 73 |
| Sep 2011 | 1 | 74 |
| Oct 2011 | 1 | 75 |
| Dec 2011 | 1 | 76 |
| Jan 2012 | 2 | 78 |
| Feb 2012 | 1 | 79 |
| Mar 2012 | 1 | 80 |
| Apr 2012 | 2 | 82 |
| Jul 2012 | 2 | 84 |
| Aug 2012 | 1 | 85 |
| Oct 2012 | 1 | 86 |
| Nov 2012 | 4 | 90 |
| Apr 2013 | 1 | 91 |
| Jul 2013 | 1 | 92 |
| Sep 2013 | 1 | 93 |
| Oct 2013 | 2 | 95 |
| Nov 2013 | 1 | 96 |
| Mar 2014 | 1 | 97 |
| May 2014 | 1 | 98 |
| Jun 2014 | 1 | 99 |
| Jul 2014 | 1 | 100 |
| Aug 2014 | 1 | 101 |
| Dec 2014 | 1 | 102 |
| Feb 2015 | 1 | 103 |
| Mar 2015 | 1 | 104 |
| May 2015 | 1 | 105 |
| Oct 2015 | 2 | 107 |
| Apr 2016 | 2 | 109 |
| May 2016 | 1 | 110 |
| Sep 2016 | 1 | 111 |
| Feb 2017 | 1 | 112 |
| Jul 2017 | 1 | 113 |
| Sep 2017 | 1 | 114 |
| Nov 2017 | 1 | 115 |
| Dec 2017 | 1 | 116 |
| Feb 2018 | 2 | 118 |
| Mar 2018 | 1 | 119 |
| Aug 2018 | 1 | 120 |
| Sep 2018 | 1 | 121 |
| May 2019 | 1 | 122 |
| Jun 2019 | 1 | 123 |
| Oct 2019 | 1 | 124 |
| Dec 2019 | 2 | 126 |
| Apr 2020 | 1 | 127 |
| Jun 2020 | 2 | 129 |
| Mar 2022 | 1 | 130 |
| Apr 2022 | 1 | 131 |
| Oct 2022 | 1 | 132 |
| Apr 2023 | 1 | 133 |
| Nov 2024 | 1 | 134 |
| Feb 2025 | 1 | 135 |
| Sep 2025 | 1 | 136 |
| Feb 2026 | 1 | 137 |
What owners report
Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded
- Airbags7141.5%
- Driver assistance148.2%
- Brakes116.4%
- Electrical105.8%
- Engine105.8%
- Body & structure74.1%
- Exterior lighting63.5%
- Seat belts63.5%
Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.
Safety recalls
4 campaigns cover this model year
Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.
Check a VIN on NHTSA.govAIR BAGS
AIR BAGS
Recent owner complaints
Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words
UNKNOWN On January 24,2026, I was thankfully traveling only about twenty mph a block from my home and something happened in the front drivers side suspension that caused me to almost hit three parked cars. Once I got stopped, the car couldn’t get get pushed forward, won’t roll at all forward, like it’s in park, but in neutral we were able to push it backwards to the house. It seems that it could be what is described in recall 069. However when I put my vin in it said zero recalls. I see a letter to the original owner of this car, but I don’t see any info with the recall being repaired. The car hasn’t been worked on yet as we had a huge snowstorm the night the car broke and have since had sub zero temps and I’ve not found anyone to work on it in front of my home in this weather. How should I proceed? How can I get more info in regards to if this recall was remedied on this car?
- NHTSA ID
- 11717163
- Incident
- Jan 24, 2026
I have a 2005 hyundai elantra that the front and rear subframe/ suspension crossmembers are completely rotted out. There is a safety recall that I found online for 2003 elantras for this same problem, but I can't seem to find anything for a 2005 model. They are the same body style and it's the same exact crossmember used on these years. Hyundai knew there was an issue and they never fixed it for the 2005 model year. The rear crossmember rotted right through on mine and the back tires almost fell off of the car. Luckily I was right down the road from my house when it happened. After I replaced the rear crossmember, I noticed that the front was just as bad and there's a Crack and as soon as I pushed on it with my fingers, they went right through the metal and now there's a baseball sized rust hole right by the lower control arms on both sides of the front suspension crossmember. The car has just over 100,000 miles and now it's not drivable. There are dozens of reports online with people reporting the same exact issue. Myself or another driver could have been killed if this happened on the highway. The body is in nice shape on the car, so it's not like the whole car is rusted out. I looked for a new crossmember on multiple elantras in the junkyard and they all have the same issue, the body's are in good shape but both crossmembers are completely rotted away. This was an issue that hyundai had a recall on and never fixed for this year. There are many of these models still on the road that are an accident waiting to happen as well. Apparently from what I've read, the crossmembers and control arms never had any drain holes in them and they would rot from the inside out. Here's a link to the same issue for the 2003 year. I'll upload pictures of the crossmember and the underside of the car showing that the car isn't all rusted out, it's just the crossmembers. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- NHTSA ID
- 11689993
- Incident
- Sep 24, 2025
As I was driving about 25-30 mph when the front drivers side lower control arm snapped, resulting in loss of control and steering, which could’ve caused a major accident if driven on a highway/interstate at a higher rate of speed. The damage revealed the control arm had rotted from the inside and had broken from the bushing connected to the frame, with no indication of rust in the outside, which has been something that has documented with other same generation Hyundais. I have not been able to bring it to a dealer or mechanic to have it checked
- NHTSA ID
- 11644457
- Incident
- Feb 21, 2025
The air bag light came on and it is staying on
- NHTSA ID
- 11623311
- Incident
- Oct 5, 2024
The contact owns a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and released; however, the brake light remained illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V280000 (Exterior Lighting). Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became stiff while making a turn. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 05V187000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 11519419
- Incident
- Apr 7, 2023
- Mileage
- 185,000 mi
The contact owns a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact was made aware of various recalls for similar vehicles. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in an air bag recall. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed there was no active recalls on the vehicle for the air bags. The contact scheduled a service appointment for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
- NHTSA ID
- 11488414
- Incident
- Oct 1, 2021
- Mileage
- 200,000 mi
Passenger airbag sensor registers when someone sits down, but randomly turns off and displays “Passenger Airbag Off” light for a couple minutes before turning off again. Vehicle was inspected by an authorized Hyundai service center and no codes were produced. No indicated problems prior to the first incident.
- NHTSA ID
- 11461088
- Incident
- Jul 15, 2021
THE CLIP END WILL NOT RELEASE FROM THE RECEIVER BY PRESSING THE RED RELEASE BUTTON,,,,,,SAFETY PROBLEM...WHEN ALONE IN CAR I CAN PUT BELT CLIP IN PASSENGER RECEIVER
- NHTSA ID
- 11457220
- Incident
- Mar 2, 2022
Manufacturer communications
A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.
AIR BAGS
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit driver‑side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN), that have been identified in U.S. vehicles following prior crashes, theft, or non‑certified airbag replacements. These inflators are not approved for use, may rupture during deployment, and have caused serious injuries and fatalities. Please see attached announcement, provided by NHTSA, for more details.
AIR BAGS
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag inflators manufactured by Jilin Province Detiannuo Automobile Safety System Co., Ltd. (DTN). These inflators were not supplied, approved, or authorized by the vehicle manufacturers and have primarily been found in vehicles that previously experienced a crash and underwent airbag replacement using non-genuine parts. These dangerous inflators have ruptured during deployment, posing a serious risk of injury or death due to metal fragments entering the vehicle cabin. To date, Hyundai is aware of three people who have died while driving a Hyundai vehicle with one of these substandard replacement airbag inflators that deployed in what likely would have been a survivable crash. NHTSA has issued a public advisory urging vehicle owners and service professionals to have vehicles inspected if there is reason to believe that a non-genuine replacement airbag may have been installed. Vehicles with salvage or rebuilt titles, prior airbag deployments, or unknown repair histories may present a higher risk. NHTSA strongly cautions against self-inspection by vehicle owners and recommends inspection by trained technicians.
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes or during normal driving operation.
VISIBILITY; VISIBILITY/WIPER
This bulletin contains information about the proper removal of the windshield wiper blade protective cover on all models. If the protective cover is not removed correctly, there is a possibility of the rubber insert and rail spring becoming partially separated on the inner side of the wiper blade, which could lead to poor wiping performance and/or possible scratching of the windshield glass. Follow the procedure in this bulletin to properly remove the windshield wiper blade protective cover on all new wiper blades.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
This bulletin provides important checkpoint guidelines when performing engine oil and filter change services.
STRUCTURE:BODY
Hyundai applies a Paint Protection Film (PPF) on new vehicles before delivery to dealerships. It provides a barrier between the paint and contaminants, such as rail dust, acid rain, and industrial fallout. In rare cases, the paint can become clouded under the PPF. These spots are the result of moisture trapped between the PPF and the paint.
Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.
Compare model years
Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Investigations | Issue Index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 1 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 53.0 |
| 2024 | 52 | 1 | 0 | 51.0 |
| 2023 | 92 | 2 | 0 | 55.1 |
| 2022 | 97 | 5 | 1 | 59.8 |
| 2021 | 129 | 6 | 2 | 62.9 |
| 2020 | 242 | 3 | 0 | 60.4 |
| 2019 | 246 | 1 | 0 | 49.9 |
| 2018 | 280 | 0 | 0 | 45.4 |
| 2017 | 762 | 4 | 1 | 58.6 |
| 2016 | 290 | 2 | 1 | 61.8 |
| 2015 | 260 | 3 | 2 | 63.3 |
| 2014 | 381 | 2 | 2 | 60.5 |
| 2013 | 1,310 | 4 | 4 | 63.1 |
| 2012 | 651 | 4 | 4 | 62.5 |
| 2011 | 432 | 5 | 3 | 58.2 |
| 2010 | 379 | 3 | 1 | 61.9 |
| 2009 | 250 | 4 | 1 | 64.6 |
| 2008 | 314 | 7 | 2 | 64.9 |
| 2007 | 266 | 6 | 3 | 63.2 |
| 2006 | 155 | 1 | 0 | 46.1 |
| 2005Viewing | 137 | 4 | 0 | 59.8 |
| 2004 | 182 | 5 | 1 | 60.7 |
| 2003 | 234 | 5 | 2 | 62.5 |
| 2002 | 342 | 6 | 3 | 64.6 |
| 2001 | 315 | 6 | 3 | 67.3 |
| 2000 | 197 | 1 | 0 | 47.4 |
| 1999 | 128 | 2 | 0 | 52.8 |
| 1998 | 55 | 0 | 0 | 40.9 |
| 1997 | 115 | 3 | 1 | 58.8 |
| 1996 | 100 | 3 | 2 | 59.3 |
| 1995 | 112 | 1 | 2 | 56.6 |
| 1994 | 76 | 2 | 2 | 64.1 |
| 1993 | 24 | 0 | 2 | 44.0 |
| 1992 | 29 | 0 | 2 | 46.4 |
| 1991 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
| 1990 | 0 | 0 | 1 | — |
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. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.