2008 Hyundai Elantra Owner Complaints

Power steering went out, only had manual steering.

NHTSA ID

11731913

Incident

Mar 10, 2026

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that a week after the dealer performed the recall repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V061000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); the contact was made aware that the brake lights had remained illuminated after the vehicle was parked and turned off. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 199,950.

NHTSA ID

11718875

Incident

Feb 16, 2026

Mileage

199,950 mi

The car was being driven nomore than 1hr. It began to smoke under the hood. The ABS EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE Then the EPS lights were on. The vehicle was pulled over and stopped. Fire was then observed falling from under the car. The hood was then popped to see the engine mainly on the driver side was totally catching fire. Then it spread. The engine needle never showed over heated. The car took no more than 6 minutes to catch fire from the time it started smoking. It was very scary

NHTSA ID

11702148

Incident

Nov 29, 2025

The engine bay of my car caught fire due to the abs pump and module not turning off. I bought a part but never opened the box because I received a piece of mail stating the recall of that exact issue that they would replace all parts damaged. Which they didn't just installed their relay After Hyundai recall 188 was completed, my ABS pump failed. I believe it was caused by continuous power being applied post-shutdown — the exact defect the recall was meant to fix. The dealer performed an inspection but misrepresented the results and refuses to replace the damaged component under recall. This ABS pump failure is a direct result of the original recall condition — or a failed installation of the relay fix — which continued to keep power applied to the pump while the vehicle was off. This is the exact scenario the recall was intended to prevent. If the failure is caused by that condition, Hyundai is still responsible under recall. The facility which did the recall falsely recorded the mileage on my vehicle as to void any "warranty" associated with the recall as the car hasn't been driven since the module was replaced. I also instructed the diagnosis team of Wesley chapel Hyundai to keep my battery unplugged due to the parasitical drain in order to protect the battery from being dead celled and now I have to replace the battery as well. They also illegally opened a mailed box I had in my car with a part I bought prior to the recall being mailed out which I never took out of the box nor did I open the box and it was fully sealed which is a federal crime. I opened a case in which Hyundai denied helping with this faulty service and are refusing to provide me documents Case no. 41355389.

NHTSA ID

11681965

Incident

Aug 8, 2025

Has not yet been officially diagnosed by a dealer or independent service center, but while turning into a neighborhood at around 15-25 mph the car jerked and the engine suddenly stalled while I was still in the middle of the road. Thankfully I rolled into the neighborhood before an oncoming car made its way over, but it was close. The gas pedal no longer worked, and I had to restart the car. It only drove once more before shutting down and the engine will no longer turn over.

NHTSA ID

11674602

Incident

Jul 15, 2025

The entire undercarriage of the vehicle is rusted, allowed for 3 sections is not sufficient as it does not accurately account for the damage. The Fuel Suspension is also affected from the known Corrosion and Rust issue. I have had to make many costly repairs in the last 4 years and I did not know about this issue with the vehicle I have now had for 17years. Had I , I would have done my own repairs to ensure the unit was safe and operational and not only relied on Hyundai's very delayed and subpar solution - considering my unit is a 2008 and the campaign did not come out until May 2014, of which I know for a fact my car was never listed.

NHTSA ID

11664566

Incident

Jan 1, 2023

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with fuel pump failure. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled intermittently. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 172,600.

NHTSA ID

11655889

Incident

Nov 15, 2024

Mileage

172,600 mi

I want to go start my car just now to go to the store and when I turned it on and started it up the ABS lights emergency brake light and EPS light always lit up on my dashboard so I grabbed the manual to try to figure out what it is seen what each was individual thing standard for so I googled each individual and that's when I realized there's a recall for this from my vehicle for the ABS malfunction

NHTSA ID

11597834

Incident

Jun 30, 2024

When we rotate the car seat to lock it in place, the shell doesn't immediately lock in and we have to try several times to get it to lock in. Weve had this issue happen multiple times and fear for our son's safety. Our son's safety was put at risk when it didn't immediately lock into place. It has not been inspected by any one.

NHTSA ID

11579001

Incident

Mar 22, 2024

The contact owned a  2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while the wife was driving at 30 MPH, the contact's wife was involved in a no-fault accident. The other vehicle involved was a 2020 Yukon Denali, which ran a stop sign and crashed the front driver's side. The contact stated that none of the air bags deployed. The contact's wife was taken by ambulance to the hospital for medical attention. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The vehicle was condemned to total loss by State Farm. The contact stated his wife suffered bruises and a herniated fifth disk in her back that required medical attention. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 31,200.

NHTSA ID

11553034

Incident

Oct 13, 2023

Mileage

31,200 mi

We received a citation for brake lights not functioning. I realized that there had been a safety recall on the brake light switch, and contacted Brandfon Hyundai in New Haven, CT. They did nothing. Upon further investigation on the Hyundai website, I noticed that the brake light switch campaign was marked "closed" in 2013, when the car was still owned by my mother-in-law whom has since gone blind and has sold the car to us. I took it upon myself to purchase and install a new brake light switch, and all new bulbs, but to no avail. Not only are we likely to get cited again, but having no brake lights is a safety hazard. At first, it was only the right side brake light out. Then the brake lights would stay on by themselves. Now, not even the rear window light, which should go on without the signal going through the computer, will go on.

NHTSA ID

11544715

Incident

Sep 14, 2023

While making a U-turn in a parking lot I accidentally ran over a pothole. Upon doing so the driver's airbag deployed burning a hole through my shirt and leaving burns on my stomach and arms. No other part of the vehicle was affected.

NHTSA ID

11531753

Incident

Jul 10, 2023

This unit was purchased from RockAuto in July 2023; they sent another defective product. When the rear engine mount was installed on the subframe--one bolt was not getting tight and a bolt inside the unit was already broken. This may have caused the disjointed connection for this rear engine mount.

NHTSA ID

11530965

Incident

Jul 7, 2023

The sway bar was received in July 2023 and the sway bar was manufactured too short to fit the suspension of the 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The vendor was RockAuto and this is another defective product they sent.

NHTSA ID

11530963

Incident

Jul 7, 2023

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while idling at a stop sign, the RPMs dropped extremely low, and the vehicle stalled. After a visual inspection, the contact observed white smoke coming from the engine compartment and a coolant leak underneath the vehicle. Upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle seemed to return to normal functionality. The contact stated that the failure became a regular issue over the next 6 months. No warning lights were illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. Later, the vehicle was taken to a second independent mechanic, who also failed to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 127,000.

NHTSA ID

11530639

Incident

Jan 15, 2023

Mileage

127,000 mi

The company, RockAuto, knowingly has many content quality errors describing automobile parts. This is a general safety concern to the general public because my rack and pinion set initially on the website said it came with both inner as well as outer tie rods. The rack and pinion set only came with inner tie rods with outer tie rods to be purchased separately. The company refunded the outer tie rods by giving a store credit.

NHTSA ID

11529994

Incident

Jun 28, 2023

When removing the key from the ignition, the cars engine was still running, as I was unable to turn the vehicle off. After a few tries the car was off and the engine stopped. I drove 1/2 mile, smelled something burning, looked down and saw smoke coming up from my lap area, and immediately turned the car off and jumped out of the vehicle..The engine continued to run while the key was removed... Car was eventually towed by Insurance Company tow company to the Factory Authorized service center

NHTSA ID

11513588

Incident

Mar 18, 2023

2008 Elantra should be added to the crankshaft Theta II recall. 2098 Elantra has the 2.0L engine unlike its prior years where they are made with a 1.6L engine. Last week my 2008 Elantra exhibited all the signs of this malfunction (A knocking noise from the engine that increases in frequency as the engine rpm increases. Reduced power and/or hesitation and vibration. Illumination of the “check engine” light in the instrument cluster. Illumination of the “engine oil pressure” warning lamp.) When this occured i had taken it to Auto Zone and had the computer scanned for error codes. (See attached report). Based on the report a tune up was done, ignition coil replaced and sensor replaced. Car would still not start. When my mechanic furthe diagnosed it (he could not find the issue until he used his scope camera)he found the issue was that there is damage to the "trigger wheel" inside the crank shaft. He also said this almost never happens in a car and does not know what could have made this happen. Please investigate this issue further, this is a dangerous situation of engine seizing and should be investigated immediately and thoroughly.

NHTSA ID

11499650

Incident

Dec 22, 2022

2 brake lines rusted through causing me to loose my brakes. Had the car towed to my local garage. I just got a call today letting me know that my trailing or control arm is severely rusted and has a hole. This happened before, 11/1/2017 and the car collapsed. This was covered last time under the Salt Belt Corrosion Class Action Settlement. Hyundai is aware there is still a problem, but the undercoating recall does not work and this is still a safety hazard and it may be the exact same part. I have called Torrington Hyundai and am waiting for the manager to call back and also called Hyundai Customer Care and new case was opened #20523632. I was told it would be 2 to 5 days to be contacted by National Consumer Affairs. I am without a car again and need this resolved immediately. This has been so dangerous, my son and I could have been killed!

NHTSA ID

11491798

Incident

Oct 23, 2022

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS system locked up. While in the parking lot, the vehicle was smoking. Additionally, while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal high pitch winding noise detected. The parking and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed him they were not equipped to service the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11488066

Incident

Sep 30, 2022

Mileage

200,000 mi

The contact owned a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V061000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list as she had traded the vehicle seven years ago. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted.

NHTSA ID

11482091

Incident

Aug 30, 2022

The EPS sensor trips when making a turn rendering the vehicle completely inoperable. I have to put the vehicle in park, shut it off, then turn it back on to continue moving. This is highly dangerous if it were to happen on the highway.

NHTSA ID

11480559

Incident

Aug 22, 2022

We were taking the tire off to fix a problem so we used the Jack that was provided with the car. While my arm was under the car, the Jack bended, folded, and dropped the car straight down on the pavement. It was in the proper position, and it just couldn’t hold the car up and almost seriously injured me. I’m just lucky i was quick enough to see the car falling and just got out in time to not be crushed .

NHTSA ID

11458963

Incident

Mar 30, 2022

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that after latching the front driver’s side seat belt, the locking mechanism would not immediately unlock when clicking the release button. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer and manufacturer were notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 85,000.

NHTSA ID

11452092

Incident

Feb 1, 2022

Mileage

85,000 mi

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V061000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, after contacting the dealer on several occasions she was informed that the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact was later informed that the parts were now available, but the service center was too busy to service vehicles for the next several months. The manufacturer was notified of the issue, but no assistance was offered. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

NHTSA ID

11446202

Incident

Jan 4, 2022