RoadVitals

2008 Hyundai Elantra Exterior lighting Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the exterior lighting system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Exterior lighting reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
20
Latest Jul 15, 2019
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
6%
of 314 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
2
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
3

What this page shows

Reports naming headlights, tail lights, turn signals and other exterior lighting. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2008 Hyundai Elantra submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 20 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.

Owner reports naming exterior lighting

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Exterior lighting
Filed Jul 15, 2019
Fire reported

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IDLING, THE PASSENGER SIDE FOG LIGHT CAUGHT ON FIRE. THE CONTACT EXTINGUISHED THE FIRE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR A DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDED A CASE NUMBER: 15930173. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 116,497.

NHTSA ID
11231905
Incident
Jul 13, 2019
Mileage
116,497 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Nov 27, 2015
Crash reported3 injuries reported

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC, ANOTHER VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE REAR END OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DRIVER OF THE SECOND VEHICLE STATED THAT THE EXTERIOR LIGHTS OF THE CONTACTS VEHICLE FAILED TO ILLUMINATE. THE DETAILS OF THE CRASH WERE UNKNOWN AND RESULTED IN THREE INJURIES THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V113000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,000.

NHTSA ID
10807140
Incident
Oct 25, 2015
Mileage
93,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Aug 25, 2014

I LEASED MY CAR IN 2012, AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE MY LIGHTS AT LEAST 6 OR 7 TIMES. I HAVE BOUGHT BULBS TO REPLACE MY LIGHTS AND THEN NOTICED THEY WORK INTERMITTENTLY. MAINLY MY BRAKE LIGHTS AND TAIL LIGHTS HAVE BEEN THE PROBLEM HOWEVER I HAVE REPLACED HEAD LIGHTS LOW BEAMS AND FOG LIGHTS BEFORE TOO! I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE AIR BAGS AS I HAVE PASSENGERS THAT ARE A HEAVIER WEIGHT. THANKS *TR

NHTSA ID
10628186
Incident
Aug 15, 2012
BrakesExterior lighting
Filed Apr 16, 2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT WAS CONTINUOUSLY BURNING OUT. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY REPAIRED UNDER RECALL NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V113000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING , SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN VERIFIED THE FAILURE AND REPLACED THE BRAKE LAMP. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 30,000.

NHTSA ID
10583178
Incident
Apr 10, 2013
Mileage
20,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Nov 12, 2013

IN MARCH OF THIS YR, A FRIEND INFORMED ME THAT MY DRIVER SIDE BRAKE LIGHT WAS OUT. I HAD THE BULB REPLACED & THEN GOT A NOTICE ABOUT THE RECALL. THE WORK WAS PERFORMED IN JUNE (REPLACEMENT OF A STOP SWITCH I BELIEVE IS WHAT IT WAS CALLED)..........LAST WEEK I WENT BACK TO THE DEALER FOR A COUPLE OF PROBLEMS THAT I FELT WERE RECALL RELATED. BOTH MY DRIVER SIDE BRAKE LIGHT WAS OUT AGAIN, MY THIRD BRAKE LIGHT WAS OUT & I INFORMED THEM THAT ONE DAY I WAS HAVING A PROBLEM MOVING THE GEAR SHIFT OUT OF PARK. ALL OF THESE I FELT WERE RECALL RELATED BUT WAS TOLD THAT THEY ARE NOT.........THAT THE ELANTRA HAS A HISTORY OF BURNING BRAKE LIGHTS OUT. AND I WAS TOLD THAT IF THE PROBLEM W/THE GEAR SHIFT HAPPENS AGAIN, TO BRING MY CAR IN. I FEEL THAT THIS RECALL, BETWEEN THE FACT THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS KEEP BURNING OUT, CRUISE CONTROL CAN BE DIFFICULT TO DISENGAGE & HAVING A PROBLEM W/THE GEAR SHIFT ARE ALL PRETTY SERIOUS ISSUES. I FEEL LIKE THERE IS STILL A SAFETY ISSUE W/THE ELANTRA. I DON'T THINK THE WORK THEY DID FIXED ANYTHING. *TR

NHTSA ID
10551971
Incident
Mar 20, 2013
Mileage
30,000 mi
Exterior lightingVisibility
Filed Aug 11, 2013

HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA HAS FAILED TO RESOLVE COMPLAINT CONCERNING CAMPAIGN 110. SUN VISOR WILL FALL RANDOMLY AND OBSTRUCT THE DRIVERS ABILITY TO SEE. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS! *TR

NHTSA ID
10534764
Incident
Jan 23, 2013
Mileage
73,184 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Jun 3, 2013

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID 13V113000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR REPAIR AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED FOR AN ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL. THE CONTACT DID NOT EXPERIENCE A FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 43,700.

NHTSA ID
10514877
Incident
Apr 1, 2013
BrakesExterior lighting
Filed Apr 3, 2013

CAR FOLLOWING ME NOTIFIED ME THAT MY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING ON MY 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. I HAVE CHANGE MY BRAKE BULBS 3 TIMES LAST YEAR AND 1 TIME BEGING OF THIS YEAR. STOP AND CHECK ALL MY BULBS AND FUSE THEY WERE IN GOOD CONDITION. I CALLED HYUNDAI CUSTOMER CARE AND WAS TOLD THAT 2008 ELANTRA'S WERE NOT COVERED BY THEIR RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM, THAT I WOULD HAVE TO BRING THE CAR IN FOR A DIGNOSTIC THAT WILL COST $110. THEY TOLD ME THAT EVEN IF THEIR WERE A RECALL, THE RECALL DOES NOT AFFECT MY CAR AND IS NOT IN THEIR DATABASE. *TR

NHTSA ID
10505523
Incident
Apr 28, 2012
Mileage
77,951 mi
BrakesExterior lighting
Filed Mar 21, 2013

CAR FOLLOWING ME NOTIFIED ME THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING ON MY 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. STOP LAMP FUSE I WAS CHECKED AND WAS GOOD AS WELL AS BOTH REAR STOP LAMP BULBS. I INSPECTED THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH NEAR THE BRAKE AND FOUND IT TO STUCK IN THE OFF POSITION. AFTER PRESSING THE SWITCH SEVERAL TIMES THE SWITCH WORKED FOR A FEW TIMES AND THEN STUCK IN THE ON POSITION. I CALLED HYUNDAI CUSTOMER CARE AND WAS TOLD THAT 2008 ELANTRA'S WERE NOT COVERED BY THEIR RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM AND THEY WOULD PAY FOR REPAIR. *TR

NHTSA ID
10503967
Incident
Mar 21, 2013
Mileage
102,043 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Mar 14, 2013

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, SOMEONE ALERTED HER AND ADVISED HER THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE CONTACT WAS ADVISED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED HER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 37,128. *TR

NHTSA ID
10502778
Incident
Mar 8, 2013
Mileage
37,128 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Feb 11, 2013

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT FAILED TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS LATER CONTACTED AND ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 58,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

NHTSA ID
10497695
Incident
Feb 10, 2013
Mileage
58,000 mi
BrakesElectricalExterior lighting
Filed Dec 18, 2012

WHILE DRIVING MY VEHICLE I WAS TOLD MY ANOTHER MOTORIST THAT MY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. I CHECKED THE FUSE AND THE BULBS. I LOOKED UP ON LINE AND SEEN THAT THERE WAS A RECALL ON HYUNDAI VEHICLES DUE TO THE STOP LAMP SWITCH PROBLEM. I CALLED HYUNDAI AND THEY SAID MY VIN NUMBER WAS NOT PART OF THEIR RECALL CAMPAIGN. *TR

NHTSA ID
10489145
Incident
Dec 3, 2012
Mileage
120,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 25, 2012

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SHE WAS ADVISED BY A POLICE OFFICER THAT HER TAIL LIGHTS WERE INOPERABLE. THE CONTACT TOOK THE VEHICLE TO A MECHANIC FOR INSPECTION WHERE THEY STATED THAT THE BRAKE SWITCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 92,846.

NHTSA ID
10477043
Incident
Sep 24, 2012
Mileage
92,846 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Dec 13, 2011

I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND I WAS INFORMED THAT MY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING (A FACT THAT I WAS NOT AWARE OF). THE PROBLEM WAS A MALFUNCTIONING BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WHICH WAS REPLACED. *TR

NHTSA ID
10439691
Incident
Oct 12, 2011
Mileage
31,789 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Nov 28, 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STOP LAMP SWITCH FAILED AND THE BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE WHEN BRAKING AT 5 MPH. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO NOTIFIED AND STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ADDRESSING THE FAILURE. THEY OFFERED NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 76,000.

NHTSA ID
10437447
Incident
Nov 1, 2011
Mileage
76,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Nov 8, 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR ROUTINE MAINTENANCE WHEN THE TECHNICIAN STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE NOT ILLUMINATING WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH AS DEFECTIVE AND ADVISED HAVING IT REPLACED. THE CONTACT REFERENCED NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 09V122000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:SWITCHES:BRAKE LIGHT) BUT THE MANUFACTURER ADVISED THAT THE REPAIRS WOULD NOT BE COVERED BECAUSE THE 2008 MODEL WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL, ONLY THE 2007 MODEL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000.

NHTSA ID
10434833
Incident
Nov 5, 2011
Mileage
88,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Oct 27, 2011

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH FAILED AND ALMOST CAUSED THE CONTACT TO BE INVOLVED IN A CRASH. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT WHEN UTILIZING THE CRUISE CONTROL, IT WOULD NOT DEACTIVATE WHEN THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED. THE DEALER CONFIRMED THAT THE FAILURE WAS CAUSED BY THE ACTUATOR, WHICH WOULD NEED REPLACING. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 71,000.

NHTSA ID
10432992
Incident
Oct 25, 2011
Mileage
71,000 mi
BrakesExterior lighting
Filed Jan 29, 2011

BRAKE SWITCH FAILURE

NHTSA ID
10380409
Incident
Dec 17, 2010
Mileage
23,000 mi
Exterior lighting
Filed Sep 24, 2010

I HAVE OWNED A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA PZEV FOR APPROXIMATELY 2 YEARS AND 2 MONTHS. IN THE TWO YEARS THAT I HAVE OWNED THIS CAR, I HAVE HAD THE BRAKE LIGHT SENSOR GO OUT TWICE. THE RESULT OF NOT HAVING A WORKING BRAKE LIGHT SENSOR IS THAT I NO LONGER HAVE ANY WORKING BRAKE LIGHTS! I HAVE ONLY AVOIDED A REAR END COLLISION BECAUSE I HAVE BEEN ADVISED BY FELLOW MOTORISTS. I HAVE ALREADY HAD ONE BRAKE LIGHT SENSOR REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY: HYUNDAI NEEDS TO MANUFACTURE A BRAKE LIGHT SENSOR THAT DOESN'T FAIL IN LESS THAN A YEAR. IF HYUNDAI DOESN'T FIX THIS PROBLEM, IT IS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE I OR A MEMBER OF MY FAMILY IS SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED BECAUSE THIS DEFECTIVE PART! *TR

NHTSA ID
10357284
Incident
Sep 23, 2010
Mileage
33,447 mi
Body & structureExterior lighting
Filed Feb 6, 2008

WHEN YOU OPEN THE TRUNK AFTER A RAIN OR DURING IT RUNS OUT OF THE TAIL LIGHTS INTO THE TRUNK ON BOTH SIDES ON THE TRUNK LID FROM THE TAIL LIGHT LENSES DESIGN OF THE CAR IS THE PROBLEM I HAD IT BACK TO THE DEALER. *TR

NHTSA ID
10217133
Incident
Oct 29, 2007

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.

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Data sources

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