2008 Hyundai Elantra Steering Problems

Power steering went out, only had manual steering.

NHTSA ID

11731913

Incident

Mar 10, 2026

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

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

The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel was making an abnormal clicking noise. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering coupling needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11432096

Incident

May 1, 2021

Mileage

100,000 mi

THE EPS LIGHT WILL FLASH REPEATEDLY ON AND OFF WHILE STATIONARY AND DRIVING CAUSING LOSS OF POWER STEERING. RESTARTING THE VEHICLE FIXES IT TEMPORARY.

NHTSA ID

11404781

Incident

Mar 22, 2021

Mileage

167,000 mi

EPS LIGHT IS ON. KNOCKING NOISE WHEN MOVING STEERING WHEEL. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER. DIAGNOSED PROBLEM THAT WOULD COST ME $3000 TO REPAIR. I WAS TOLD THE WHOLE STEERING COLUMN WOULD HAVE TO BE REPLACED. AFTER LONG RESEARCH, RECALL 127 SHOULD HAVE COVERED MY VEHICLE, BUT IT DID NOT. PLEASE ADVISE.

NHTSA ID

11361171

Incident

Jun 5, 2020

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE STOPPED AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT, THE STEERING WHEEL VIBRATED ABNORMALLY WITH THE TPMS WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT CONTINUED DRIVING TO HER DESTINATION. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT ON OCCASION, THE FRONT DRIVER'S DOOR UNLOCKED INDEPENDENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE TIRE PRESSURE SENSOR WAS DISCONNECTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE SET OF TIRES AND TWO RIMS WERE REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

NHTSA ID

11337145

Incident

Sep 1, 2019

Mileage

100,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED, AND THE STEERING WILL BECAME DIFFICULT TO TURN. THE CONTACT POWERED OFF THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND OPERATED AS INTENDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE VEHICLE WAS TEST DRIVEN. THE TECHNICIAN WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. NEITHER THE DEALER NOR MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 105,000.

NHTSA ID

11307546

Incident

Feb 3, 2020

Mileage

105,000 mi

EPS LIGHT CAME ON AND DISABLED POWER STEERING. RESTARTED THE CAR AND THE ISSUE STOPPED. TOOK TO HYUNDAI DEALER AND THEY SAID IT IS NOT COVERED UNDER RECALL 127 OR WARRANTY.

NHTSA ID

11290438

Incident

Nov 20, 2019

Mileage

87,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH ON THE FREEWAY, THE POWER STEERING SEIZED AND THE EPS INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. WHEN THE CONTACT PULLED OVER AND RESTARTED THE VEHICLE, THE INDICATOR TURNED OFF. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE TO HER DESTINATION. TEAM HYUNDAI (301-B AUTO MALL PKWY, VALLEJO, CA 94591, (707) 709-8537) SCHEDULED A DIAGNOSTIC APPOINTMENT. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 125,000.

NHTSA ID

11266076

Incident

Oct 3, 2019

Mileage

125,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE POWER STEERING SEIZED AND THE ELECTRIC POWER STEERING INDICATOR WAS BLINKING. WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND RESTARTED, IT RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS. THE CONTACT SCHEDULED A DIAGNOSTIC APPOINTMENT WITH MAXSON HYUNDAI (2329 US-22, UNION, NJ 07083, (908) 368-4955). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 128,200.

NHTSA ID

11195601

Incident

Apr 11, 2019

Mileage

128,200 mi

MY CAR STARTED TO DISPLAY AN EPS LIGHT ON MY DASH BOARD SO I TOOK IT FOR SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS A RECALL ON THE EPS ON MY VEHICLE. I THEN TOOK IT TO O'BRIEN HYUNDAI OF FORT MYERS AND WAS TOLD THAT THE RECALL WAS IN 2015 AND THAT THEY WILL NOT BE ABLE TO SERVICE MY VEHICLE.

NHTSA ID

11182395

Incident

Feb 25, 2019

THE EPA LIGHT CAME ON AS I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET AND THEN THE POWER STEERING WENT OUT AS I TURNED LEFT.

NHTSA ID

11175901

Incident

Feb 8, 2019

Mileage

125,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH ON A LOCAL ROAD, THE STEERING SUDDENLY SEIZED AND THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING (EPS) WARNING LIGHT TURNED ON. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER (WILLIAMSBURG HYUNDAI 7277 RICHMOND RD, WILLIAMSBURG, VA 23188) WHO RE-CALIBRATED THE EPS BUT WAS TOLD MY VEHICLE WAS NOT PART OF THE RECALL CAMPAIGN 127 DUE TO MANUFACTURING DATE OF JULY 2007, WHICH IS BEFORE THE RECALL COVERAGE DATE OF JUNE 2008. THIS IS NOT ACCEPTABLE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN PART OF THE RECALL CAMPAIGN. CURRENT MILEAGE IS AROUND 66,000 MILES.

NHTSA ID

11118681

Incident

Aug 3, 2018

Mileage

66,000 mi

THE STEERING ISN'T WORKING

NHTSA ID

11113702

Incident

May 1, 2018

TAKATA RECALL. MY POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT AND I DID NOT RECIEVE ANY FORM OF INFORMATION AT THE TIME THE RECALL WAS SENT OUT.

NHTSA ID

11104856

Incident

Jun 1, 2018

Mileage

169,138 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE STEERING ABILITY SEIZED AND THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND DROVE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (MCGOVERN HYUNDAI, 300 MANLEY STREET, BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02301) WHERE THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THE SAME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 134,000.

NHTSA ID

11090230

Incident

Apr 23, 2018

Mileage

134,000 mi

I STARTED MY CAR AT THE TOP OF MY DRIVEWAY AND DROVE DOWN THE DRIVEWAY TOWARD THE ROAD AS USUAL. NO TRAFFIC WAS COMING FROM EITHER DIRECTION, SO I ACCELERATED SLIGHTLY TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN ONTO THE ROAD. AS I WAS PULLING ONTO THE ROAD, I COMPLETELY LOST THE ABILITY TO STEER THE VEHICLE AND TO CONTROL THE DIRECTION OF IT. CONSEQUENTLY, I ALMOST WENT OVER A 10 TO 12 FOOT HIGH WALL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO PREVENT GOING OVER THE WALL BY BRAKING, BUT I WAS PARALYZED BY SHOCK AND FRIGHT. A NEIGHBOR, WHO IS A RETIRED AUTOMOBILE MECHANIC CAME AND RESTARTED THE CAR AND GOT IT BACK INTO MY DRIVEWAY. THE CAR STARTED WITHOUT DIFFICULTY, BUT THE REDLIGHT (EPS) WAS SHOWING ON THE DASH. I CALLED THE HYUNDAI DEALER WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED, BUT THEY WOULD NOT LOOK AT IT UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY. WHEN THEY DID, THEY SAY THAT THEY HAVE "UPDATED THE ECU' AND CHARGED ME $89.95 FOR DOING SO. THEY CLAIMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A BAD BATTERY; HOWEVER THE BATTERY HAS NEVER FAILED TO START THE VEHICLE AND RUN ALL DEVICES. I DRIVE ALONE, AND NEED TO DRIVE AT NIGHT VERY OFTEN; HOWEVER I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE I SEE ONLINE THAT THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS TO LOSING STEERING ABILITY REPEATEDLY AFTER THE "UPDATE" TO THE EPS (OR ECU). I CALLED HYUNDAI, AND THE AGENT TOLD ME THAT MY VIN WAS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST, WHICH SHE SAID IS NOW COMPLETED. ON MANY OF THE ONLINE ACCOUNTS OF ACCIDENTS AND ROLLOVERS DUE TO LOSS OF STEERING ABILITY, THOSE VEHICLES VINS WERE ALSO NOT ON THE LIST OF VEHICLES DEEMED TO BE AFFECTED; HOWEVER THEY WERE HAVING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS. MY CAR HAD 47,792 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, HAD NO STEERING RECALL, AND WAS MANUFACTURED JUNE 9, 2008. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. CLEARLY, THIS VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE ALSO BEEN ON THE RECALL LIST BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS ARE IDENTICAL TO THOSE RECALLED UNDER #127 RECALL

NHTSA ID

11046484

Incident

Nov 9, 2017

Mileage

47,792 mi

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY (55 MPH LIMIT) AND SLOWED DOWN TO APPROX. 10 MPH DUE TO A TRAFFIC JAM WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE EPS LIGHT CAME ON AND SHE LOST HER STEERING. AT THAT SPEED, IT WAS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR HER TO STEER. SHE MANAGED TO PULL THE CAR OVER TO THE SHOULDER AND CALLED ME FOR HELP. I RESEARCHED HER SITUATION AND LEARNED THAT THERE IS A RECALL FOR ALL 2008 ELANTRAS AND LATER TO FIX THE EPS. THE DATE OF MANUFACTURE HAD TO BE AFTER 1 JUNE 2008. UNFORTUNATELY, HER CAR WAS BUILT IN AUG 2007. THAT BEING SAID, PERHAPS THE CURRENT EPS RECALL SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE 2008 MODELS MANUFACTURED BEFORE JUNE 2008? I CALLED FOR A TOW TRUCK AS IT WOULD BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS (AND PRETTY MUCH IMPOSSIBLE) FOR HER TO DRIVE ANY FURTHER. WHILE WAITING FOR THE TOW, I RESEARCHED THE EPS SITUATION ONLINE AND LEARNED FROM A BLOG THAT TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AND RESTARTING IT SOMETIMES RESETS THE EPS. SHE DID SO AND IT "FIXED" HER STEERING. I'M CERTAIN THIS IS A TEMPORARY FIX ONLY AND WILL NOT PREVENT A FUTURE REOCCURRENCE OF THIS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION.

NHTSA ID

11005514

Incident

Jul 15, 2017

Mileage

151,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 30 MPH AND MAKING A RIGHT TURN DOWN A HILL, THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE LOST POWER STEERING ABILITY AND BECAME HARD TO STEER. THE VEHICLE WAS TURNED OFF AND, UPON RESTARTING, THE STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VIN WAS EXCLUDED FROM NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V100000 (STEERING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 79,000.

NHTSA ID

10945744

Incident

Jan 16, 2017

Mileage

79,000 mi

IN OCTOBER 2012 I WAS DRIVING ON LINCOLN DRIVE IN PHILA. I WAS GOING AROUND THE FIRST CORNER (TO THE RIGHT). ONCE THE TURN WAS COMPLETE, I ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE CAR IN THE OTHER DIRECTION BUT THE CAR KEPT GOING RIGHT. MY CAR ENDED UP SPINNING 270 DEGREES BEFORE IT CAME TO A STOP. I TURNED THE CAR OFF WHILE I GATHERED MYSELF AND TURNED THE CAR BACK ON AGAIN. A COP CHECKED ON ME TO SEE IF I WAS OK, THEN I WENT ABOUT MY BUSINESS. THANKFULLY THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO MY CAR OR OTHERS. FAST FORWARD TO 11/30/16. I WAS TAKING THE BACKROADS TO WORK LIKE I NORMALLY DO. I MADE A RIGHT TURN ONTO A ROAD THEN ATTEMPTED TO STRAIGHTEN THE CAR OUT. THE CAR KEPT GOING RIGHT, SO I HAD TO YANK THE STEERING WHEEL TO GET IT STRAIGHT GAIN. A FEW MILES DOWN THE SAME ROAD I WAS GOING AROUND A BEND TO THE RIGHT. ONCE AGAIN THE STEERING GOT STUCK IN ONE DIRECTION AND I ALMOST LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR TRYING TO GET THE CAR STRAIGHT AGAIN. I WENT TO A LOCAL MECHANIC TO CHECK OUT THE PROBLEM. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM BUT IT MAY BE RELATED TO A POWER STEERING RECALL REPAIR THAT HAD BEEN DONE MY CAR IN APRIL 2015 AND THAT I SHOULD GO BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP THAT PERFORMED THE REPAIR AND THE SAID THAT THE MOTOR IN THE STEERING COLUMN IS FAILING DUE TO AGE AND MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLE I NEEDED A WHOLE NEW STEERING COLUMN. TOTAL BILL: $2400. I CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER AND THE AGREED WITH THE DEALERSHIP. IN ORDER TO GET MY CAR BACK FROM THE DEALERSHIP I HAVE TO PAY A $115 DIAGNOSTIC FEE AND SIGN OFF THAT I AM DRIVING A "POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS" VEHICLE. *TR

NHTSA ID

10934618

Incident

Nov 30, 2016

Mileage

178,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE STEERING SEIZED. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V100000 (STEERING), BUT THE REMEDY FAILED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE RECURRED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT AN UNKNOWN WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AFTER THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000. UPDATED 01/10/17*LJ *TR

NHTSA ID

10913698

Incident

Aug 17, 2016

Mileage

36,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AND THE STEERING RETURNED TO NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 36,000. UPDATED 09/27/16*LJ *JS

NHTSA ID

10884241

Incident

Jul 8, 2016

Mileage

36,000 mi

NO DAMAGE, BUT I NEED TO REPORT THE HYUNDAI PRACTICE. WHILE I WAS ON A HIGHWAY, EPS LAMP CAME ON AND STEERING BECAME REALLY TOUGH. ONCE I PULLED OVER AND RE-STARTED THE CAR, THE LAMP WENT OFF AND I COULD STEER WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. I FOUND OUT THAT MY CAR WAS ACTUALLY RECALLED FOR THE EPS SYSTEM, SO BROUGHT MY CAR TO A DEALER. THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE CAMPAIGN IS 'CLOSED', THEY NEED TO CHARGE ME TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM..... 'WAIT, I JUST NEED TO GET WHATEVER YOU FIXED FOR THE RECALL NOTICE?' NO, THE CAMPAIGN IS CLOSED SO WE NEED TO DIAGNOSE THE SYSTEM, AND IF NOTHING IS WRONG, WE CANNOT DO ANYTHING. IS THIS PRACTICE CORRECT? THEY SAID THEY FOUND ADDITIONAL ISSUES WITH THE STEERING SENSORS BUT IT'S INCLUDED IN THE DIAGNOSTICS PACKAGE....

NHTSA ID

10873391

Incident

Jun 9, 2016

Mileage

54,000 mi

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 15 MPH GOING AROUND A BEND, THE STEERING ABILITY SEIZED. THE CONTACT CRASHED INTO A PARKED VEHICLE, ROLLED BACK, AND STRUCK ANOTHER PARKED VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND THE CONTACT'S HEAD STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD. THE BRAKES ALSO FAILED TO RESPOND. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE FOLLOWING DAY, THE CONTACT WENT TO THE HOSPITAL DUE TO A SEVERE HEADACHE AND FEVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN IMPOUND LOT BY THE POLICE, TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, AND THEN TOWED TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. AFTER THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED BY A THIRD PARTY INVESTIGATOR TO THEIR FACILITIES. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 145,000. UPDATED 05/31/16*LJ *TR

NHTSA ID

10850345

Incident

Jun 20, 2015

Mileage

145,000 mi