Hyundai Elantra Complaints (2008)

315 consumer complaints on file.

#11773810October 26, 2026
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, FIRERELATED
The contact owned a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that upon pulling into the driveway, the power steering and ABS warning lights illuminated. After researching the warning lights online, the contact turned off and exited the vehicle. The contact became aware of smoke coming from underneath the hood. Upon opening the hood, the contact noticed that the under hood was on fire and called the Fire Department. The Fire Department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. The contact was informed that fire had originated under the dashboard nearby the computer. The vehicle was inspected, towed, and then deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired for an engine overheating failure two weeks prior to the fire. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11731913April 17, 2026
STEERING
Power steering went out, only had manual steering.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11718875February 18, 2026
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11702148November 30, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
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
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11681965August 20, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11674602July 18, 2025
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664566June 3, 2025
STRUCTURE:BODY, SUSPENSION, SERVICE BRAKES
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11655889April 21, 2025
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11597834June 30, 2024
STEERING, SERVICE BRAKES
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
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11579001March 22, 2024
Carry Handle, Shell, Base, Other/I am not sure
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11553034November 1, 2023
AIR BAGS
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.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11544715September 15, 2023
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11531753July 12, 2023
AIR BAGS
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11530963July 7, 2023
SUSPENSION
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11530965July 7, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11530639July 6, 2023
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11529994July 2, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11513588March 24, 2023
ENGINE, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
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
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11499650December 31, 2022
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN
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.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11491798November 1, 2022
SUSPENSION
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!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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