Your vehicle report

2008 Hyundai Elantra

The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.

NHTSA data through October 2026View original NHTSA data Change vehicle

Your vehicle at a glance

Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.

Owner complaints
315
Received Dec 2007 to Oct 2026
Official recalls listed
7
Naming this model year; check your VIN for applicability
BrakeNews flagged problems
0
Statistical signals, not official defect findings or recalls

Owner reports

Most reported problems

  1. 1
    Vehicle catches fire from wiring23 complaints · 7.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
  2. 2
    Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly23 complaints · 7.3% of this vehicle’s complaints
  3. 3
    Unintended acceleration despite braking22 complaints · 7.0% of this vehicle’s complaints
See all reported problems

Official NHTSA records

Recalls to check

  • Recall #20V061000Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Elantra and 2009-2011 Elantra Touring vehicles. On February 21, 2020 Hyundai expanded the recall to include 46,425 model year 2007-2008 Entourage and 2007 Santa Fe vehicles. Moisture may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short.
  • Recall #15V100000Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Elantra vehicles manufactured June 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010, and 2009-2010 Elantra Touring vehicles manufactured November 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010. The electronic power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may sense a discrepancy in the steering input signals and, as a result, disable the steering power assist.
View recall details

BrakeNews signals

Flagged complaint patterns

Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.

No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.

How flags are identified

Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 38 crashes, 24 fires, 41 people injured, 0 deaths.

Explore by system

Where do owners report problems?

Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.

Schematic car with five system shortcutsGeneric side view, with the front on the left. Numbered links explore engine, brakes, steering, electrical, and body complaints. Text controls below provide the same choices.12345FRONTSCHEMATIC VIEW

Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.

View selected problems

Showing all 20 listed problems by system.

Engine & powertrain

4 more problems

Brakes

Electrical & lights

Airbags, belts & seats

Steering, suspension & tires

Body, doors & glass

Driver assistance

No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.

Other

No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.

Complaint history

When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.

Complaints received about the 2008 Hyundai Elantra
51
Show as a table
YearComplaints
20071
200851
200923
201018
201123
201216
201327
201422
201515
201614
201715
201815
201915
202024
202110
20228
20238
20242
20255
2026 (to Oct 2026)3
Total315

Problems owners report

Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.

ProblemComplaintsShareShare ratioStatus
Vehicle catches fire from wiring237.3%–
Steering wheel seizes or locks suddenly237.3%–
Unintended acceleration despite braking227.0%–
Fuel pump fails and engine stalls227.0%–NHTSA recall #08V429000, #08V694000
Airbags fail to deploy in crashes216.7%–
Power steering cuts out while driving165.1%–NHTSA recall #15V100000
Engine suddenly shuts off while driving154.8%–
Airbag warning light stays on113.5%–
Engine stalls and loses power while driving113.5%–
Brake lights fail or stay on92.9%–NHTSA recall #13V113000
Frame rusts and corrodes through72.2%–
Automatic transmission shifts unexpectedly or slips72.2%–
Driver sun visor will not stay up61.9%–
Anti-lock brakes fail or lock up61.9%–NHTSA recall #20V061000
Gear shifter fails to register Park61.9%–NHTSA recall #13V113000
Headlights dim or fail at night51.6%–
Check engine light comes on repeatedly51.6%–
Glass shatters or cracks without impact41.3%–
Tires blow out or tread separates41.3%–
Seat belt fails to latch or retract30.9%–

AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.

Recalls

  • NHTSA recall #20V061000February 4, 2020476,111 vehicles affected

    service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module

    Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Elantra and 2009-2011 Elantra Touring vehicles. On February 21, 2020 Hyundai expanded the recall to include 46,425 model year 2007-2008 Entourage and 2007 Santa Fe vehicles. Moisture may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short.

    An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the car is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.

    Remedy

    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the vehicle's main junction box to prevent the risk of an ABS short-circuit while the car is turned off, free of charge. The recall began April 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 188.

  • NHTSA recall #15V100000February 23, 2015204,768 vehicles affected

    steering: electric power assist system

    Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Elantra vehicles manufactured June 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010, and 2009-2010 Elantra Touring vehicles manufactured November 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010. The electronic power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may sense a discrepancy in the steering input signals and, as a result, disable the steering power assist.

    If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Hyundai will verify the proper operation of the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and update the EPS control unit, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 127.

  • NHTSA recall #13V113000April 1, 20131,712,336 vehicles affected

    exterior lighting: brake lights: switch

    Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

    Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.

  • NHTSA recall #11V143000March 15, 2011188,697 vehicles affected

    air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive

    Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 Elantra vehicles manufactured from july 14, 2006, through november 1, 2008. The front passenger seats in the vehicles contain a weight sensor designed to deactivate the right frontal airbag when occupants of certain weights occupy the seat. The electrical connector for the weight sensor is located under the center console, between the front seats. Under certain circumstances the connector could become contaminated and malfunction such that the front passenger airbag will deploy regardless of the weight of the occupant.

    The front passenger air bag could deploy in crashes in which it should not deploy, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant from the deployed air bag.

    Remedy

    Dealers will install a protective cover over the weight classification system connector to prevent contamination. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expecting to begin during april 2011. Owners may contact hyundai's customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.

  • NHTSA recall #11V179000March 15, 201195,783 vehicles affected

    air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive

    Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 Elantra vehicles manufactured from july 14, 2006, through august 29, 2007. The driver's seat track position sensor determines the seat's fore and aft position and allows the driver's frontal air bag to deploy at the pressure appropriate for that seating position, with a lower pressure deployment in the most forward seating positions. The air bag control module may receive an unstable electrical signal from the seat track position sensor such that, in a crash that requires driver frontal airbag deployment, the driver's airbag may deploy at the higher pressure than intended if the seat was position in one of the forward positions in which a lower pressure deployment is intended.

    A higher pressure deployment than intended increases the risk of injury resulting from airbag deployment.

    Remedy

    Dealers will reprogram the air bag control module free of charge. The safety recall is expecting to begin during april 2011. Owners may contact hyundai's customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.

  • NHTSA recall #08V694000December 29, 2008347 vehicles affected

    fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump

    Hyundai de puerto rico (hpr) is recalling 347 my 2008 Elantra vehicles. The fuel pump motor may not have the proper, uniform internal electrical surface contact. This may cause the fuel pump to produce less pumping pressure than required to supply the fuel injection system.

    As a result, poor engine staring and hesitation may result. Other engine performance issues may also result and lead to a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will replace the vehicle's fuel pump subassembly. The recall began on february 9, 2009. Owners may contact hpr at 1-800-981-0188.

  • NHTSA recall #08V429000August 25, 200865,000 vehicles affected

    fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump

    Hyundai is recalling 65,000 my 2008 Elantra vehicles with 2.0 liter beta engines. The fuel pump motor may not have the proper uniform internal electrical surface contact. This may cause the fuel pump to produce less pumping pressure than required to supply the fuel injection system.

    Poor engine starting and hesitation may result. Other engine performance issues may also result increasing the risk of a crash.

    Remedy

    Dealers will replace the fuel pump subassembly free of charge. The recall began on september 15, 2008. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.

Other model years

About this data

NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2008 Hyundai Elantra.

Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.

Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN