IllustrationTHE TRANSMISSION FLUID IS LEAKING AND THE CAR IS SLIPPING OR NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY DURING NORMAL DRIVING!*AK
1997 Hyundai Elantra
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1997 Hyundai Elantra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 182.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Elantra years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 19 of 115 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 31 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 21 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 20 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
20 crash reports0 fire reports12 injury reports
What owners actually said
115 reportsWHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES FRONT DUAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED INADVERTENTLY. *AK
THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LATCH IS BROKEN. *CB
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR.I HAVE BEEN IN REPEATEDLY FOR THIS TO BE CORRECTED TO NO AVAIL. PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION REPEATEDLY. ENGINE WAS CAUSING A VACUUM AND NOT ALLOWING TO CAR TO SHIFT.
WHILE DRIVING, THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. *AK WHEN THIS OCCURRED, THE CONSUMER HIT THE BRAKES WHILE ON A WET SURFACE, LOST CONTROL, HIT THE BANK AND ALMOST OVER TURNED. *SCC *JB
I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT MY HYUNDAI ELANTRA HAD BEEN RECALLED FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPER WASHER MOTOR, IN 1997, I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 1998, AND IN 2002 MY MOTOR BLEW UP. I TOOK IT IN AND THE SERVICE SAID THAT IT WASN'T COVERED AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO GET IT FIXED! I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS A RECALL SO I …
Read full complaint
I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT MY HYUNDAI ELANTRA HAD BEEN RECALLED FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPER WASHER MOTOR, IN 1997, I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 1998, AND IN 2002 MY MOTOR BLEW UP. I TOOK IT IN AND THE SERVICE SAID THAT IT WASN'T COVERED AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO GET IT FIXED! I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS A RECALL SO I TOOK IT IN AND THEY SAID THAT IT HAD NEVER BEEN RECALLED - AND I TRIED CALLING THE HYUNDAI HOTLINE 800) 633-5151 AND I PUSHED 5 TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE ABOUT IT AND IT HUNG UP ON ME! N A 2 MONTH TIME SPAN ALL FOUR OF MY INTERIOR DOOR HANDLES BROKE WHICH I THINK SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR BEING SO THIN AND FRAGILE ANYWAY! IF HYUNDAI WANTS TO MAKE CARS WITH WARRANTIES I THINK THAT THEY SHOULD HONOR THEM AND FIX THE CRAPPY CARS THAT THEY MAKE!*AK
TRANSMISSION DIED AT 67000. REPEATEDLY HAD THE CAR IN FOR KNOCKING SOUNDS. CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ON SINCE I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR AT 14 MILES. TRANSMISSION WILL STICK IN FIRST GEAR. THIRD HYUNDAI I BOUGHT. ALL HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS. WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER CAR FROM HYUNDAI AGAIN. *JB
CAR WILL NOT SHIFT INTO GEAR UNLESS OVERIDE IS DEPLOYED WITH PEN PER DEALER. *AK
ENGINE CHECL LIGHT KEEPS COMING ON. CONSUMER HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER AND HAD IT CHECKED THREE TIMES. MECHANIC STATED THAT THEY REPLACED CANISTER CLOSE VALVE AND PURGE CONTROL VALVE. HOWEVER, ENGINE LIGHT WAS BACK ON AGAIN.*AK
WHILE STARTING VEHICLE BATTERY HAVE EXPLODED UNDER THE HOOD. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT NOTIFIED AT THIS TIME.*AK
Official recalls
300V095002 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
Jul 21, 2000
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEMS CAN APPLY EXCESSIVE VACUUM TO THE FUEL TANKS DURING THE CANISTER PURGE CYCLE. IF EXCESSIVE VACUUM IS APPLIED, MINOR FUEL TANK DISTORTION CAN RESULT. A SMALL CRACK COULD DEVELOP ON THE UPPER FUEL TANK SURFACE. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WOULD THEN ILLUMINATE AND, IN SOME CASES, THE VEHICLE DRIVER MAY NOTICE A GASOLINE ODOR.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL PRESSURE CHECK THE VEHICLE'S FUEL TANK TO DETERMINE IF IT HAS CRACKED. IF THE FUEL TANK HAS CRACKED, IT WILL BE REPLACED.
00V095001 · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
Mar 28, 2000
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEMS CAN APPLY EXCESSIVE VACUUM TO THE FUEL TANKS DURING THE CANISTER PURGE CYCLE. IF EXCESSIVE VACUUM IS APPLIED, MINOR FUEL TANK DISTORTION CAN RESULT. A SMALL CRACK COULD DEVELOP ON THE UPPER FUEL TANK SURFACE. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WOULD THEN ILLUMINATE AND, IN SOME CASES, THE VEHICLE DRIVER MAY NOTICE A GASOLINE ODOR.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL PRESSURE CHECK THE VEHICLE'S FUEL TANK TO DETERMINE IF IT HAS CRACKED. IF THE FUEL TANK HAS CRACKED, IT WILL BE REPLACED.
97V026000 · Visibility:windshield Wiper/washer:motor
Feb 26, 1997
THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER ELECTRICAL CONTACTS WERE CONTAMINATED DURING ASSEMBLY.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONTAMINATION INTERFERES WITH THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT CONTINUITY AND PREVENTS THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR FROM OPERATING. INOPERATIVE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCED VISIBILITY DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE CONTAMINANTS FROM THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER CONTACTS.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1SQ00003 · Fuel Cap Replacement Campaign 36
Opened Feb 2, 2000 · No close date supplied
Status: open (inferred from source dates) · Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
There is no summary currently available
Additional source detail variants (2)
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
There is no summary currently available
Fuel System, Gasoline:storage:tank Assembly
There is no summary currently available