IllustrationWHILE TRAVELING 70MPH VEHICLE BOUNCED, THE TIRES BLEWOUT BECAUSE VEHICLE WAS OFF BALANCE. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, DEALER/MANUFACTURER WERE NOTIFIED. *AK
1998 Hyundai Elantra
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Fewer warning signs than most model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Hyundai Elantra are lower than 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: 9 of 55 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 13 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 12 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 7 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
9 crash reports0 fire reports4 injury reports
Suspension complaints
3 reportsPURCHASED THE CAR 7/98 AS A DEMO WITH 5500 MILES WITH FULL FACTORY WARRANTY. 1 MONTH LATER IN 8/98, HAD DRIVEN 5100 MILES (WHICH INCLUDED VACATION TO NORTH CAROLINA) AND BOTH FRONT TIRES SHOWING BELTS. SENT TO LOCAL TIRE ALIGNMENT PLACE FOR 2 FREE TIRES AND ALIGNMENT WHEEL BALANCING FOR ALL 4 TIRES. 2 MONTHS LATER (10/98), CA…
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PURCHASED THE CAR 7/98 AS A DEMO WITH 5500 MILES WITH FULL FACTORY WARRANTY. 1 MONTH LATER IN 8/98, HAD DRIVEN 5100 MILES (WHICH INCLUDED VACATION TO NORTH CAROLINA) AND BOTH FRONT TIRES SHOWING BELTS. SENT TO LOCAL TIRE ALIGNMENT PLACE FOR 2 FREE TIRES AND ALIGNMENT WHEEL BALANCING FOR ALL 4 TIRES. 2 MONTHS LATER (10/98), CAR IS PULLING TO ONE SIDE, SOMETIMES THE OTHER...TIRE WORN AGAIN, REPLACED TIRE AGAIN AFTER 3,800 MILES DRIVEN ON NEW TIRES FREE OF CHARGE. AGAIN ALIGNMENT AND BALANCING COMPLETED. HAVE NOW PUT AN ADDITIONAL 12, 500 MILES ON THESE TIRES, PURPOSELY NOT ROTATING THIS TIME, AS I DID NOT WANT TO WEAR OUT FRONT, SWITCH TO REAR AND WEAR FRONT OUT AGAIN IN SHORT TIME. I WANTED TO SEE HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE TO SEE WEAR. CAR SHAKES BADLY OVER 55 MPH, ALSO PULLS TO ONE SIDE, BUT SWITCHES OCCASIONALLY AND WILL PULL TO OPPOSITE SIDE. DEALER STATES PROBLEM DUE ONLY TO NOT ROTATING TIRES. I STRONGLY DISAGREE AS THIS HAS BEEN 3 SETS OF TIRES RUINED IN 21,000 MILES. SEVERAL TIRE ALIGNMENT REPS HAVE STATED THAT THEY ARE CONSTANTLY ADJUSTING ALIGNMENT TO HYUNDAI ELANTRA SPECIFICALLY, INCLUDING REP WHO MY DEALER HAS SENT ME TO. ONE IN PARTICULAR STATED ALMOST IDENTICAL PROBLEM IN VERY SHORT TIME WITH SAME TYPE OF VEHICLE WITH ANOTHER CUSTOMER. WILL BE GETTING A SECOND OPINION FROM ALIGNMENT REP OF MY CHOICE 4-28-99, BUT FEEL CAR IS VIRTUAL HAZARD AND ANTICIPATE CONTINUED PROBLEMS, EVEN IF TIRES REPLACED A 4TH TIME. PLEASE ADVISE OF ANY SUGGESTIONS OR IDEAS YOUR DEPARTMENT MAY HAVE REGARDING MY SITUATION. THANK YOU, KIM CHRONISTER. *AK
THIS IS A 1998 VEHICLE THAT IS GIVING CONSUMER PROBLEMS WITH STALLING. ALSO THE FRONT END SHAKES VERY HARD WHILE DRIVING AT 40 MPH. DEALER HAS BEEN CONTACTED. *AK
Official recalls
0No recalls in this snapshot.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.