IllustrationThe air bag light came on and it is staying on
2005 Hyundai Elantra
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2005 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
360–25K
1325–50K
2150–75K
1575–100K
16100–150K
6150K+
107 reports with mileage · 30 unknown
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.
- Air Bags. Review the 71 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 14 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 10 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
30 crash reports3 fire reports19 injury reports
Air Bags complaints
71 reportsThe contact owns a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact was made aware of various recalls for similar vehicles. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in an air bag …
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The contact owns a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact was made aware of various recalls for similar vehicles. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in an air bag recall. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed there was no active recalls on the vehicle for the air bags. The contact scheduled a service appointment for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Passenger airbag sensor registers when someone sits down, but randomly turns off and displays “Passenger Airbag Off” light for a couple minutes before turning off again. Vehicle was inspected by an authorized Hyundai service center and no codes were produced. No indicated problems prior to the first incident.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN USE, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. BEAVERTON HYUNDAI (13255 SW FARMINGTON RD, BEAVERTON, OR 97005, (877) 812-0866) WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE CONTACT PURCHASED A SCANNER AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG O…
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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS IN USE, THE AIR BAG WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. BEAVERTON HYUNDAI (13255 SW FARMINGTON RD, BEAVERTON, OR 97005, (877) 812-0866) WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED IN A RECALL. THE CONTACT PURCHASED A SCANNER AND DIAGNOSED THAT THE AIR BAG OCS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE FAILURE RECURRED MULTIPLE TIMES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 166,000.
I CALL A DEALER LAST YEAR (LEE HYUNDAI) FLORENCE, SC. AND WAS TOLD THAT IF I WANT TO HAVE IT FIXED THAT IT WOULD COST ME ABOUT 500 DOLLARS, I ALSO THOUGHT THAT I HAD MADE A REPORT WITH NHTSA BEFORE AND THEN WHEN IT CAME ON TV, IT WAS SAID THAT HYUNDAI WAS LIABLE FOR FIXING IT.
MY AIR BAG LIGHT WILL NOT GO AWAY
TALKED TO DEALER (HYUNDAI LEE), AND WAS TOLD RECALL WAS CLOSED AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAID TO HAVE FIXED. I BROUGHT THIS CAR FROM DEALER.
JUST PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE USED AND THE AIR BAG DASHBOARD LIGHT WENT ON. THE DEALER CHARGED ME $140 TO DIAGNOSE INFORMING ME THAT THE SEAT SENSORS NEED REPLACEMENT ADDING THAT THE ENTIRE SEAT ASSEMBLY MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED. I FEEL THIS IS A FAILURE OF HYUNDAI'S RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PLUS QUALITY CONTROL OF A MAJOR SAFETY S…
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JUST PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE USED AND THE AIR BAG DASHBOARD LIGHT WENT ON. THE DEALER CHARGED ME $140 TO DIAGNOSE INFORMING ME THAT THE SEAT SENSORS NEED REPLACEMENT ADDING THAT THE ENTIRE SEAT ASSEMBLY MAY NEED TO BE REPLACED. I FEEL THIS IS A FAILURE OF HYUNDAI'S RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT PLUS QUALITY CONTROL OF A MAJOR SAFETY SYSTEM DEVICE. ITS REPLACEMENT SHOULD BE FREE BASED ON THIS. AS A NOTE THE LIGHT COMES ON IMMEDIATELY AT START AND WHILE DRIVING, STAYS ON CONSTANTLY
AIR BAG LIGHT HAS BEEN ON AND I NEED SAFETY IN THE CAR,WONDERING IF RECALL HAS BEEN REPORTED
PASSENGERS SEAT WAS CHECKED .FAULTY SENSOR IN SEAT .$1800. 00 TO FIX .CANT AFFORD TO FIX ON A FIXED INCOME
Official recalls
409V280000 · Exterior Lighting
Jul 21, 2009
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 3,011 MODEL YEAR 2005-2007 ELANTRA, TUCSON, SONATA, AZERA AND ACCENT VEHICLES. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO FAIL TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A DEFECTIVE STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY ALSO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFT OUT OF THE "PARK" POSITION. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND IT MAY NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: ANY OF THESE MALFUNCTIONS COULD LEAD TO A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI OF PUERTO RICO CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-787-999-4310.
05V479000 · Air Bags
Oct 17, 2005
CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED AIR BAG SYSTEM. THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) INSTALLED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT OF THE VEHICLE MAY MISCLASSIFY A CHILD RESTRAINT SEAT (CRS) AS AN ADULT. THIS MAY OCCUR IF THE CRS IS INSTALLED AFTER AN ADULT HAS BEEN SEATED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. IF THERE HAS NOT BEEN A 'KEY ON' ' KEY OFF' CYCLE WITH THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT EMPTY PRIOR TO INSTALLATION OF THE CRS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE POSSIBILITY OF MISCLASSIFICATION OF A CRS AS AN ADULT MAY ALLOW THE RIGHT FRONT AIRBAG OR SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG TO DEPLOY IN A CRASH AND COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO THE RIGHT FRONT OCCUPANT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE VEHICLE'S OCS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) TO REMOVE THE FEATURE THAT MAY CAUSE THE CRS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS AN ADULT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 15, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI OF PUERTO RICO AT 1-800-981-0188.
05V395000 · Air Bags
Sep 12, 2005
CERTAIN VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ADVANCED AIR BAG SYSTEM. THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (OCS) INSTALLED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT OF THE VEHICLE MAY MISCLASSIFY A CHILD RESTRAINT SEAT (CRS) AS AN ADULT. THIS MAY OCCUR IF THE CRS IS INSTALLED AFTER AN ADULT HAS BEEN SEATED IN THE RIGHT FRONT SEAT. IF THERE HAS NOT BEEN A 'KEY ON' ' KEY OFF' CYCLE WITH THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT EMPTY PRIOR TO INSTALLATION OF THE CRS.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE POSSIBILITY OF MISCLASSIFICATION OF A CRS AS AN ADULT MAY ALLOW THE RIGHT FRONT AIRBAG OR SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG TO DEPLOY IN A CRASH AND COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO THE RIGHT FRONT OCCUPANT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE VEHICLE'S OCS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) TO REMOVE THE FEATURE THAT MAY CAUSE THE CRS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS AN ADULT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 31, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
05V187000 · Steering:linkages:tie Rod Assembly
Apr 28, 2005
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT WITH THREADED PORTIONS OF THE STEERING GEARBOX ASSEMBLY'S LEFT AND RIGHT INNER BALL JOINT ASSEMBLIES THAT CONTAIN INTERNAL CRACKS IN THE MATERIAL STRUCTURE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE INNER BALL JOINT ASSEMBLY WAS TO BREAK AS A RESULT OF THE INTERNAL CRACK, THE TIE ROD END ASSEMBLY WOULD NOT LONGER BE ATTACHED TO THE STEERING GEAR BOX. THIS WOULD PREVENT STEERING CONTROL OF THAT FRONT WHEEL BY THE SEPARATED TIE ROD WHICH COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STEERING GEARBOX ASSEMBLIES ON THESE VEHICLES FREE OF CHARGE. OWNERS WERE CONTACTED BY TELEPHONE BEGINNING ON APRIL 8, 2005, AND INSTRUCTED NOT TO DRIVE THEIR VEHICLES. HYUNDAI WILL ARRANGE TO PICK UP AND RETURN THEIR VEHICLES AFTER REPAIR. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
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.