← New search

2006 Hyundai Elantra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2006 Hyundai Elantra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 182.

About this comparison →

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

126 reports with mileage · 29 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 56 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Exterior Lighting. Review the 38 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Service Brakes. Review the 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

28 crash reports0 fire reports20 injury reports

What owners actually said

155 reports
Mileage unknown · Sep 30, 2013
Electrical SystemExterior Lighting

ALL OF THE BRAKE LIGHTS QUIT WORKING, I CALLED HYUNDAI, BECAUSE I HAD SEEN THERE WAS A RECALL ON THIS PROBLEM. THEY TOLD ME THAT MY CAR WAS NOT COVERED. HOPEFULLY THEY WILL COVER IT, SINCE THERE ARE SEVERAL CARS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10546319

140,000 miles · Sep 24, 2013
Air Bags

AIR BAGS DESCRIPTION: 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 TH…

Read full complaint

AIR BAGS DESCRIPTION: 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. DAMAGE: 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. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10545127

83,450 miles · Sep 9, 2013
Exterior LightingService Brakes

BRAKE LAMPS FAILED TO WORK ON MY 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. DEALER TECHNICIANS IDENTIFIED AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH WHICH THEY REPLACED AT A COST OF $145. I LATER NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A LIMITED RECALL IN JULY 2009 AT NHTSA CAMPAIGN #09V280000 FOR 2005-2007 ELANTRAS IN PUERTO RICO, AND THEN IN APRIL 2013, AN ANN…

Read full complaint

BRAKE LAMPS FAILED TO WORK ON MY 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. DEALER TECHNICIANS IDENTIFIED AN INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH WHICH THEY REPLACED AT A COST OF $145. I LATER NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A LIMITED RECALL IN JULY 2009 AT NHTSA CAMPAIGN #09V280000 FOR 2005-2007 ELANTRAS IN PUERTO RICO, AND THEN IN APRIL 2013, AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A PENDING RECALL OF MODEL YEARS 2007-2013. IT APPEARS THAT HYUNDAI HAS DETERMINED THAT THEY NO LONGER NEED TO TAKE CARE OF THE 2006 MODEL YEAR EVEN THOUGH IT WAS ORIGINALLY IDENTIFIED AS EARLY AS JULY 2009. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10542681

Mileage unknown · Aug 27, 2013
Exterior LightingService Brakes

HYUNDAI RECENTLY HAD A RECALL ON BRAKE LIGHT SWITCHES. UNFORTUNATELY THIS APPLIES TO THE 2007 ELANTRA AND I HAVE THE 2006. MY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE COMPLETELY OUT. AFTER CHECKING THE FUSES AND THE BULBS I REALIZED IT WAS THE RECENTLY RECALLED FAULTY BRAKE LIKE SWITCH TO BLAME. $155 LATER IT'S REPAIRED. THEY REALLY NEED TO INCLUDE OT…

Read full complaint

HYUNDAI RECENTLY HAD A RECALL ON BRAKE LIGHT SWITCHES. UNFORTUNATELY THIS APPLIES TO THE 2007 ELANTRA AND I HAVE THE 2006. MY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE COMPLETELY OUT. AFTER CHECKING THE FUSES AND THE BULBS I REALIZED IT WAS THE RECENTLY RECALLED FAULTY BRAKE LIKE SWITCH TO BLAME. $155 LATER IT'S REPAIRED. THEY REALLY NEED TO INCLUDE OTHER YEARS AND MODELS ON THIS RECALL, AND SHOULD BE PAYING FOR THIS REPAIR. I HAVE SEEN NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS ONLINE FROM OTHER CONSUMERS WITH SIMILAR ISSUES. SOMEONE COULD HAVE REAR ENDED ME AND I COULD HAVE DIED HAD SOMEONE NOT TOLD ME MY BRAKE LIGHTS WERE OUT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10537576

60,000 miles · Aug 23, 2013
Exterior Lighting

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A DRIVER OF ANOTHER VEHICLE INFORMED HIM THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED WHILE HE WAS DRIVING AND HIS FOOT WAS NOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF …

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT A DRIVER OF ANOTHER VEHICLE INFORMED HIM THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED WHILE HE WAS DRIVING AND HIS FOOT WAS NOT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 60,000.

NHTSA ODI #10536971

88,500 miles · Jun 25, 2013
Exterior Lighting

I WAS UNKNOWINGLY DRIVING AROUND WITHOUT ANY WORKING BRAKE LIGHTS FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG! AFTER FINDING NO PROBLEMS WITH THE FUSES, I LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON CERTAIN MODELS (ELANTRA INCLUDED) FROM 2005-08. I CALLED MY DEALERSHIP AND THEY CONFIRMED THE RECALL, SAID BRING IT IN THE NEXT DAY AND THE…

Read full complaint

I WAS UNKNOWINGLY DRIVING AROUND WITHOUT ANY WORKING BRAKE LIGHTS FOR WHO KNOWS HOW LONG! AFTER FINDING NO PROBLEMS WITH THE FUSES, I LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON CERTAIN MODELS (ELANTRA INCLUDED) FROM 2005-08. I CALLED MY DEALERSHIP AND THEY CONFIRMED THE RECALL, SAID BRING IT IN THE NEXT DAY AND THEY COULD REPLACE THE FAULTY EQUIPMENT. AFTER BEING SURPRISED BY A BILL, THE SERVICE CONSULTANT EXPLAINED THAT THERE WERE ONLY CERTAIN CARS WHICH WERE AFFECTED AND MY VIN WASN'T ON THE LIST OF THOSE AFFECTED. HE TOLD ME THAT I COULD CALL HYUNDAI CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND TALK TO THEM ABOUT GETTING THE COSTS COVERED--HE HAD SEEN THAT HAPPEN BEFORE. I CALLED THE NUMBER AND WAS TOLD THAT ALTHOUGH CARS FROM 2005-2008 WERE ON THE RECALL LIST, MY VIN WASN'T ON THE LIST AND, THEREFORE, WOULD NOT BE COVERED. I MENTIONED HOW I THOUGHT THAT PERHAPS THEY SHOULD LOOK A BIT DEEPER INTO THIS PROBLEM BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY MORE CARS FROM THAT TIME PERIOD THAN JUST THOSE ON THAT CURRENT LIST OF AFFECTED CARS ACCORDING TO VIN WERE EXPERIENCING IDENTICAL PROBLEMS AND WERE MADE IN THAT TIME FRAME! HE WENT ON TO SAY THAT THE BEST HE COULD DO WOULD BE TO MAKE NOTE OF MY CALL/COMPLAIN/CONCERN. I TRULY BELIEVE THAT MY CAR IS AFFECTED BY THE RECALL ON THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH AND THEY NEED TO EXTEND THE CURRENT RECALL TO COVER MORE CARS WITHIN THAT SAME TIME FRAME THAT ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE. I AM SO LUCKY THAT MY FRIEND NOTICED IT WAS MY CAR AND CALLED ME TO SAY THAT I HAD NO BRAKE LIGHTS WORKING; OTHERWISE, I WOULD STILL BE DRIVING AROUND COMPLETELY IGNORANT TO THE FACT THAT I HAD NO BRAKE LIGHTS! I AM SO LUCKY THAT I WASN'T IN AN ACCIDENT AND I'M SURE THERE ARE MORE PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AS ME AND ARE DRIVING AROUND WITHOUT ANY BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATING AND THEY MAY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE! THANK YOU. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10521682

105,000 miles · May 15, 2013
Service BrakesVehicle Speed Control

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT DISENGAGE. I EXPERIENCED THIS AS THE CAR "LURCHING" FORWARD WHEN BRAKING, AS THE ENGINE IS TRYING TO BRING THE CAR BACK UP TO THE PRE-SET SPEED. THIS HAPPENED, MOST RECENTLY, WHILE ON THE FREEWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THE SUDDEN LURCH WAS FRIGHTENING SINCE IT WAS UNEXPECTED.…

Read full complaint

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE CRUISE CONTROL DOES NOT DISENGAGE. I EXPERIENCED THIS AS THE CAR "LURCHING" FORWARD WHEN BRAKING, AS THE ENGINE IS TRYING TO BRING THE CAR BACK UP TO THE PRE-SET SPEED. THIS HAPPENED, MOST RECENTLY, WHILE ON THE FREEWAY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. THE SUDDEN LURCH WAS FRIGHTENING SINCE IT WAS UNEXPECTED. THE LURCH ALMOST CAUSED ME TO MAKE CONTACT WITH CAR AHEAD OF ME. LUCKILY THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. EVEN WITH MULTIPLE PRESSES OF THE BRAKE THE CRUISE CONTROL DID NOT DISENGAGE. IT WAS ONLY BY USING THE HAND CONTROLS WAS I ABLE TO TURN OFF THE CRUISE CONTROL. THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 2 TIMES, BUT UNFORTUNATELY, I CANNOT RECREATE THE PROBLEM SYSTEMATICALLY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10512243

50,000 miles · Mar 6, 2013
Exterior LightingService Brakes

BRAKE LIGHTS ARE NOT ILLUMINATING ALL THE TIME WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, FOR THE PAST WEEK THEY ONLY WORK FOR A MINUTE OR NOT WORK AT ALL.WENT 2 TIMES TO THE DEALER BEFORE, TWICE THEY WERE WORKING WHEN I ARRIVED, SINCE LAST WEEK THEY ARE NOT WORKING EXCEPT FOR A MINUTE. I HAVE 2 MONTHS WITH THE PROBLEM I WORK 7 DAYS A WEEK …

Read full complaint

BRAKE LIGHTS ARE NOT ILLUMINATING ALL THE TIME WHEN BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED, FOR THE PAST WEEK THEY ONLY WORK FOR A MINUTE OR NOT WORK AT ALL.WENT 2 TIMES TO THE DEALER BEFORE, TWICE THEY WERE WORKING WHEN I ARRIVED, SINCE LAST WEEK THEY ARE NOT WORKING EXCEPT FOR A MINUTE. I HAVE 2 MONTHS WITH THE PROBLEM I WORK 7 DAYS A WEEK AND CANNOT KEEP TAKING TIME OFF. I WAS TOLD THAT MY SPECIFIC MODEL YEAR ELANTRA 2006 IS NOT COVER BY THE RECALL, JUST TO INSPECT THEM COST $ 120, IF A PROBLEM IS FOUND PARTS AND LABOR. HYUNDAI DOESN'T ACCEPT ANY RESPONSIBILITY. THE CAR HAS 50'000 MILES. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10501895

Mileage unknown · Jan 23, 2013
Vehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury

2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ACCELERATION MALFUNCTION. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED AS SHE WAS SLOWLY PULLING INTO AN EMPTY SPACE AT A PUBLIC GARAGE, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FOR NO REASON. THE CONSUMER CRASHED INTO A STONE WALL AND THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED CONTUSIONS TO HER LEGS…

Read full complaint

2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO ACCELERATION MALFUNCTION. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED AS SHE WAS SLOWLY PULLING INTO AN EMPTY SPACE AT A PUBLIC GARAGE, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED FOR NO REASON. THE CONSUMER CRASHED INTO A STONE WALL AND THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED. THE CONSUMER RECEIVED CONTUSIONS TO HER LEGS. THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED BY HER INSURANCE COMPANY.

NHTSA ODI #10494301

120,000 miles · Jan 8, 2013
Exterior Lighting

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE LIGHT WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED HER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 09V280000 (EXTERIOR …

Read full complaint

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKES, THE BRAKE LIGHT WOULD NOT ILLUMINATE. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND ADVISED HER THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 09V280000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 120,000. .... UPDATED 02-20-13 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE BRAKE LIGHT FAILURE. THE REPAIRS WERE PAID IN FULL BY THE CONSUMER. UPDATED 02/25/2013 *JS

NHTSA ODI #10491815

Official recalls

1

09V280000 · 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.

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

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Hyundai Elantra problems