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2009 Hyundai Elantra

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2009 Hyundai Elantra do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 182.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

186 reports with mileage · 66 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.

  • Steering. Review the 132 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 24 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 reports11 fire reports20 injury reports

What owners actually said

252 reports
Mileage unknown · Sep 3, 2026
Steering

I am reporting Hyundai’s failure to complete open Campaign 127/NHTSA Recall 15V-100 on my 2009 Hyundai Elantra. I acquired the vehicle from a family member in late July 2026 after the previous owner died and the vehicle was delayed in probate. I sought recall service immediately after legal transfer. Component/system: The Electr…

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I am reporting Hyundai’s failure to complete open Campaign 127/NHTSA Recall 15V-100 on my 2009 Hyundai Elantra. I acquired the vehicle from a family member in late July 2026 after the previous owner died and the vehicle was delayed in probate. I sought recall service immediately after legal transfer. Component/system: The Electronic Power Steering (EPS) failed. Power steering assist is completely unavailable. The EPS warning lamp is illuminated and the EPS module reports DTC C1604. The vehicle and EPS system remain at [XXX] Hyundai in [XXX] and are available for inspection upon request. Safety risk: The vehicle was driven from [XXX] to [XXX] during transportation during its transfer to me, and the power steering failed en route. Loss of steering assist substantially increased steering effort suddenly& created a safety risk to the driver, passengers and other motorists. Dealer confirmation: Yes. The condition is recognized by [XXX] Hyundai. I presented the vehicle on XXX specifically for the open EPS recall, and it has remained there since. This is the second area Hyundai dealer that attempted to decline recall service. [XXX] states it cannot perform the prescribed software update because the required Hyundai tablet/programming equipment is no longer available. The dealer has also pressured me to retrieve the unrepaired vehicle and attempted to charge for diagnostics. Other inspections: Hyundai Consumer Affairs is involved under case #XXX. No police or insurance representative has inspected the vehicle. Hyundai’s latest update is that it is attempting to source either the required computer or part, but no remedy or completion date has been provided. Warnings/symptoms: When the EPS failed, the EPS warning lamp illuminated and steering assist was lost. OBD-II/EPS diagnostics subsequently identified C1604. The vehicle has been continuously available for recall repair since XXX. Thank you for your review & assistance with this. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11762043

Mileage unknown · Aug 29, 2026
Steering

Power steering assist motor stopped working, leaving the car with hard manual steering. Dealer inspection confirms the issue across several year models, inclding my 2009. There were 2 other year models with the same issue in their shop with mine that day. One was 2018. One was a 2023. Car is very difficult to steer around curves…

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Power steering assist motor stopped working, leaving the car with hard manual steering. Dealer inspection confirms the issue across several year models, inclding my 2009. There were 2 other year models with the same issue in their shop with mine that day. One was 2018. One was a 2023. Car is very difficult to steer around curves at any speed. Warning lamp on dash says "EPS".

NHTSA ODI #11760582

Mileage unknown · Aug 4, 2026
Forward Collision AvoidanceFire

My ABS system started smoking while the vehicle was in the off position. Police and fire department showed up. Police report number is 2026151090. I was called outside from the establishment and the emergency services were waiting on me. Corporate is now trying to get me to pay the tow out of pocket. I called the NTSHA holiness …

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My ABS system started smoking while the vehicle was in the off position. Police and fire department showed up. Police report number is 2026151090. I was called outside from the establishment and the emergency services were waiting on me. Corporate is now trying to get me to pay the tow out of pocket. I called the NTSHA holiness but was unable to mention this issue about the towing. Also corporate has stated they will likely not service the vehicle.

NHTSA ODI #11754667

168,000 miles · Aug 4, 2026
Service Brakes, Hydraulic

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V061000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the TPMS and powertrain warning lights illuminated, but the vehicle drove normally. The contact stated that a month later, while t…

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The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V061000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic). The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the TPMS and powertrain warning lights illuminated, but the vehicle drove normally. The contact stated that a month later, while the vehicle was parked and turned off, a pedestrian saw smoke coming from the engine compartment. The contact arrived at the scene, and the Police and Fire Department were already on scene. The contact stated that a fireman entered the vehicle and opened the hood, and disconnected the battery. A Police report was filed. The contact inspected the vehicle, reconnected the battery, and there was smoke coming from the ABS module inside the engine compartment. The contact then disconnected the battery. The battery was later reconnected, and the vehicle was driven to the residence. The contact arrived at the residence and removed the ABS fuse, and the smoke ceased. The vehicle was taken to an auto shop where a handheld diagnostic machine retrieved DTC: P0441 (EVAP system incorrect purge flow). The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 168,000.

NHTSA ODI #11754662

118,000 miles · Jul 28, 2026
Steering

The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The EPS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. In addition, the contact stated that an unknow…

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The contact owns a 2009 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel failed to turn in the intended direction. The EPS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. In addition, the contact stated that an unknown recall with a similar description of the failure was completed in 2023. The contact stated that the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 118,000.

NHTSA ODI #11753249

Mileage unknown · Mar 31, 2026
Steering

Vehicle has a major problem steering down the road as I am traveling, its also makes loud clicks while turning left or right, also if freezing up and getting stiff along the way, The item that's causing this problem is call EPS , my light will not go out on its own, My local dealership will not honor the warranty or the recal…

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Vehicle has a major problem steering down the road as I am traveling, its also makes loud clicks while turning left or right, also if freezing up and getting stiff along the way, The item that's causing this problem is call EPS , my light will not go out on its own, My local dealership will not honor the warranty or the recall stated it was repair ed I am the 2 or 3 owner of said vehicle, I can see where it show data update March 30 2026 , , It was never fix and Bentley Hyundai in Huntsville Alabama, will not honor this recall for my vehicle,

NHTSA ODI #11728159

Mileage unknown · Mar 19, 2026
Electrical SystemPower TrainService Brakes

NHTSA 20V-061 (Hyundai 188): ABS/HECU Module NHTSA 15V-100 (Hyundai 127): Electric Power Steering (EPS) NHTSA 13V-113 (Hyundai 110): Brake Light Switch

NHTSA ODI #11725527

Mileage unknown · Oct 22, 2025
Unknown Or Other

Taylor Hyundai of Findlay FAILED too complete these recalls. X3 times !

NHTSA ODI #11695102

Mileage unknown · Aug 25, 2025
Electrical SystemFire

Got in the car to come home put the key in ignition turned it and battery was dead went to turn off and something popped and cloud of smoke started rolling out from underneath the hood once hood was up the smoke got stronger from behind the motor the battery we had to get the battery unplugged and pulled out to get the electric…

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Got in the car to come home put the key in ignition turned it and battery was dead went to turn off and something popped and cloud of smoke started rolling out from underneath the hood once hood was up the smoke got stronger from behind the motor the battery we had to get the battery unplugged and pulled out to get the electricity out the vehicle because of the battery being dead but sill plugged up at the time it would continue smoking more and more and thicker thicker so My husband pulled the battery out immediately as doing so we both inhaled some smoke but we was more concerned about it catching on fire so we pulled through it . We are confused on how or why this happened nothing has broke or went wrong with my vehicle but serpentine belt brake and tire ware my mother had car inspected and service back in May nothing was said that there is or will be wrong with my car. We had no idea that there was anything wrong no warning lights no signs of any problems up to this incident.

NHTSA ODI #11682757

Mileage unknown · May 15, 2025
Seat BeltsCrash

During a car accident yesterday. Upon impact at about 30 mph the seatbelt ripped and provided no deceleration during a head on collision. If it wasn’t for the airbag I would have been very seriously injured. It has not yet been inspected by insurance but I have a few videos of the failure for the seatbelt to work.

NHTSA ODI #11661164

Official recalls

4

20V061000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module

Feb 4, 2020

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

15V100000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System

Feb 23, 2015

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

13V113000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Apr 1, 2013

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

11V143000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

Mar 15, 2011

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

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

1

DP21003 · Throttle Control System Vulnerabilities

Opened Nov 12, 2021 · Closed Jun 20, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:throttle

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (ODI) number 11439675.On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-003 to evaluate the petitioner?s request. ODI performed trend analyses of the VOQs related to vehicle speed control issues for all the subject vehicles and found that none of the 52 Model/Model Year Hyundai/Kia vehicles demonstrated any actionable trend that warranted an investigation.Petitioners submitted 1119 VOQs and non-VOQ cases in which sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA) or loss of motive power (LOMP) incidents were alleged.For the 1119 reports, 220 were incidents involving crashes, from which 69 subject Hyundai-Kia vehicles were inspected by Hyundai/Kia dealer technicians, Hyundai/Kia engineers, and/or third-party representatives.ODI found the inspections identified no vehicle defects related to the ETC system.Of the 220 crash-involved reports, 13 Event Data Recorder (EDR) records were downloaded successfully and 11 of those indicated driver error: (i.e.) pedal misapplication.A condition where the accelerator pedal is mistakenly applied instead of the brake pedal when the driver wants to stop the vehicle.In addition, ODI reviewed a scientific journal paper published in Forensic Science International in 2016 by Mr. Park et al ., as well as related test videos. ODI does not believe there is any evidence of uncontrollable SUA occurrences in any of the tests reviewed. NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) reviewed the allegations regarding the potential noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124.Based on the information provided, the Agency concludes there is insufficient information for us to determine if a possible non-compliance exists.Finally, both Hyundai and Kia informed ODI that all their vehicles manufactured after 2012 were equipped with an ETC management system, in which the engine speed will go to idle when the system sees signals from both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal at the same time; this is commonly known as the brake-throttle override system.After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information already in NHTSA's possession, information submitted by Hyundai and Kia in response to an Information Request letter, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. After full consideration of appropriate factors, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA?s reasons for denial of the petition will be published.

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