COMPONENT SPOTLIGHT

Hyundai Elantra electrical problems

1,059 distinct owner reports with an electrical-system component in this snapshot.

Includes the electrical-system component and its detailed subcategories. Related recalls and investigations must also name this component; they are not linked by narrative keyword alone.

38 crash reports69 fire reports20 injury reports

Reports by model year

Recall and investigation columns show each year’s full history. A report naming several years can appear in more than one row.

When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

506 reports with mileage · 553 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 owners actually said

1,059 reports
2009 model year · 78,000 miles · Jul 4, 2014
Electrical SystemSteering

ON MY WAY TO WORK ON AUGUST 8, 2013, I WAS ON THE FREEWAY IN THE EARLY MORNING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH WHEN MY POWER STEERING WENT COMPLETE OUT AND THE EPS LIGHT CAME. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP AND AFTER THEY INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, THEY INDICATED THAT IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE AND THEY HAD D…

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ON MY WAY TO WORK ON AUGUST 8, 2013, I WAS ON THE FREEWAY IN THE EARLY MORNING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH WHEN MY POWER STEERING WENT COMPLETE OUT AND THE EPS LIGHT CAME. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP AND AFTER THEY INSPECTED THE VEHICLE, THEY INDICATED THAT IT WAS A KNOWN ISSUE AND THEY HAD DEVELOPED AN UPDATE THAT THEY COULD UPLOAD IT TO TO THE COMPUTER RESPONSIBLE FOR THE POWER STEERING IN THE VEHICLE. ONCE THE UPDATE WAS RUN, THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVING LIKE NORMAL. THIS MORNING ON JULY 4, 2014, I WENT TO START MY VEHICLE AND WAS DRIVING AGAIN IN THE EARLY MORNING RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, AND LOW AND BEHOLD THE EPS LIGHT CAME ON AGAIN. I WILL BE CONTACTING THE DEALERSHIP FIRST THING IN THE MORNING AND ASKING THEY INSPECT THE VEHICLE. I DOUBT THAT THIS TIME AN UPDATE WILL FIX THE PROBLEM AS IT HAS OCCURRED TWICE NOW AND EXPECT THAT IT WILL COST TONS TO FIX THE VEHICLE. THIS TIME I HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON VARIOUS HYUNDAI FORUMS AND JUST GOOGLING THE TERM "EPS LIGHT HYUNDAI ELANTRA 2009" AND FOUND THAT MANY INDIVIDUALS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THE EPS LIGHT. THIS IS A HAZARD AND IS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. IT COULD CAUSE SOMEONE SERIOUS INJURY IF THEIR POWER STEERING UNEXPECTEDLY GOES OUT ON THE FREEWAY OR IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURN. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10608260

2007 model year · 35,000 miles · Jul 4, 2014
Air BagsElectrical System

MY AIRBAG LIGHTS CAME ON AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. IT TOOK THEM OVER TWO HOURS TO FIND THE PROBLEM: THE ENTIRE FLOOR HARNESS IS CORRODED FROM SOME SORT OF "MELTDOWN" AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. COST = $4800. I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW IN THE VEHICLE AND HYUNDAI SHOULD REPLACE THE FLOOR HARNESS AS A GOODWILL WARRANTY …

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MY AIRBAG LIGHTS CAME ON AND I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER. IT TOOK THEM OVER TWO HOURS TO FIND THE PROBLEM: THE ENTIRE FLOOR HARNESS IS CORRODED FROM SOME SORT OF "MELTDOWN" AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. COST = $4800. I FEEL THIS IS A MAJOR DESIGN FLAW IN THE VEHICLE AND HYUNDAI SHOULD REPLACE THE FLOOR HARNESS AS A GOODWILL WARRANTY ISSUE. THERE IS NO WAY A 6 YEAR OLD CAR WITH ONLY 35,000 MILES ON IT SHOULD BE EXPERIENCING THIS KIND OF PROBLEM! THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS RIGHT NOW I AM FORCED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE WITH AIR BAGS NON-FUNCTIONAL. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10608244

2012 model year · 29,800 miles · Jun 27, 2014
Electrical System

THERE APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH THAT MAY BE DUE TO THE SWITCH OVERHEATING. WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT I WILL PARK MY CAR AND WHEN I RETURN A FEW MINUTES LATER AND TRY TO START THE CAR NOTHING HAPPENS WHEN I TURN THE IGNITION SWITCH. IF YOU GO TO YOUTUBE.COM AND TYPE 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA IGNITION PROBLEM INTO TH…

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THERE APPEARS TO BE AN ISSUE WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH THAT MAY BE DUE TO THE SWITCH OVERHEATING. WHAT HAPPENS IS THAT I WILL PARK MY CAR AND WHEN I RETURN A FEW MINUTES LATER AND TRY TO START THE CAR NOTHING HAPPENS WHEN I TURN THE IGNITION SWITCH. IF YOU GO TO YOUTUBE.COM AND TYPE 2012 HYUNDAI ELANTRA IGNITION PROBLEM INTO THE SEARCH ENGINE YOU WILL SEE OTHER 2012 ELANTRA OWNERS POSTING VIDEOS OF THE SAME PROBLEM. I CALLED MY DEALERSHIP WHICH STATED THERE IS NO RECALL OF THE 2012 ELANTRA. AGAIN SINCE OTHER 2012 ELANTRA OWNERS ARE POSTING THIS ON YOUTUBE THAT TELLS ME THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10606592

2012 model year · 50,000 miles · Jun 26, 2014
Electrical System

TURN KEY IN IGNITION. NOTHING HAPPENS. TURN OFF, TURN ON, EVENTUALLY IGNITION WORKS AND CAR TURNS ON. THIS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE FIRST VISIT TO DEALER TO TRY TO REMEDY ISSUE. FIRST TRIP TO DEALER 5/14/14. DEALER CAN'T RECREATE PROBLEM. PROBLEM CONTINUES. 6/11/14: TURN KEY, CAR WON'T START, TURN OFF, TURN ON, C…

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TURN KEY IN IGNITION. NOTHING HAPPENS. TURN OFF, TURN ON, EVENTUALLY IGNITION WORKS AND CAR TURNS ON. THIS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES BEFORE FIRST VISIT TO DEALER TO TRY TO REMEDY ISSUE. FIRST TRIP TO DEALER 5/14/14. DEALER CAN'T RECREATE PROBLEM. PROBLEM CONTINUES. 6/11/14: TURN KEY, CAR WON'T START, TURN OFF, TURN ON, CAR WONT START. AFTER SEVERAL TRIES, HYUNDAI DEALER CALLED, SENDS A TOW TRUCK. TOW TRUCK DRIVER TURNS KEY. WON'T START. TOW TRUCK DRIVER SAYS YOU NEED TO TURN THE KEY AND HOLD IT DOWN TO "RESET THE COMPUTER, RESET THE BRAKE SWITCH." HE DOES THIS AND CAR STARTS. HE TOWS IT TO DEALER 6/11/14. DEALER CAN'T RECREATE PROBLEM (SANDS DOWN PAINTED GROUND AREAS). 6/26/14- CAR STARTS BUT IS STUCK IN PARK, CAN'T SHIFT TO DRIVE. TURN OFF. TURN BACK ON. ABLE TO SHIFT TO DRIVE. LATER SAME DAY 6/26/14, TURN KEY IN IGNITION. NOTHING HAPPENS. HOLD KEY DOWN AS INSTRUCTED BY TOW TRUCK DRIVER ON 6/11. TURN OFF, TURN BACK ON, CAR STARTS. READ UP ON THE ISSUE ONLINE. SYMPTOMS SOUND SIMILAR TO BRAKE SWITCH RECALL ISSUES ON EARLIER MODELS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10606367

2002 model year · 99,146 miles · Jun 24, 2014
Air BagsElectrical System

WHEN I GOT A NEW BATTERY THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND TRIED TO RESET IT, IT DIDN'T WORK. I THEN TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AT NAPLES DODGE AND HE TRIED TO GET IT OFF BY HOOKING IT UP TO A COMPUTER. AFTER SEVERAL TRIES HE SAID HE COULD NOT DO IT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO…

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WHEN I GOT A NEW BATTERY THE AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AND HE DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND TRIED TO RESET IT, IT DIDN'T WORK. I THEN TOOK IT TO MY MECHANIC AT NAPLES DODGE AND HE TRIED TO GET IT OFF BY HOOKING IT UP TO A COMPUTER. AFTER SEVERAL TRIES HE SAID HE COULD NOT DO IT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

NHTSA ODI #10605526

2013 model year · 25,000 miles · Jun 15, 2014
Electrical SystemUnknown Or Other

OVER THE PAST 11 MONTH THIS CAR HAS HAD SEVERAL INCIDENCES WHERE IT JUST WILL NOT START. ON A FEW OCCASIONS IT STARTED AFTER A COUPLE OF TRIES AND A FEW OCCASIONS WHERE IT WOULD NOT START WHEN I NEEDED IT TO BUT HAD NO PROBLEM STARTING AN HOUR OR TWO LATER. THIS WEEKEND WAS THE BIGGEST ISSUE. I PARKED MY CAR FRIDAY EVENING WI…

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OVER THE PAST 11 MONTH THIS CAR HAS HAD SEVERAL INCIDENCES WHERE IT JUST WILL NOT START. ON A FEW OCCASIONS IT STARTED AFTER A COUPLE OF TRIES AND A FEW OCCASIONS WHERE IT WOULD NOT START WHEN I NEEDED IT TO BUT HAD NO PROBLEM STARTING AN HOUR OR TWO LATER. THIS WEEKEND WAS THE BIGGEST ISSUE. I PARKED MY CAR FRIDAY EVENING WITH NO INDICATION THAT THERE WAS AN ISSUE BUT ON SATURDAY THE CAR WOULD NOT START, LATER ON SATURDAY THE CAR WOULD NOT START, SUNDAY THE CAR WOULD NOT START. HYUNDAI ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE SENT SOMEONE OUT TO JUMP MY CAR BUT THE CAR WOULD NOT START. THEY SENT OUT A TOW TRUCK TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HE USED THE SHIFT OVERRIDE TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND THE CAR STARTED RIGHT UP ONCE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL AND IT DROVE JUST FINE. WHEN THIS ISSUE OCCURS THE INSTRUMENT PANEL LIGHTS UP BUT WHEN I TURN THE KEY TO START THE CAR, THE PANEL GOES OUT AND THERE IS NOTHING BUT SILENCE FROM THE ENGINE. THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP BUT THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE ISSUE SO THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO BECAUSE IT IS NOT CAUSING ANY CODES TO GO TO THE COMPUTER. *JS

NHTSA ODI #10598390

2013 model year · 7,000 miles · Jun 12, 2014
Electrical System

WHEN I WAS DRIVING MY CAR SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS THE 4TH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. I TOOK IT BACK TO TODD ARCHER HYUNDAI AND THEY LOOKED AT AND IT TOLD ME IT WAS THE ELECTRICAL GROUNDS BUT IT JUST HAPPENED AGAIN. PLEASE HELP. IM IN THE MILITARY AND I NEED MY CAR FOR WORK. THE CAR IS UNSAFE THEY WON'T SWAP IT OUT. INITIA…

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WHEN I WAS DRIVING MY CAR SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. THIS IS THE 4TH TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. I TOOK IT BACK TO TODD ARCHER HYUNDAI AND THEY LOOKED AT AND IT TOLD ME IT WAS THE ELECTRICAL GROUNDS BUT IT JUST HAPPENED AGAIN. PLEASE HELP. IM IN THE MILITARY AND I NEED MY CAR FOR WORK. THE CAR IS UNSAFE THEY WON'T SWAP IT OUT. INITIALLY IT WAS A DEMO CAR. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10597834

2011 model year · 94,000 miles · Jun 5, 2014
Electrical SystemFire

MY MOTHER CAME TO A STOP AND NOTICED SMOKE AND THEN FIRE COMING FROM UNDER THE HOOD. EVERYTHING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IS BURNT TO A CRISP. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10596530

2010 model year · 43,000 miles · Jun 3, 2014
Electrical SystemLatches/locks/linkages

THE REAR PASSENGER AUTOMATIC DOOR LOCK HAS STOPPED WORKING. IT HAS TO MANUALLY UNLOCKED AND LOCKEDFROM INSIDE THE CAR! I WONDER WHAT THIS WILL COST??? *TR

NHTSA ODI #10595791

2005 model year · 85,000 miles · May 27, 2014
Electrical System

MY CAR STALLS. THIS FIRST STARTED HAPPENING WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, MY CAR WOULD STALL BUT WOULD START RIGHT UP. NOW IT IS HAPPENING WHEN I TURN INTO PARKING LOTS OR MAKING A TURN ONTO ANOTHER STREET. MY CAR STALLS, I PUT IT IN PARK AND IT STARTS BACK UP AGAIN. THE MOST FRIGHTENING TIME WAS A FEW WEEKS AGO WHEN I WAS DRIVING …

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MY CAR STALLS. THIS FIRST STARTED HAPPENING WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT, MY CAR WOULD STALL BUT WOULD START RIGHT UP. NOW IT IS HAPPENING WHEN I TURN INTO PARKING LOTS OR MAKING A TURN ONTO ANOTHER STREET. MY CAR STALLS, I PUT IT IN PARK AND IT STARTS BACK UP AGAIN. THE MOST FRIGHTENING TIME WAS A FEW WEEKS AGO WHEN I WAS DRIVING DOWN A BUSY STREET ABOUT 40-45 MPH AND MY CAR JUST SUDDENLY STALLED. I WAS VERY SCARED THAT SOMEONE WOULD REAR-END ME. THE PROBLEM IS IT HAPPENS INTERMEDIATELY. THE MECHANICS CAN'T FIND THE PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY CAN'T GET IT TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO EXCEPT TRADE IT IN WHICH I DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO DO. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10594433

Related Official recalls

2

00V259001 · Electrical System:wiring

Sep 11, 2000

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: SOME SONATA VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 2.5 LITER V-6 ENGINES AND ALL ELANTRA MODEL VEHICLES MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED INTERMITTENT LOW-SPEED ENGINE STALLING, WHICH COULD OCCUR IF THE MAF (MASS AIR FLOW) SENSOR ELECTRICAL SIGNAL IS INTERRUPTED AS A RESULT OF ENGINE VIBRATION TRANSMITTED TO THE MAF SENSOR CONNECTOR WIRING HARNESS.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAN CAUSE THE ENGINE TO STALL, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL RE-ROUTE THE MAF SENSOR CONNECTOR WIRING HARNESS.

94V090000 · Electrical System:alternator/generator/regulator

May 11, 1994

IN SOME VEHICLES, THE MANUFACTURER'S PROTECTIVE INTERNAL COATING OF THE ELECTRONIC CRANK ANGLE SENSOR DOES NOT MEET SPECIFICATIONS, WHICH CAN CAUSE AN OPEN CIRCUIT AT HIGH OPERATING TEMPERATURES. THIS CAN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: ENGINE STALLING HAS THE POTENTIAL TO RESULT IN A VEHICLE CRASH IF IT OCCURS WHILE THE VEHICLE IS MOVING.

Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE CRANK ANGLE SENSOR TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE SENSOR IS INVOLVED IN THE RECALL, AND REPLACE ANY SENSOR FOUND WITH THE DEFECTIVE INTERNAL COATING.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

Related NHTSA investigations

0

No component-matched exact-year investigations in this snapshot.