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2004 Hyundai Elantra Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 182 complaints with NHTSA about the 2004 Hyundai Elantra, most often about the air bags (63% of complaints, typically around 17,000 miles). It is 19th of 27 Elantra model years by number of complaints and has 5 recalls.
Most common 2004 Hyundai Elantra problems
Air bags
114 complaints · 63%Half of these problems showed up before 17,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window, on-off switch assembly.
: the contact stated the passenger air bag (ocs system) is suppose to activate when an adult is sitting in the seat and not activate when a child is sitting in the seat. The ocs system will not activate for the owner of the vehicle when sitting in the seat properly. The dealership determined the driver is less than…
Bhught car used 6 weeks ago. Ever since while my wife {120lbs] occup[ies right front passenger seat , the air bag disabled light stays illuninated. To extinguise she has to wiggle around on seat , slide forward and someitmes lift her weight off of the seat and drop on to seat several times/ took car back to dealer…
Engine
16 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 70,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, cooling system.
Car broke down at a light on my way to work on friday june 6. It would not start back up. Car was towed to the nearest Hyundai dealer. They said the car over heated. Repairs were made and car was given back to me on june 11 or 12. Check engine light came on less than an hour after picking up the car. Dealer was closed…
I was driving on the highway and suddenly the oil light came on. At the same time, there was a loud noise so I pulled over and turned off my car. Minutes later I tried to turn it on but no life whatsoever. Got out of car and saw big oil spill along the side up to where I drove to. Drove car to mechanic. Engine had…
Seat belts
12 complaints · 7%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: front, rear/other.
The contact owns a 2004 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the driver's side seat belt would not retract or sit tightly across the driver's chest. The vehicle was taken to a mechanic, who stated that the seat belt needed replacing. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not…
"takata recall " well I never really thought about vehicle recalls until the death of a young girl and a few others. My car has problems with it when I'm driving to work at 4am in the morning about 5 miles there and back and one of the problems is my air bag light is on has been on for about 2 weeks, my suspension is…
Brakes
8 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 17,500 miles. Parts named most often: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip, foundation components.
Loud clunking noise and vibration from rear of car when braking. Took it to dealer and they replaced warped rotors and machined brake drums at 4,400 miles. Problem started again and even worse at 4,700 miles. I will be taking it in today. I'm afraid that after 12,000 miles the warranty will not cover them anymore…
: the contact stated while turning left at low speeds there was a grinding noise that came from the rear of the vehicle. The dealership was unable to determine why the rear brakes had failed. The vehicle was taken to a local independent repair shop. The mechanic determined the rear brake sensors were bent and both…
Speed control
7 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 74,000 miles.
My vehicle revs on it's own. Starting and stopping through town is very dangerous because it is difficult to stop the vehicle. As I hold the brake down the car continues to accelerate as if my foot is on the accelerator. The car revs in park, neutral, drive, and reverse. I took it to a local mechanic. He cleaned out…
I was driving with my cruise control on and a car stopped in front of me. I hit the brakes and my car accelerated. This is the third time this has happened. Fortunately, I was able to slam on the brakes and the car stopped. Also the air bag light does not go off with an adult in the front seat. This is very concerning.
Suspension
7 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 99,500 miles. Parts named most often: front.
From stop sign proceeded to cross intersection, was struck on front end of drivers side panel and bumper, spun around and hit again on driver back side panel and rear wheel, ripped half of the front bumper and crushed drivers front side against engine , no air bag deployed.
The contact owns a 2004 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while having maintenance done on his vehicle, he was notified that all four struts were defective. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not…
Transmission
7 complaints · 4%Half of these problems showed up before 33,000 miles. Parts named most often: clutch assembly, automatic transmission.
Vehicle was undrivable when clutch went bad without any warning at about 13,900 miles. Dealer charges $900 to replace clutch due to warranty only being 12 months 12,000 miles. I was able to have Hyundai cover the cost of the parts ($260) but I paid 100% of the labor. In 30+ years driving I never had a clutch go bad on…
Clutch failure at 52,792 miles. I own 3 other cars ; ford, honda, and chevrolet with clutches well over 120,000 miles. It is not a result of my driving. Hyundai would not replace. Not covered under the warranty.
Electrical
6 complaints · 3%Parts named most often: wiring, ignition.
Vehicle caught on fire in the engine compartment while driving 40 MPH. The local fire department arrived to extinguish the fire. Dealer and the manufacturer were notified. The consumer stated that she smelled smoke coming through the vents while driving. The engine light came on and the vehicle lost all power. Vehicle…
(1) can happen anytime without warning. May go for weeks, days, or minutes before recurring. (2)engine shuts off while driving. Must shift into neutral to restart. Not easy to do when doing 65 MPH on rt 30, to suddenly have no power or power steering and a semi is on your tail. It has happened at least 20 times since…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2004 Hyundai Elantra recalls
Air bags
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Fuel system: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the position of the vapor tube hose clamp ears and correctly position the clamp, if necessary. The recall began on october 5, 2004. Owners should contact hyundai de puerto rico at 1-800-981-0188.
Full defect summary
During an insurance institute for highway safety (iihs) offset frontal barrier impact test, it was determined that fuel tan damage could occur. On certain passenger vehicles, a vapor tube hose clamp that is located near the fuel tank may not be positioned properly and could cause fuel leakage.
Fuel system: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
Risk: In the event of a crash, damage to the vehicle could cause the mispositioned clamp to puncture the fuel tank causing fuel leakage. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the position of the vapor tube hose clamp and correctly position the clamp, if necessary. Owner notification began on may 24, 2004. Owners should contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Full defect summary
During an insurance institute for highway safety (iihs) offset frontal barrier impact test on certain passenger vehicles, fuel spillage occurred as a result of fuel tank damage caused by contact between a vapor tube hose clamp ear and the fuel tank. The vapor tube hose clamp ear was found to be mispositioned and facing toward the fuel tank.
Air bags
Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, the air bag may not deploy, possibly resulting in serious injury to the right front passenger.
Fix: The occupant classification sensor will be reprogrammed.
Full defect summary
On certain vehicles, if the front passenger seat is unoccupied or is occupied by someone lighter than 56.4 pounds, the passenger air bag is deactivated and will not deploy if a crash occurs. However, the occupant classification sensor may incorrectly interpret that a seated adult is an infant seat and deactivate the passenger air bag if someone heavier than 56.4 pounds who is seated with one leg resting on the outboard or inboard edge of the seat; with legs spread; or positioned off-center toward the center console and with his or her arm leaning on the console.
Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which recalls are still open on your car.
NHTSA defect investigations
Post-crash fuel tank leak
Summary
Pe04-041 was opened to investigate a fuel leak incident that occurred during an insurance institute for highway safety (iihs) frontal crash offset test on the subject vehicle.this investigation revealed that the vapor tube hose clamp ear was mispositioned and facing toward the fuel tank, which enabled the vapor tube hose clamp ear to puncture the fuel tank and the fuel tank to leak stoddard fluid during the iihs crash test.on april 30, 2004, hyundai motor company (hyundai) notified NHTSA of a safety defect in certain my 2004 elantra vehicles produced from september 1, 2003 through april 14, 2004.the notification identified the mispositioning of the vapor tube hose clamp, which resulted from
Questions about the 2004 Hyundai Elantra
- What are the most common problems with the 2004 Hyundai Elantra?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: air bags (114 complaints, typically around 17,000 miles); engine (16 complaints, typically around 70,000 miles); seat belts (12 complaints, typically around 65,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2004 Hyundai Elantra have?
- 5 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from October 17, 2005 (air bags). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2004 a bad year for the Hyundai Elantra?
- It is 19th of 27 Elantra model years by number of complaints, with 182 complaints. Complaint counts are not adjusted for how many cars were sold, so popular years collect more of them, and the newest years have had less time to.