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2008 Hyundai Elantra Problems and Recalls
Owners filed 314 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Hyundai Elantra, most often about the steering (18% of complaints, typically around 71,500 miles). It is 9th of 27 Elantra model years by number of complaints and has 7 recalls.
Most common 2008 Hyundai Elantra problems
Steering
55 complaints · 18%Half of these problems showed up before 71,500 miles. Parts named most often: linkages.
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving 40 MPH, the power steering failed and he lost control of the vehicle. The contact stated that the eps warning lamp illuminated after the failure occurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed that the computer needed to be…
I was driving on a freeway when my eps light came on and when I began to exit my car did not want to steer. I took my foot off the gas and strongly steered right. At the stop sign I took both hands on the steering wheel and made a left turn. Every turn home was difficult. They power steering was not working.it was…
Brakes
49 complaints · 16%Half of these problems showed up before 72,000 miles.
On 02/12/2013 I observed the brakes lights on my 2008 Hyundai Elantra to be out. I checked the fuses, all were good. A private mechanic checked and stated the stop light switch was bad and would need to be replaced.
14 hours after parking the car, smoke was coming from the engine compartment. Fire dept was called, I disconnected the battery and fire department extinguished smoke source. Towed to dealer, who said the ABS system shorted causing a fire and destroying wiring harness. Luckily it was caught before the vehicle was…
Fuel system
45 complaints · 14%Half of these problems showed up before 2,000 miles. Parts named most often: delivery.
I had an issue in early june regarding my 2008 Hyundai Elantra. Car began to hesitate and stalled out. It was told back to dealership, which could not recreate the problem and informed me it was a fuel injection misfire, rebooted computer and said it would not happen again. On july 3rd, I had the exact same situation…
My 2008 Elantra se which I bought in may has had two "episodes" of stalling. The first (od 1100 mi) on july 14 occurred on the freeway and began as a slight hesitation that got progressively worse such that we took the next exit and limped home on back roads. The check engine light came on and the car stalled twice…
Engine
41 complaints · 13%Half of these problems showed up before 40,000 miles. Parts named most often: engine, exhaust system.
Takata recall. Driver lost control of the car and over corrected and hit a tree which pushed her into another tree. The front end of the car was wrecked and the air bags did not deploy. We were never contacted about the recall on the car so we had no knowledge that the air bags were defective.
Car loses power when driving car at low speed, car just shuts down and would need to place in park and restart the car, also lost power steering while driving car on the freeway, card wheel locked and car lost all power, was able to place it in park and restarted it, but was with out power steering, car shakes when…
Air bags
38 complaints · 12%Half of these problems showed up before 56,000 miles. Parts named most often: frontal, side/window.
While driving east toward home, a large SUV or pickup truck came around the curve with bright lights on, thus blinding me. I did not see a car turning left until too late to stop. Resulting in rear ending the other car. The air bags on my Hyundai failed to deploy. Also I do not think the right seat belt did not catch…
We pulled the car out of an intersection and t boned another car. Both cars were totaled in this accident, yet no airbags deployed. There was no fire. The accident happened on a flat roadway. The driver of the Hyundai was wearing his seatbelt. Please see pictures.
Electrical
30 complaints · 10%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: horn, wiring.
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced trouble starting. The contact had to buy approximately five batteries since purchasing the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately…
Upon receipt of an important safety recall notice of anti ABS module trigger short circuit and engine fire while engine is turned off; I called the sacramento Hyundai and spoke with recall agent "[]" today 4/14/20 who stated that the service center do not have the available part to fix or repair this safety recall. []…
Transmission
29 complaints · 9%Half of these problems showed up before 36,500 miles. Parts named most often: automatic transmission, clutch assembly, driveline.
My 2008 Hyundai Elantra will automatically accelerate without warning above the speed that I am driving, which almost caused an accident while I had 4 teenagers in my car. I bought my car new and I have been experiencing this problem for at least a year, I'm not sure of the date this problem started. Hyundai…
While driving the car began to accelerate on its own,had to push hard on brakes to avoid, hitting another car.brakes had to be applied hard.
Lights
24 complaints · 8%Half of these problems showed up before 65,000 miles. Parts named most often: brake lights, tail lights.
Came to stop light, the gentleman in the car next to me at the stoplight told me he almost hit me a little ways back when I stopped to let a vehicle turn. He stated my brake lights were not working. Checked and it was true the back window light and both brake lights did not work. Took it to the repair shop and they…
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while the vehicle was being serviced at an automotive shop, the mechanic stated that all three brakes lights malfunctioned. The mechanic also stated to the contact that the fuses were functioning properly. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer…
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. One complaint can name several components, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2008 Hyundai Elantra recalls
Brakes: control unit/module
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Steering: electric power assist system
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Lights: switch
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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
Air bags: sensor/control module-inactive
Risk: 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.
Fix: 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.
Full defect summary
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.
Air bags: sensor/control module-inactive
Risk: A higher pressure deployment than intended increases the risk of injury resulting from airbag deployment.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the air bag control module 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.
Full defect summary
Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 elantra vehicles manufactured from july 14, 2006, through august 29, 2007. The driver's seat track position sensor determines the seat's fore and aft position and allows the driver's frontal air bag to deploy at the pressure appropriate for that seating position, with a lower pressure deployment in the most forward seating positions. The air bag control module may receive an unstable electrical signal from the seat track position sensor such that, in a crash that requires driver frontal airbag deployment, the driver's airbag may deploy at the higher pressure than intended if the seat was position in one of the forward positions in which a lower pressure deployment is intended.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: As a result, poor engine staring and hesitation may result. Other engine performance issues may also result and lead to a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the vehicle's fuel pump subassembly. The recall began on february 9, 2009. Owners may contact hpr at 1-800-981-0188.
Full defect summary
Hyundai de puerto rico (hpr) is recalling 347 my 2008 elantra vehicles. The fuel pump motor may not have the proper, uniform internal electrical surface contact. This may cause the fuel pump to produce less pumping pressure than required to supply the fuel injection system.
Fuel system: fuel pump
Risk: Poor engine starting and hesitation may result. Other engine performance issues may also result increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the fuel pump subassembly free of charge. The recall began on september 15, 2008. Owners may contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Full defect summary
Hyundai is recalling 65,000 my 2008 elantra vehicles with 2.0 liter beta engines. The fuel pump motor may not have the proper uniform internal electrical surface contact. This may cause the fuel pump to produce less pumping pressure than required to supply the fuel injection system.
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
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
Summary
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 defec
Engine stalling - fuel pump failure
Summary
On august 19, 2008, hyundai submitted a defect information report to NHTSA concerning fuel pump failure resulting in engine stall in approximately 65,000 model year 2008 hyundai elantra vehicles with 2.0 liter beta engines produced from november 5, 2007, through june 28, 2008 (NHTSA recall no. 08v-429, hyundai campaign 086).the recalled vehicles are equipped with fuel pumps manufactured with upper body components from a different supplier than those manufactured prior to november 5, 2007.according to hyundai, the new supplier's upper body components had incorrect dimensional characteristics resulting in misalignment of the armature shaft, which caused some of the fuel pumps to experience poo
Questions about the 2008 Hyundai Elantra
- What are the most common problems with the 2008 Hyundai Elantra?
- By NHTSA owner complaints: steering (55 complaints, typically around 71,500 miles); brakes (49 complaints, typically around 72,000 miles); fuel system (45 complaints, typically around 2,000 miles).
- How many recalls does the 2008 Hyundai Elantra have?
- 7 recalls listed by NHTSA, the latest from February 4, 2020 (brakes). Check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see which ones are still open on your car.
- Is the 2008 a bad year for the Hyundai Elantra?
- It is 9th of 27 Elantra model years by number of complaints, with 314 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.