2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA Complaints

THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE CONTROL ARM OF MY 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA BROKE. THE WHEEL COULD HAVE FLOWN OFF, BUT LUCKILY IT DIDN'T. THIS HAPPENED ON A 2 LANE ROAD. IF IT HAD HAPPENED ON A HIGHWAY, IT COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO MY MECHANIC AND IS STILL THERE. I DID RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND INFORMATION ABOUT A RECALL DATED APRIL 2009. I CALLED HYUNDAI CONSUMER AFFAIRS HOTLINE AND WAS TOLD THE RECALL IS NOT OFFICIALLY RELEASED AND DEALERSHIPS WON'T ACKNOWLEDGE IT. I WAS ALSO TOLD MY CAR WON'T QUALIFY FOR THE RECALL BECAUSE THE MILEAGE IS TOO HIGH. *TR

2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA-GREAT CAR NO MAJOR PROBLEMS. MEMORIAL DAY COMING HOME ON A SECONDARY ROAD APPROACHING A STOP SIGN-BANG! COULDN'T MOVE THE CAR.A DRIVER GOING BY TELLS ME DON'T MOVE-THE WHEEL IS OFF THE CAR! HAD TO BE TOWED FROM SCENE-THE LOWER CONTROL BAR HAD COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH AND LET GO. THE METAL USED ON THIS PARTICULAR PART IS SO THIN IT IS SCARY! YOU WOULD EXPECT THE METAL USED FOR THIS PART WOULD BE RATHER THICK DUE TO THE SERIOUS PURPOSE IT SERVES AND THE CONSTANT STRESS IT MUST ENDURE.AT SEVEN YEARS OLD IT SHOULD NOT BE RUSTED AWAY TO THE POINT OF BREAKING IN TWO. THE ONLY SYMPTOMS I EXPERIENCED WAS A HIGH PITCHED SOUND WHICH OCCURRED EVERY ONCE IN A WHILE-SOUNDED LIKE CHAIN JINGLING, AND A SOMEWHAT SMOOTHER RIDE LIKE MY TIRES WERE LOW ON AIR. I HAVE NUMEROUS PEOPLE LOOK AT THIS -THEY WALK AWAY IN DISBELIEF WHEN I TELL THEM THE CAR IS SEVEN YEARS OLD, CONSIDERING THE RUST ON THIS CONTROL ARM IT IS UNBELIEVABLE-I AM NOW WONDERING IF THERE ARE OTHERS OUT THERE HAVING THE SAME EXPERIENCE. I AM A SCHOOL BUS DRIVER -HAVING DRIVEN SCHOOL BUSSES FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS BUT THIS EXPERIENCE HAS ENLIGHTENED ME TO THE IMPORTANCE OF THE CIRCLE CHECK ON OUR VEHICLES!!!! *TR

WHILE DRIVING AT 30 MPH, THE FRONT OF MY 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA COLLAPSED. TRANSMISSION FLUID EVERYWHERE, DRIVER'S FRONT WHEEL AT A RIGHT ANGLE, AND THE SUBFRAME WAS BROKEN COMPLETELY IN HALF. LUCKY TO BE ALIVE. *TR

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON ONE DAY FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP SERVICE GARAGE AND THEY EXPLAINED THAT THE WIRING UNDERNEATH THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT HAD BECOME DISCONNECTED DUE TO A FEW ITEMS THAT WERE UNDER THE SEAT. I CALLED HYUNDAI CONSUMER AFFAIRS TO SEE IF THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL ON THIS, AS IT SEEMED ODD TO ME THAT THIS COULD HAPPEN SIMPLY DUE TO AN OBJECT BEING UNDERNEATH A CAR SEAT, AND THEY INDICATED THERE WAS INDEED A RECALL FOR THIS SAME EXACT SITUATION FOR MY YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL, BUT THAT THE MANUFACTURE DATE ON MY VEHICLE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS OUTSIDE OF THE RANGE OF THE RECALL, SO THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO ABOUT IT. I FIND IT SUSPECT THAT THEY CANNOT COVER THE COST TO FIX THIS ISSUE, WHICH IS EXACTLY THE SAME AS THE CURRENT RECALL DESCRIPTION, JUST BECAUSE THEY DETERMINED THAT MY VEHICLE IS OUTSIDE THE MANUFACTURING DATE RANGE. I WOULD LIKE MY VEHICLE INCLUDED IN THIS RECALL SO THAT THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN, CAUSING A POTENTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. THE RECALL INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND ON YOUR WEBSITE. THE NHTSA ACTION NUMBER IS EA08012. *TR

THE LOWER CONTROL ARM ON MY 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA BROKE DURING DRIVING DUE TO CORROSION. THANK GOD I WAS COMING TO A STOP AND DRIVING SLOWLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE I WAS TOLD THERE WAS NO RECALL AND THAT THEY WOULD NOT COVER THE REPAIR. AFTER SOME HEATED DISCUSSION I WAS TOLD THE WOULD WARRANTY THE CONTROL ARM. WHEN I ASKED IF THEY WOULD REPLACE THE OTHER DEFECTIVE CONTROL ARM THAT DID NOT BREAK I WAS TOLD ONLY THE FAILED PART WOULD BE REPLACED. I INDICATED THAT THE CAR WAS NOT SAFE AN I WOULD NOT DRIVE WITHOUT THE OTHER CONTROL ARM BEING REPLACED. THEY HAVE NOT INDICATED IF THEY WILL WARRANTY THE OTHER. I BELIEVE HYUNDAI IS TRYING TO KEEP A MAJOR PROBLEM HIDDEN FROM THE PUBLIC. *TR

I WAS COMING UP ON A TRAFFIC LIGHT AND WAS SLOWING DOWN WHEN THE LEFT LOWER CONTROL ARM BROKE IN HALF. LOST ALL STEERING,CAR HAD TO BE TOWED. *TR

LEFT FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM RUSTED THROUGH AND WHILE TURNING INTO GAS STATION EXPERIENCED SEVERE GRINDING NOISE AND COLLAPSE OF WHEEL. UPON INVESTIGATION FOUND VEHICLE UNDRIVABLE AND HAD FLAT BEDDED TO GARAGE. MY MECHANIC REPLACED BOTH LOWER CONTROL ARMS THAT HAD RUSTED COMPLETELY THROUGH USING HYUNDAI REPLACEMENT PARTS. CONTACTED HYUNDAI DIRECTLY AND COMPLAINED AND HAVE CASE NUMBER AND HOPE FOR REIMBURSEMENT OF MONIES SPENT. *TR

10/2008, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A STEEP HILL AND BEGAN TO DOWNSHIFT, WHILE BRAKING. MY CAR JERKED AND SKIDDED AT THE BOTTOM. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. A FLATBED TOWED IT AND DETERMINED THAT THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL/TIE ROD HAD BROKEN. THE MECHANIC NOTED SOME CORROSION, BUT REPAIRED WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE. MARCH 2009, I HAD NEW FRONT TIRES PLACED AND BALANCED. SHORTLY AFTERWARDS, I GOT A FLAT TIRE, HAD THE SPARE PUT ON AND BROUGHT IT BACK FOR REPLACEMENT. THE FRONT END SEEMED OUT OF ALIGNMENT, SO IT WAS BROUGHT BACK TO THE MECHANIC FOR REALIGNMENT. IT WAS THEN THEY SAW THAT THE ENTIRE SUBFRAME WAS CORRODED AND "DANGEROUS" TO DRIVE. THE FRONT ARMS WERE BENT AND SUBSEQUENTLY COLLAPSED. THE REPAIRS AT THIS TIME WOULD EXCEED THE VALUE OF THE CAR AND I AM REDUCED TO "JUNKING" MY 7 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. *TR

CAR WAS RIDING NORMAL AS ALWAYS, THEN MADE LEFT TURN AND LEFT FRONT WHEEL WAS PUSHED INTO THE REAR OF THE WHEEL WELL. SLID OFF ROAD, RESULTING IN MINOR COSMETIC DAMAGE. CAUSE OF FAILURE WAS A SNAPPED LEFT FRONT CONTROL ARM DUE TO RUST . PART WAS PERSONALLY REPLACED AT GREAT EXPENSE. BROKEN PART IS AVAILABLE. *TR

LEFT (DRIVER'S SIDE) FRONT CONTROL ARM FAILURE ON 4/16/09. VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW IN JUNE OF 2002. CURRENTLY HAS APPROXIMATELY 93,000 MILES. ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN PERFORMED ON VEHICLE (I.E., OIL CHANGES, 30K SERVICE, 60K SERVICE, 90K SERVICE). CONTROL ARM FAILED WHILE TRAVELING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT A SPEED OF APPROXIMATELY 30 MILES PER HOUR. *TR