2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA Complaints

2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA SE MODEL # 44422 CAR IS "JUMPING" WHILE DRIVING, FEELS LIKE IT'S SHIFTING GEARS WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY/ROAD. HAS NOT STALLED OUT WHILE DRIVING THOUGH. SOMETIMES CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WILL TURN ON AFTER THESE EPISODES. I HAVE TAKEN CAR TO AUTOLAND HYUNDAI IN UNIONTOWN, PA (WHERE CARE WAS PURCHASED) MULTIPLE TIMES NOW. THEY FIRST SAID A WIRE WAS LOOSE, AND TIGHTENED IT FOR PROBLEM TO HAPPEN AGAIN. THEN THEY PUT SOME TYPE OF HOLSTER IN TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. CAR DROVE OK FOR ABOUT 1 MONTH, BUT NOW IS HAVING PROBLEM AGAIN. HAPPENED TWICE TONIGHT WHILE DRIVING AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS NOW ON. *TR

MY 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA STALLS FREQUENTLY, BUT NOT REPRODUCIBLE, ABOUT ONCE A WEEK. I NOTICE THIS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING AROUND 20-25 MILES/HOUR. INTERNET SEARCH INDICATES THAT OTHERS ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR PROBLEM AND A FAULTY FUEL PUMP MAY BE THE ISSUE. *TR

FAULTY BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH CAUSED BRAKE LIGHTS TO STOP FUNCTIONING AS WELL AS PREVENTING AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FROM SHIFTING INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE FROM PARK, WITHOUT USING SHIFT LOCK OVER-RIDE. NO CRASHES OCCURRED AS HELPFUL MOTORIST NOTIFIED ME OF BRAKE LIGHT MALFUNCTION. THERE WAS A RECALL BY NHTSA FOR EARLIER MODEL HYUNDAI ELANTRAS - THE 2008 MODELS SHOULD BE ADDED TO THE RECALL. THE SHIFT LOCK ISSUE WAS A DAILY OCCURRENCE. I HAD NO IDEA BOTH PROBLEMS WERE CAUSED BY THE SAME FAILURE. AS MY CAR IS RELATIVELY NEW AND STILL UNDER WARRANTY I WAS ABLE TO TAKE IT TO A HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIR UNDER WARRANTY. IF THESE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCHES ARE STILL FAULTY, THERE COULD BE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESS BY THE MANUFACTURER. THE OLD PART IS NOT AVAILABLE AS IT IS IN THE POSSESSION OF THE DEALERSHIP. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHENEVER THE CONTACT SHIFTED INTO PARK, THE GEAR WOULD NEVER STICK. THE VEHICLE WOULD EITHER MOVE FORWARD FOR A FEW SECONDS BEFORE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP. WHENEVER THE GEAR WAS IN DRIVE, THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK FORWARD. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE OR WOULD SUDDENLY ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER THREE TIMES FOR THESE FAILURES. DURING THE FIRST VISIT, THE MECHANIC REPLACED THE TRANSMISSION, WHICH CORRECTED THE ISSUE FOR LESS THAN FOUR MONTHS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THE SOLENOIDS WERE CAUSING THE FAILURES. THE DEALER REPLACED THE VALVE ASSEMBLY AND THE SOLENOIDS. THERE HAD BEEN NO FURTHER OCCURRENCES SINCE THE LAST REPAIR. THE CONTACT BELIEVES THAT A RECALL SHOULD BE ISSUED SINCE IT APPEARED TO BE A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 8,918 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 11,792. UPDATED 7/23/09 *CN THE CONSUMER ALSO STATED THERE WAS A SMELL OF GAS IN THE VEHICLE. UPDATED 07/30/09.*UB

I WAS DRIVING MY 2008 ELANTRA WHEN I APPROACHED A SHARP CURVE IN THE ROAD. I APPLIED MY BRAKES AND SUDDENLY THE CRUISE CONTROL SEEMED TO ACTIVATE AND THE CAR SPED UP AND LEFT THE ROAD . I HAD NO CONTROL OF THE BRAKES OR STEERING. IT SEEMED AS IF THE VEHICLE FROZE. I TRIED TO BRAKE AND NOTHING HAPPENED, I TRIED TO STEER AND THE WHEEL WAS LOCKED. I RAN OVER SEVERAL STREET SIGNS. WHEN THE CAR FINALLY STOPPED BY CRASHING INTO A TREE, THE CAR WAS OFF AND THE KEY COULD NOT BE REMOVED. MY AIRBAG DID GO OFF HOWEVER MY SONS SIDE AIRBAG DID NOT. WE BOTH SUSTAINED MINOR PHYSICAL INJURIES AND MAJOR EMOTIONAL INJURIES. THE CAR WAS TOTALED. APPROXIMATELY 5 WEEKS LATER I RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE ON MY VEHICLE. MY CAR WAS ONE OF THE VEHICLES WITH THE FAULTY FUEL PUMP THAT NEEDED REPLACEMENT. IN THE NOTICE IT STATED THAT IF THE FUEL PUMP WAS NOT REPLACED IT COULD CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO CRASH. I BEGAN TO RESEARCH THE RECALL AND NOTED SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE THAT EXPERIENCED SIMILAR DIFFICULTIES. I ALSO HAD NOTICED A STRANGE SMELL (ELECTRICAL?) THE PRIOR TWO DAYS OF THE ACCIDENT. I HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET ANY INFORMATION ON WHETHER OR NOT THE FUEL PUMP WAS FAULTY AND IT WAS WOULD IT HAVE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO BEHAVE IN THE WAY IT DID CAUSING IT TO CRASH. THE VEHICLE WAS DISPOSED OF IMMEDIATELY SO IT WAS UNABLE TO BE EXAMINED. I DO NOT HAVE THE VIN # AS I NO LONGER HAVE THE VEHICLE. I DID HOWEVER, THROUGH THE DEALERSHIP, FIND OUT THAT MY VEHICLE WAS INDEED ONE OF THE ONES ON THE RECALL NOTICE. THE PROBLEM WAS FIRST NOTED IN AUGUST AND THE RECALL BEGAN SOON AFTER. I WAS NOT NOTIFIED UNTIL WEEKS AFTER THE CRASH. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 45 MPH, THE THROTTLE SENSOR STICKS AND CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO CONTINUE ACCELERATING WITHOUT PRESSURE BEING APPLIED TO THE PEDAL. THE CONTACT HAS TO APPLY EXTREME PRESSURE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL IN ORDER TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY DETERMINED THAT THE THROTTLE SENSOR WAS FAILING. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY WILL CALL THE DEALER FOR A REPORT ON THE FAILURE, AND GIVE THE CONTACT A CALL BACK. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 20 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 17,400.

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. ON TWO OCCASIONS, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO STUTTER AND STALL WHEN SLOWING DOWN. DURING THE SECOND OCCURRENCE, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER BUT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 4,443.

ENGINE CUT OFF WITH FUEL GAUGE DROPPING TO 'EMPTY' [ WITH A 1/2 FULL TANK]. ON THE NYS THRUWAY ALMOST CAUSING A COLLISION WITH AN 18 WHEELER AS I COASTED ACROSS ITS PATH TO THE SHOULDER IN ROCKLAND COUNTY. CALLED AAA AND EVENTUALLY, [ABOUT 10 MIN. AFTER, WHILE STILL ON THE LINE WITH AAA, I HEARD A LIGHT CLICK AND THE FUEL GAUGE WENT BACK UP TO 1/2 TANK AND THE CAR ENGINE STARTED UP TO COMPLETE MY DRIVE HOME. *TR

THERE WAS NO PARTICULAR INCIDENT RELATED TO A CRASH. TWICE SINCE 10/08 THE DASHBOARD AIRBAG LIGHT HAS GONE ON FOR NO REASON AND WOULD NOT GO OFF. THE HYUNDAI DEALER SAID THE FIRST TIME THAT THE WIRING WAS LOOSE FROM THE TIME OF INSTALLATION MOST LIKELY, AND THEY TIGHTENED THE WIRES. SECOND INCIDENT WAS 2 WEEKS AGO. THIS TIME THEY TELL US WE HAVE A FAULTY HARNESS AND IT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. WE ARE STILL WAITING FOR THE PART WHICH IS SUPPOSEDLY ON MANUFACTURER BACKORDER. THEY TELL US THE ISSUE IS SO UNCOMMON THAT THEY HAVE NOT SEEN IT BEFORE. JUST DOING A SEARCH ONLINE I SEE THE RECENT RECALL FOR SIMILAR AIRBAG ISSUES ON THE 01-02 ELANTRAS, SO THIS MAKES ME NERVOUS. PLEASE PLEASE INVESTIGATE THIS ISSUE WITH THE 08S AS WELL! THIS IS OUR ONLY CAR AND I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING IT, ESPECIALLY WHILE WAITING FOR THE NEW HARNESS..BUT IN THE LONG RUN I WORRY ABOUT FUTURE FAILURES IF AN ACCIDENT DID OCCUR. *TR

DURING A SHARP, SUDDEN TURN AT ABOUT 40 MPH, THE CAR SHUT OFF COMPLETELY. THE CAR IS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA GLS. *TR