2011 HYUNDAI ELANTRA Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING AREA, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE. THE CONTACT EXITED THE VEHICLE, INSPECTED THE FRONT END, AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE TIRE WENT FLAT. THE TIRE WAS UNABLE TO RETAIN AIR. A TOWING COMPANY INSPECTED THE AREA AND DETERMINED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE COIL SPRING FRACTURED. THE DEALER INDICATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS EXCLUDED FROM THE MANUFACTURER RECALL AND PROVIDED NO SOLUTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO REPLACED THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE COIL SPRING THE RECALL INFORMATION WAS UNKNOWN. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 23,000. UPDATED 08/08/17*LJ *TR

2 DAYS AGO, 05/31/2017, THE DRIVER'S AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED AT VEHICLE START AND TURNED OFF DURING THE DRIVE. 06/01/2017, THE SAME LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND STAYS ON. 06/02/2017, I SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH A HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP TO CHECK THE CLOCK SPRING. DEALER NOTIFIED ME OF BOTH FAILED CLOCK SPRING AND FAILED AIRBAG UNIT AND ADVISED A WARRANTY FIX FOR THE CLOCK SPRING AND $700 REPAIR FOR THE AIRBAG. THIS CAR IS 6 YEARS OLD AND THE AIRBAG UNIT DOESN'T JUST UP AND QUIT WORKING ALL OF A SUDDEN. THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AND I URGE NHTSA TO RESEARCH AND CALL FOR A RECALL, OTHERWISE OWNERS ARE PAYING EXORBITANT AMOUNTS OF MONEY FOR A REPAIR OF SOMETHING THAT SHOULDN'T FAIL EVER.

I BOUGHT MY CAR BRAND NEW IN 2011. I DON'T DRIVE MUCH AT ALL SO MY CAR HAS 33,000 MILES. SO WHEN MY CAR STARED MAKING A TICKING NOISE IN THE ENGINE, THAT WAS LOUDER WHEN IDLING BUT NEVER WENT AWAY COMPLETELY. I DIDN'T THINK TO MUCH OF IT. DROPPED IT OFF TO GET LOOKED AT AND THAT'S WHEN I FOUND OUT THERE WAS METAL IN MY ENGINE. THIS MEANT I NEEDED A NEW ENGINE, THIS WAS ABOUT 14 MONTHS AGO, SO IT WENT IN FOR 3-4 DAYS AFTER WAITING A MONTH TO GET THE PART. AFTER THE REPLACED ENGINE IT WORKED WELL AND THE NOISE WAS GONE, SO I THOUGHT THAT WAS THE END. SO WHEN THE NOISE CAME BACK JUST 11 MONTHS LATER I WASN'T HAPPY. DROPPED IT OFF AND SURE ENOUGH IT NEEDS A NEW ENGINE. THIS TIME IT TOOK 3 WEEKS FOR THEM TO REPLACE MY ENGINE. THE SERVICE AT MY LOCAL HYUNDAI IS SO BAD. EVERYDAY I CALLED TO SEE IF MY CAR WAS READY BECAUSE IT WAS SUPPOSED TO LAST 3 DAYS, 3 WEEKS LATER I HAD A SECOND NEW ENGINE. NOW YESTERDAY JUST 2 MONTHS LATER MY CAR IS YET AGAIN MAKING THE TICKING NOISE AND NOW IS HAVING TROUBLE STARTING. I CALLED MY LOCAL HYUNDAI TO MAKE A SERVICE APPOINTMENT AND HAD TO LEAVE A MESSAGE, STILL HAVEN'T HEARD BACK ITS BEEN 2 BUSINESS DAYS. I'M REALLY DISAPPOINTED MY CAR IS 6 YEARS OLD AND HAS JUST 33,000 MILES AND WORKING ON ITS 3RD NEW ENGINE.

AIR BAG LIGHTS RANDOMLY CAME ON AND OFF. THEN STAYED ON. I WAS TOLD TO REPORT THIS CAUSE IT SHOULD BE FIXED FOR FREE OR BE UNDER RECALL.

THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED NEW AND HAS APPROX. ~76K MILES IN 6.5 YEARS OF OWNERSHIP. IT IS GARAGED WHEN NOT IN USE. IT HAS ONLY EVER BEEN SERVICED AT THE SAME LOCAL HYUNDAI SERVICE CENTER. AT THE 72,501-MILE SERVICE, THE BRAKES WERE ASSIGNED A YELLOW SCORE ON A RED-YELLOW-GREEN SCALE BUT NO REMEDIAL WORK WAS RECOMMENDED. SINCE THEN I HAVE NOTICED NO OBVIOUS ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE'S BRAKING SYSTEM NOR RECEIVED ANY DASHBOARD INDICATORS OF VEHICLE ISSUES. AT YESTERDAY'S 76,184-MILE SERVICE, I WAS TOLD THAT THE REAR BRAKES NEEDED URGENT REPAIR WORK. WHEN I ASKED WHEN I COULD BRING THE VEHICLE BACK FOR REMEDIAL WORK, I WAS TOLD THE REPAIRS SHOULD BE CARRIED OUT IMMEDIATELY ELSE I MAY LOSE THE REAR BRAKES. THE INNER REAR PADS WERE FOUND TO BE COMING APART FROM BACKING PLATES AND "FLAPPING". THE REAR BRAKE PADS WERE REPLACED AND REAR ROTORS RESURFACED. FOR SOMEONE WHO DRIVES CONSERVATIVELY SPECIFICALLY TO INCREASE BRAKE LIFE, IT IS EXTREMELY CONCERNING THAT THE VEHICLE'S BRAKES WENT FROM OK 3500 MILES AGO, TO NOW THEY COULD STOP WORKING IMMINENTLY. FOR A FWD VEHICLE, IT IS INTERESTING THAT THE REAR BRAKES SPECIFICALLY HAVE THIS ISSUE. BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE, I AM CONCERNED THOSE THAT DO NOT SERVICE THEIR HYUNDAI AS FREQUENTLY AS I DO, MAY EXPERIENCE SUDDEN AND CATASTROPHIC BRAKE FAILURE OF FACTORY-INSTALLED BRAKE PADS, ROTORS AND OTHER FACTORY PARTS WITHOUT WARNING, WITH OBVIOUS IMPLICATIONS FOR OCCUPANT SAFETY.

THE CRUISE CONTROL QUIT WORKING, AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON, AND RADIO PRESET CHANNELS OFTEN ARE ERASED. OUR MECHANIC DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM BEING A MALFUNCTIONING CLOCK SPRING.

THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS FLEW OFF OF MY CAR DURING A RAIN STORM WHILE I WAS DRIVING. I WAS TOLD BY THE PLACE THAT REPAIRED IT THAT THE DEALERSHIP DIDN'T FASTEN THEM ON CORRECTLY. WHEN I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN SAID HE FIXED MY RECALL AS WELL - THE CAR NEVER HAD A RECALL REPAIR NOTICE ! AIR CONDITIONER DOES NOT WORK - WHEN SERVICE DID OIL CHANGE THEY TRIED TO TELL ME IT WAS GOING TO BE 415 DOLLARS TO FIX THE AIR BECAUSE THE DISCHARGE HOSE IS LEAKING. THE DISCHARGE HOSE COSTS 11.00 ON THE INTERNET & VALVOLENE INSTANT OIL CHANGE WILL REFILL THE FREON IN YOUR CAR FOR LESS THAN 140 DOLLARS. THE BRAKE LIGHTS ALL HAVE NEEDED REPLACED CONSISTENTLY EVERY OTHER MONTH - I'M WONDERING IF THERE IS SOME KIND OF SHORT IN THE WIRING?

THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE COIL SPRING BROKE IN MY DRIVEWAY, PUNCTURING THE TIRE. THERE IS AN OPEN RECALL ON THIS PART FOR ELANTA'S MANUFACTURED FROM NOV 2010 TILL MARCH 2011 IN STATES THAT USE SALT, THE PART CAN QUICKLY ERODE AND BREAK. HYUNDAI IS REFUSING TO FIX THE PROBLEM SAYING THAT MY CAR VIN IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL. I PURCHASED THE CAR BRAND NEW, IT HAS 85,000 MILES. THE CAR DOCUMENTATION STATES THAT THE PARTS WERE MANUFACTURED IN KOREA. I FEEL THAT THIS SHOULD BE COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. HYUNDAI KNOWS THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THAT PART AND ARE REFUSING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. IF I HAD BEEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE PART BROKE IT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE, THE AIR BAG SENSOR INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, WHICH INDICATED A POSSIBLE DRIVER SIDE AIR BAG SYSTEM FAILURE. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS INVALID. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 64,000.

AIR BAG INDICATOR WILL NOT GO OFF INDICATING THAT THE VEHICLE AIRBAGS WILL NOT WORK IN THE EVENT OF AN ACCIDENT. WIRES AND CLOCK SPRING ARE ALL OK. AS I WAS RESEARCHING THE PROBLEM, I REALIZED THAT MANY 2011 HYUNDAI ELANTRA DRIVERS REPORT THE SAME COMPLAINT.