2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA Complaints

THE IN-DASH FRONT-PANEL CONSOLE PIECES MAKE VERY IRRITATING SQUEAKY NOISES WHEN DRIVING OVER EVEN LITTLE BUMPS DISTRACTING THE DRIVER FROM NORMAL DRIVING EXPERIENCE. *TR

I TOOK MY 2008 ELANTRA IN FOR SERVICE. THEY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP DUE TO A RECALL. THAT SAME DAY THE CAR STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY HIGHWAY. THEY JUST REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP AGAIN. *TR

DRIVING NORTH ON HWY 5 FROM BAKERSFIELD CA WHEN THE ENGINE BEGAN TO MISS AND LOOSE POWER. I MANAGED TO PULL OVER AT AVENAL WHERE I PUT GAS IN HOPING IT WOULD WORK BETTER. I LET IT REST AND WHEN I STARTED IT UP, THE ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I DROVE IT A BIT AND CALLED INTO THE ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE FROM HYUNDAI AND EXPLAINED THE SITUATION TO THEM. I SAID I WAS DRIVING NORTH BUT KEEPING IT AT 65 MPH. I WAS TOLD TO CONTINUE AND CALL BACK IF ANY OTHER ISSUES OCCURRED. SOON AFTER THAT THE CAR BEGAN LOOSING POWER INTERMITTENTLY AND THE ENGINE WAS MISSING. FINALLY, AT 10 MILES BEFORE RTE 152 BETWEEN MENDOTA & FIREBAUGH, THE CAR COMPLETELY DIED AND THE BATTERY LIGHT CAME ON. I CALLED ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AGAIN AND THEY CALLED FOR A TOW AND A POLICE OFFICER. THE TOW DRIVER ARRIVED ABOUT AN HOUR LATER AND TOOK IT TO THE GILROY DEALERSHIP. I HAVE SINCE BEEN INFORMED IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP. THIS IS A NEW CAR, 2008, WITH ONLY 770 MILES ON IT. I'VE ONLY HAD IT 4 DAYS. *TR

WAS DRIVING NEW ELANTRA (1100 MILES AND 12 DAYS OF OWNERSHIP) ON HIGHWAY WHEN VEHICLE STARTED SPUTTERING AND LOST POWER NO MATTER HOW MUCH GAS I FED IT. PULLED OVER AND TURNED OFF CAR. RESTARTED VEHICLE WITH DIFFICULTY AND "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT INDICATING EMISSIONS PROBLEM CAME ON. CAR SEEMED FINE UNTIL 2-3 MILES LATER WHEN SAME SYMPTOMS (LURCHING, LOSING POWER) RECURRED.. THIS HAPPENED 2 MORE TIMES, EACH TIME I MANAGED TO PULL OFF ROAD, TURNED OFF CAR, LET IT SIT AND THEN TOOK MULTIPLE ATTEMPTS AT STARTING BEFORE IT ENGAGED AND RAN VERY ROUGH, WITH VERY LITTLE POWER. INTENT WAS TO GET TO A SAFE PLACE TO STOP. CAR WAS TOWED TO NEAREST HUYNDAI DEALERSHIP (I WAS 150 MILES FROM HOME) WHERE THEY INITIALLY DIAGNOSED BAD GAS. BUT CAR RAN 175 MILES ON THAT TANK OF GAS BEFORE PROBLEM OCCURRED. THEN THEY DIAGNOSED BAD FUEL PUMP AND REPLACED FUEL PUMP. HYUNDAI ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS USELESS -- HAD TO ARRANGE FOR OWN TOW TRUCK -- HYUNDAI DID NOT OFFER REPLACEMENT VEHICLE OR EVEN REIMBURSEMENT FOR GAS FOR ME TO DRIVE BACK AND FORTH TO PICK UP MY DEAD NEW CAR FROM BEING REPAIRED 150 MILES FROM HOME. WE'VE NOT HAD FURTHER PROBLEMS (NOW HAVE 7500 MILES ON IT) BUT I AM ON EDGE EXPECTING ANOTHER BREAK-DOWN AFTER READING OTHER PEOPLE'S EXPERIENCES. *TR

6/26/08 - CAR LOOSES POWER ON EXPRESSWAY, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. DEALER FIXES FAULTY "DOWNSTREAM OXYGEN SENSOR" 7/10/08 - CAR LOOSES POWER, ENGINE HESITATION AND RACING RPM'S IN SPEEDS OF 20-40 MPH. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. DEALER REPLACES FUEL PUMP 8/14/08- CAR HESITATING AND RPM'S RACING IN SPEEDS OF 20-40 MPH. WILL TAKE BACK TO DEALER WHEN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON. *TR

TOOK A 375 MILE/ 8 HOUR TRIP. NEW 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA W/LESS THAN 1800 MILES. UPON EXITING EXPRESSWAY, ENGINE STRUGGLED, AS IF TRYING TO SHIFT TO NEXT GEAR, BUT BUCKED & HESITATED. AFTER STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT, PROCEEDED TO CROSS BUSY INTERSECTION. CAR SPUTTERED AND STALLED .CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON. 5 FAILED ATTEMPTS TO RESTART BUT DID AFTER 9 MINUTES. MADE IT TO DESTINATION. LOCAL HYUNDAI SERVICE CENTER CLOSED. FORCED TO ATTEMPT TRIP BACK NEXT DAY. HAD TO DRIVE THROUGH VERY HEAVY TRAFFIC - INCLUDING THE GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE, AND WINDING MOUNTAIN ROADS IN PA. CAR ACTED UP 3-4 TIMES, EACH TIME LOSING SPEED, SPUTTERING & BUCKING. WHILE NEVER ACTUALLY STALLED, COULD HAVE BEEN CATASTROPHIC. ACTED WORSE WHILE ACCELERATING - SOUNDED LIKE ENGINE CUTTING OUT. DROPPED IT OFF TO DEALERSHIP WHERE PURCHASED 8/10/08. NEXT DAY, INFORMED OF BROKEN FUEL PUMP. BEING REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE - READY TODAY, 8/14/08. AFTER READING SO MANY SIMILAR STORIES ON-LINE, I FELT I HAD TO INFORM YOU OF MY INCIDENT. I BELIEVE THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL - ESPECIALLY AS THERE ARE SO MANY 2008 ELANTRAS ON THE ROAD. HAD WE NEEDED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY ESCAPE OF OUR STALLED CAR, IN NY TRAFFIC, WE WOULD HAVE LIKELY BEEN KILLED TRYING TO EXIT, AND PROBABLY BEEN RUN OVER BY A TRACTOR TRAILER HAD WE STAYED IN THE CAR. WE CERTAINLY WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GET OUR CRATED PUPPY OUT OF THE BACK SEAT, AS A PARENT WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RESCUE A BABY IN AN INFANT SEAT. THIS IS A SERIES OF TRAGEDIES WAITING TO HAPPEN!!!! I WILL STILL NOT FEEL CONFIDENT DRIVING MY 3 1/2 MONTH OLD CAR, AS MANY PEOPLE CONTINUE TO HAVE TROUBLE EVEN WITH REPLACED PARTS. I IMPLORE YOU TO PROBE DEEPER IN TO THIS MATTER AND HAVE HYUNDAI CORRECT THIS PROBLEM...BEFORE MANY PEOPLE BECOME A FATALITY STATISTIC! *TR

PURCHASED A NEW 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. LEFT THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE NEW CAR AND AFTER DRIVING ABOUT 10 MILES, NOTICED THAT THE CAR WAS HESITATING AND COULD NOT INCREASE SPEED AND SHIFT TO THE NEXT HIGHER GEAR. THE CAR FINALLY SHIFTED TO THE FINAL GEAR AND ALL WAS WELL FOR ABOUT 10 MORE MILES; THEN THE CAR STARTED TO SLOW DOWN TO THE POINT WHERE FEEDING GAS WAS NOT HELPING. THE CAR CRAWLED TO A STOP AT A FREEWAY EXIT (FORTUNATELY) AND I CONTACTED THE DEALER. THEY ARRANGED TOWING AND DELIVERED ME A LOANER. THE FUEL PUMP FAILED AFTER ONLY 20 MILES OF DRIVING THE NEW CAR. *TR

I HAVE A HYUNDAI ELANTRA WHICH ONE HAD 3500 MILES ON IT AND THE CARS FUEL PUMP WENT WHILE I WAS DIVING IT. JUST STARTED TO SPUTTER AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. HAD TO HAVE IT TOW TO DEALERSHIP WHERE THEY REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP. *TR

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 BEFORE WE FINALLY MADE IT HOME. THE NEXT DAY I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT TO THE DEALER ABOUT 5 MILES AWAY. THEIR DIAGNOSIS WAS A BAD OXYGEN SENSOR WHICH THEY DIDN'T HAVE IN STOCK. THEY SAID IT WOULD BE OK TO DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL THE NEW SENSOR ARRIVED. IT RAN FINE AND 3 DAYS LATER I TOOK IT IN TO HAVE THE SENSOR REPLACED. THEY RAN DIAGNOSTICS AGAIN AND SAID THE SENSOR WAS OK AND NEEDN'T BE REPLACED. THEY SAID MAYBE IT WAS BAD GAS OR VAPOR LOCK AND SENT ME ON MY WAY. THE CAR RAN FINE UNTIL THIS AFTERNOON (AUG 5) WHEN IT BEGAN HESITATING (OD 1432 MI) ON THE FREEWAY AND ONCE AGAIN I TOOK THE FIRST EXIT AND LIMPED HOME, UNABLE TO EXCEED 25 MPH, BUCKING ALL THE WAY. MY WIFE FOLLOWED ME TO THE DEALER AND FOR THE LAST MILE WERE UNABLE TO GO OVER 5 MPH (EMERGENCY FLASHERS ON). WE NEVER MADE IT AS THE ELANTRA SHUT DOWN COMPLETELY IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AND I HAD TO GET OUT AND PUSH INTO A NEARBY PARKING LOT. I CALLED HYUNDAI ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE AND HAD THE CAR TRUCKED TO THE DEALER, ONLY ABOUT 4 BLOCKS AWAY. I UNDERSTAND NHTSA IS INVESTIGATING 07-08 ELANTRA STALLING COMPLAINTS AND WANTED TO ADD ANOTHER DATA POINT FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION. *TR

ON MAY 26 2008 MY WIFE AND I WERE INVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. ANOTHER CAR RAN THE RED LIGHT AND HIT US. MY WIFE AND I WERE INJURED AND OUR CAR WAS TOTALED. NONE OF THE AIRBAGS WENT OFF ON OUR BRAND NEW 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WE WERE LATER TOLD BY HYUNDAI THAT PASSENGER AIRBAGS DON'T ALWAYS GO OFF BECAUSE OF WEIGHT VARIATIONS IN SOME ADULTS. MY WIFE IS 5' 4" AND HER WEIGHT IS NORMAL FOR HER HEIGHT. HYUNDAI NEVER TOLD US OF THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM WITH AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT. THIS COMPANY SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO INFORM THE POTENTIAL BUYER LIMITATIONS INVOLVING SAFETY FEATURES! MANY UNSUSPECTING PEOPLE COULD BE SEVERELY INJURED WITHOUT THIS KNOWLEDGE. ALSO THIS INFORMATION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE POTENTIAL BUYER PRIOR TO PURCHASING THE VEHICLE NOT AFTER! WE PURCHASES A SECOND HYUNDAI ( 2008 TUCSON) AND THIS VEHICLE HAS HAD PROBLEMS WITH ITS PASSENGER AIRBAG - IN FACT IT WAS DURING THIS REPAIR THAT HYUNDAI INFORMED US OF THE WEIGHT ISSUE INVOLVING AIRBAGS. *TR UPDATED 01-26-09 *BF UPDATED 01/2609. *JB UPDATED 07/16/10.*JB