2003 HYUNDAI ELANTRA Complaints

MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING HOME FROM SCHOOL AND THE STRUT/AXLE BROKE AND CAUSED HER TO SKID OFF THE RODE, LUCKILY SHE WAS NOT INJURED AND WAS ABLE TO COME TO A STOP IN AN EMPTY LOT. THE TIRE WAS RUINED AND THE FENDER WAS ALSO DAMAGED. WE WERE ABLE TO GET THIS FIXED AT THE REPAIR SHOP, FOR JUST UNDER $500, HOWEVER NOW THE VEHICLE WILL NOT PASS INSPECTION DUE TO THE SUBFRAME BEING DETERIORATED. UPON RESEARCHING THE COST TO REPLACE THIS, I FOUND THAT THE VEHICLE HAS HAD SEVERAL RECALLS, AND WOW BOTH OF THESE WERE ON THE LIST. MY CONCERN IS THAT THE VEHICLE IS 2003 AND WE ARE NOT THE ORIGINAL OWNERS. I AM CONCERNED NOW THAT THE OTHER RECALLS MAY ALSO AFFECT THEIR VEHICLE. THE SAFETY OF MY DAUGHTER AND GRANDSON IS TOP PRIORITY. WHAT CAN YOU HELP ME WITH. CAN WE STILL USE THE RECALL TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED? *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, SHE NOTICED THE SUSPENSION MALFUNCTIONED WHICH CAUSED HER TO LOSE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE WITHOUT WARNING. ALSO, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE STEERING WHEEL BECAME HARD TO MANEUVER. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE PASSENGER SIDE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM FRACTURED BETWEEN THE BALL JOINTS DUE TO EXCESSIVE CORROSION. THE CONTACT NOTIFIED THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V125000 (SUSPENSION). THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 220,000...UPDATED 08-28-14 *BF THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. UPDATED 09/11/14

UNABLE TO FILL GAS TANK BECAUSE THE GAS PUMP WOULD CLICK OFF JUST AFTER PUMPING A FEW DOLLARS OF GAS INTO CAR ALTHOUGH THE GAUGE INDICATED THE VEHICLE WAS NEAR EMPTY. THIS CONTINUES TO BE A PROBLEM OVER AND OVER AGAIN AND JUST STARTED OUT OF THE BLUE. ONE DAY IT WAS WORKING FINE, THEN, APPROX 1 MONTH AFTER I HAD THE CAR, I NOTICED I WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH GAS PUMP CLICKING OFF. *TR

THE RIGHT SIDE LOWER CONTROL ARM SUDDENLY COMPLETE BROKE IN HALF CLOSE TO THE BALL JOINT CAUSING THE TIRE TO DANGLE AND LOSS OF STEERING AND MOVEMENT. THIS HAPPENED AT A VERY LOW SPEED PULLING OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY. THERE WAS VISIBLE RUST AND CORROSION ON THE INSIDE OF THE BOXED STAMPED STEEL CONTROL ARM NEAR THE BALL JOINT. THIS FAILURE WAS EXACTLY LIKE NHTSA ACTION NUMBER : PE09011 DESCRIBED. THIS VEHICLE WAS REGISTERED IN VA SO THE CAR WAS NOT SUBJECT TO THAT SPECIFIC RECALL ALTHOUGH OTHER STATES AROUND US WERE. WE RECEIVED NO NOTICE OF THIS RECALL IN THE MAIL OR THE POTENTIAL PROBLEM EVEN THOUGH WE USE AND TRAVEL OFTEN TO THE STATES THAT DID HAVE THE RECALL AND THEY DO PUT A LOT OF SALT ON NORTHERN VA ROADS. *TR

I HAD A LOW SPEED ACCIDENT APPROXIMATELY 10-20MPH IN A PARKING LOT WHERE I HIT A CEMENT SURROUNDING OF A POLE ON THE DRIVER SIDE AND THE AIRBAG DEPLOYED ON THE PASSENGERS SIDE CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE WINDSHIELD, BUSTED THE DASH VENTS, LOCKED MY DRIVERS SEATBELT AND SHATTERED WINDSHIELD GLASS ALL OVER THE CAR. *TR

FRONT PASSENGER SIDE CONTROL ARM FRACTURED, ALLOWING WHEEL TO TURN 90 DEGREES TO THE RIGHT RESULTING IN AN UNCONTROLLED SLIDE DOWN THE HIGHWAY. THIS ALSO BLEW OUT THE TIRE AND SEPARATED THE AXLE FROM THE TRANSMISSION, SPILLING TRANSMISSION FLUID. VEHICLE WAS UNCONTROLLABLE, AND ONCE STOPPED IMMOVABLE, AND SO STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY. *TR

I WENT TO HAVE MY CAR LOOKED AT BECAUSE OF THE RATTLING NOISE AND THE POPPING WHEN I BRAKE AND THEY TOLD ME THAT I NEED TO REPLACE MY SUBFRAME. I FOUND OUT TODAY THAT MY CAR WAS RECALLED FOR THE SAME PROBLEM IN 2011 THE SAME YEAR I HAD BOUGHT IT. *TR

IN 2009, A RECALL WAS ISSUED FOR RUST/CORROSION OF THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS OF THESE VEHICLES (RECALL 091 PER HYUNDAI). WE FOUND OUT ABOUT THIS AND TOOK IT TO OUR LOCAL DEALER IN 2011. HOLES WERE DRILLED AND THE CAR "PASSED" WITHOUT NEED TO REPLACE ANYTHING. A "PROTECTIVE COATING" WAS APPLIED. ON SATURDAY, MAY 3, MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING AND PULLING OUT OF A PARKING SPACE. HE HEARD A GRINDING NOISE AS HE BACKED OUT, THEN HEARD SOMETHING BREAK AND THE CAR WOULDN'T MOVE. WE COULDN'T EVEN PUSH THE CAR BACK INTO THE PARKING SPACE, AS THE TIRE/ARM APPEARED TO BE DETACHED. WE FOUND OUT THE RIGHT CONTROL ARM HAD RUSTED THROUGH COMPLETELY, ALSO CAUSING DAMAGE OF THE AXLE. THE CAR WAS TAKEN FIRST TO OUR MECHANIC AND THEN THE DEALERSHIP AND IT WAS DETERMINED THE SAME RECALLED PART HAD RUSTED THROUGH, CAUSING THE BREAK. THE CAR WAS FIXED BY HYUNDAI, INCLUDING REPLACEMENT OF BOTH CONTROL ARMS. I'M JUST VERY CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD HAVE OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSED A CRASH AND SERIOUS INJURY. WE HAD NO IDEA OF THE RISK, ALTHOUGH WE DID HAVE A BAD WINTER WITH A LOT OF ROAD SALT USED SO I'M NOT SURPRISED. I AM SURPRISED, THOUGH, THAT IT WAS NEVER ADVISED TO RETURN AND HAVE THIS RE-CHECKED. I CALLED HYUNDAI'S CARE MANAGEMENT DEPT AND THE PERSON I SPOKE WITH ([XXX]) DENIED THIS ISSUE WAS RELATED TO THE RECALL AND SAID IT MUST HAVE BEEN REPAIRED ONLY AS A COURTESY. I STRONGLY DISAGREE BY WHAT I HEARD FROM THE MECHANIC. I WANTED TO MAKE YOU AWARE AS I'M SURE THE SAFETY OF MANY IS AT RISK IF THIS A RESULT OF A RECALLED PART AND THEY ARE UN-KNOWINGLY AT RISK AFTER THIS BAD WINTER. THANK YOU. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

WE BOUGHT OUR 2003 HYUNDAI ELANTRA USED BUT IN VERY GOOD CONDITION. NOW AFTER ABOUT A YEAR WHEN WE TRY TO FILL THE GAS TANK THE PUMP SHUTS OFF REPEATEDLY. IS THERE ANY RECALL COVERING THIS? *TT

ON APRIL 1ST 2014 THE FRONT RIGHT LOWER CONTROL ARM BROKE OFF WHEN I APPLIED THE BRAKES IN ORDER TO AVOID HITTING A CANADIAN GOOSE THAT WAS SAUNTERING MAJESTICALLY ACROSS THE ROAD (THE GOOSE WAS UNHURT). THE RIGHT FRONT WHEEL WAS ROTATED ABOUT 60 DEGREES TO THE HORIZONTAL AND WAS MOVED BACKWARDS ENOUGH TO DAMAGE THE RIGHT FENDER. SOME TWO YEARS AGO, HYUNDAI RECALLED THIS MODEL TO INSPECT FOR POSSIBLE CORROSION IN THE FRONT SUSPENSION COMPONENTS. AT THAT TIME THE LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO CORROSION DETECTED IN THIS VEHICLE. WHILE IT IS EASY TO BLAME THIS BREAK ON POTHOLES, I WOULD LIKE TO STATE THAT I AM METICULOUS ABOUT AVOIDING THEM AND I WONDER IF THE SUSPENSION COMPONENTS WERE NOT WEAKENED BY POOR QUALITY CORROSION PROTECTION AND GAVE WAY WHEN I BRAKED. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR