2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA Complaints

I ENTERED VIN (XXXX) ON THE CHECK FOR RECALLS PAGE AND IT TELLS ME THAT ONE OR MORE PARMAMETERS ARE INVALID. CARFAX FOUND THIS VIN AND REPORTED ONE OPEN RECALL ON THIS CAR. WHY IS IT DOING THIS? THE VIN IS VALID. PARTS OF THIS DOCUMENT HAVE BEEN REDACTED TO PROTECT PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE ENGINE SEIZED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS BLOWN AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER AND DEALER WERE NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 236,000.

TAKATA RECALL. MY POWER STEERING HAS GONE OUT AND I DID NOT RECIEVE ANY FORM OF INFORMATION AT THE TIME THE RECALL WAS SENT OUT.

WHEN MY VEHICLE IS ON PARK GEAR IT KEEPS MOVING FORWARD DOWN A HILL OR ANY SLOPE, I'M FORCED TO APPLY PARKING BRAKE TO STOP IT FROM MOVING. WHEN THIS OCCURS, CRANKING THE ENGINE TO START DOES NOT HELP; THE VEHICLE STARTER BECOMES DISABLED. IM THEN FORCED TO PUT IT ON NEUTRAL FOR THE VEHICLE TO START. NOW, PLACING THE GEAR ON DRIVE TO MOVE THE CAR: OFTEN AND OFTEN, THE VEHICLE DOES NOT MOVE AND ACTS AS IT IS ON NEUTRAL; AND BY TURNING THE ENGINE OFF, THE KEY CAN'T BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. MOREOVER, WHEN THE VEHICLE HAPPENS TO MOVE AND IS BEING DRIVEN, ON A HIGHWAY ACCELERATING ON NORMAL TRAFFIC SPEED, IT TENDS TO SLOW THE SPEED AS TO LOOSING CONTACT WITH THE DRIVE GEAR. ALL THESE CAUSE ME NOT TO USE THE CAR FREQUENTLY. IF I MUST DRIVE IT, I HESITATE DOING SO AND LIMIT IT FROM USING ANY HIGHWAY TO AVOID POTENTIAL OF BEING CRASHED BY ANOTHER VEHICLE; SINCE MY VEHICLE DOES NOT ALWAYS MAINTAIN THE NORMAL ONGOING TRAFFIC SPEED. I'M URGING YOUR AGENCY TO PLEASE ADDRESS MY SITUATION. BECAUSE I STRONGLY BELIEVE OTHER HYUNDAI VEHICLES OF THIS MAKE, MODEL AND YEAR MAY HAVE EXPERIENCED SIMILAR PROBLEM OF THIS KIND. I HESITATE CONTACTING HYUNDAI FOR NOW, FEARING THEY MAY CONNECT MY SITUATION WITH A NEED FOR REPAIR AND SEIZE THE OCCASION TO BILL ME FOR THEIR OWN MANUFACTURER'S DEFECTS. I THANK YOU WELL AHEAD OF TIME FOR YOUR INPUT ON THIS PROBLEM. RESPECTFULLY YOURS, VEHICLE OWNER

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, THE STEERING ABILITY SEIZED AND THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT PULLED THE VEHICLE OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND DROVE TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DETERMINED THAT THE ELECTRONIC POWER STEERING FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (MCGOVERN HYUNDAI, 300 MANLEY STREET, BROCKTON, MASSACHUSETTS 02301) WHERE THE DIAGNOSIS WAS THE SAME. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 134,000.

CAR CAUGHT ON FIRE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT, WHILE PARKED ON MY DRIVEWAY THE ENTIRE DAY. FIRE DEPARTMENT SAID THE CAUSE OF FIRE IS UNKNOWN BUT IT APPEARED TO HAVE START AT THE LEFT SIDE OF THE HOOD.

TRANSMISSION SLAMS INTO THIRD GEAR WHILE DRIVING (COULD BE ON SIDE STREET, COULD BE ON THE HIGHWAY) AND CAN ONLY OPERATE IN THIRD AFTER THAT UNTIL THE ENGINE IS TURNED OFF. I TOOK IT TO A TRANSMISSION PLACE AND THEY SAID IT IS THE COMPUTER NOT THE MECHANICS OF THE TRANSMISSION. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DOES COME ON WHEN THIS HAPPENS. THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES FIRST BEING IN NOVEMBER THE MOST RECENT WAS YESTERDAY ON THE FREEWAY. I HAVE SERVICED THE TRANSMISSION APPROPRIATELY.

TAKATA RECALL. DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND OVER CORRECTED AND HIT A TREE WHICH PUSHED HER INTO ANOTHER TREE. THE FRONT END OF THE CAR WAS WRECKED AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. WE WERE NEVER CONTACTED ABOUT THE RECALL ON THE CAR SO WE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE THAT THE AIR BAGS WERE DEFECTIVE.

I STARTED MY CAR AT THE TOP OF MY DRIVEWAY AND DROVE DOWN THE DRIVEWAY TOWARD THE ROAD AS USUAL. NO TRAFFIC WAS COMING FROM EITHER DIRECTION, SO I ACCELERATED SLIGHTLY TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN ONTO THE ROAD. AS I WAS PULLING ONTO THE ROAD, I COMPLETELY LOST THE ABILITY TO STEER THE VEHICLE AND TO CONTROL THE DIRECTION OF IT. CONSEQUENTLY, I ALMOST WENT OVER A 10 TO 12 FOOT HIGH WALL ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE ROAD. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO PREVENT GOING OVER THE WALL BY BRAKING, BUT I WAS PARALYZED BY SHOCK AND FRIGHT. A NEIGHBOR, WHO IS A RETIRED AUTOMOBILE MECHANIC CAME AND RESTARTED THE CAR AND GOT IT BACK INTO MY DRIVEWAY. THE CAR STARTED WITHOUT DIFFICULTY, BUT THE REDLIGHT (EPS) WAS SHOWING ON THE DASH. I CALLED THE HYUNDAI DEALER WHERE IT WAS PURCHASED, BUT THEY WOULD NOT LOOK AT IT UNTIL THE FOLLOWING DAY. WHEN THEY DID, THEY SAY THAT THEY HAVE "UPDATED THE ECU' AND CHARGED ME $89.95 FOR DOING SO. THEY CLAIMED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS DUE TO A BAD BATTERY; HOWEVER THE BATTERY HAS NEVER FAILED TO START THE VEHICLE AND RUN ALL DEVICES. I DRIVE ALONE, AND NEED TO DRIVE AT NIGHT VERY OFTEN; HOWEVER I AM NOW AFRAID TO DRIVE THE CAR BECAUSE I SEE ONLINE THAT THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS TO LOSING STEERING ABILITY REPEATEDLY AFTER THE "UPDATE" TO THE EPS (OR ECU). I CALLED HYUNDAI, AND THE AGENT TOLD ME THAT MY VIN WAS NOT ON THE RECALL LIST, WHICH SHE SAID IS NOW COMPLETED. ON MANY OF THE ONLINE ACCOUNTS OF ACCIDENTS AND ROLLOVERS DUE TO LOSS OF STEERING ABILITY, THOSE VEHICLES VINS WERE ALSO NOT ON THE LIST OF VEHICLES DEEMED TO BE AFFECTED; HOWEVER THEY WERE HAVING THE EXACT SAME PROBLEMS. MY CAR HAD 47,792 MILES AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, HAD NO STEERING RECALL, AND WAS MANUFACTURED JUNE 9, 2008. I AM THE ORIGINAL OWNER. CLEARLY, THIS VEHICLE SHOULD HAVE ALSO BEEN ON THE RECALL LIST BECAUSE THE PROBLEMS ARE IDENTICAL TO THOSE RECALLED UNDER #127 RECALL

RECALL FOR UNDERCOATING DONE JAN. 2016 (TT1). ON 11/1/17, WHILE DRIVING ON A TOWN ROAD, THE REAR RIGHT TRAILING ARM FELL OFF CAUSING THE CAR TO SWERVE ABRUPTLY OFF THE ROAD DUE TO EXTREME RUST ON THE SUB FRAME. THIS ALSO HAPPENED WITH MY 2002 SANTA FE AND WAS COVERED UNDER THE SALT BELT CORROSION CLASS ACTION SETTLEMENT. HYUNDAI IS AWARE THERE IS STILL A PROBLEM, BUT THE UNDERCOATING RECALL DOES NOT WORK AND THIS IS STILL A SAFETY HAZARD. MY CAR WAS TOWED TO A REPAIR FACILITY ON NOV. 1, AND I AM STILL WAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM HYUNDAI AS TO MY NEXT STEPS TO GET THIS REPAIRED.