2004 HYUNDAI ELANTRA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 180 complaints · 5 recalls
Most-reported system: AIR BAGS (110 complaints · 61.1%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 24
  • Fires 2
  • Injuries 26
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2003 →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Component Problem Distribution

Share of owner complaints filed for each vehicle system (unaffected by sales volume)

Component Problem Distribution AIR BAGS appears in 110 of 180 owner complaints (61.1%) in this vehicle snapshot. AIR BAGS: 110 complaints, 61.1% of reports AIR BAGS 110 · 61.1% · 20 crash reports ENGINE: 14 complaints, 7.8% of reports ENGINE 14 · 7.8% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports SEAT BELTS: 9 complaints, 5.0% of reports SEAT BELTS 9 · 5.0% · 1 crash reports SERVICE BRAKES: 6 complaints, 3.3% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 6 · 3.3% · 1 fire reports SUSPENSION: 6 complaints, 3.3% of reports SUSPENSION 6 · 3.3% · 1 crash reports POWER TRAIN: 5 complaints, 2.8% of reports POWER TRAIN 5 · 2.8% VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 5 complaints, 2.8% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 · 2.8% FUEL SYSTEM: 4 complaints, 2.2% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 4 · 2.2% STEERING: 4 complaints, 2.2% of reports STEERING 4 · 2.2% · 1 crash reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 88 complaints, 48.9% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 88 · 48.9% · 7 crash reports 1 fire reports 0% 25% 50% 75% 100%

UNKNOWN OR OTHER is an NHTSA classification artifact and is always listed last.

View component data as a table
System / Component Complaints Share of Reports Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
AIR BAGS 110 61.1% 20 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 14 7.8% 1 crashes · 1 fires
SEAT BELTS 9 5.0% 1 crashes · 0 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 6 3.3% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SUSPENSION 6 3.3% 1 crashes · 0 fires
POWER TRAIN 5 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 5 2.8% 0 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 4 2.2% 0 crashes · 0 fires
STEERING 4 2.2% 1 crashes · 0 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 88 48.9% 7 crashes · 1 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Problem & Recall Timeline

Observed complaint volume and manufacturer recall actions over time

Problem & Recall Timeline Owner reports in this snapshot begin in Jan 2004; the first recall shown was reported in Aug 2003. 2004-Q1: 9 owner reports 9 2004-Q2: 18 owner reports 18 2004-Q3: 20 owner reports 20 2004-Q4: 20 owner reports 20 2005-Q1: 12 owner reports 12 2005-Q2: 7 owner reports 7 2005-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2005-Q4: 5 owner reports 5 2006-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2006-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2006-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2006-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2007-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2007-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2007-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2008-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2010-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2010-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2010-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2011-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2013-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2013-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2014-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2015-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2016-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2017-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2018-Q3: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2019-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Aug 2003 Jan 2024 Recall campaign 03V322000 ◆ Recall campaign 03V322000 Recall campaign 04V208000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V208000 Recall campaign 04V370000 ◆ Recall campaign 04V370000 Recall campaign 05V395000 ◆ Recall campaign 05V395000 Recall campaign 05V479000 ◆ Recall campaign 05V479000 Investigation PE04041 ● Investigation PE04041
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2004-Q1 Owner reports 9
2004-Q2 Owner reports 18
2004-Q3 Owner reports 20
2004-Q4 Owner reports 20
2005-Q1 Owner reports 12
2005-Q2 Owner reports 7
2005-Q3 Owner reports 6
2005-Q4 Owner reports 5
2006-Q1 Owner reports 6
2006-Q2 Owner reports 4
2006-Q3 Owner reports 2
2006-Q4 Owner reports 1
2007-Q1 Owner reports 2
2007-Q2 Owner reports 4
2007-Q3 Owner reports 2
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 2
2008-Q3 Owner reports 1
2008-Q4 Owner reports 2
2010-Q1 Owner reports 3
2010-Q2 Owner reports 1
2010-Q3 Owner reports 3
2010-Q4 Owner reports 4
2011-Q1 Owner reports 4
2011-Q2 Owner reports 4
2011-Q3 Owner reports 1
2011-Q4 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 3
2012-Q3 Owner reports 1
2012-Q4 Owner reports 1
2013-Q1 Owner reports 2
2013-Q4 Owner reports 1
2014-Q1 Owner reports 1
2014-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q1 Owner reports 3
2015-Q2 Owner reports 5
2015-Q3 Owner reports 1
2016-Q2 Owner reports 1
2016-Q3 Owner reports 1
2017-Q2 Owner reports 3
2017-Q4 Owner reports 2
2018-Q1 Owner reports 3
2018-Q2 Owner reports 1
2018-Q3 Owner reports 1
2019-Q1 Owner reports 1
2019-Q2 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
Recall campaign 1 03V322000
Recall campaign 1 04V208000
Recall campaign 1 04V370000
Recall campaign 1 05V395000
Recall campaign 1 05V479000
Defect investigation 1 PE04041
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (5)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

  1. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 03V322000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A VEHICLE CRASH, THE AIR BAG MAY NOT DEPLOY, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER.
    Remedy:
    THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SENSOR WILL BE REPROGRAMMED.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  2. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V208000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, DAMAGE TO THE VEHICLE COULD CAUSE THE MISPOSITIONED CLAMP TO PUNCTURE THE FUEL TANK CAUSING FUEL LEAKAGE. FUEL LEAKAGE, IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE, COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE POSITION OF THE VAPOR TUBE HOSE CLAMP AND CORRECTLY POSITION THE CLAMP, IF NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MAY 24, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  3. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 04V370000

    Report date
    Component:
    FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
    Consequence:
    FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE MAY RESULT IN A FIRE.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE POSITION OF THE VAPOR TUBE HOSE CLAMP EARS AND CORRECTLY POSITION THE CLAMP, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 5, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI DE PUERTO RICO AT 1-800-981-0188.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  4. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 05V395000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THE POSSIBILITY OF MISCLASSIFICATION OF A CRS AS AN ADULT MAY ALLOW THE RIGHT FRONT AIRBAG OR SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG TO DEPLOY IN A CRASH AND COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO THE RIGHT FRONT OCCUPANT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE VEHICLE'S OCS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) TO REMOVE THE FEATURE THAT MAY CAUSE THE CRS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS AN ADULT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 31, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →

  5. Manufacturer action

    Recall campaign 05V479000

    Report date
    Component:
    Not available in the source record
    Consequence:
    THE POSSIBILITY OF MISCLASSIFICATION OF A CRS AS AN ADULT MAY ALLOW THE RIGHT FRONT AIRBAG OR SIDE IMPACT AIRBAG TO DEPLOY IN A CRASH AND COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO THE RIGHT FRONT OCCUPANT.
    Remedy:
    DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE VEHICLE'S OCS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) TO REMOVE THE FEATURE THAT MAY CAUSE THE CRS TO BE RECOGNIZED AS AN ADULT. THE RECALL BEGAN ON NOVEMBER 15, 2005. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI OF PUERTO RICO AT 1-800-981-0188.
    View authoritative NHTSA record →
NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-08-21
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 180 complaints · page 1 of 8

No complaints match the current filters.
EPA Fuel Economy Database Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Estimated Ownership Cost

EPA fuel economy ratings and annual operating cost estimates

Data: US EPA Fuel Economy Guide · snapshot 2026-08-21
Supported range: 1,000–60,000 miles per year
Supported range: $1.50–$10.00 per gallon
55% city45% highway
Estimate unavailable

EPA fuel-economy data is unavailable for this vehicle.

No estimate is shown when required EPA values are unavailable.

 Open Ownership Cost Calculator →

Adjacent Model Years

Immediate preceding and succeeding model year records

NHTSA Consumer Complaints Snapshot 2026-08-21 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.

Methodology & Data Integrity

Data sourced from NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Snapshot date: 2026-08-21.

Read our complete data methodology → Sources