2008 HYUNDAI ELANTRA — Owner-Reported Problems

NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation Snapshot 2026-08-22 307 complaints · 0 recalls
Most-reported system: STEERING (49 complaints · 16.0%)
Safety signals:
  • Crashes 38
  • Fires 23
  • Injuries 41
  • Deaths 0
Compare with 2007 →
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 STEERING appears in 49 of 307 owner complaints (16.0%) in this vehicle snapshot. STEERING: 49 complaints, 16.0% of reports STEERING 49 · 16.0% · 3 crash reports FUEL SYSTEM: 37 complaints, 12.1% of reports FUEL SYSTEM 37 · 12.1% · 1 fire reports SERVICE BRAKES: 31 complaints, 10.1% of reports SERVICE BRAKES 31 · 10.1% · 5 crash reports 2 fire reports AIR BAGS: 28 complaints, 9.1% of reports AIR BAGS 28 · 9.1% · 15 crash reports ENGINE: 27 complaints, 8.8% of reports ENGINE 27 · 8.8% · 2 crash reports 6 fire reports POWER TRAIN: 23 complaints, 7.5% of reports POWER TRAIN 23 · 7.5% · 2 crash reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING: 21 complaints, 6.8% of reports EXTERIOR LIGHTING 21 · 6.8% · 1 crash reports 1 fire reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: 18 complaints, 5.9% of reports VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 18 · 5.9% · 5 crash reports 1 fire reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM: 14 complaints, 4.6% of reports ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14 · 4.6% · 2 crash reports 3 fire reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 105 complaints, 34.2% of reports UNKNOWN OR OTHER 105 · 34.2% · 9 crash reports 11 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)
STEERING 49 16.0% 3 crashes · 0 fires
FUEL SYSTEM 37 12.1% 0 crashes · 1 fires
SERVICE BRAKES 31 10.1% 5 crashes · 2 fires
AIR BAGS 28 9.1% 15 crashes · 0 fires
ENGINE 27 8.8% 2 crashes · 6 fires
POWER TRAIN 23 7.5% 2 crashes · 0 fires
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 21 6.8% 1 crashes · 1 fires
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 18 5.9% 5 crashes · 1 fires
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 14 4.6% 2 crashes · 3 fires
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 105 34.2% 9 crashes · 11 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 Oct 2007. 2007-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2008-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2008-Q3: 37 owner reports 37 2008-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2009-Q1: 8 owner reports 8 2009-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2009-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2009-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q1: 4 owner reports 4 2010-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2010-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2011-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2011-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2011-Q4: 7 owner reports 7 2012-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2012-Q2: 6 owner reports 6 2012-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2012-Q4: 6 owner reports 6 2013-Q1: 10 owner reports 10 2013-Q2: 8 owner reports 8 2013-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2013-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2014-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2014-Q2: 5 owner reports 5 2014-Q3: 10 owner reports 10 2014-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2015-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2015-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2015-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2016-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2016-Q3: 6 owner reports 6 2016-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2017-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2017-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2017-Q3: 4 owner reports 4 2017-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q1: 2 owner reports 2 2018-Q2: 3 owner reports 3 2018-Q3: 7 owner reports 7 2018-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2019-Q1: 5 owner reports 5 2019-Q2: 4 owner reports 4 2019-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2019-Q4: 4 owner reports 4 2020-Q1: 6 owner reports 6 2020-Q2: 11 owner reports 11 2020-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2020-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2021-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2021-Q3: 5 owner reports 5 2021-Q4: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q1: 3 owner reports 3 2022-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2022-Q4: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2023-Q3: 3 owner reports 3 2023-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2024-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 2025-Q2: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q3: 2 owner reports 2 2025-Q4: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q1: 1 owner reports 1 2026-Q2: 1 owner reports 1 Owner reports Oct 2007 Apr 2026 Investigation PE08044 ● Investigation PE08044 Investigation DP21003 ● Investigation DP21003
View timeline records as a table
Date Record type Count Record identifier
2007-Q4 Owner reports 1
2008-Q1 Owner reports 1
2008-Q2 Owner reports 6
2008-Q3 Owner reports 37
2008-Q4 Owner reports 6
2009-Q1 Owner reports 8
2009-Q2 Owner reports 4
2009-Q3 Owner reports 5
2009-Q4 Owner reports 4
2010-Q1 Owner reports 4
2010-Q2 Owner reports 5
2010-Q3 Owner reports 5
2010-Q4 Owner reports 4
2011-Q1 Owner reports 3
2011-Q2 Owner reports 8
2011-Q3 Owner reports 4
2011-Q4 Owner reports 7
2012-Q1 Owner reports 1
2012-Q2 Owner reports 6
2012-Q3 Owner reports 3
2012-Q4 Owner reports 6
2013-Q1 Owner reports 10
2013-Q2 Owner reports 8
2013-Q3 Owner reports 7
2013-Q4 Owner reports 2
2014-Q1 Owner reports 3
2014-Q2 Owner reports 5
2014-Q3 Owner reports 10
2014-Q4 Owner reports 4
2015-Q1 Owner reports 5
2015-Q2 Owner reports 2
2015-Q3 Owner reports 4
2015-Q4 Owner reports 4
2016-Q1 Owner reports 3
2016-Q2 Owner reports 3
2016-Q3 Owner reports 6
2016-Q4 Owner reports 2
2017-Q1 Owner reports 5
2017-Q2 Owner reports 3
2017-Q3 Owner reports 4
2017-Q4 Owner reports 3
2018-Q1 Owner reports 2
2018-Q2 Owner reports 3
2018-Q3 Owner reports 7
2018-Q4 Owner reports 3
2019-Q1 Owner reports 5
2019-Q2 Owner reports 4
2019-Q3 Owner reports 2
2019-Q4 Owner reports 4
2020-Q1 Owner reports 6
2020-Q2 Owner reports 11
2020-Q3 Owner reports 5
2020-Q4 Owner reports 2
2021-Q1 Owner reports 1
2021-Q2 Owner reports 2
2021-Q3 Owner reports 5
2021-Q4 Owner reports 2
2022-Q1 Owner reports 3
2022-Q3 Owner reports 2
2022-Q4 Owner reports 3
2023-Q1 Owner reports 1
2023-Q3 Owner reports 3
2023-Q4 Owner reports 1
2024-Q1 Owner reports 1
2024-Q2 Owner reports 1
2025-Q2 Owner reports 2
2025-Q3 Owner reports 2
2025-Q4 Owner reports 1
2026-Q1 Owner reports 1
2026-Q2 Owner reports 1
Defect investigation 1 PE08044
Defect investigation 1 DP21003
NHTSA Safety Recalls Snapshot 2026-08-22 Open source record Read our complete data methodology →

Safety Recalls (0)

Official safety recall campaigns filed with NHTSA

Zero safety recalls recorded for this model year in official NHTSA 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.

Complaint Narrative Explorer

Verbatim owner-reported defect narratives from NHTSA public records

Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot Aug 21, 2026
Safety incident filters
Showing 0 of 307 complaints · page 1 of 13

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 Aug 21, 2026
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