1996 Hyundai Elantra
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Hyundai › Elantra › 1996
These records cover every 1996 Hyundai Elantra. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
3 recalls name the 1996 Hyundai Elantra. Newest first.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. the evaporative emission control systems can apply excessive vacuum to the fuel tanks during the canister purge cycle. if excessive vacuum IS applied, minor fuel tank distortion can result. a small crack could develop on the upper fuel tank surface. the "check engine" light would then illuminate and, in some…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will pressure check the vehicle's fuel tank to determine if it has cracked. If the fuel tank has cracked, it will be replaced.
Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. the evaporative emission control systems can apply excessive vacuum to the fuel tanks during the canister purge cycle. if excessive vacuum IS applied, minor fuel tank distortion can result. a small crack could develop on the upper fuel tank surface. the "check engine" light would then illuminate and, in some…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source could result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will pressure check the vehicle's fuel tank to determine if it has cracked. If the fuel tank has cracked, it will be replaced.
The windshield wiper motor circuit breaker electrical contacts were contaminated during assembly.
Risk and remedy
Risk
This contamination interferes with the electrical circuit continuity and prevents the windshield wiper motor from operating. inoperative windshield wipers can contribute to reduced visibility during inclement weather increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy
Dealers will remove the contaminants from the windshield wiper motor circuit breaker contacts.
Owner complaints
100 complaints11 involved a crash3 involved a fire2 injuries2 deaths
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Tires › Valve
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 hyundai elantra. the valve stems on the vehicle constantly fail and cause the tires to flatten. while driving 40 mph, the valve stem failed and flattened the tire. on may 22, 2008, while driving 65 mph, the valve stem failed again, the tire lost air, and the rear of…
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 hyundai elantra. the valve stems on the vehicle constantly fail and cause the tires to flatten. while driving 40 mph, the valve stem failed and flattened the tire. on may 22, 2008, while driving 65 mph, the valve stem failed again, the tire lost air, and the rear of the vehicle began wobbling. when the contact inspected the tires, they were fine with the exception of the valve stem. the store from where the tires were purchased stated that the rim was bent and the tire was his responsibility. four valve stems were lost in five weeks. the contact wanted to make it clear that there IS nothing wrong with the tires, only the valve stems. the failure mileage was 98,000. updated 07/22/08 *bf updated 07/29/08 *bf
- Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Linkages
Windshield wiper arm - location point that connects to the linkage stripped causing it in wet weather to send the wipers to go completely go out pass the end of windshield. *tr
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 hyundai elantra. the contact smelled a strong odor of gasoline coming from the vehicle. she took her vehicle to the dealer and they found no failures. four years later, the dealer replaced the vehicle according to nhtsa campaign ID number 00v095002 (fuel system…
Tl*the contact owns a 1996 hyundai elantra. the contact smelled a strong odor of gasoline coming from the vehicle. she took her vehicle to the dealer and they found no failures. four years later, the dealer replaced the vehicle according to nhtsa campaign ID number 00v095002 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly). two years later, the contact was admitted to the hospital for gasoline poisoning. after being discharged from the hospital, she took her vehicle back to the dealer and they stated that her fuel tank was cracked and she would have to repair the vehicle at her own expense. the dealer stated that the vehicle had previously been repaired according to the recall in 2004. she filed a formal complaint with the manufacturer. she has a copy of all the written correspondence in reference to the failure. the failure mileage was 36,000 and current mileage was 40,000. updated 04/18/08 *bf
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Driver's side door handle and window handle(manual windows) broke. There was no abnormal usage--just normal wear. However, the interior plastic handles are poorly made. What if I have to exit the car quickly in an emergency???*ak
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Mounting
Consumer received nhtsa recall 00v09002 concerning fuel tanks, but never took the vehicle to the dealer for recall repairs. six months later consumer took the vehicle to the dealer for recall repairs, and mechanic informed consumer that recall repairs had been done already. consumer claimed that recall repairs was never performed because he never took vehicle to dealer. *ak
- Air bags › Frontal · Structure
Airbags deployed without an impact or collision. *la the consumer stated the door handle broke. *jb
- Suspension › Front › Macpherson strut
While driving at 50 mph vehicle shook heavily. Consumer was able to pull out of the road, and noticed the passenger's side wheel fell off. dealer indicated one of the screws which held the strut fell off. *Ak
- Power train › Automatic transmission
When starting the ignition transmission locked up, causing the vehicle to cut off. It would be hard for the consumer to restart vehicle. dealership/mechanic informed the consumer of the transmission failure, but was unable to resolve the problem. *ak
- Structure › Frame and members · Suspension › Front › Macpherson strut
I own a 1996 hyundai elantra. my EX purchased this vehicle from a used car lot. we have had the car for over 3 years. on monday morning I was on my way to the dentist and noticed a very loud "loose bumping" sound..i know that probably doesn't make sense....upon my quick return home I noticed…
I own a 1996 hyundai elantra. my EX purchased this vehicle from a used car lot. we have had the car for over 3 years. on monday morning I was on my way to the dentist and noticed a very loud "loose bumping" sound..i know that probably doesn't make sense....upon my quick return home I noticed that the driver rear tire (the entire thing) seemed to be loose and wobbly...i had a friend come and take a look to see what was wrong. after jacking the car up, with the car in the air and the tire still on the ground he thought that the strut was broken. so after further investigation, it was noticed that the strut mounting t the frame had fallen thru a rusted hole in the frame of my car. distraught as I was, and with no help from the hyundai dealer in the louisville area, I was out of luck on how to rectify this situation. now I am still paying for a car that I can never drive. I am wanting to know if any other hyundai owners have this problem. I mean the car IS not even 10 years old...and the frame IS rusting out on me.....there are no other rust spots on the car anywhere....i am just trying to understand why my car IS broke and no one IS able to help me fix it.*ak
- Fuel system, gasoline
Vehicle was repaired under recall #00v095000. The problem still exist as far as smelling fuel inside vehicle. Have contacted dealership and informed will repair but not free. Petersburg hyundai 804 862 1000 in va. *ak
- Power train › Automatic transmission
Trans. Slips. When you release gas pedal at high speeds and attempt to regain acceleration transmission does not respond immediately,there IS at least a 5 sec. Pause. I am now going in to a shop for a diagnoses due to the loss of power and no reverse gear present. *nlm
- Latches/locks/linkages › Hood › Latch
Hood latch released while I was driving causing hood to slam back against the windshield and totally obstructing vision while on main road. car needed to be towed and hood replaced. auto body owner found latch, bolts, nuts were all rusted. in recently speaking with him again he mentioned that…
Hood latch released while I was driving causing hood to slam back against the windshield and totally obstructing vision while on main road. car needed to be towed and hood replaced. auto body owner found latch, bolts, nuts were all rusted. in recently speaking with him again he mentioned that shortly after I had my hood replaced he had another hyundai elantra come in that also had rusted nuts/bolts/latch. my car IS a 1996 hyundai elantra. *nlm
- Structure › Body › Door
The drivers side door handle has been replaced twice and the handle IS still not functioning properly. *jg
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Vehicle stalls when turning , slowing or stopping. nlm
- Electrical system › Ignition › Switch
If they turn off vehicle it would be hard to start it back up. Dealer notified.*ak
- Electrical system › 12v/24v/48v battery
Consumer states while driving, the engine check light came on and then the vehicle stalled out. Vehicle has been to the dealer on several occasions and the problem IS reccurring. *Jb oxygen sensor and coil pack were replaced. Fuel injectors were cleaned, throttle body replaced. But problem still existed until dealer found battery had dead cell. *tt
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Consumer tried to contact the hyundai customer assistance center for motor vehicle recall follow-up about the evaporating emission system (00v-095), but he have not been able to reach anyone to set up an appointment to have to repairs made.
- Power train › Automatic transmission
Vehicle lost all drive gears while at highway speed. Dealer service reports total transmission failure. Occured wihout warning , no noticable change in transmission fluid, and at only 69,975 miles (mostly in-town 20 mile work commute). Dealer claims no warranty coverage. *ak
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Pads
Right front brake pad separated from backing pad while driving. situation resulted in reduced braking capability when brakes where utilized. brake pads had approx 25 - 35% life remaining.*ak
- Air bags › Frontal
As consumer was driving he had to swerve to avoid hitting another car. Vehicle went up on a curb, causing both airbags to deploy. windshield was cracked by airbags/ front end was pushed back. Please add additional information. *Ak
- Service brakes, hydraulic › Foundation components › Disc › Rotor
Both front rotors have multiple hairline cracks -never been cut with plenty of brake lining left -- all highway driving not stop and go . *Ak
- Air bags › Frontal
While driving about 50 mph and crossing a green light another vehicle was oncoming traffic trying to make a turn in front of consumer's vehicle, but consumer could not avoid crashing into it. upon impact, air bags did not deploy. *ak
- Electrical system › Wiring › Interior/under dash
Dash has been returned to dealer several times to repair. First it was said to be a speedometer cable that was replaced. The noise continues to get louder and louder. *ak
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine › Gasoline
Whenever driving vehicle would die out. Taken to dealer for repairs 5 times. Each time mechanic could not locate cause of problem. Checked coils/air/ oil filters/ electrical system, and fuel system. Nothing resolved stalling. *Ak
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Consumer contacted dealer in reference to recall number 00v095001, manufcturer's number not available. dealer refused to correct the recall problem, cap was only replaced. Consumer note when driving the vehicle stalls and cut off without no prior warning. *ak
Defect investigations
NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation opened these reviews into vehicles including this one.
- Fuel cap replacement campaign 36
There is no summary currently available
- Windshield wiper failure
In its letter dated february 14, 1997, hyundai stated that approximately 75,000 hyundai vehicles (certain model year 1996-97 elantra, accent, sonata and tiburon models built through october 18, 1996 -- see nhtsa recall no. 97V-026 for details) will be recalled for a defect in the windshield wiper motor.hyundai stated…
In its letter dated february 14, 1997, hyundai stated that approximately 75,000 hyundai vehicles (certain model year 1996-97 elantra, accent, sonata and tiburon models built through october 18, 1996 -- see nhtsa recall no. 97V-026 for details) will be recalled for a defect in the windshield wiper motor.hyundai stated that the windshield wiper motor may not operate in cold weather conditions due to contamination of the motor's circuit breaker electrical contacts with soldering flux during manufacturing process.hyundai will remedy the defect by cleaning the electrical contacts to remove the contaminants.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10230904This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes or during normal driving operation.
- 10189989This bulletin provides the inspection procedure and repair guidelines for certain vehicles listed below.
- 10183963This bulletin describes the procedure to inspect and identify fluid which may appear around the brake caliper area.
- 10183960This bulletin provides tire vibration service procedures, including how to optimize vehicle vibration performance. For all wheel/tire balance claims, the Tire Balance Data Sheet must be fully completed including imbalance and Road Force Variation (RFV) data. The Data Sheet can be found at the end of this bulletin.
- 10178175This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to moisture accumulation in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. The TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes, or during normal driving operation.
- 10176182This bulletin provides information on tire maintenance best practices and procedures for dealers and customers to maximize tire life and performance.
- 10176178This bulletin describes the general guidelines to help disinfect and protect vehicle exterior/interior surfaces using recommended safe chemical products.
- 10174808This bulletin provides information on identifying dealer stock vehicles with either: A Battery SOC alert - low Battery State of Charge (SOC) at or below 50%. A 30 Day alert - vehicle has not started and reported an SOC in 30 days.
- 10174807The automatic transmission warranty repair policy authorizes in-dealership repairs of the following components for both OEM (new) and remanufactured automatic transmissions:
- 10173546This bulletin describes the general guidelines to disinfect and protect vehicle interior surfaces using certain safe chemical products.
- 10172142This bulletin describes the requirements for all wheel alignment and/or vehicle tracking claims and best practices when diagnosing and conducting alignment-related repairs for all models and model years.
- 10170883This bulletin provides guidelines to inspect the USB, head unit, and multi-box for common connection conditions. 2. This bulletin presents guidelines to inspect for common Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connection conditions. 3. This bulletin provides physical differences between the USB 2.0 port and USB 3.0 port.
- 10169370The Blind Spot Detection (BSD) or Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW) is a system that measures the speed of and distance from the following vehicles by using two magnetic wave radar sensors attached in the rear bumper. The BSD/BCW detects vehicles within the blind spot zone and gives off an alarm (visual and audible). The two magnetic radar sensors provide these functions for BSD/BCW: ? Senses other vehicles in the BSD/BCW zone and turns on the BSD/BCW warning lamp for the driver. The warning lamp starts blinking, along with an audible sound, when the driver turns on the turn signal lamp to enter the lane where another vehicle is driving.
- 10167253This bulletin provides instruction detailing the proper methodology for scanning and uploading captured GDS data files to the Techline Repository. Compliance with this bulletin ensures that the GDS data files are correctly transferred and matched with a Techline Case number.
- 10082725This bulletin provides information on components, attributes, and precautions of the 7-speed dry-type dual clutch transmission (dct).
- 10018890Automatic transaxle diagnostic trouble codes list.
- 10016469Oxygen sensors.
- 10015733Automatic transaxle diagnostic trouble codes list.
- 10010525Automatic transaxle diagnostic trouble code p0711, p0712 and p0713.
- 10005268Automatic transaxle pulse generator diagnostic trouble codes p0717 & p0722. 2004 accent included.
- 10002344Ata solenoid diagnostic trouble codes p0740, p0741, p0742, p0743, p0745, p0747, p0748, p0750, p0752, p0753, p0755, p0757, p0758, p0760, p0765.
- 10000708Obd-ii readiness test drive cycle.
- 633884Subject regarding diagnostic guide for clifford and dei security system.
- 633870Automatic transaxle pulse generator diagnostic trouble codes p0717 and p0722 - revised.
- 633851Subject regarding automatic transaxle oil leaking from oil pan gasket.
- 631420Subject regarding automatic transaxle diagnostic trouble codes list.
- 631408Subject on automatic transaxle harsh or delayed park reverse or park drive engagement.
- 628959Subject regarding front brake caliper rattle noise repair kit.
- 622933Subject regarding fuel tank pressure check campaign 037 for vehicles exhibiting excessive vacuum formation in the fuel tank.
- 618056Information on performing a test drive for transaxle shift quality.
- 613468Some transaxles produced prior to 05/15/99 may experience an oil leak in the bellhousing behind the torque converter.
- 607524Subject regarding crankshaft position sensor replacement procedure.
- 605841Some vehicles may experience an oil leak behind the torque converter.
- 605656Subject regarding harsh shifting under various conditions.
- 605010Subject regarding automatic transaxle diagnostic trouble code p1613/1614.
- 604536Vehicles may exhibit a slight shift flare during the upshift from 2ND to 3RD gear.
- 604442Procedures on replacing damaged drip rail weatherstrip.
- 604210Subject on airbag repair kit part numbers.
- 604209Removal procedures on hds cable connector cover-end.
- 603347Technical service bulletin on clutch cover assembly.
Every Hyundai Elantra model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.