2005 Hyundai Elantra
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Hyundai › Elantra › 2005
These records cover every 2005 Hyundai Elantra. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
4 recalls name the 2005 Hyundai Elantra. Newest first.
Hyundai IS recalling 3,011 model year 2005-2007 elantra, tucson, sonata, azera and accent vehicles. a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to fail to illuminate when the brake pedal IS depressed or may cause the brake lights to remain illuminated when the brake pedal IS released. a defective stop lamp switch may also affect the…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Any of these malfunctions could lead to a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. the recall began on september 2, 2009. owners may contact hyundai of puerto rico customer service at 1-787-999-4310.
Certain vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system. the occupant classification system (ocs) installed in the right front seat of the vehicle may misclassify a child restraint seat (crs) as an adult. this may occur if the crs IS installed after an adult has been seated in the right front seat. if there has not been a 'key on' ' key off' cycle…
Risk and remedy
Risk
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.
Certain vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system. the occupant classification system (ocs) installed in the right front seat of the vehicle may misclassify a child restraint seat (crs) as an adult. this may occur if the crs IS installed after an adult has been seated in the right front seat. if there has not been a 'key on' ' key off' cycle…
Risk and remedy
Risk
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.
Certain passenger vehicles may have been built with threaded portions of the steering gearbox assembly's left and right inner ball joint assemblies that contain internal cracks in the material structure.
Risk and remedy
Risk
If the inner ball joint assembly was to break as a result of the internal crack, the tie rod end assembly would not longer be attached to the steering gear box. this would prevent steering control of that front wheel by the separated tie rod which could result in a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will replace the steering gearbox assemblies on these vehicles free of charge. owners were contacted by telephone beginning on april 8, 2005, and instructed not to drive their vehicles. hyundai will arrange to pick up and return their vehicles after repair. owners may contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Owner complaints
137 complaints30 involved a crash3 involved a fire26 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Steering · Suspension · Unknown or other
UNKNOWN On January 24,2026, I was thankfully traveling only about twenty mph a block from my home and something happened in the front drivers side suspension that caused me to almost hit three parked cars. Once I got stopped, the car couldn’t get get pushed forward, won’t roll at all forward, like…
UNKNOWN On January 24,2026, I was thankfully traveling only about twenty mph a block from my home and something happened in the front drivers side suspension that caused me to almost hit three parked cars. Once I got stopped, the car couldn’t get get pushed forward, won’t roll at all forward, like it’s in park, but in neutral we were able to push it backwards to the house. It seems that it could be what is described in recall 069. However when I put my vin in it said zero recalls. I see a letter to the original owner of this car, but I don’t see any info with the recall being repaired. The car hasn’t been worked on yet as we had a huge snowstorm the night the car broke and have since had sub zero temps and I’ve not found anyone to work on it in front of my home in this weather. How should I proceed? How can I get more info in regards to if this recall was remedied on this car?
- Suspension
I have a 2005 hyundai elantra that the front and rear subframe/ suspension crossmembers are completely rotted out. There is a safety recall that I found online for 2003 elantras for this same problem, but I can't seem to find anything for a 2005 model. They are the same body style and it's the same…
I have a 2005 hyundai elantra that the front and rear subframe/ suspension crossmembers are completely rotted out. There is a safety recall that I found online for 2003 elantras for this same problem, but I can't seem to find anything for a 2005 model. They are the same body style and it's the same exact crossmember used on these years. Hyundai knew there was an issue and they never fixed it for the 2005 model year. The rear crossmember rotted right through on mine and the back tires almost fell off of the car. Luckily I was right down the road from my house when it happened. After I replaced the rear crossmember, I noticed that the front was just as bad and there's a Crack and as soon as I pushed on it with my fingers, they went right through the metal and now there's a baseball sized rust hole right by the lower control arms on both sides of the front suspension crossmember. The car has just over 100,000 miles and now it's not drivable. There are dozens of reports online with people reporting the same exact issue. Myself or another driver could have been killed if this happened on the highway. The body is in nice shape on the car, so it's not like the whole car is rusted out. I looked for a new crossmember on multiple elantras in the junkyard and they all have the same issue, the body's are in good shape but both crossmembers are completely rotted away. This was an issue that hyundai had a recall on and never fixed for this year. There are many of these models still on the road that are an accident waiting to happen as well. Apparently from what I've read, the crossmembers and control arms never had any drain holes in them and they would rot from the inside out. Here's a link to the same issue for the 2003 year. I'll upload pictures of the crossmember and the underside of the car showing that the car isn't all rusted out, it's just the crossmembers. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
- Steering · Suspension · Unknown or other
As I was driving about 25-30 mph when the front drivers side lower control arm snapped, resulting in loss of control and steering, which could’ve caused a major accident if driven on a highway/interstate at a higher rate of speed. The damage revealed the control arm had rotted from the inside and…
As I was driving about 25-30 mph when the front drivers side lower control arm snapped, resulting in loss of control and steering, which could’ve caused a major accident if driven on a highway/interstate at a higher rate of speed. The damage revealed the control arm had rotted from the inside and had broken from the bushing connected to the frame, with no indication of rust in the outside, which has been something that has documented with other same generation Hyundais. I have not been able to bring it to a dealer or mechanic to have it checked
- Air bags · Power train
The air bag light came on and it is staying on
- Exterior lighting · Steering
The contact owns a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and released; however, the brake light remained illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V280000 (Exterior Lighting). Additionally…
The contact owns a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and released; however, the brake light remained illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V280000 (Exterior Lighting). Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the steering wheel became stiff while making a turn. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 05V187000 (Steering). The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 185,000.
- Air bags
The contact owns a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact was made aware of various recalls for similar vehicles. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the contact was informed that the VIN…
The contact owns a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the air bag warning light illuminated intermittently. The contact was made aware of various recalls for similar vehicles. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer where the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in an air bag recall. The dealer was made aware of the failure and confirmed there was no active recalls on the vehicle for the air bags. The contact scheduled a service appointment for the vehicle to be diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
- Air bags · Electrical system · Seats
Passenger airbag sensor registers when someone sits down, but randomly turns off and displays “Passenger Airbag Off” light for a couple minutes before turning off again. Vehicle was inspected by an authorized Hyundai service center and no codes were produced. No indicated problems prior to the first incident.
- Seat belts
The clip end will not release from the receiver by pressing the red release button,,,,,,safety problem...when alone in car I can put belt clip in passenger receiver
- Exterior lighting · Structure › Body
At inspection, mechanic noted severe and dangerous rust to subframe and subfloor in multiple areas of vehicle. Rear portion of subframe was almost completed rusted through. Additionally noted issues with rp brake light, plate light and fp turn signal. Ongoing issue with fusses and bulbs continually blowing/going out.
- Engine · Fuel/propulsion system
While slowing down after driving on highway or stopping at an traffic light, the car stalls and loses power steering. Needs to be put in neutral to restart but if stopping at another light, it dies again. *tr
- Structure › Frame and members › Underbody shields
Sub frame IS rotting brought car to mechanic for service not related and he noticed this problem he said it could be dangerous if not addressed. *tr
- Exterior lighting
Has an issue with the low beam light turning on only high beams work. Around 7:00 pm driving home lights just completely shut off on me down the freeway. Changed out the bulbs and again went out after 2 weeks around 6 traffic hour witch almost caused a collision when other driver merged into my…
Has an issue with the low beam light turning on only high beams work. Around 7:00 pm driving home lights just completely shut off on me down the freeway. Changed out the bulbs and again went out after 2 weeks around 6 traffic hour witch almost caused a collision when other driver merged into my lane due to no lights to show a vehicle was to his right. I have also seen its a huge issue with other elantra owners the same years.
- Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification · Air bags › Sensor › Occupant classification › Front passenger
TL* the contact owns a 2005 hyundai elantra. While the vehicle was in use, the air bag warning indicator illuminated. Beaverton hyundai (13255 sw farmington rd, beaverton, or 97005, (877) 812-0866) was contacted and stated that the vin was not included in a recall. The contact purchased a scanner…
TL* the contact owns a 2005 hyundai elantra. While the vehicle was in use, the air bag warning indicator illuminated. Beaverton hyundai (13255 sw farmington rd, beaverton, or 97005, (877) 812-0866) was contacted and stated that the vin was not included in a recall. The contact purchased a scanner and diagnosed that the air bag ocs electronic control unit failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired and the failure recurred multiple times. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 166,000.
- Air bags
I call a dealer last year (lee hyundai) florence, sc. And was told that if I want to have it fixed that it would cost me about 500 dollars, I also thought that I had made a report with nhtsa before and then when it came on tv, it was said that hyundai was liable for fixing it.
- Air bags
My air bag light will not go away
- Electrical system
TL* the contact owns a 2005 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that there was an intermittent failure of which the instrument cluster failed to function as well as the speedometer. The vehicle was not diagnosed by an authorized dealer yet to determine the cause of the failures. An independent…
TL* the contact owns a 2005 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that there was an intermittent failure of which the instrument cluster failed to function as well as the speedometer. The vehicle was not diagnosed by an authorized dealer yet to determine the cause of the failures. An independent mechanic inspected and diagnosed that the instrument cluster needed to be replaced as well as an internal electronic fault. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The vin was not available. The approximate failure mileage was 74,510.
- Air bags
Talked to dealer (hyundai lee), and was told recall was closed and I would have to paid to have fixed. I brought this car from dealer.
- Air bags
Just purchased this vehicle used and the air bag dashboard light went on. The dealer charged me $140 to diagnose informing me that the seat sensors need replacement adding that the entire seat assembly may need to be replaced. I feel this IS a failure of hyundai's research and development plus…
Just purchased this vehicle used and the air bag dashboard light went on. The dealer charged me $140 to diagnose informing me that the seat sensors need replacement adding that the entire seat assembly may need to be replaced. I feel this IS a failure of hyundai's research and development plus quality control of a major safety system device. Its replacement should be free based on this. As a note the light comes on immediately at start and while driving, stays on constantly
- Air bags
Air bag light has been on and I need safety in the car,wondering if recall has been reported
- Structure › Body
The box metal frame IS completed rusted thru with a lot of the frame rusted away under the driver and passenger side by front door area.i found this out when I went to jack up the car at the frame.
- Structure › Body
TL* the contact owns a 2005 hyundai elantra. While driving 20 mph, the passenger side subframe fractured along the wheel well. The contact stated that there was severe rust to the vehicle's subframe. The vehicle was not taken to be inspected. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. The vin was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 126,000.
- Steering · Structure › Body · Unknown or other
Complete lost of control no steering abilities
- Air bags
Passengers seat was checked .faulty sensor in seat .$1800. 00 to fix .cant afford to fix on a fixed income
- Structure › Body · Wheels
TL* the contact owns a 2005 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that the metal wheel rims prematurely rusted with deterioration causing the tires to have low pressure, then several times the contact had to replace the tires. The vehicle was taken to an independent tire repair technician to inspect…
TL* the contact owns a 2005 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that the metal wheel rims prematurely rusted with deterioration causing the tires to have low pressure, then several times the contact had to replace the tires. The vehicle was taken to an independent tire repair technician to inspect and diagnose the wheel rims and it was determined that the tires needed to be replaced. In addition, the vehicle was taken to a dealer (power of bowser, 1001 clairton blvd, pleasant hills, pa 15236) who provided no solution and failed to determine a remedy or replacement part. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was uncertain if the dealer might provide the replacement part if there was no manufacturer recall providing a solution. The approximate failure mileage was 66,089.
- Air bags · Seats
TL* the contact owns a 2005 hyundai elantra. Upon starting the vehicle, the air bag indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the ocs mat failed and the front passenger seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired by the contact's husband…
TL* the contact owns a 2005 hyundai elantra. Upon starting the vehicle, the air bag indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the ocs mat failed and the front passenger seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired by the contact's husband; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to autonation hyundai mall of georgia (3445 buford dr ne, buford, ga 30519) where it was diagnosed that the failure recurred and the seat needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
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.
- 10251285This bulletin contains information about the proper removal of the windshield wiper blade protective cover on all models. If the protective cover is not removed correctly, there is a possibility of the rubber insert and rail spring becoming partially separated on the inner side of the wiper blade, which could lead to poor wiping performance and/or possible scratching of the windshield glass. Follow the procedure in this bulletin to properly remove the windshield wiper blade protective cover on all new wiper blades.
- 10247189This bulletin provides important checkpoint guidelines when performing engine oil and filter change services.
- 10235566Hyundai applies a Paint Protection Film (PPF) on new vehicles before delivery to dealerships. It provides a barrier between the paint and contaminants, such as rail dust, acid rain, and industrial fallout. In rare cases, the paint can become clouded under the PPF. These spots are the result of moisture trapped between the PPF and the paint.
- 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.
- 10217258Effective June 2, 2008, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 110 (FMVSS 110) established a threshold for correcting load carrying capacity information indicated on tire placards when vehicle weight has been increased before retail sale. This limit is the lesser of 1.5% of GVWR or 100 pounds. If the total added weight exceeds the lesser of the limit, a label must be added to the driver-side B-pillar within 25mm (1 inch) of the original tire placard.
- 10217251Follow the guidelines outlined in this bulletin to inspect and clean or replace certain components of the engine intake system accordingly during engine short block or sub-assembly replacement.
- 10196546Hyundai approves only the ATF, DCT gear oil and IVT gear oil specified in the vehicles owners manual. Use of other ATF may result in improper shift quality or other drivability conditions. Use of other DCT and IVT gear oil may result in reduced durability. Hyundai does not approve the use of any aftermarket ATF or gear oil additives.
- 10190044This bulletin provides the service procedure for engine connecting rod bearing clearance testing. Perform the procedure outlined in this bulletin to fulfill the Bearing Clearance Test inspection requirements to determine next required steps.
- 10190038This bulletin provides best practice recommendations when performing brake service procedures.
- 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.
- 10160098This bulletin provides the procedure to write the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) during the replacement of the Engine Control Module (ECM) or Powertrain Control Module (PCM). Once the VIN has been programmed to the ECM/PCM, it cannot be removed or overwritten.
- 10082725This bulletin provides information on components, attributes, and precautions of the 7-speed dry-type dual clutch transmission (dct).
- 10082455"The pcm or tcm contains logic to adjust solenoid duty and line pressure as needed to compensate for normal clutch wear over the life of the transaxle. This bulletin provides the procedures necessary to reset (erase) and relearn the pcm/tcm adaptive values. After the following repairs have been completed, the pcm/tcm adaptive values must be reset in order to provide optimum shift quality. If the procedure IS not performed, the transmission may experience a shift flare or harsh shift. H replace automatic transaxle or pcm/tcm h reprogram or exchange a pcm/tcm from another vehicle"
- 10032908Hyundai: ata solenoid diagnostic trouble codes p0740, p0741, p0742, p0743, p0746, p0748, p0750, p0755, p0760, p0765, p0770. Incorrect operation of the transaxle solenoids may result in the following symptoms-check engine light illuminated; transaxle held in 3RD gear fail safe.
- 10030984Hyundai: automatic transaxle range switch diagnostic trouble codes p0705 (range switch signal problems), p0707 (range switch open circuit), and p0708 (range switch short circuit or multiple inputs). An improperly adjusted or improperly operating range switch may result in the above mentioned conditions. Malfunction indicator light (mil) illuminated; impossible engine start in p or n.
- 10025083Automatic transaxle harsh and/or delayed upshift or downshift - gds analysis.
- 10022618Automatic transaxle harsh and/or delayed engagement into drive or reverse.
- 10020912Automatic transaxle diagnostic trouble codes (dtc) list.
- 10019824Occupant classification system (ocs) reprogramming. Passenger air bag off indicator light may not turn off or may switch on and off when some smaller stature adults are seated in the right front passenger seat.
- 10019353Airbag reprogramming guide.
- 10019171Occupant classification system (ocs) reprogramming. Fix-it-right. Hyundai technet times.
- 10018734Reprograms are available for automatic transaxle driveability issues. Technet times. Hyundai.
- 10018184Automatic transaxle diagnostic trouble codes list.
- 10016891Reprogramming instructions for diagnostic trouble code (dtc) p0736. Check engine light illuminated and dtc p0736 (reverse gear incorrect ratio) stored.
- 10015980Wheel alignment specifications.
- 10015866Automatic transaxle diagnostic trouble codes list.
- 10015826The occupant classification system (ocs) passenger air bag off indicator light may not turn off or may switch on and off when some smaller stature adults are seated in the right front passenger seat. Fit-it-right occupant classification system (ocs) reprogramming.
- 10015813Transmission gearshift knob cap replacement - service campaign T14.
Every Hyundai Elantra model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.