2003 Hyundai Elantra problems
Owners have filed 310 complaints with NHTSA about the 2003 Hyundai Elantra. Suspension is the most reported problem area, at 20% of complaints. After that come air bags (16%) and body & structure (11%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 310 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 20% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 59 and 1
- Injuries and deaths
- 51 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 66,000 miles 221 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 37 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 31 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 31 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 28 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 34 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 22 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 12 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 10 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 7 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 9 |
What the data shows
Among the 221 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 66,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 94,000 miles (51 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 59 complaints mention a crash; 1 complaint mentions a fire; 51 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 88% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2003 ranks 18th most-complained-about out of 34 model years of the Hyundai Elantra with enough data (147 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 5 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The vehicle was taken to the dealer four times because it was not stopping when braking. On 9/9/2003, while trying to stop at a stop sign, the brakes failed. The vehicle hit a truck and the front air bags did not deploy. Driver sustained injuries to the pelvic area and bruises on the upper legs. Front passenger's head broke the windshield, and passenger suffered seizures. Child in the rear, age 11, sustained arm bruises. Driver and passengers were transported to the emergency room for treatment.
Vehicle had whining/grinding noise coming from both front and rear begining in aug 04 @ 10200 miles. Car has been taken to dealer 9 times for this problem. Rear brakes began clicking as they were applied. Brake cylinders were replaced. Then rear wheel bearings were replaced. Front wheel bearings where then replaced. Car was okay after 13 nov 03, but the rear wheel bearings went out again in jan 04.
Drivers side seat belt fails to retract and does not fit tightly due to failure to retract, leaving driver unprotected.