Electrical issues with power locks. The vehicle overall is unsafe due to the progressive motor, electrical, and complex issues effecting the basic usage of my car.
The worst 2001 Hyundai Elantra problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Airbags118
- Suspension81
- Brakes30
- Body28
- Steering24
- Engine23
- Electrical22
- Visibility17
- Transmission16
- Fuel system14
- Lights11
- Acceleration9
- Seat belts7
- Wheels7
- Tires4
- Locks3
- Seats3
- Driver assistance1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2001 Hyundai Elantra
Ball joint 63Airbag light 56No deployment 37Headlights 12Check engine light 11Brake failure 6Door locks 5Jerking 5Overheating 5Power steering loss 5
Recalls 6
Suspension: front: control arm
- What is wrong
- Hyundai is recalling 160,904 my 2001-2003 elantra and my 2003 tiburon vehicles originally sold in or currently registered in the states of connecticut, delaware, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia, wisconsin, and the district of columbia. Road salt used during the winter months in these jurisdictions may result in internal corrosion and thinning of the steel in the front lower control arms. The corrosion may progress to the point where the lower control arm's upper and lower panels become perforated. A perforated front lower control arm may fracture between its ball joint attachment and the forward and rearward pivot attachments to the chassis.
- Risk
- The fracturing of the control arm could an owner's control over their vehicle that may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect the front lower control arms for corrosion damage. If specified levels of internal corrosion damage are found, the front lower control arms will be replaced with new front lower control arms incorporating additional holes in the upper and lower panels. If the front lower control arms do not require replacement, the dealer will add drainage holes to the front lower control arms and will treat the front lower control arms with rust-proofing materials to arrest the internal corrosion process. These procedures will be performed free of charge. The recall began on august 17, 2009. Owners may contact the hyundai customer assistance center at 1‑800‑633‑5151.
Recall number 09V125000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive
- What is wrong
- Hyundai is recalling certain my 2001 elantra vehicles. If a liquid is spilled in the area of the cupholder on the center console, it may seep through the console opening for the parking brake lever and then drip onto the air bag control module electrical connector. The spilled liquid may contaminate the air bag control module and its electrical connector to the air bag wiring harness and cause the supplemental restraint system (SRS) warning light to illuminate.
- Risk
- This condition may affect the driver and passenger frontal air bags and may prevent air bag deployment during a crash where such deployment should occur. Non-deployment of the SRS air bags may increase the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger under certain crash conditions.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a protective cover over the vehicle's air bag control module connector. The recall owner notification began on november 30, 2008, and letters will be sent out in six mailings. Owners may contact hyundai at 1‑800‑633‑5151.
Recall number 08V532000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive
- What is wrong
- Hyundai is recalling certain my 2001-2002 elantra vehicles. Movement of the side impact air bag wiring harness mounted under each front seat, possibly caused by contact from materials placed under the seat, may result in an electrical resistance that would cause supplemental restraint system (SRS) warning light illumination.
- Risk
- This condition only relates to the driver and passenger seat mounted side impact air bags and may prevent seat mounted side impact air bag deployment during a crash where such deployment should occur. Non-deployment of the SRS air bags may increase the risk of injury to the driver and front passenger under certain crash conditions.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install new side impact air bag wiring harness connector clips and revised side impact air bag wiring harness attachments under the driver's and front passenger's seats. The recall is expected to begin during the fourth quarter of 2008, and will be sent out in six mailings. Owners may contact hyundai at 1‑800‑633‑5151.
Recall number 08V533000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the brake tubes for the rear brakes can contact the steering gearbox mounting brackets.
- Risk
- Contact between the rear brake tubes and the steering gearbox mounting brackets may result in rear brake tube wear and corrosion, increasing the risk of brake fluid leakage. Brake fluid leakage could result in reduced braking capability, which could result in a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reposition the rear brake tubes, install brake tube clips, and apply anti-corrosion material to the rear brake tubes. Owner notification began january 22, 2004. Owners should contact hyundai of puerto rico at 1‑800‑633‑5151.
Recall number 03V496000 · Recall details
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- What is wrong
- On certain passenger vehicles, the rear brake tubes pass behind the front suspension crossmember. Two steering gearbox mounting brackets are welded to the crossmember. On vehicles equipped with an antilock brake system (ABS), the rear brake tubes could contact both steering gearbox mounting brackets. On vehicles that are not equipped with ABS, the rear brake tubes may contact only the left mounting bracket. Contact between the rear brake tubes and the steering brackets could cause wear and corrosion that could result in brake fluid leakage.
- Risk
- Fluid leakage could result in reduced braking capability increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reposition the rear brake tubes so they do not contact the mounting brackets, install brake tube clips to control the location of the rear brake tubes, and apply anti-corrosion material to the tubes in the areas where contact with the mounting brackets may have occurred. Owner notification began on october 13, 2003. Owners should contact hyundai at 1‑800‑633‑5151.
Recall number 03V257000 · Recall details
Air bags: side/window
- What is wrong
- Vehicle description: passenger vehicles. The supplemental restraint system side air bag satellite sensors installed were improperly manufactured, causing the air bag warning light to illuminate and the side air bags to not deploy as intended in the event of a crash.
- Risk
- Non-deployment of the side air bags could increase the risk of injury during a crash where side air bag deployment is intended.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the two satellite sensors.
Recall number 00V332000 · Recall details
See all 6 recalls for the 2001 Hyundai Elantra
Defect investigations
Front lower control arms rusting
On april 14, 2009, hyundai motor corporation submitted to odi a defect information report indicating that it would recall a salt-belt population of approximately 155,317 model year (my) 2001 through 2003 hyundai elantra vehicles to remedy a defect that can result in loss of vehicle control with an increased risk of a crash while driving (09v‑125).the affected vehicles cover all my 2001, my 2002, and my 2003 through january 13, 2003 production.these include elantra vehicles that were originally sold or currently registered in connecticut, delaware, district of columbia, illinois, indiana, iowa, maine, maryland, massachusetts, michigan, minnesota, missouri, new hampshire, new jersey, new york, ohio, pennsylvania, rhode island, vermont, west virginia and wisconsin.the total three-year production population for the elantra vehicles is approximately 350,000. According to hyundai, road salt can collect in the outboard portion of the front lower control arm and may result in internal corrosion leading to thinning of the steel in the lower control arms.the corrosion may progress to the point where the lower control arm upper and lower panels become perforated.a perforated front lower control arm may fracture between its ball joint attachment and the forward and rearward pivot attachments to the chassis.this could affect the driver's control over the tire and wheel assembly.hyundai's recall procedure instructs dealers to measure the thickness of the steel in the front lower control arms.if specified levels of corrosion damage have occurred, the front lower control arms will be replaced with new front lower control arms with additional holes in the upper and lower panels. Odi's analysis of front lower control arm complaint and warranty data shows 220 complaints and 1,033 warranty claims for the total approximately 350,000 subject vehicles sold throughout the united states, resulting in a complaint rate of 62.82 per 100,000 vehicles and a claim rate of 0.3 percent.odi's analysis found 7 complaints and 90 warranty claims in 132,475 vehicles sold in non-salt belt states, resulting in a complaint rate of 5.3 per 100,000 vehicles and a claim rate of 0.1 percent. Odi's analysis further found 196 complaints and 943 warranty claims in 155,317 vehicles sold in salt belt states, resulting in a complaint rate of 126.2 per 100,000 vehicles and a claim rate of 0.6 percent.odi identified 34 incidents of lower control arm fracture related to corrosion, all of which occurred in salt belt states.the data do not show a defect trend in vehicles outside the region covered by hyundai's recall. This preliminary evaluation is closed.
PE09011
Air bag light illumination
Hyundai is conducting two safety recalls to correct two safety defects described below.under safety recall 08v‑532, hyundai will install a vinyl protective shield/cover to prevent short circuits in the air bag control module cause by spills of liquids that seep into the module connector. This action applies to 78,369 my 2001 vehicles (built through 4/26/2001).the air bag control module connector in my 2001 vehicles built after 4/26/2001 is covered by the carpet.to improve the integrity of the side impact air bag wiring harness under the driver and front passenger seats, hyundai will install new clips and revise the wiring harness attachments under safety recall 08v‑533.this applies to 150,541 my 2001 through my 2002 vehicles (built through 12/18/2001).hyundai upgraded the wiring harness routing/connector clip on my 2002 vehicles built after 12/18/2001.hyundai designed the subject vehicles (under safety recall 08v‑532) such that the air bag control module connector is located directly below the center console cup holders.spillage of liquid from cups placed in the cup holders may contaminate the control module and the connector and prevent proper deployment of the air bags.in addition, in the subject vehicles under safety recall 08v‑533, hyundai located a wiring harness for the side impact air bags under each front seat.movement of the seat or placement of objects under the seat may disturb the electrical connection in the side impact air bag wiring circuit.for each of the above described conditions, the air bag warning light will illuminate when the vehicle diagnostic system detects a fault.this investigation identified several crash reports (two fatal and 17 crash reports resulting in nine injury reports) that included allegations of prior air bag warning light illumination and non-deployment of the air bags, which are not included in the failure report summary.this engineering analysis is closed (see recalls 08v‑532 & 08v533).
EA08012
Air bag light illumination
In certain model year (my) 2001 and 2002 vehicles, the air bag system is susceptible to air bag light illumination and air bag non-deployment or inadvertent deployment from liquid contamination of the air bag control module.the control module is located beneath and near center console cup holders.odi is also aware of complaints regarding air bag light illumination due to loss of proper air bag electrical integrity in wiring and connections located under the front seats.under investigation pe08-017, hyundai provided 472 owner reports and 9,108 warranty claims related to these issues for my 2001 and 2002 vehicles built through 12/14/2001.odi is also aware of six incidents of seat belt pretensioner/air bag inadvertent deployments due to liquid spills.to address the above issues, on 04/25/2001, hyundai added a carpet cover/shield over the air bag control module connector area and upgraded the cable routing and attachment points to improve the electrical connections on vehicles built after 12/14/2008.this preliminary evaluation is being upgraded to an engineering analysis (ea08-012) for further investigation of certain my 2001-2002 subject vehicles built through 12/14/2002.
PE08017
Technical service bulletins for the 2001 Hyundai Elantra 102
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the...
- This bulletin contains information about the proper removal of the windshield wiper blade protective cover...
- This bulletin provides important checkpoint guidelines when performing engine oil and filter change services.
- Hyundai applies a Paint Protection Film (PPF) on new vehicles before delivery to dealerships
- Follow the guidelines outlined in
- Effective June 2, 2008, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 110 (FMVSS 110) established a threshold for...
- Hyundai approves only the ATF, DCT gear oil and IVT gear oil specified in the vehicleâs ownerâs manual
- This bulletin provides the service procedure for engine connecting rod bearing clearance testing
- This bulletin provides best practice recommendations when performing brake service procedures.
- This bulletin provides the inspection procedure and repair guidelines for certain vehicles listed below.
2001 Hyundai Elantra fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.0L 4‑cyl | FWD | 21 | 30 | 25 |
What 2001 Hyundai Elantra owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The air bag light keeps coming on and off while in motion..
All 4 brakes started to randomly lock up. I was driving and had to run it almost a 1/2 mile for a shoulder to pull over at. Upon stopping, the brakes were smoking all around the car and the front driver side actually caught flame. I'm guessing brake booster is the cause. Also front control arms are almost rusted through. The cars been well maintained and has around 185,000 miles on it. Has valve cover leak into spark plug port on cylinder 3 and has a very weak clutch that sometimes slips.
All four windows stopped functioning at once. Researched this problem and it is extremely common. This is a major safety problem in case windows are needed to escape from vehicle due to accident. The temperature of vehicle can also exceed safe degree due to windows not opening. No warning was given before all windows ceased to function. Started vehicle and windows would not work from any control. Had to take mother to doctor for heat exhaustion from excessive temperatures building up in car.
Takata recall. The airbag light is illuminated on dash. The vehicle has never been in an accident yet the light is on. Not sure if airbags will work if an accident ever does occur. Cannot have full coverage insurance because air bag light is on. Vehicle was stationary when light came on. Unknown why this failure occured.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 hyundai elantra equipped with dextero touring dtr1 tires, size i95/60r/15 88h (na). While the vehicle was parked in the driveway, the rear passenger side tire blew out. In addition, the front driver, front passenger, and rear driver side tires had cracks on the lower sidewalls. The rear passenger tire was taken to walmart for replacement. The other tires were not replaced. The vehicle was not taken to a tire dealer for repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the failures. The approximate vehicle failure mileage was 97,285. The tire failure mileage was 15,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that while driving at 18 MPH, an abnormal noise was heard. The contact stated upon inspection they noticed the control arm had detached from the driver side wheel well. The vehicle was towed to the contacts residence. Freehold hyundai located at 4065 route 9 north, freehold, nj, where they refused to perform the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v125000 (suspension) due to having to wait for approval for the recall repair from the manufacturer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 hyundai elantra. While driving various speeds at night, the headlights and all the warning indicators on the instrument panel intermittently illuminated. In addition, all four windows failed to function. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the fuse, wiring, and door switch failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 hyundai elantra. While driving 50 MPH, the air bag indicator illuminated without warning. In addition, the vehicle made a rumbling noise and jerked to the right while driving. The vehicle was diagnosed as needing the lower control arm replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 118,000. The VIN was not available.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 hyundai elantra. When the brake pedal was applied, the brakes failed to function properly. The contact had to apply force to the brake pedal several times to ensure that the vehicle completely stopped. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic to service the brake system. In addition, there was an abnormal noise coming from the front of the vehicle associated with the upper or lower control arms. The check engine and air bag warning indicators remained illuminated. Also, the vehicle failed to refuel in a reasonable time frame, which caused the contact to have to wait an extended period of time during refueling. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The failure mileage was not available.
Compare the 2001 Hyundai Elantra
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Other model years
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Questions about the 2001 Hyundai Elantra
Is the 2001 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
Owners have filed 315 complaints about the 2001 Hyundai Elantra, 1.2 times a typical Elantra model year.
What is the 2001 Hyundai Elantra year score?
The 2001 Hyundai Elantra scores 59 out of 100 (below average). The score compares it with the other model years of the Hyundai Elantra: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2001 Hyundai Elantra?
Airbags, with 118 complaints, typically around 62,000 miles. Next is suspension (81).
How many recalls does the 2001 Hyundai Elantra have?
6 recalls, covering suspension, air bags and service brakes, hydraulic.
Was there a recall on the 2001 Hyundai Elantra airbags?
Yes, 3 recalls: 08V532000, 08V533000, 00V332000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Hyundai Elantra have bad airbags?
The Hyundai Elantra model years with the most airbags complaints are 2013 (168 complaints), 2012 (124 complaints) and 2001 (118 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2001 Hyundai Elantra get?
Official estimates for the 2001 Hyundai Elantra range from 25 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 21 city and 30 highway.
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Check its historyHyundai Elantra in the news
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- Hyundai extends warranty coverage on 2015-2019 Sonata, 2015-2018 Elantra and 2017-2021 Tucson and other models (unknown or other)