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.
2001 Hyundai Elantra: ball joint or control arm failure
63 of the 315 complaints about the 2001 Hyundai Elantra describe ball joint or control arm failure.
- owner complaints
- 63
- of this car's complaints
- 20%
- typical mileage
- 99,000
- recalls
- 1
Is there a fix? There is 1 recall and 3 service bulletins for this area of the car. See below
Ball joint or control arm failure by model year
What owners say
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 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.
Tl* the contacts owns a 2001 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that the vehicle was emitting a loud humming noise from the front passenger side when driving straight or making right turns. When making a left turn, the noise went away. The contact took the vehicle to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the control arm and ball joint failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The mechanic stated that the failure was related to the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v125000 (suspension); however, the vehicle was not included. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
My 2001 elantra had a recall on front control arms.this recall was limited to snowbelt states.the recall says control arms may corrode due to water and salt being trapped inside control arm and may break.their solution was to replace if needed or drill drainage hole to allow water to escape and treat to prevent further corrosion.my car had the drill and treat solution but the control arm broke anyway.luckily the car was being driven at a slow speed when the break occurred,if the car was at highway speed, serious injury or death could have been the result.hyundai admits to the defect but is saying that since the recall was repaired it is no longer an issue.the control arms should have replaced from the beginning but instead they took the cheap way out.I will repair the car and try to recover the money from hyundai as a repeat recall.hyundai should replace all the control arms on cars that are affected before someone gets hurt.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 hyundai elantra. While driving approximately 25 MPH, the rear control arm fractured. The contact stated that upon further inspection, it was found that the rear control arm had extensive rust and corrosion due to moisture. The vehicle was not able to be driven and was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v125000 (suspension). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided no remedy. The approximate failure mileage was 180,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that the front driver side lower control arm fractured. The contact was able to park the vehicle prior to the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the front passenger side lower control arm was rusting as well. The vehicle was not included in the federal safety agency campaign number: 09v125000 (suspension). The failure mileage was 150,120.
2001 hyundai elantra. Consumer writes in regards to rear control arm problems. *smd the consumer stated his son, had just come off the interstate, when the rear control arm broke away from the cross member, causing him to loose control of the vehicle.
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle started to shake violently back and forth. An independent mechanic inspected the vehicle and stated that the rear cross members were corroded, causing the control arm to become detached from the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 102,000. ..updated 12-26-13
Tl* the contact owns a 2001 hyundai elantra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 10 MPH and attempting to make a u-turn, there was a loud screeching noise emitted outside of the vehicle with a sudden loss of power steering assist. The contact was able to regain control of the vehicle. The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the front driver's side tire had become detached from the vehicle, causing the front end to collapse. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the front axle and lower control arm were both replaced. The contact referenced the federal safety agency campaign id number 09v125000 (suspension); however the contact's VIN was not included in the recall campaign. The manufacturer was notified of the defect. The approximate failure mileage was 142,000.
I was making a u turn when I heard a loud noise, I was unable to control my car seem to be drifting to one side until I hit a curb... When I got out of the car to see what happen I notice that my wheel was turned inwards and the control arm was broken and the axle had popped out... No one was injured however my daughter was shaking up about what happen... I took several pictures of the wheel and rusty part.. It amazed me how metal could rust that bad and break in half... I thank god I was not on the highway when this happen no telling what could have happen...I called hyundai dealership to explain what happen also to find out if there was a recall on that part and was told there was no recall on 2001 hyundai elantra...
Service bulletins that may apply
Related recalls
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
Questions about the 2001 Hyundai Elantra ball joint
Is ball joint or control arm failure a common problem on the 2001 Hyundai Elantra?
63 of 315 owner complaints about the 2001 Hyundai Elantra (20%) mention ball joint or control arm failure. The model year with the most reports is 2002.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2001 Hyundai Elantra?
There is 1 recall and 3 service bulletins for the same area of the car. Check them below with your VIN.
Other symptoms on the 2001 Hyundai Elantra
Airbag light 56No deployment 37Headlights 12Check engine light 11Brake failure 6Door locks 5Jerking 5Overheating 5Power steering loss 5
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