Live in Indiana where the weather is super salty in the winters and all of the salt in Indiana has really really affected the whole underside of my car. The whole subframe is falling apart and the rust has gotten to everything under the car. I have spent about 4 thousand dollars into this car doing all the work myself to make this car run In pristine conditions. I am very very worried that my whole back end will just fall apart going down the road due to the rust.
2003 Hyundai Elantra airbags problems
48 complaints (21% of all complaints for this car). Typical mileage when it fails: 46,000. 32 crashes reported.
- owner complaints
- 48
- of this car's complaints
- 21%
- typical mileage
- 46,000
- crashes
- 32
- recalls
- 0
Which part fails
- Frontal15
- Frontal: sensor/control module4
- Side/window2
At what mileage
Complaints by mileage at the time of the problem.
0k-25k
25k-50k
50k-75k
75k-100k
100k-125k
125k-150k
150k-175k
175k-200k
200k+
Hyundai Elantra airbags problems in other years
Specific symptoms reported on the 2003 Hyundai Elantra airbags
Phrases found in the owners' own descriptions, so one complaint can mention several symptoms.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Related investigations
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
What 2003 Hyundai Elantra owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
I had a wreck today on a highway where I was traveling at 40 MPH and I slammed on my brakes and hit the car in front of me when the vehicle in front of me stopped suddenly. My chest rammed into the steering wheel and the bags did not deploy.the car was totally smashed in the front and the door had a hard time opening. I was rushed to the er and had contusions to my sternum area of my chest. *I did wear seat belts.
Air bag sign on, I took dealer mechanic said it is manufacturing issue.
Replaced sensors because the check engine light came on, now the car won't pass inspection. The diagnostic tests won't read any malfunction and the airbag light won't go off
I had to replace struts in front
Tl* the contact owned a 2003 hyundai elantra. While driving 30 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard. The brakes failed to respond and another vehicle crashed into the front passenger side of the contact's vehicle. The vehicle spun around several times. Only the passenger side curtain air bags deployed. The contact was taken from the accident by ambulance to a nearby hospital. The contact was treated for neck and lower back pain. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 151,000.
Driving at 45mpd air bag light activated. Went to my repair service ram auto(ft. Pierce,fl. Tech tested with car diagnostic device. Could not find issue. Tried to delete code for air bag, light comes back on. Suggested I see if any recalls for this vehicle- no reports of air bag recalls for a hyundai 2003 gls.
I had a low speed accident approximately 10-20mph in a parking lot where I hit a cement surrounding of a pole on the driver side and the airbag deployed on the passengers side causing significant damage to the windshield, busted the dash vents, locked my drivers seatbelt and shattered windshield glass all over the car.
A few months back I began noticing that my check engine light came on. Would take 10- 15 mins to fill up gas tank. Sensor was triggered every few seconds, suggesting gas tank was full, but it was not. Took it to the dealer and was told there was nothing wrong with the car. With in the last month I have been noticing that rear automatic locking seat belt is not staying locked. Child car seats do not stay secured. Car occasionally stalls when started, and air bag light does not illuminate to determine if air bag will deploy or not.
Tl*the contact owns a 2003 hyundai elantra. When the contact started the vehicle, he noticed that the air bag light was illuminated. He stated no one was sitting in the passenger seat. The air bag light stayed on constantly since february 2011. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who advised the contact that the air bag control module was defective and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The manufacturer was contacted and the contact was advised that the vehicle was no longer under warranty. The failure mileage was 29,000 and the current mileage was 29,500.
Questions about the 2003 Hyundai Elantra airbags
Does the 2003 Hyundai Elantra have airbags problems?
Owners have filed 48 complaints about the airbags of the 2003 Hyundai Elantra, 21% of all its complaints.
At what mileage do 2003 Hyundai Elantra airbags problems start?
The typical (median) mileage in owner complaints is 46,000 miles.
Was there a recall on the 2003 Hyundai Elantra airbags?
There is no recall for this problem on this model year.
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).
Other 2003 Hyundai Elantra problems
Suspension 61Body 32Brakes 27Engine 22Fuel system 18Steering 16Lights 13Seat belts 11Electrical 10Acceleration 9Transmission 9Tires 8Visibility 4Wheels 3Locks 1Seats 1
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