The contact owned a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that upon pulling into the driveway, the power steering and ABS warning lights illuminated. After researching the warning lights online, the contact turned off and exited the vehicle. The contact became aware of smoke coming from underneath the hood. Upon opening the hood, the contact noticed that the under hood was on fire and called the Fire Department. The Fire Department arrived on the scene and extinguished the fire. The contact was informed that fire had originated under the dashboard nearby the computer. The vehicle was inspected, towed, and then deemed a total loss by the insurance company. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired for an engine overheating failure two weeks prior to the fire. The failure mileage was approximately 115,000.
The worst 2008 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.
- Steering55
- Brakes52
- Fuel system45
- Engine41
- Airbags38
- Electrical31
- Transmission29
- Acceleration24
- Lights24
- Suspension11
- Visibility11
- Body10
- Driver assistance6
- Tires5
- Seat belts4
- Wheels2
Specific symptoms reported on the 2008 Hyundai Elantra
Fuel pump 37Stalling 32Fire or smoke 24ABS 22Check engine light 22No deployment 17Power steering loss 17Adaptive cruise 15Loss of power 12Airbag light 11Engine failure 11Steering lock-up 11Hesitation 9Sudden acceleration 9Jerking 8Grinding brakes 6Ball joint 5Brake failure 5
Trouble codes owners of the 2008 Hyundai Elantra mention
C1290 3
Recalls 7
Service brakes, hydraulic: antilock/traction control/electronic limited slip: control unit/module
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Elantra and 2009-2011 Elantra Touring vehicles. On February 21, 2020 Hyundai expanded the recall to include 46,425 model year 2007-2008 Entourage and 2007 Santa Fe vehicles. Moisture may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short.
- Risk
- An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the car is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.
- Remedy
- Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the vehicle's main junction box to prevent the risk of an ABS short-circuit while the car is turned off, free of charge. The recall began April 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑855‑371‑9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 188.
Recall number 20V061000 · Recall details
Steering: electric power assist system
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Elantra vehicles manufactured June 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010, and 2009-2010 Elantra Touring vehicles manufactured November 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010. The electronic power steering (EPS) electronic control unit (ECU) may sense a discrepancy in the steering input signals and, as a result, disable the steering power assist.
- Risk
- If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Hyundai will verify the proper operation of the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and update the EPS control unit, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1‑855‑671‑3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 127.
Recall number 15V100000 · Recall details
Exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
- What is wrong
- Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.
- Risk
- Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1‑800‑633‑5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.
Recall number 13V113000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive
- What is wrong
- Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 elantra vehicles manufactured from july 14, 2006, through november 1, 2008. The front passenger seats in the vehicles contain a weight sensor designed to deactivate the right frontal airbag when occupants of certain weights occupy the seat. The electrical connector for the weight sensor is located under the center console, between the front seats. Under certain circumstances the connector could become contaminated and malfunction such that the front passenger airbag will deploy regardless of the weight of the occupant.
- Risk
- The front passenger air bag could deploy in crashes in which it should not deploy, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant from the deployed air bag.
- Remedy
- Dealers will install a protective cover over the weight classification system connector to prevent contamination. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expecting to begin during april 2011. Owners may contact hyundai's customer assistance center at 1‑800‑633‑5151.
Recall number 11V143000 · Recall details
Air bags: frontal: sensor/control module-inactive
- What is wrong
- Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007-2008 elantra vehicles manufactured from july 14, 2006, through august 29, 2007. The driver's seat track position sensor determines the seat's fore and aft position and allows the driver's frontal air bag to deploy at the pressure appropriate for that seating position, with a lower pressure deployment in the most forward seating positions. The air bag control module may receive an unstable electrical signal from the seat track position sensor such that, in a crash that requires driver frontal airbag deployment, the driver's airbag may deploy at the higher pressure than intended if the seat was position in one of the forward positions in which a lower pressure deployment is intended.
- Risk
- A higher pressure deployment than intended increases the risk of injury resulting from airbag deployment.
- Remedy
- Dealers will reprogram the air bag control module free of charge. The safety recall is expecting to begin during april 2011. Owners may contact hyundai's customer assistance center at 1‑800‑633‑5151.
Recall number 11V179000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Hyundai de puerto rico (hpr) is recalling 347 my 2008 elantra vehicles. The fuel pump motor may not have the proper, uniform internal electrical surface contact. This may cause the fuel pump to produce less pumping pressure than required to supply the fuel injection system.
- Risk
- As a result, poor engine staring and hesitation may result. Other engine performance issues may also result and lead to a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the vehicle's fuel pump subassembly. The recall began on february 9, 2009. Owners may contact hpr at 1‑800‑981‑0188.
Recall number 08V694000 · Recall details
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- What is wrong
- Hyundai is recalling 65,000 my 2008 elantra vehicles with 2.0 liter beta engines. The fuel pump motor may not have the proper uniform internal electrical surface contact. This may cause the fuel pump to produce less pumping pressure than required to supply the fuel injection system.
- Risk
- Poor engine starting and hesitation may result. Other engine performance issues may also result increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Dealers will replace the fuel pump subassembly free of charge. The recall began on september 15, 2008. Owners may contact hyundai at 1‑800‑633‑5151.
Recall number 08V429000 · Recall details
See all 7 recalls for the 2008 Hyundai Elantra
Defect investigations
Throttle control system vulnerabilities
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the federal safety agency received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can be reviewed at under reference (ODI) number 11439675.On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-003 to evaluate the petitioner?s request. ODI performed trend analyses of the VOQs related to vehicle speed control issues for all the subject vehicles and found that none of the 52 Model/Model Year Hyundai/Kia vehicles demonstrated any actionable trend that warranted an investigation.Petitioners submitted 1119 VOQs and non-VOQ cases in which sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA) or loss of motive power (LOMP) incidents were alleged.For the 1119 reports, 220 were incidents involving crashes, from which 69 subject Hyundai-Kia vehicles were inspected by Hyundai/Kia dealer technicians, Hyundai/Kia engineers, and/or third-party representatives.ODI found the inspections identified no vehicle defects related to the ETC system.Of the 220 crash-involved reports, 13 Event Data Recorder (EDR) records were downloaded successfully and 11 of those indicated driver error: (i.e.) pedal misapplication.A condition where the accelerator pedal is mistakenly applied instead of the brake pedal when the driver wants to stop the vehicle.In addition, ODI reviewed a scientific journal paper published in Forensic Science International in 2016 by Mr. Park et al ., as well as related test videos. ODI does not believe there is any evidence of uncontrollable SUA occurrences in any of the tests reviewed. the federal safety agency's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) reviewed the allegations regarding the potential noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124.Based on the information provided, the Agency concludes there is insufficient information for us to determine if a possible non-compliance exists.Finally, both Hyundai and Kia informed ODI that all their vehicles manufactured after 2012 were equipped with an ETC management system, in which the engine speed will go to idle when the system sees signals from both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal at the same time; this is commonly known as the brake-throttle override system.After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information already in the federal safety agency's possession, information submitted by Hyundai and Kia in response to an Information Request letter, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, the federal safety agency does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. After full consideration of appropriate factors, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing the federal safety agency?s reasons for denial of the petition will be published.
DP21003
Engine stalling - fuel pump failure
On august 19, 2008, hyundai submitted a defect information report to the federal safety agency concerning fuel pump failure resulting in engine stall in approximately 65,000 model year 2008 hyundai elantra vehicles with 2.0 liter beta engines produced from november 5, 2007, through june 28, 2008 (the federal safety agency recall no. 08v‑429, hyundai campaign 086).the recalled vehicles are equipped with fuel pumps manufactured with upper body components from a different supplier than those manufactured prior to november 5, 2007.according to hyundai, the new supplier's upper body components had incorrect dimensional characteristics resulting in misalignment of the armature shaft, which caused some of the fuel pumps to experience poor brush-to-commentator contact conditions that could result in engine stall. The use of ethanol blend fuel, containing up to 10 percent ethanol, causes a film build-up that creates high resistance between the brush and commutator.the misaligned armature shaft prevents the brush and commutator from making sufficient contact to overcome the high resistance film build-up, therefore producing less pumping pressure than required to supply the fuel injection system. Sixty-four of the complaints (72%), including the crash and injury allegation, involve the recalled vehicles.the complaint rate in the subject vehicle population is 98.5 per 100,000 vehicles, compared with 21.4 in the remaining population, which has on average been in service over a year longer.the warranty claim rate is also significantly higher in the recalled vehicles, which had 569 claims (0.9 percent claim rate) compared with 126 claims in the remaining population (0.1 percent claim rate). Hyundai will replace the fuel pump subassemblies in the recalled vehicles free of charge.this preliminary evaluation is closed with hyundai's recall.
PE08044
Technical service bulletins for the 2008 Hyundai Elantra 47
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- Some Hyundai vehicles may be equipped with a parking distance warning (PDW) sensor(s) that may trigger...
- Higher-than-expected engine oil consumption
- Higher-than-expected engine oil consumption
- The federal safety agency has issued an urgent safety advisory regarding dangerous, counterfeit...
- The federal safety agency has identified the presence of substandard and dangerous driver’s-side airbag...
- 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
2008 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 | 24-25 | 33 | 27-28 |
What 2008 Hyundai Elantra owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Power steering went out, only had manual steering.
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that a week after the dealer performed the recall repair under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 20V061000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); the contact was made aware that the brake lights had remained illuminated after the vehicle was parked and turned off. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 199,950.
The car was being driven nomore than 1hr. It began to smoke under the hood. The ABS EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE Then the EPS lights were on. The vehicle was pulled over and stopped. Fire was then observed falling from under the car. The hood was then popped to see the engine mainly on the driver side was totally catching fire. Then it spread. The engine needle never showed over heated. The car took no more than 6 minutes to catch fire from the time it started smoking. It was very scary
The engine bay of my car caught fire due to the abs pump and module not turning off. I bought a part but never opened the box because I received a piece of mail stating the recall of that exact issue that they would replace all parts damaged. Which they didn't just installed their relay After Hyundai recall 188 was completed, my ABS pump failed. I believe it was caused by continuous power being applied post-shutdown — the exact defect the recall was meant to fix. The dealer performed an inspection but misrepresented the results and refuses to replace the damaged component under recall. This ABS pump failure is a direct result of the original recall condition — or a failed installation of the relay fix — which continued to keep power applied to the pump while the vehicle was off. This is the exact scenario the recall was intended to prevent. If the failure is caused by that condition, Hyundai is still responsible under recall. The facility which did the recall falsely recorded the mileage on my vehicle as to void any "warranty" associated with the recall as the car hasn't been driven since the module was replaced. I also instructed the diagnosis team of Wesley chapel Hyundai to keep my battery unplugged due to the parasitical drain in order to protect the battery from being dead celled and now I have to replace the battery as well. They also illegally opened a mailed box I had in my car with a part I bought prior to the recall being mailed out which I never took out of the box nor did I open the box and it was fully sealed which is a federal crime. I opened a case in which Hyundai denied helping with this faulty service and are refusing to provide me documents Case no. 41355389.
Has not yet been officially diagnosed by a dealer or independent service center, but while turning into a neighborhood at around 15-25 mph the car jerked and the engine suddenly stalled while I was still in the middle of the road. Thankfully I rolled into the neighborhood before an oncoming car made its way over, but it was close. The gas pedal no longer worked, and I had to restart the car. It only drove once more before shutting down and the engine will no longer turn over.
The entire undercarriage of the vehicle is rusted, allowed for 3 sections is not sufficient as it does not accurately account for the damage. The Fuel Suspension is also affected from the known Corrosion and Rust issue. I have had to make many costly repairs in the last 4 years and I did not know about this issue with the vehicle I have now had for 17years. Had I , I would have done my own repairs to ensure the unit was safe and operational and not only relied on Hyundai's very delayed and subpar solution - considering my unit is a 2008 and the campaign did not come out until May 2014, of which I know for a fact my car was never listed.
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle started jerking and stalled. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with fuel pump failure. The contact stated that the vehicle stalled intermittently. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 172,600.
I want to go start my car just now to go to the store and when I turned it on and started it up the ABS lights emergency brake light and EPS light always lit up on my dashboard so I grabbed the manual to try to figure out what it is seen what each was individual thing standard for so I googled each individual and that's when I realized there's a recall for this from my vehicle for the ABS malfunction
When we rotate the car seat to lock it in place, the shell doesn't immediately lock in and we have to try several times to get it to lock in. Weve had this issue happen multiple times and fear for our son's safety. Our son's safety was put at risk when it didn't immediately lock into place. It has not been inspected by any one.
Compare the 2008 Hyundai Elantra
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Other model years
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Questions about the 2008 Hyundai Elantra
Is the 2008 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
Owners have filed 315 complaints about the 2008 Hyundai Elantra, 1.2 times a typical Elantra model year.
What is the 2008 Hyundai Elantra year score?
The 2008 Hyundai Elantra scores 61 out of 100 (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 2008 Hyundai Elantra?
Steering, with 55 complaints, typically around 73,150 miles. Next is brakes (52).
How many recalls does the 2008 Hyundai Elantra have?
7 recalls, covering service brakes, hydraulic, steering and exterior lighting.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Hyundai Elantra steering?
Yes, 1 recall: 15V100000. Check your VIN to see if your car still needs the free repair.
What year does the Hyundai Elantra have bad steering?
The Hyundai Elantra model years with the most steering complaints are 2013 (272 complaints), 2010 (195 complaints) and 2009 (134 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2008 Hyundai Elantra get?
Official estimates for the 2008 Hyundai Elantra range from 27 to 28 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.0L 4-cyl, FWD) gets 24-25 city and 33 highway.
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Check its historyHyundai Elantra in the news
- Hyundai recalls 2026 Elantra and 2026 Tucson Hybrid over macpherson strut problem (24 vehicles)
- Hyundai recalls 2026 Elantra, 2026 Venue and 2026 Elantra Hybrid and other models over wheels lugs/nuts/bolts/studs problem (17 vehicles)
- Hyundai extends warranty coverage on 2015-2019 Sonata, 2015-2018 Elantra and 2017-2021 Tucson and other models (unknown or other)