VehicleVerdict

2008 Hyundai Elantra engine problems

The 2008 Hyundai Elantra has 41 engine complaints filed with NHTSA — 10% of the year's total, and up sharply from the prior model year.

41

Engine complaints

10%

Share of year

4

Crash-involved

0

Related recalls

Engine complaints by year

Elantra engine complaints by model year289 complaints1992: 8 complaints1993: 8 complaints1994: 9 complaints1995: 25 complaints1996: 23 complaints1997: 28 complaints1998: 16 complaints1999: 28 complaints2000: 54 complaints2001: 24 complaints2002: 13 complaints2003: 22 complaints2004: 16 complaints2005: 10 complaints2006: 6 complaints2007: 18 complaints2008: 41 complaints2009: 13 complaints2010: 20 complaints2011: 97 complaints2012: 140 complaints2013: 236 complaints2014: 163 complaints2015: 92 complaints2016: 110 complaints2017: 289 complaints2018: 139 complaints2019: 126 complaints2020: 103 complaints2021: 16 complaints2022: 10 complaints2023: 17 complaints2024: 8 complaints2025: 2 complaints
Elantra engine complaints by model year. Red bars are years to avoid.

What owners report

“TAKATA RECALL. DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR AND OVER CORRECTED AND HIT A TREE WHICH PUSHED HER INTO ANOTHER TREE. THE FRONT END OF THE CAR WAS WRECKED AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. WE WERE NEVER CONTACTED ABOUT THE RECALL ON THE CAR SO WE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE THAT THE AIR BAGS WERE DEFECTIVE.”

Complaint filed with NHTSA · Engine · November 27, 2017 · crash

Common questions

How many engine complaints does the 2008 Hyundai Elantra have?

NHTSA has 41 complaints about the 2008 Hyundai Elantra engine — 10% of all complaints filed for that model year.

Related

Based on NHTSA ODI data through June 2026. Complaints are consumer-reported and unverified. Updated July 5, 2026.

Compiled by Sharon Ben-Moshe, Founder.