1.6

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
107,129 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2003 Hyundai Elantra suspension problems

suspension problem

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2003 Hyundai Elantra Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #33

Dec 122023

Elantra

  • 132,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed and attempting to accelerate, the vehicle hesitated and lost motive power. Additionally, while attempting to complete a turn, the contact heard an abnormal clicking sound coming from the front driver-??s side of the vehicle. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who determined that the driver's side brake pad and rotor were abnormally worn and needed to be replaced; however, the power train failure was not determined. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V125000 (Suspension) and 04V369000 (Fuel System, Gasoline) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 132,000.

- Rohnert Park, CA, USA

problem #32

Oct 212023

Elantra

  • miles
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.

- Jonesboro, IN, USA

problem #31

May 152023

Elantra

  • miles
rear sub-frame assembly nearly rusted through. Steering and Handling noticebly effected with rear of vehicle feeling soft and sluggish in turns. vehicle is available for inspection and was brought to my attention when the mechanic was beginning rear brake maintenance. mechanic is a licensed mechanic and the Repair shop is a licensed service facility. mechanic called me and asked me to return to the shop to show me the extent of the rust damage, to which I did return to the shop to examine his findings. I did take photos. *There were no warning lamps or messages. The symptoms were as described above.

- Ballwin, MO, USA

problem #30

Apr 102019

Elantra

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

My rear subframe is rusting so badly the rear suspension is falling apart.

- Indiana, IN, USA

problem #29

Jul 052020

Elantra

  • 153,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that the passenger's side control arm became defective which caused difficulty to steer the vehicle at various speeds. The contact then called superior Hyundai South (238 w mitchell ave, cincinnati, oh 45232) where she made an appointment and was informed to check if there were any recalls on her vehicle. Upon investigation, the contact linked the failure to NHTSA campaign number: 09V125000 (suspension) however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact also stated that upon starting the vehicle, the vehicle stalled without warning upon depressing the accelerator pedal. The contact then took the vehicle to an independent mechanic who diagnosed the vehicle with a defective O2 sensor which was then replaced. Despite the O2 sensor being replaced, the failure persisted. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failures. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 153,000.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

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problem #28

Feb 152020

Elantra

  • 92,000 miles
Driving on highway and turning right; a tire blew. On inspection by a mechanic, the front passenger control arm was bent with rust on the exposed metal. The bent control arm allowed the tire to rub against the interior fender, eventually leading to the tire failing. The tire was in great condition before the sudden failure. On researching: There was a recall on 2003 Hyundai Elantra for front control arm problems. NHTSA campaign number: 09V125000. This recall cites that road salt used in certain jurisdictions can cause internal degradation of the front control arms: Leading to failure. Looking back through this car's history: It was originally registered in Ohio, one of the states using road salt. I don't know why this car escaped recall, but it's having the same problems as other 2003 Elantras.

- Vancouver, WA, USA

problem #27

Dec 092019

Elantra

  • 127,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. The contact took the vehicle to fuccillo Lincoln Hyundai (518-379-0680, located at 4101 state St, schenectady, NY 12304) to be repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 09V125000 (suspension). The contact diagnosed that the rear subframe was rusted. The technician stated that there was no recall. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that there was no recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 127,000.

- Schenecpady, NY, USA

problem #26

Jun 172019

Elantra

  • 160,000 miles
My lower control arm broke in two away from the body and other drive components due to rust and I'm not sure what else. I was driving at a slow speed heard a pop noise got out looked and the tire was all the way against the wheel well.

- Erlanger, KY, USA

problem #25

Feb 222019

Elantra

  • 82,000 miles
Our 2003 Hyundai Elantra is suffering from severe corrosion on the subframe/unibody, a problem for which a class action settlement was approved (see the following link saltbeltcorrosion.hyundaiusa.com/ for details regarding the cirulli V. Hyundai motor America settlement, which reached final approval on May 25, 2011). The settlement provided reimbursement for repairs. Although Hyundai performed a "rustproofing/wax" repair in 2010 on this car, as well as a subframe repair/replacement in 2015 (which is considered by Hyundai to have solved the problem as originally described in the class action lawsuit), we believe that the defect as described in the class action settlement was in fact not rectified, and thus consists of a failure of recall repair. In fact, it would seem that although Hyundai did replace all or a portion of the subframe is 2015, the exact same problem has re-occurred on the car within less than 5 years, and is a serious safety issue (if the subframe collapses under the weight of the car, there would be serious risks of injury to any passengers on board). The deep subframe corrosion itself was only noticed and photographed by a local mechanic more than a year after purchasing this vehicle from its second owner and is evidenced by the attached pictures. In summary, although Hyundai motor America considers that the corrosion problem as described in cirulli V. Hyundai motor America settlement was repaired successfully in 2015 on the car corresponding to the VIN number attached to this complaint, we believe that it consisted of a failed recall repair, and that it is the responsibility of Hyundai motor America to rectify the situation at their expense. Also attached is a pdf showing a description of the corrosion within a larger estimate, which was authored by the same shop that took the photos of the vehicle's corroded subframe.

- Medford, MA, USA

problem #24

Jan 012014

Elantra

  • 68,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. While driving 20 mph, the front driver side wheel detached from the vehicle. The contact lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the front passenger lower control arm was rusted from the inside out and the axle detached from the transmission. The vehicle was repaired. The vehicle was taken to columbia Hyundai (10981 montgomery rd, cincinnati, oh 45249, (513) 489-2000) where it was diagnosed that the front passenger lower control arm was completely safe and had a small amount of rust. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 68,000.

- Batavia, OH, USA

problem #23

Nov 292017

Elantra

  • 178,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Recall # 03V257000, 09V125000, 03V496000 severe rusting and corrosion under my car which they claim was "fixed" under the recalls. They did not fix this! the front driver side axle is completely corroded and breaking - they claim they sprayed it with anti corrosion compound but this did not stop further corrosion and rust. The brakelines were also sprayed but this also did not work! my brakeline rusted out and all my brake fluid went out while driving. Hyundai is now refusing to correct the problem which by federal law has to be done!

- New Orleans, LA, USA

problem #22

Nov 292016

Elantra

  • 208,000 miles
The whole rear metal beam holding the rear suspension rusted out and fell off while driving sent csrd into a spin before we got it stopped could have been killed driving on interstate 70 from warrenton to wentzville mo yesterday mourning at 5:30 am.

- Wentzville, MO, USA

problem #21

Nov 152015

Elantra

  • 104,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that there was an abnormal noise coming from the front driver side tire. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic but was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact was informed of NHTSA campaign number: 09V125000 (suspension) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 104,000.

- Commerce Township, MI, USA

problem #20

Jul 012015

Elantra

  • 130,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. While driving, the rear of the vehicle shook violently. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was discovered that the rear cross member was corroded. The mechanic stated that the vehicle was unsafe to operate. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.

- Frackville, PA, USA

problem #19

Aug 162012

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 36,573 miles
As my wife was exiting our driveway the right front lower control arm broke. The vehicle was not operable. It was taken to malloy Hyundai in woodbridge, va. I was not advised of any recalls. The vehicle was repaired for $1353.52 out of pocket. I recently learned about the recall on the suspension. Excluding northern Virginia drivers places us at risk. It was fortunate my wife was not on interstate 95 and was not injured.

- Woodbridge, VA, USA

problem #18

Sep 012014

Elantra

  • 100,000 miles
My daughter was driving home from school and the strut/axle broke and caused her to skid off the rode, luckily she was not injured and was able to come to a stop in an empty lot. The tire was ruined and the fender was also damaged. We were able to get this fixed at the repair shop, for just under $500, however now the vehicle will not pass inspection due to the subframe being deteriorated. Upon researching the cost to replace this, I found that the vehicle has had several recalls, and wow both of these were on the list. My concern is that the vehicle is 2003 and we are not the original owners. I am concerned now that the other recalls may also affect their vehicle. The safety of my daughter and grandson is top priority. What can you help me with. Can we still use the recall to have the vehicle repaired?

- Bloomsburg, PA, USA

problem #17

Jul 012014

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 220,000 miles
The contact owns a 2003 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving approximately 30 mph, she noticed the suspension malfunctioned which caused her to lose control of the vehicle without warning. Also, the contact mentioned that the steering wheel became hard to maneuver. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic. The technician stated the passenger side front lower control arm fractured between the ball joints due to excessive corrosion. The contact notified the manufacturer and they informed the contact that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 09V125000 (suspension). The approximate failure mileage was 220,000...updated 08-28-14 the vehicle was repaired. Updated 09/11/14

- Beckley, WV, USA

problem #16

May 222014

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 147,000 miles
The right side lower control arm suddenly complete broke in half close to the ball joint causing the tire to dangle and loss of steering and movement. This happened at a very low speed pulling out of our driveway. There was visible rust and corrosion on the inside of the boxed stamped steel control arm near the ball joint. This failure was exactly like NHTSA action number : PE09011 described. This vehicle was registered in va so the car was not subject to that specific recall although other states around us were. We received no notice of this recall in the mail or the potential problem even though we use and travel often to the states that did have the recall and they do put a lot of salt on northern va roads.

- Nokesville, VA, USA

problem #15

Jun 092014

Elantra 4-cyl

  • 200,000 miles
Front passenger side control arm fractured, allowing wheel to turn 90 degrees to the right resulting in an uncontrolled slide down the highway. This also blew out the tire and separated the axle from the transmission, spilling transmission fluid. Vehicle was uncontrollable, and once stopped immovable, and so stranded in the middle of the highway.

- Middletown Springs, VT, USA

problem #14

May 032014

Elantra

  • 141,000 miles
In 2009, a recall was issued for rust/corrosion of the front lower control arms of these vehicles (recall 091 per Hyundai). We found out about this and took it to our local dealer in 2011. Holes were drilled and the car "passed" without need to replace anything. A "protective coating" was applied. On Saturday, May 3, my husband was driving and pulling out of a parking space. He heard a grinding noise as he backed out, then heard something break and the car wouldn't move. We couldn't even push the car back into the parking space, as the tire/arm appeared to be detached. We found out the right control arm had rusted through completely, also causing damage of the axle. The car was taken first to our mechanic and then the dealership and it was determined the same recalled part had rusted through, causing the break. The car was fixed by Hyundai, including replacement of both control arms. I'm just very concerned that this could have occurred while driving and caused a crash and serious injury. We had no idea of the risk, although we did have a bad winter with a lot of road salt used so I'm not surprised. I am surprised, though, that it was never advised to return and have this re-checked. I called Hyundai's care management dept and the person I spoke with ([xxx]) denied this issue was related to the recall and said it must have been repaired only as a courtesy. I strongly disagree by what I heard from the mechanic. I wanted to make you aware as I'm sure the safety of many is at risk if this a result of a recalled part and they are un-knowingly at risk after this bad winter. Thank you. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Runnemede, NJ, USA

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