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#BS-2008-HYUELA-38C7

2008 Hyundai Elantra

Based on reports from 423 owners and 7 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
423
Crashes
57
Fires
39
Recalls
7
TSBs
42
πŸ›‘

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 423 complaints, 57 crashes, 39 fires, and 7 recalls. Complaint rate is 1.7x the class average.

Top reported problems

1

brakes lockup

1 complaints β€’ Severity 10/10

$X,XXX
2

front end rumbles shutters and pulls to one side

1 complaints β€’ Severity 8/10

$X,XXX
3

air bag light is on

1 complaints β€’ Severity 10/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the SteeringHIGH

53 owners reported steering issues β€” failures commonly reported around 56K miles.

!Inspect the BrakesMED
Look for symptoms of wear and premature failure
+ 6 more items in full checklistUnlock

Failure Timeline by Mileage

123
0–30K
56
30–60K
62
60–90K
32
90–120K
33
120–150K
38
150K+

Peak failure range: 0–30K miles (123 reports) β€’ Median: 56K miles

Full report: which components fail at each mileageUnlock

30,000-Mile Cost Projection

Best Case

$X,XXX

Most Likely

$X,XXX

Worst Case

$X,XXX

Top cost driver: Steering (53 reports).

Includes fuel costs, common repairs, and recall riskUnlock

Also in your report

Owner Intelligence

AI-synthesized themes from real complaints

Buyer Lot Checklist

Questions, test drive checks, walk-away triggers

Negotiation Talking Points

Data-backed dollar deductions

Buy / Skip Verdict

Final recommendation with conditions

10 sections total in the full reportUnlock all

Where the complaints fall

Steering53 (13%)
Brakes50 (12%)
Fuel System41 (10%)
Engine36 (9%)
Airbags33 (8%)
Electrical28 (7%)
Speed Control24 (6%)
Other24 (6%)

2008 Hyundai Elantra: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Steering Issues

Steering complaints account for 13% of all reports filed for the 2008 Hyundai Elantra, with 53 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 55,819 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 56K-mile mark.

Brakes Issues

Brakes complaints account for 12% of all reports filed for the 2008 Hyundai Elantra, with 50 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to brakes-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Fuel System Issues

Fuel System complaints account for 10% of all reports filed for the 2008 Hyundai Elantra, with 41 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to fuel system-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Engine Issues

Engine complaints account for 9% of all reports filed for the 2008 Hyundai Elantra, with 36 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to engine-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Data sourced from NHTSA owner complaints and community reports. The full report analyzes severity, repair costs, and failure patterns for each category.

Complaint trend by year

2
07
66
08
30
09
24
10
28
11
22
12
41
13
26
14
19
15
22
16
22
17
17
18
17
19
36
20
14
21
11
22
9
23
4
24
12
25
1
26

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2008 Hyundai Elantra. Recent trend: decreasing.

Don't negotiate blind β€” know what this car costs to own

Repair costs β€’ Negotiation scripts β€’ Mechanic checklist β€’ Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (7 recalls)

08V429000Sep 2008

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

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.

08V694000Feb 2009

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMP

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.

11V143000Apr 2011

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE

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.

11V179000Apr 2011

AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:SENSOR/CONTROL MODULE-INACTIVE

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.

13V113000Apr 2013

EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH

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.

+ 2 more recalls in the full report

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

The full report rates each recall's severity and gives you scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.

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The worst model year for the Hyundai Elantra is the 2013 β€” worth knowing if you're cross-shopping years. The biggest problem area is engine.

2008 Hyundai Elantra vs. Class Average (Midsize Cars)

This vehicle

423

Class avg

246

1.7x the class average β€” significantly more complaints than typical midsize cars vehicles.

Complaint counts correlate with sales volume β€” popular vehicles naturally generate more reports. The full report normalizes for this.

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 423 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 7 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

Real-world repair costs from owner reports and independent databases.

2008 Hyundai Elantra: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2008 Hyundai Elantra?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2008 Hyundai Elantra is related to the steering, with 53 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2008 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
The 2008 Hyundai Elantra has 423 complaints, 57 crash reports, and 39 fire reports filed with NHTSA. This is 1.7x the class average β€” higher than typical for its segment.
How much does it cost to fix 2008 Hyundai Elantra problems?
Repair costs vary by issue. The full BumperScan report includes detailed repair cost estimates (low/median/high) for every major issue, plus a 30,000-mile total cost of ownership projection.
Does the 2008 Hyundai Elantra have any recalls?
Yes, the 2008 Hyundai Elantra has 7 recalls on record. The full report includes recall severity analysis and scripts for asking the seller about recall completion.
What mileage do Hyundai Elantra problems start?
Based on 344 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 55,819 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 0–30K mile range. The full report breaks down exactly which components fail at each mileage bracket.
What’s in the full report?
10 sections of AI analysis: severity-ranked issues, component scores (0-100), 30K-mile cost projection, failure timeline by mileage, recall details with seller scripts, owner sentiment analysis, mechanic checklist, buyer lot checklist, negotiation ammo with dollar figures, and a buy/skip verdict.
How is this different from free NHTSA data?
NHTSA gives you raw complaint text. BumperScan cross-references 2.1M+ complaints with community repair cost data, EPA fuel data, and recall records β€” then uses AI to synthesize it into actionable advice with dollar figures.
How is this different from Carfax?
Carfax is VIN-specific history ($45/report). BumperScan is model-level reliability intelligence β€” what problems this car is known for, what they cost, and whether you should buy it. Complementary, not competing.
What if the report isn’t useful?
100% money-back guarantee. If the report doesn’t help you make a more informed decision, we’ll refund you β€” no questions asked.
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Get the Full 2008 Hyundai Elantra Report

10 sections of AI analysis based on 423 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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