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#BS-2009-HYUELA-38C7

2009 Hyundai Elantra

Based on reports from 312 owners and 4 recalls for this exact model.

Complaints
312
Crashes
39
Fires
16
Recalls
4
TSBs
42
🛑

Preliminary Verdict

Red Flag

Based on 312 complaints, 39 crashes, 16 fires, and 4 recalls.

See full verdict with buy/skip conditions

Top reported problems

1

eps light on cant steer

13 complaints • Severity 8.9/10

$X,XXX
2

front suspension failure

2 complaints • Severity 9/10

$X,XXX
3

oil leak smoke

1 complaints • Severity 10/10

$X,XXX

Preview: What's in your full report

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Mechanic Inspection Checklist

!Check the SteeringHIGH

126 owners reported steering issues — failures commonly reported around 78K miles.

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

Failure Timeline by Mileage

37
0–30K
46
30–60K
64
60–90K
52
90–120K
21
120–150K
14
150K+

Peak failure range: 60–90K miles (64 reports) • Median: 78K 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 (126 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

Steering126 (40%)
Airbags40 (13%)
Brakes23 (7%)
Electrical22 (7%)
Speed Control17 (5%)
Engine13 (4%)
Other11 (4%)
Stability Control10 (3%)

2009 Hyundai Elantra: Known Issues & Problem Areas

Steering Issues

Steering complaints account for 40% of all reports filed for the 2009 Hyundai Elantra, with 126 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. The median mileage at time of complaint is 78,000 miles, suggesting issues tend to surface around the 78K-mile mark.

Airbags Issues

Airbags complaints account for 13% of all reports filed for the 2009 Hyundai Elantra, with 40 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to airbags-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Brakes Issues

Brakes complaints account for 7% of all reports filed for the 2009 Hyundai Elantra, with 23 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to brakes-related symptoms during test drives and pre-purchase inspections.

Electrical Issues

Electrical complaints account for 7% of all reports filed for the 2009 Hyundai Elantra, with 22 owners filing complaints with NHTSA. Owners should pay attention to electrical-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

4
09
13
10
10
11
12
12
24
13
31
14
33
15
27
16
13
17
30
18
33
19
14
20
17
21
15
22
17
23
16
24
3
25

Complaints filed with NHTSA by year for the 2009 Hyundai Elantra. Recent trend: decreasing.

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Repair costs • Negotiation scripts • Mechanic checklist • Buy/skip verdict

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Recall History (4 recalls)

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.

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.

15V100000Apr 2015

STEERING:ELECTRIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM

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.

20V061000Apr 2020

SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

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.

Recall severity analysis & seller scripts

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

Unlock

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

2009 Hyundai Elantra vs. Class Average (Midsize Cars)

This vehicle

312

Class avg

230

Complaint volume is roughly in line with other midsize cars vehicles from 2009.

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

About this data

NHTSA Complaints

Federal database of owner-filed safety complaints. 312 records for this vehicle.

NHTSA Recalls

Manufacturer-issued safety recalls. 4 recalls found for this vehicle.

Repair Cost Data

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

Other Hyundai Elantra Model Years

202520242023202220212020201920182017201620152014201320122011201020092008200720062005200420032002200120001999199819971996199519941993199219911990
View all Hyundai Elantra years →

2009 Hyundai Elantra: Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most common problem with the 2009 Hyundai Elantra?
The most commonly reported issue with the 2009 Hyundai Elantra is related to the steering, with 126 complaints filed with NHTSA.
Is the 2009 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
The 2009 Hyundai Elantra has 312 complaints, 39 crash reports, and 16 fire reports filed with NHTSA. The full report analyzes whether these numbers indicate real risk or are proportional to the vehicle’s popularity.
How much does it cost to fix 2009 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 2009 Hyundai Elantra have any recalls?
Yes, the 2009 Hyundai Elantra has 4 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 234 complaints with mileage data, the median mileage at time of complaint is 78,000 miles. The highest concentration of reported issues occurs in the 60–90K 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 — 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 — 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 — no questions asked.
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10 sections of AI analysis based on 312 owner reports. Know before you buy.

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