2004 Hyundai Elantra Air Bags Problems
Owners have filed 114 complaints with NHTSA about air bags problems on the 2004 Hyundai Elantra, 63% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 17,102 miles. The words owners use most often: “air bag” (66% of reports).
- 114air bags complaints
- 17,102median miles at failure
- 22mention a crash
- 17mention an injury
- 3related recalls
- 23%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Air bag: mentioned in 75 of 114 complaints (66%)
- Passenger seat: mentioned in 34 of 114 complaints (30%)
- Airbag off: mentioned in 13 of 114 complaints (11%)
- Appeared dashboard: mentioned in 6 of 114 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do air bags problems happen?
Based on 67 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 114 complaints, 22 mention a crash, 17 an injury.
Hyundai Elantra air bags complaints by model year
| Model year | Air Bags complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Elantra | 1 | 50% | — |
| 2025 Elantra | 3 | 14% | 3,300 |
| 2024 Elantra | 1 | 2% | 5,308 |
| 2023 Elantra | 6 | 6% | 44,000 |
| 2022 Elantra | 4 | 4% | 60,000 |
| 2021 Elantra | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2020 Elantra | 5 | 2% | 7,000 |
| 2019 Elantra | 2 | 1% | — |
| 2018 Elantra | 12 | 4% | 46,000 |
| 2017 Elantra | 32 | 4% | 26,500 |
| 2016 Elantra | 26 | 9% | 32,000 |
| 2015 Elantra | 23 | 9% | 25,673 |
| 2014 Elantra | 32 | 8% | 41,673 |
| 2013 Elantra | 168 | 13% | 71,088 |
| 2012 Elantra | 124 | 19% | 89,000 |
| 2011 Elantra | 77 | 18% | 99,000 |
| 2010 Elantra | 46 | 12% | 63,830 |
| 2009 Elantra | 42 | 17% | 82,500 |
| 2008 Elantra | 38 | 12% | 55,819 |
| 2007 Elantra | 46 | 17% | 66,055 |
| 2006 Elantra | 56 | 36% | 68,000 |
| 2005 Elantra | 71 | 52% | 35,500 |
| 2004 Elantra | 114 | 63% | 17,102 |
| 2003 Elantra | 48 | 21% | 46,000 |
| 2002 Elantra | 70 | 20% | 71,000 |
| 2001 Elantra | 118 | 37% | 62,000 |
| 2000 Elantra | 39 | 20% | 50,513 |
| 1999 Elantra | 20 | 16% | 80,500 |
| 1998 Elantra | 7 | 13% | — |
| 1997 Elantra | 21 | 18% | 141,000 |
| 1996 Elantra | 14 | 14% | — |
| 1995 Elantra | 35 | 31% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (3)
Air bags
Problem: Certain vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system. The occupant classification system (ocs) installed in the right front seat of the vehicle may misclassify a child restraint seat (crs) as an adult. This may occur if the crs is installed after an adult has been seated in the right front seat. If there has not been a 'key on' ' key off' cycle with the right front passenger seat empty prior to installation of the crs.
Risk: The possibility of misclassification of a crs as an adult may allow the right front airbag or side impact airbag to deploy in a crash and could result in injury to the right front occupant.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the vehicle's ocs electronic control unit (ecu) to remove the feature that may cause the crs to be recognized as an adult. The recall began on november 15, 2005. Owners may contact hyundai of puerto rico at 1-800-981-0188.
Air bags
Problem: Certain vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system. The occupant classification system (ocs) installed in the right front seat of the vehicle may misclassify a child restraint seat (crs) as an adult. This may occur if the crs is installed after an adult has been seated in the right front seat. If there has not been a 'key on' ' key off' cycle with the right front passenger seat empty prior to installation of the crs.
Risk: The possibility of misclassification of a crs as an adult may allow the right front airbag or side impact airbag to deploy in a crash and could result in injury to the right front occupant.
Fix: Dealers will reprogram the vehicle's ocs electronic control unit (ecu) to remove the feature that may cause the crs to be recognized as an adult. The recall began on october 31, 2005. Owners may contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Air bags
Problem: On certain vehicles, if the front passenger seat is unoccupied or is occupied by someone lighter than 56.4 pounds, the passenger air bag is deactivated and will not deploy if a crash occurs. However, the occupant classification sensor may incorrectly interpret that a seated adult is an infant seat and deactivate the passenger air bag if someone heavier than 56.4 pounds who is seated with one leg resting on the outboard or inboard edge of the seat; with legs spread; or positioned off-center toward the center console and with his or her arm leaning on the console.
Risk: In the event of a vehicle crash, the air bag may not deploy, possibly resulting in serious injury to the right front passenger.
Fix: The occupant classification sensor will be reprogrammed.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Vehicle 2004 hyundai involved in accident on the street, this vehicle owner was belted when the accident occurred, the airbags deployed, this vehicle owner sustained severe injuries including fractured vertebrate of lumbar 1 and 2 and fractured ribs, note no other vehicle was involved, this vehicle…
Srs (airbag) service reminder indicator came on. I went to an auto parts store and they ran an obdii report on a bosch scanner. A b1448 oc (occupant classification) - passenger sensor mat defect came back. This is the same problem that the 2006-2008 hyundai sonatas have a recall on. The front…
I have contacted customer care and was told it's standard to remove a front seat and give the car back until they get parts for the recall i feel this could cause air bag systems not to be active and also without the seat the cars ability to hold up in a crash is reduced due to missing components…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2004 Hyundai Elantras have air bags problems?
No. NHTSA has 114 owner complaints about air bags for the 2004 Hyundai Elantra (63% of the 182 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2004 Hyundai Elantra air bags?
Yes: 3 safety recalls list air bags. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do air bags problems start?
The median reported mileage is 17,102 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about air bags problems on the 2004 Hyundai Elantra?
The most frequent phrase is “air bag”, in 75 of 114 complaints, followed by “passenger seat” (34).
See all 2004 Hyundai Elantra problems or air bags problems across all Elantra years.