2005 Hyundai Elantra Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Elantra years
- Fewer complaints than other years 21st of 32 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 4 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 137 complaints with NHTSA about the 2005 Hyundai Elantra. That ranks 21st out of 32 Elantra model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is air bags (71 complaints, 52%), typically at around 35,500 miles. Complaints mention 30 crashes, 3 fires, 26 injuries. There are 4 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 137owner complaints
- 4safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 30complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2005 Hyundai Elantra problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Bags problems | 71 | 52% | 35,500 | “air bag” (56%) | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 14 | 10% | 33,419 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 10 | 7% | 63,755 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 9 | 7% | 48,500 | — | — |
| Power Train | 7 | 5% | 49,909 | — | — |
| Structure | 7 | 5% | 126,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 6 | 4% | 38,311 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 6 | 4% | 110,391 | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 6 | 4% | 7,542 | — | — |
| Steering | 6 | 4% | 166,780 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 5 | 4% | 183,849 | — | — |
| Engine | 4 | 3% | 104,250 | — | — |
| Visibility | 4 | 3% | 8,772 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 2% | 23,019 | — | — |
| Seats | 3 | 2% | 114,000 | — | — |
| Suspension | 3 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Tires | 3 | 2% | 70,714 | — | — |
| Equipment | 2 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 1% | 130,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 2 | 1% | 81,800 | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 1 | 1% | 136,000 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 1% | 79,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 1% | 66,089 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2005 Hyundai Elantra recalls (4)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Exterior lighting
Problem: Hyundai is recalling 3,011 model year 2005-2007 elantra, tucson, sonata, azera and accent vehicles. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to fail to illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause the brake lights to remain illuminated when the brake pedal is released. A defective stop lamp switch may also affect the operation of the brake-transmission shift interlock feature so the transmission would not be able to be shift out of the "park" position. It may also cause the electronic stability control (esc) malfunction light to illuminate, and it may not deactivate the cruise control when the brake pedal is depressed.
Risk: Any of these malfunctions could lead to a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the stop lamp switch free of charge. The recall began on september 2, 2009. Owners may contact hyundai of puerto rico customer service at 1-787-999-4310.
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.
Steering:linkages:tie rod assembly
Problem: Certain passenger vehicles may have been built with threaded portions of the steering gearbox assembly's left and right inner ball joint assemblies that contain internal cracks in the material structure.
Risk: If the inner ball joint assembly was to break as a result of the internal crack, the tie rod end assembly would not longer be attached to the steering gear box. This would prevent steering control of that front wheel by the separated tie rod which could result in a crash.
Fix: Dealers will replace the steering gearbox assemblies on these vehicles free of charge. Owners were contacted by telephone beginning on april 8, 2005, and instructed not to drive their vehicles. Hyundai will arrange to pick up and return their vehicles after repair. Owners may contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
UNKNOWN On January 24,2026, I was thankfully traveling only about twenty mph a block from my home and something happened in the front drivers side suspension that caused me to almost hit three parked cars. Once I got stopped, the car couldnât get get pushed forward, wonât roll at all forward…
I have a 2005 hyundai elantra that the front and rear subframe/ suspension crossmembers are completely rotted out. There is a safety recall that I found online for 2003 elantras for this same problem, but I can't seem to find anything for a 2005 model. They are the same body style and it's the same…
As I was driving about 25-30 mph when the front drivers side lower control arm snapped, resulting in loss of control and steering, which couldâve caused a major accident if driven on a highway/interstate at a higher rate of speed. The damage revealed the control arm had rotted from the inside and…
The air bag light came on and it is staying on
The contact owns a 2005 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed and released; however, the brake light remained illuminated. The contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 09V280000 (Exterior Lighting). Additionally…
Other Hyundai Elantra years
← 2004 Elantra · 2006 Elantra →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Elantra | 2 | 1 |
| 2025 Elantra | 22 | 0 |
| 2024 Elantra | 54 | 1 |
| 2023 Elantra | 99 | 2 |
| 2022 Elantra | 102 | 5 |
| 2021 Elantra | 132 | 6 |
| 2020 Elantra | 254 | 3 |
| 2019 Elantra | 251 | 1 |
| 2018 Elantra | 283 | 0 |
| 2017 Elantra | 768 | 4 |
| 2016 Elantra | 293 | 2 |
| 2015 Elantra | 262 | 3 |
| 2014 Elantra | 386 | 2 |
| 2013 Elantra | 1,314 | 4 |
| 2012 Elantra | 653 | 4 |
| 2011 Elantra | 433 | 5 |
| 2010 Elantra | 380 | 3 |
| 2009 Elantra | 254 | 4 |
| 2008 Elantra | 314 | 7 |
| 2007 Elantra | 267 | 6 |
| 2006 Elantra | 155 | 1 |
| 2005 | 137 | 4 |
| 2004 Elantra | 182 | 5 |
| 2003 Elantra | 234 | 5 |
| 2002 Elantra | 342 | 6 |
| 2001 Elantra | 315 | 6 |
| 2000 Elantra | 197 | 1 |
| 1999 Elantra | 128 | 2 |
| 1998 Elantra | 55 | 0 |
| 1997 Elantra | 115 | 3 |
| 1996 Elantra | 100 | 3 |
| 1995 Elantra | 112 | 1 |
See all Hyundai Elantra problems by year, every Hyundai model, or the Hyundai VIN decoder.
Similar Hyundai models
Embed this 2005 Hyundai Elantra badge on your site
Copy this code into your blog or forum post. It shows live complaint and recall counts and links back here.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2005 Hyundai Elantra?
Owners most often report air bags, vehicle speed control, electrical system problems. The top one, air bags, accounts for 71 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2005 Hyundai Elantra?
Yes, 4 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2005 Hyundai Elantra a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Elantra model years, the 2005 has fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.