2008 Hyundai Elantra Steering Problems
Owners have filed 55 complaints with NHTSA about steering problems on the 2008 Hyundai Elantra, 18% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 71,405 miles. The words owners use most often: “electronic power steering” (11% of reports).
- 55steering complaints
- 71,405median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 4mention an injury
- 1related recalls
- 24%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.
- Electronic power steering: mentioned in 6 of 55 complaints (11%)
- Wheel locked: mentioned in 5 of 55 complaints (9%)
At what mileage do steering problems happen?
Based on 48 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 55 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 4 an injury.
Hyundai Elantra steering complaints by model year
| Model year | Steering complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 Elantra | 1 | 5% | — |
| 2024 Elantra | 7 | 13% | 21,000 |
| 2023 Elantra | 3 | 3% | 13,653 |
| 2022 Elantra | 2 | 2% | — |
| 2021 Elantra | 5 | 4% | 376 |
| 2020 Elantra | 20 | 8% | 4,700 |
| 2019 Elantra | 9 | 4% | 40,000 |
| 2018 Elantra | 16 | 6% | 5,200 |
| 2017 Elantra | 71 | 9% | 40,500 |
| 2016 Elantra | 19 | 6% | 46,000 |
| 2015 Elantra | 26 | 10% | 40,000 |
| 2014 Elantra | 28 | 7% | 14,000 |
| 2013 Elantra | 271 | 21% | 40,000 |
| 2012 Elantra | 88 | 13% | 67,000 |
| 2011 Elantra | 75 | 17% | 66,000 |
| 2010 Elantra | 195 | 51% | 73,000 |
| 2009 Elantra | 133 | 52% | 78,000 |
| 2008 Elantra | 55 | 18% | 71,405 |
| 2007 Elantra | 34 | 13% | 71,000 |
| 2006 Elantra | 3 | 2% | 32,000 |
| 2005 Elantra | 6 | 4% | 166,780 |
| 2004 Elantra | 5 | 3% | 40,000 |
| 2003 Elantra | 16 | 7% | 97,566 |
| 2002 Elantra | 16 | 5% | 94,829 |
| 2001 Elantra | 24 | 8% | 49,500 |
| 2000 Elantra | 2 | 1% | — |
| 1999 Elantra | 2 | 2% | — |
| 1998 Elantra | 1 | 2% | — |
| 1997 Elantra | 2 | 2% | — |
| 1996 Elantra | 1 | 1% | — |
| 1995 Elantra | 6 | 5% | — |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (1)
Steering:electric power assist system
Problem: 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.
Risk: If power steering assist is lost, greater driver effort would be required to steer the vehicle at low speeds, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Hyundai will verify the proper operation of the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and update the EPS control unit, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2015. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-671-3059. Hyundai's number for this recall is 127.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Power steering went out, only had manual steering.
I want to go start my car just now to go to the store and when I turned it on and started it up the ABS lights emergency brake light and EPS light always lit up on my dashboard so I grabbed the manual to try to figure out what it is seen what each was individual thing standard for so I googled each…
The EPS sensor trips when making a turn rendering the vehicle completely inoperable. I have to put the vehicle in park, shut it off, then turn it back on to continue moving. This is highly dangerous if it were to happen on the highway.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2008 Hyundai Elantras have steering problems?
No. NHTSA has 55 owner complaints about steering for the 2008 Hyundai Elantra (18% of the 314 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 2008 Hyundai Elantra steering?
Yes: 1 safety recall list steering. Check your VIN on NHTSA.gov to see whether the fix was done on your car.
At what mileage do steering problems start?
The median reported mileage is 71,405 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about steering problems on the 2008 Hyundai Elantra?
The most frequent phrase is “electronic power steering”, in 6 of 55 complaints, followed by “wheel locked” (5).
See all 2008 Hyundai Elantra problems or steering problems across all Elantra years.