Representative model. Photo: Elise240SX, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Recalls & complaints · NHTSA data

2005 Hyundai Elantra recalls

Every recall campaign and owner complaint NHTSA has on file for the 2005 model year. Not every vehicle is affected by every campaign: check a specific car by VIN below.

Recall campaigns: 4
Park-it warnings: 0
Complaints: 137
Latest campaign: Jul 21, 2009

Recall summary by component4

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

Component	Campaigns	Latest	Campaign IDs
Air bags	2	Oct 17, 2005	05V479000 05V395000
Exterior lighting	1	Jul 21, 2009	09V280000
Steering	1	Apr 28, 2005	05V187000

Safety recalls4

NHTSA Recalls API · cached ≤24 h

0Park-it warnings

0Fixable over the air

Jul 21, 2009Latest campaign


Jul 21, 200909V280000	Exterior lighting ANY OF THESE MALFUNCTIONS COULD LEAD TO A CRASH. DetailsHide details for campaign 09V280000 What's wrong 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. Remedy 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. Campaign NHTSA 09V280000 · Jul 21, 2009
Oct 17, 200505V479000	Air bags 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… DetailsHide details for campaign 05V479000 What's wrong 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. Remedy 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. Campaign NHTSA 05V479000 · Oct 17, 2005
Sep 12, 200505V395000	Air bags 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… DetailsHide details for campaign 05V395000 What's wrong 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. Remedy 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. Campaign NHTSA 05V395000 · Sep 12, 2005
Apr 28, 200505V187000	Steering: linkages tie rod assembly 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. DetailsHide details for campaign 05V187000 What's wrong 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. Remedy 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. Campaign NHTSA 05V187000 · Apr 28, 2005

To see whether a recall is still open on your car, enter the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Hyundai recall lookup. Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer (federal law; see limits).

Owner complaints by component137

NHTSA Complaints API · cached ≤24 h

137Complaints filed

30Involving a crash

3Involving a fire

26Injuries reported

Component	Complaints	%	Crashes	Fires	Injuries
Air bags	71	52	23	0	20
Vehicle speed control	14	10	6	0	2
Service brakes	11	8	1	0	1
Electrical system	10	7	0	2	0
Hydraulic	9	7	1	0	1
Power train	7	5	0	0	0
Structure	7	5	1	1	3
Steering	6	4	2	1	3
Exterior lighting	6	4	0	0	0
Seat belts	6	4	4	0	4
Engine and engine cooling	6	4	1	0	1
Unknown or other	5	4	1	1	3
Engine	4	3	0	0	0
Visibility	4	3	1	0	1
Suspension	3	2	0	0	0

9 more components with fewer complaints not shown. An owner can tag several components, so percentages add up to more than 100. Complaints are unverified owner reports, de-duplicated by NHTSA ODI number.

Latest reports

Steering
“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.”
Filed 02/11/2026 · ODI 11717163
Suspension
“I have a 2005 hyundai elantra that the front and rear subframe/ suspension crossmembers are completely rotted out.”
Filed 09/26/2025 · ODI 11689993
Steering
“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 could’ve caused a major accident if driven on a highway/interstate at a higher…”
Filed 02/24/2025 · ODI 11644457

Other Hyundai Elantra model years

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2005 Hyundai Elantra recall questions

How many recalls does the 2005 Hyundai Elantra have?

NHTSA lists 4 safety recall campaigns for the 2005 Hyundai Elantra. The most recent, 09V280000 (reported July 21, 2009), concerns exterior lighting. Not every vehicle is covered by every campaign; check a specific car by VIN.

What are the 2005 Hyundai Elantra recalls for?

The largest group is air bags, with 2 campaigns. Others: exterior lighting (1), steering (1). Each campaign below lists the defect, the risk and the free remedy.

What is the most common complaint about the 2005 Hyundai Elantra?

Air bags is the most-reported component, named in 71 complaints out of 137 filed with NHTSA (52%). Across all complaints, owners reported 30 crashs and 3 fires. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

How do I check if a recall is open on my 2005 Hyundai Elantra?

Enter the 17-character VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or the Hyundai recall lookup. That shows campaigns still unrepaired on that exact car. Safety recall repairs are free at a franchised Hyundai dealer.

Check a specific Hyundai by VIN

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