Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2003 Hyundai Elantra, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Suspension61
- Air bags48
- Structure32
- Engine and engine cooling21
- Service brakes, hydraulic20
- Steering16
- Exterior lighting13
- Seat belts11
- Electrical system10
- Vehicle speed control9
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 33 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 22 2003 Elantra vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 13 people died inside them, and 5 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2003 Hyundai Elantra failed the safety check 2.68% of the time — 27% more often than the average 2003 passenger car (2.11%). Median odometer at inspection: 100,900 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
In the United Kingdom
13 cars built in 2003 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 56 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
In Finland
33 of these cars first registered in 2003 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 216,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 2 variants: combined 9.5 L/100 km (about 25 mpg US), CO₂ 219 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elantra · Compact · Regular gasoline | 11.0 | 7.8 | 9.5 |
| Elantra · Compact · Regular gasoline | 11.0 | 7.8 | 9.5 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 2003 Hyundai Elantra.
| 2009121 23 Apr 2009 | Suspension On certain vehicles operated in areas of heavy road salt usage (Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland & Labrador),… |
| 2004293 13 Aug 2004 | Brakes On certain non- ABS vehicles located in Quebec, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland, after sustained exposure to temperatures belo… |
| 2004130 13 Apr 2004 | Fuel System On certain vehicles, the fuel tank assembly valve may not close properly. If a vehicle with a fuel tank assembly valve that is not properly closed were to roll… |
| 2003173 22 Jul 2003 | Brakes On certain vehicles, the rear brake tubes may contact the steering gear box mounting brackets resulting in rear brake tube wear and corrosion. Severe rear brak… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 160,904 MY 2001-2003 ELANTRA AND MY 2003 TIBURON VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. ROAD SALT USED DURING THE WINTER MONTHS IN THESE JURISDICTIONS MAY RESULT IN INTERNAL CORROSION AND THINNING OF THE STEEL IN THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS. THE CORROSION MAY PROGRESS TO THE POINT WHERE THE LOWER CONTROL ARM'S UPPER AND LOWER PANELS BECOME PERFORATED. A PERFORATED FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM MAY FRACTURE BETWEEN ITS BALL JOINT ATTACHMENT AND THE FORWARD AND REARWARD PIVOT ATTACHMENTS TO THE CHASSIS.
CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 301, "FUEL SYSTEM INTEGRITY" A VALVE ON THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY MAY NOT CLOSE PROPERLY. IF A VEHICLE ROLLS OVER AND THE FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY VALVE IS NOT PROPERLY CLOSED, FUEL SPILLAGE MAY OCCUR.
SOME PASSENGER VEHICLES CONTAIN A FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY VALVE THAT MAY NOT CLOSE PROPERLY. IF A VEHICLE WITH A FUEL TANK ASSEMBLY VALVE THAT IS NOT PROPERLY CLOSED WERE TO ROLL OVER, FUEL SPILLAGE MAY OCCUR.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE BRAKE TUBES FOR THE REAR BRAKES CAN CONTACT THE STEERING GEARBOX MOUNTING BRACKETS.
ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE REAR BRAKE TUBES PASS BEHIND THE FRONT SUSPENSION CROSSMEMBER. TWO STEERING GEARBOX MOUNTING BRACKETS ARE WELDED TO THE CROSSMEMBER. ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH AN ANTILOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS), THE REAR BRAKE TUBES COULD CONTACT BOTH STEERING GEARBOX MOUNTING BRACKETS. ON VEHICLES THAT ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH ABS, THE REAR BRAKE TUBES MAY CONTACT ONLY THE LEFT MOUNTING BRACKET. CONTACT BETWEEN THE REAR BRAKE TUBES AND THE STEERING BRACKETS COULD CAUSE WEAR AND CORROSION THAT COULD RESULT IN BRAKE FLUID LEAKAGE.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Hyundai told its dealers about the 2003 Hyundai Elantra: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 10251285 | This bulletin contains information about the proper removal of the windshield wiper blade protective cover on all models. If the protective cover is not removed correctly, there is a possibility of the rubber insert and rail spring becoming partially separated on the inner side of the wiper blade, which could lead to poor wiping performance and/or possible scratching of the windshield glass. Follow the procedure in this bulletin to properly remove the windshield wiper blade protective cover on all new wiper blades. |
| 10247189 | This bulletin provides important checkpoint guidelines when performing engine oil and filter change services. |
| 10235566 | Hyundai applies a Paint Protection Film (PPF) on new vehicles before delivery to dealerships. It provides a barrier between the paint and contaminants, such as rail dust, acid rain, and industrial fallout. In rare cases, the paint can become clouded under the PPF. These spots are the result of moisture trapped between the PPF and the paint. |
| 10230904 | This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes or during normal driving operation. |
| 10217258 | Effective June 2, 2008, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 110 (FMVSS 110) established a threshold for correcting load carrying capacity information indicated on tire placards when vehicle weight has been increased before retail sale. This limit is the lesser of 1.5% of GVWR or 100 pounds. If the total added weight exceeds the lesser of the limit, a label must be added to the driver-side B-pillar within 25mm (1 inch) of the original tire placard. |
| 10217251 | Follow the guidelines outlined in this bulletin to inspect and clean or replace certain components of the engine intake system accordingly during engine short block or sub-assembly replacement. |
| 10196546 | Hyundai approves only the ATF, DCT gear oil and IVT gear oil specified in the vehicles owners manual. Use of other ATF may result in improper shift quality or other drivability conditions. Use of other DCT and IVT gear oil may result in reduced durability. Hyundai does not approve the use of any aftermarket ATF or gear oil additives. |
| 10190044 | This bulletin provides the service procedure for engine connecting rod bearing clearance testing. Perform the procedure outlined in this bulletin to fulfill the Bearing Clearance Test inspection requirements to determine next required steps. |
| 10190038 | This bulletin provides best practice recommendations when performing brake service procedures. |
| 10189989 | This bulletin provides the inspection procedure and repair guidelines for certain vehicles listed below. |
| 10183963 | This bulletin describes the procedure to inspect and identify fluid which may appear around the brake caliper area. |
| 10183960 | This bulletin provides tire vibration service procedures, including how to optimize vehicle vibration performance. For all wheel/tire balance claims, the Tire Balance Data Sheet must be fully completed including imbalance and Road Force Variation (RFV) data. The Data Sheet can be found at the end of this bulletin. |
| 10178175 | This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to moisture accumulation in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. The TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes, or during normal driving operation. |
| 10176182 | This bulletin provides information on tire maintenance best practices and procedures for dealers and customers to maximize tire life and performance. |
| 10176178 | This bulletin describes the general guidelines to help disinfect and protect vehicle exterior/interior surfaces using recommended safe chemical products. |
| 10174808 | This bulletin provides information on identifying dealer stock vehicles with either: A Battery SOC alert - low Battery State of Charge (SOC) at or below 50%. A 30 Day alert - vehicle has not started and reported an SOC in 30 days. |
| 10174807 | The automatic transmission warranty repair policy authorizes in-dealership repairs of the following components for both OEM (new) and remanufactured automatic transmissions: |
| 10173546 | This bulletin describes the general guidelines to disinfect and protect vehicle interior surfaces using certain safe chemical products. |
| 10172142 | This bulletin describes the requirements for all wheel alignment and/or vehicle tracking claims and best practices when diagnosing and conducting alignment-related repairs for all models and model years. |
| 10170883 | This bulletin provides guidelines to inspect the USB, head unit, and multi-box for common connection conditions. 2. This bulletin presents guidelines to inspect for common Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connection conditions. 3. This bulletin provides physical differences between the USB 2.0 port and USB 3.0 port. |
| 10169370 | The Blind Spot Detection (BSD) or Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW) is a system that measures the speed of and distance from the following vehicles by using two magnetic wave radar sensors attached in the rear bumper. The BSD/BCW detects vehicles within the blind spot zone and gives off an alarm (visual and audible). The two magnetic radar sensors provide these functions for BSD/BCW: ? Senses other vehicles in the BSD/BCW zone and turns on the BSD/BCW warning lamp for the driver. The warning lamp starts blinking, along with an audible sound, when the driver turns on the turn signal lamp to en |
| 10167253 | This bulletin provides instruction detailing the proper methodology for scanning and uploading captured GDS data files to the Techline Repository. Compliance with this bulletin ensures that the GDS data files are correctly transferred and matched with a Techline Case number. |
| 10082725 | THIS BULLETIN PROVIDES INFORMATION ON COMPONENTS, ATTRIBUTES, AND PRECAUTIONS OF THE 7-SPEED DRY-TYPE DUAL CLUTCH TRANSMISSION (DCT). |
| 10082455 | "THE PCM OR TCM CONTAINS LOGIC TO ADJUST SOLENOID DUTY AND LINE PRESSURE AS NEEDED TO COMPENSATE FOR NORMAL CLUTCH WEAR OVER THE LIFE OF THE TRANSAXLE. THIS BULLETIN PROVIDES THE PROCEDURES NECESSARY TO RESET (ERASE) AND RELEARN THE PCM/TCM ADAPTIVE VALUES. AFTER THE FOLLOWING REPAIRS HAVE BEEN COMPLETED, THE PCM/TCM ADAPTIVE VALUES MUST BE RESET IN ORDER TO PROVIDE OPTIMUM SHIFT QUALITY. IF THE PROCEDURE IS NOT PERFORMED, THE TRANSMISSION MAY EXPERIENCE A SHIFT FLARE OR HARSH SHIFT. H REPLACE AUTOMATIC TRANSAXLE OR PCM/TCM H REPROGRAM OR EXCHANGE A PCM/TCM FROM ANOTHER VEHICLE" |
| 10032908 | HYUNDAI: ATA SOLENOID DIAGNOSTIC TROUBLE CODES P0740, P0741, P0742, P0743, P0746, P0748, P0750, P0755, P0760, P0765, P0770. INCORRECT OPERATION OF THE TRANSAXLE SOLENOIDS MAY RESULT IN THE FOLLOWING SYMPTOMS-CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED; TRANSAXLE HELD IN 3RD GEAR FAIL SAFE. *PE |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS RUSTING
AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation