AI Damage2009 Hyundai Elantra: common problems
Owners of the 2009 Hyundai Elantra filed 255 complaints with NHTSA, most often about steering and air bags. Details by component below, with sources.
Key figures
- Owner complaints
- 255
- involving a crash
- 28
What fails most often
- 1 Steering 53% of all complaints
- 2 Air bags 16% of all complaints
- 3 Service brakes 11% of all complaints
- 4 Electrical system 9% of all complaints
- 5 Vehicle speed control 7% of all complaints
- 6 Engine 5% of all complaints
- 7 Structure 4% of all complaints
- 8 Electronic stability control 4% of all complaints
- Steering: 134 complaints (53% of all), 5 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Air bags: 42 complaints (16% of all), 13 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Service brakes: 27 complaints (11% of all), 2 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Electrical system: 24 complaints (9% of all), 1 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
- Vehicle speed control: 18 complaints (7% of all), 7 of them with a crash reported by the owner.
Engines and transmissions
US-market versions per EPA. On the right: how many NHTSA complaints name this engine or transmission type.
- 2 L · petrol · 4 cyl
- automatic, 4-speed
- manual, 5-speednamed in 2 complaints
Drive: FWD
Symptoms owners describe
How many of the 255 NHTSA complaints mention each symptom (automatic count from complaint text; one complaint can mention several).
Components owners complain about
| Component | Owner complaints | involving a crash | Technical service bulletins (TSB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steering | 134 | 5 | 0 |
| Air bags | 42 | 13 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 27 | 2 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 24 | 1 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 18 | 7 | 0 |
| Engine | 13 | 2 | 0 |
| Structure | 11 | 4 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Powertrain | 8 | 1 | 0 |
| Visibility | 5 | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 3 | 0 | 0 |
What owners report
Short excerpts of NHTSA complaints in the original wording. These are owner statements not verified by NHTSA; personal data removed.
Upon impact at about 30 mph the seatbelt ripped and provided no deceleration during a head on collision. If it wasnât for the airbag I would have been very seriously injured. It has not yet been inspected by insurance but I have a few videos of the failure for the seatbelt to work.
I had my seatbelt on & it immediately locked up on me & someone had to cut me out of the seatbelt! I was transported to the hospital emergency, while my car was towed to "E. End Auto" @ 64 10th Ave.
This led to the steering wheel locking and the car spinning out. I tried to get control of the wheel but could not. The car continued to spin until it crashed into the guard railing, smashing the right side and right front. The right front wheel was dented into the car making it undriveable.
When the brake pedal was applied, the vehicle surged to an unknown high rate of speed. When placed in neutral, the vehicle failed to decelerate. As a result, the contact sideswiped another vehicle. A police report was not filed. The driver was not injured. A dealer was not contacted.
The air bag failed to deploy I have been trying to get information from hyundia for over two years and they will not give any information they finally looked at my vehicle and said that the air bag failed to deploy because it was not designed to deploy in that type of accident .I assume there is a manufacture design…
The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was towed. The driver sustained head trauma, which required medical attention. A police report was filed. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. The vin was not available. The failure mileage was 113,000.
In addition, while parked in a driveway, the vehicle surged with a high rate of speed and independently crashed into the driveway. The driver was not injured. The vehicle was towed to a collision center and then towed to the dealer.
While driving approximately 10 mph and making a right turn, the power steering seized without warning. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a medium concrete divider. The frontal air bags did not deploy. No injuries were sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed to an impound yard.
When owners complained
NHTSA complaints by filing year. The peak shows at what age the problems show up most.
Comparison
By complaint count this model year ranks 1,604 of 36,656 model years in the NHTSA data (top 4% most complained about).
On average one model year of the Elantra has 243 complaints (36 years in the data). This year has 255, about average.
What to check before buying
- Steering. Steering play, power assist, rack and tie rods after a wheel impact.
- Air bags. Check the SRS light, stored codes and airbag/curtain status after any impact.
- Service brakes. Pedal feel, ABS operation, leaks, discs and hoses.
- Electrical system. Scan all modules, test the battery and alternator, inspect connectors near the impact zone.
Other years of this model
- Elantra 199229 sources
- Elantra 199324 sources
- Elantra 199476 sources
- Elantra 1995112 sources
- Elantra 1996100 sources
- Elantra 1997115 sources
- Elantra 199855 sources
- Elantra 1999128 sources
- Elantra 2000197 sources
- Elantra 2001315 sources
- Elantra 2002342 sources
- Elantra 2003234 sources
- Elantra 2004182 sources
- Elantra 2005137 sources
- Elantra 2006155 sources
- Elantra 2007267 sources
- Elantra 2008315 sources
- Elantra 2010380 sources
- Elantra 2011433 sources
- Elantra 2012654 sources
- Elantra 20131,315 sources
- Elantra 2014386 sources
- Elantra 2015262 sources
- Elantra 2016413 sources
- Elantra 2017903 sources
- Elantra 2018387 sources
- Elantra 2019353 sources
- Elantra 2020349 sources
- Elantra 2021213 sources
- Elantra 2022178 sources
- Elantra 2023153 sources
- Elantra 202483 sources
- Elantra 202548 sources
- Elantra 20267 sources
- Elantra 999914 sources
Questions and answers
What are the most common problems with the 2009 Hyundai Elantra?
Owner complaints to NHTSA most often mention: steering, air bags, service brakes. Total complaints: 255. The most frequent symptoms in complaint texts: steering or power steering problems (34%), warning lights, check engine (26%), airbag warning light (8%).
How many service bulletins (TSB) were issued for the 2009 Hyundai Elantra?
NHTSA lists 0 manufacturer service bulletins for this year. A bulletin tells dealers how to diagnose or fix a known issue; it is not a recall.
Should I buy a 2009 Hyundai Elantra from a US auction?
Owner complaints describe defects, not crash damage. Before bidding, check the components listed above and review the lot photos: VinWind builds a report of visible and hidden damage by VIN.
Other 2009 models
Read also
Sources: public NHTSA data (USA): service bulletins and owner complaints; YouTube: links to videos credited to their authors. Complaints are owner statements not verified by NHTSA, and describe defects rather than crash damage. Data updated 2026-11-05.