2003 Hyundai Elantra: recalls and complaints

NHTSA lists 5 recall campaigns for the 2003 Hyundai Elantra. The newest campaign is 09V125000. NHTSA received the report on 16 Apr 2009. The NHTSA record gives the component Suspension / Front / Control Arm. NHTSA has 234 complaints on file for this model year. 2 NHTSA investigations name this model year.

The NHTSA recall file shows no do-not-drive advisory and no park-outside advisory on these campaigns.

This page cannot show if a recall applies to one vehicle. The NHTSA VIN lookup shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle.

Remedy of the newest campaign, 09V125000, in the NHTSA record

Dealers will inspect the front lower control arms for corrosion damage. If specified levels of internal corrosion damage are found, the front lower control arms will be replaced with new front lower control arms incorporating additional holes in the upper and lower panels. If the front lower control arms do not require replacement, the dealer will add drainage holes to the front lower control arms and will treat the front lower control arms with rust-proofing materials to arrest the internal corrosion process. These procedures will be performed free of charge. The recall began on august 17, 2009. Owners may contact the hyundai customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.

NHTSA VIN lookup

Complaint information entered into NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation vehicle owner's complaint database is used with other data sources to identify safety issues that warrant investigation and to determine if a safety-related defect trend exists.
NHTSA publishes these words. Source: NHTSA Datasets and APIs, section Complaints, read on 1 Oct 2026. Complaint file through 30 Sep 2026. Recall file through 30 Sep 2026.

Since the last update

No tracked figure of this page changed in a data update. What the log tracks

All updates to the register

Recall campaigns

5 campaigns, newest first. 740,076 units in total.

09V12500016 Apr 2009Suspension / Front / Control Arm
04V36900026 Jul 2004Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage
04V1780009 Apr 2004Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly
03V4960003 Dec 2003Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
03V25700022 Jul 2003Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings

09V125000Received 16 Apr 2009. 160,904 units.
Suspension / Front / Control Arm
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
The fracturing of the control arm could an owner's control over their vehicle that may increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will inspect the front lower control arms for corrosion damage. If specified levels of internal corrosion damage are found, the front lower control arms will be replaced with new front lower control arms incorporating additional holes in the upper and lower panels. If the front lower control arms do not require replacement, the dealer will add drainage holes to the front lower control arms and will treat the front lower control arms with rust-proofing materials to arrest the internal corrosion process. These procedures will be performed free of charge. The recall began on august 17, 2009. Owners may contact the hyundai customer assistance center at 1-800-633-5151.
Report filed by Hyundai Motor Company. Manufacturer campaign number 091. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 17 Jul 2009.
04V369000Received 26 Jul 2004. 919 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Fuel spillage in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install an additional fuel tank assembly valve. The recall began on october 5, 2004. Owners should contact hyundai de puerto rico at 1-800-981-0188.
Report filed by HYUNDAI CARIBBEAN-PUERTO RICO. Manufacturer campaign number 066. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 5 Oct 2004.
04V178000Received 9 Apr 2004. 263,968 units.
Fuel System, Gasoline / Storage / Tank Assembly
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Fuel spillage in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will install an additional fuel tank assembly valve. Owner notification began on june 30, 2004. Owners should contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Report filed by HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 066. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 30 Jun 2004.
03V496000Received 3 Dec 2003. 1,993 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Defect, in the NHTSA record
On certain passenger vehicles, the brake tubes for the rear brakes can contact the steering gearbox mounting brackets.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Contact between the rear brake tubes and the steering gearbox mounting brackets may result in rear brake tube wear and corrosion, increasing the risk of brake fluid leakage. Brake fluid leakage could result in reduced braking capability, which could result in a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will reposition the rear brake tubes, install brake tube clips, and apply anti-corrosion material to the rear brake tubes. Owner notification began january 22, 2004. Owners should contact hyundai of puerto rico at 1-800-633-5151.
Report filed by HYUNDAI CARIBBEAN-PUERTO RICO. Manufacturer campaign number 061. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 22 Jan 2004.
03V257000Received 22 Jul 2003. 312,292 units.
Service Brakes, Hydraulic / Foundation Components / Hoses, Lines/Piping, and Fittings
Defect, in the NHTSA record
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.
Consequence, in the NHTSA record
Fluid leakage could result in reduced braking capability increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy, in the NHTSA record
Dealers will reposition the rear brake tubes so they do not contact the mounting brackets, install brake tube clips to control the location of the rear brake tubes, and apply anti-corrosion material to the tubes in the areas where contact with the mounting brackets may have occurred. Owner notification began on october 13, 2003. Owners should contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Report filed by HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY. Manufacturer campaign number 061. Owner notification date in the NHTSA record: 13 Oct 2003.

The campaign number opens the NHTSA record. Each quotation is the text of the NHTSA recall file.

Recall campaign: One recall in the NHTSA recall file, with one campaign number. A campaign can name many makes, models and model years.

Units: The number of vehicles or products that a recall can include. The manufacturer or the firm reports the number to the agency.

Complaints by component

234 complaints, 310 component mentions.

A complaint can name more than one component. Each component that a complaint names is one component mention. The figure per 1,000 component mentions shows how many of each 1,000 mentions name the component.

2003 Hyundai Elantra
All 2003 vehicles

2003 Hyundai Elantra: complaints by component, per 1,000 component mentions
Component	2003 Elantra	All 2003 vehicles	Elantra, all years	Mentions
Suspension	200	59	51	62
Air Bags	158.1	83.7	112.5	49
Structure	106.5	64.3	41.6	33
Engine and Engine Cooling	67.7	74.5	27.1	21
Service Brakes, Hydraulic	67.7	56.4	38.7	21
Steering	51.6	48.1	94.8	16
Exterior Lighting	41.9	34.6	36.1	13
Seat Belts	38.7	13.1	19	12
Fuel System, Gasoline	32.3	35.2	13.9	10
Electrical System	32.3	122.8	90.1	10

The table shows the 10 components with the most mentions, of 25.

Complaints that report a crash: 42
Complaints that report a fire: 1
Injuries in the complaints: 33
Deaths in the complaints: 0
Date of the newest complaint: 12 Dec 2023

These figures are the entries of the persons who sent the complaints.

Complaint: A report about a possible safety problem that a person sends to NHTSA. This site shows the number of complaints and not their text.

Complaints about the 2003 Hyundai Elantra, by the year NHTSA received them. The largest year is 2004, with 30 complaints.

Investigations

NHTSA investigations that name the 2003 Hyundai Elantra
Number	Type	Subject	Component	Opened	Closed	Campaign
PE09011	Preliminary evaluation	FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS RUSTING	Suspension / Front / Control Arm	18 Feb 2009	21 Apr 2009	09V125000
PE08017	Preliminary evaluation	AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATION	Air Bags / Frontal	10 Mar 2008	10 Jul 2008

Investigation: A study of a possible safety defect by the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. An investigation with no closing date in the NHTSA file is open.

Other model years

The number under each year is the number of recall campaigns.

A year without a link has fewer than 2 campaigns and fewer than 25 complaints. It has no page.

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Official channels

NHTSA VIN lookupNHTSA shows the unrepaired recalls of one vehicle from its VIN or its license plate.
NHTSA: report a safety problemThe NHTSA form for a complaint about a vehicle, a tire, a child seat or equipment.
NHTSA page of the 2003 Hyundai ElantraThe recalls, the complaints and the investigations that NHTSA shows for this model year.

Cite this page

Recall Register. 2003 Hyundai Elantra: recalls and complaints. https://recallregister.com/vehicle/hyundai/elantra/2003/. Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, recall, complaint and investigation files. Data through 30 Sep 2026.

Sources

Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
Licence: US government work, public domain
Recall file through: 30 Sep 2026
Complaint file through: 30 Sep 2026
First complaint in the file: 1 Jan 1995
Manufacturer in the recall file: Hyundai Motor Company

The NHTSA record is the authority. A complaint count is the number of different complaint numbers for the make, the model and the model year. How the register is made. Report an error.

Questions

How many units are in the recall campaigns for the 2003 Hyundai Elantra?: 740,076 units in 5 campaigns. A campaign can name other models and model years, and its units include them.
How many recall campaigns does the Hyundai Elantra have for all model years?: NHTSA lists 56 recall campaigns for the Hyundai Elantra, model years 1992 to 2026. 5 of them name the 2003 model year.
Which component do the complaints about the 2003 Hyundai Elantra name most often?: Suspension: 62 of 310 component mentions, or 200 per 1,000. For all 2003 vehicles the figure is 59 per 1,000.
Is an NHTSA investigation of the 2003 Hyundai Elantra open?: No. Each of the 2 investigations that name this model year has a closing date in the NHTSA file.