1997 Hyundai ELANTRA: complaints, problems and recalls
Explore the records behind recurring owner reports.
Key facts
65 owner complaints analyzed
3 distinct recall campaigns
73,000 mi median reported failure mileage
Scope: 1997 model year. Data snapshot: . 19 complaints include usable failure mileage.
Most common problems
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly is the most frequently named component, appearing in 11 of 65 complaints (16.9%). A complaint can name multiple components.
| Topic | Matching reports | Share of complaints |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel system concerns | 15 | 23.1% |
| Transmission and shifting | 11 | 16.9% |
| Braking behavior | 5 | 7.7% |
| Engine operation | 3 | 4.6% |
| Electrical and battery issues | 2 | 3.1% |
| Steering behavior | 2 | 3.1% |
Topic matches use published keyword rules. They describe mentions, including negations or comparisons, and do not confirm a diagnosis. Read the matching rules.
Component breakdown
Number of unique complaints naming each component. Top eight shown.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly | 11 |
| Power Train:Automatic Transmission | 10 |
| Unknown Or Other | 7 |
| Air Bags:Frontal | 6 |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 5 |
| Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor | 5 |
| Air Bags | 4 |
| Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline | 4 |
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly: 11; Power Train:Automatic Transmission: 10; Unknown Or Other: 7; Air Bags:Frontal: 6; Fuel System, Gasoline: 5; Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor: 5; Air Bags: 4; Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline: 4
Reported problems by failure mileage
Complaint counts in mileage bands. These are not failure rates per vehicle or mile.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| Under 25,000 | 1 |
| 25,000 to 49,999 | 3 |
| 50,000 to 74,999 | 6 |
| 75,000 to 99,999 | 0 |
| 100,000 to 149,999 | 7 |
| 150,000 and above | 2 |
Under 25,000: 1; 25,000 to 49,999: 3; 50,000 to 74,999: 6; 75,000 to 99,999: 0; 100,000 to 149,999: 7; 150,000 and above: 2
100,000 to 149,999 miles has the most reports with usable mileage (7). 46 complaints have missing, zero or invalid mileage.
Complaints over time
Year the complaint was filed, not the vehicle model year or incident year. The snapshot year is partial.
| Category | Count |
|---|---|
| 2000 | 22 |
| 2001 | 7 |
| 2002 | 9 |
| 2003 | 3 |
| 2004 | 5 |
| 2005 | 7 |
| 2006 | 1 |
| 2007 | 1 |
| 2008 | 3 |
| 2009 | 1 |
| 2012 | 1 |
| 2014 | 1 |
| 2015 | 2 |
| 2016 | 1 |
| 2017 | 1 |
2000: 22; 2001: 7; 2002: 9; 2003: 3; 2004: 5; 2005: 7; 2006: 1; 2007: 1; 2008: 3; 2009: 1; 2012: 1; 2014: 1; 2015: 2; 2016: 1; 2017: 1
Pattern summary
Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly leads the component reports. Fuel system concerns appears in 15 complaint narratives. Transmission and shifting appears in 11 complaint narratives. Braking behavior appears in 5 complaint narratives. Use these patterns to inspect individual reports and prepare questions for a mechanic.
Calculated from recorded counts. An AI narrative has not been published for this selection.
Examples from the source records
Examples provide context, not a representative sample or a verified diagnosis.
Owner report 10018846 · 2003-05-17 (May 17, 2003)
TRANSMISSION DIED AT 67000. REPEATEDLY HAD THE CAR IN FOR KNOCKING SOUNDS. CHECK ENGINE LIGHTS ON SINCE I FIRST BOUGHT THE CAR AT 14 MILES. TRANSMISSION WILL STICK IN FIRST GEAR. THIRD HYUNDAI I BOUGHT. ALL HAD THE SAME PROBLEMS. WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER CAR FROM HYUNDAI AGAIN. *JB
Owner-reported narrative. 67,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10018846 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10029961 · 2003-11-12 (November 12, 2003)
WHILE DRIVING, THE FRONTAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED WITHOUT WARNING. *AK WHEN THIS OCCURRED, THE CONSUMER HIT THE BRAKES WHILE ON A WET SURFACE, LOST CONTROL, HIT THE BANK AND ALMOST OVER TURNED. *SCC *JB
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10029961 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10037353 · 2003-09-06 (September 6, 2003)
I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT MY HYUNDAI ELANTRA HAD BEEN RECALLED FOR THE WINDSHIELD WIPER WASHER MOTOR, IN 1997, I PURCHASED THE CAR IN 1998, AND IN 2002 MY MOTOR BLEW UP. I TOOK IT IN AND THE SERVICE SAID THAT IT WASN'T COVERED AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY OUT OF POCKET TO GET IT FIXED! I RECENTLY FOUND OUT THAT IT WAS A RECALL SO I TOOK IT IN AND THEY SAID THAT IT HAD NEVER BEEN RECALLED - AND I TRIED CALLING THE HYUNDAI HOTLINE [phone removed] AND I PUSHED 5 TO SPEAK TO SOMEONE ABOUT IT AND IT HUNG UP ON ME! N A 2 MONTH TIME SPAN ALL FOUR OF MY IN…
Owner-reported narrative. Look up ODI 10037353 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10054353 · 2004-01-17 (January 17, 2004)
THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR LATCH IS BROKEN. *CB
Owner-reported narrative. 73,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10054353 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10063450 · 2004-03-18 (March 18, 2004)
WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES FRONT DUAL AIR BAGS DEPLOYED INADVERTENTLY. *AK
Owner-reported narrative. 42,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10063450 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10069280 · 2004-01-15 (January 15, 2004)
CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR.I HAVE BEEN IN REPEATEDLY FOR THIS TO BE CORRECTED TO NO AVAIL. PROBLEMS WITH TRANSMISSION REPEATEDLY. ENGINE WAS CAUSING A VACUUM AND NOT ALLOWING TO CAR TO SHIFT.
Owner-reported narrative. 67,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10069280 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10080756 · 2004-07-10 (July 10, 2004)
THE TRANSMISSION FLUID IS LEAKING AND THE CAR IS SLIPPING OR NOT SHIFTING PROPERLY DURING NORMAL DRIVING!*AK
Owner-reported narrative. 19,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10080756 at NHTSA ↗
Owner report 10098405 · 2004-11-07 (November 7, 2004)
I HAVE A 1997 HYUNDAI ELANTRA THAT WAS RECALLED IN 2000 (00V095002). RECENTLY I SMELLED A VERY STRONG GASOLINE ODOR AND SIPPING SOUND COMING OUT OF MY TANK. I BEEN FILLING MY TANK AND KEPT LOSING GAS WITHIN A WEEK AND THIS IS 10 GALLONS WITHIN FOUR DAYS. WHEN I WENT TO CHECK I NOTICED GASOLINE COMING OUT THROUGH MY PASSENGER SEATS ESPECIALLY WHEN THE ENGINE IS RUNNING. THERE IS ALSO A LIGHT ON AND WHEN I TOOK FOR COMPUTER READ I WAS TOLD THE CODE PO446 WAS ON (EVAPORATIVE EMISSION CONTROL WAS APPLYING TO MUCH PRESSURE TO MY TANK. I HAVE CALLE…
Owner-reported narrative. 178,000 miles reported. Look up ODI 10098405 at NHTSA ↗
Recall history
3 distinct campaigns affect this selection. Announcement dates below are different from vehicle model years. A campaign may cover multiple years.
00V095001 · Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly
Reported: 2000-03-28 (March 28, 2000)
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEMS CAN APPLY EXCESSIVE VACUUM TO THE FUEL TANKS DURING THE CANISTER PURGE CYCLE. IF EXCESSIVE VACUUM IS APPLIED, MINOR FUEL TANK DISTORTION CAN RESULT. A SMALL CRACK COULD DEVELOP ON THE UPPER FUEL TANK SURFACE. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WOULD THEN ILLUMINATE AND, IN SOME CASES, THE VEHICLE DRIVER MAY NOTICE A GASOLINE ODOR.
Consequence: FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL PRESSURE CHECK THE VEHICLE'S FUEL TANK TO DETERMINE IF IT HAS CRACKED. IF THE FUEL TANK HAS CRACKED, IT WILL BE REPLACED.
NHTSA campaign record ↗00V095002 · Fuel System, Gasoline:Storage:Tank Assembly
Reported: 2000-07-21 (July 21, 2000)
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER VEHICLES. THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEMS CAN APPLY EXCESSIVE VACUUM TO THE FUEL TANKS DURING THE CANISTER PURGE CYCLE. IF EXCESSIVE VACUUM IS APPLIED, MINOR FUEL TANK DISTORTION CAN RESULT. A SMALL CRACK COULD DEVELOP ON THE UPPER FUEL TANK SURFACE. THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT WOULD THEN ILLUMINATE AND, IN SOME CASES, THE VEHICLE DRIVER MAY NOTICE A GASOLINE ODOR.
Consequence: FUEL LEAKAGE IN THE PRESENCE OF AN IGNITION SOURCE COULD RESULT IN A FIRE.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL PRESSURE CHECK THE VEHICLE'S FUEL TANK TO DETERMINE IF IT HAS CRACKED. IF THE FUEL TANK HAS CRACKED, IT WILL BE REPLACED.
NHTSA campaign record ↗97V026000 · Visibility:Windshield Wiper/Washer:Motor
Reported: 1997-02-26 (February 26, 1997)
THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER ELECTRICAL CONTACTS WERE CONTAMINATED DURING ASSEMBLY.
Consequence: THIS CONTAMINATION INTERFERES WITH THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT CONTINUITY AND PREVENTS THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR FROM OPERATING. INOPERATIVE WINDSHIELD WIPERS CAN CONTRIBUTE TO REDUCED VISIBILITY DURING INCLEMENT WEATHER INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REMOVE THE CONTAMINANTS FROM THE WINDSHIELD WIPER MOTOR CIRCUIT BREAKER CONTACTS.
NHTSA campaign record ↗