Owner report · 2005 model year

2005 Hyundai Elantra

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Crash test it

Crash-test image: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), U.S. Department of Transportation.

The Verdict

Worst problem area

Airbags & Restraints

Airbags & Restraints leads by volume: 73 of 137 complaints (53%) mention it.

Complaints filed fell from 182 in 2004 to 137 in 2005.

Data last changed Nov 7, 2026. Sources: NHTSA complaints and recalls, EPA fuel economy data. Methodology

At a glance

NHTSA complaints: 137
Recall campaigns: 4
EPA fuel cost per year: $2,400–$2,600
Combined MPG: 24–26

Complaints by model year

2342003
1822004
1372005
1552006
2672007

Where owners report problems

Airbags & Restraints73 (53%)
Driver Assistance & Speed Control14 (10%)
Body, Seats & Latches12 (9%)
Brakes11 (8%)
Visibility & Lighting11 (8%)
Electrical10 (7%)

Cost, Fuel Economy & Complaint History

Fuel cost, fuel economy, and complaint history by model-yearScroll sideways to see all 5 years. Fuel figures show the range across trims for years with more than one EPA-rated configuration.
Category	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	vs. 2005 Midsize Cars
Annual fuel cost ($)	2,500	2,400–2,600	2,400–2,600	2,400–2,600	2,200–2,300
Combined MPG	25	24–26	24–26	24–26	27–28
City / Highway MPG	21–22 / 30	21–24 / 29–31	21–23 / 29–31	21–23 / 29–31	24–25 / 33
CO₂ tailpipe (g/mi)	355	342–370	342–370	342–370	317–329
Complaints filed	234	182	137	155	267	Not compared
Recalls issued	5	5	4	1	6	Not compared
Crash-involved complaints	42	24	30	28	21	Not compared
Fire-involved complaints	1	2	3	0	13	Not compared
Injuries reported	33	26	26	23	17	Not compared
Deaths reported	0	0	0	0	0	Not compared
Configurations compared	4	2	2	3	2

Common questions

How many recalls does the 2005 Hyundai Elantra have?

4 NHTSA recall campaigns as of Nov 7, 2026. Check your VIN with NHTSA to see whether one applies to your car.

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

Airbags & Restraints: 73 of 137 NHTSA complaints (53%) mention it.

What gas mileage does the 2005 Hyundai Elantra get?

EPA rates it 24–26 MPG combined across 2 configurations.

How much does it cost to fuel a 2005 Hyundai Elantra?

EPA estimates $2,400–$2,600 a year in fuel costs, using EPA's assumptions.

Similar Vehicles

EPA-Rated Configurations (2)

Every EPA-rated configuration on this page, one row each.A number tagged (low) or (high) is this page’s own cost-table figure of that name, above.
Configuration	Transmission	Cylinders	Displacement	Drivetrain	Fuel Type	Vehicle Class	City	Highway	Combined	Annual Fuel Cost	CO₂
Configuration 1	Automatic 4-spd	4	2.0L	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Midsize Cars	21 mpg (low)	29 mpg (low)	24 mpg (low)	$2,600 (high)	370 g/mi (high)
Configuration 2	Manual 5-spd	4	2.0L	Front-Wheel Drive	Regular	Midsize Cars	23 mpg (high)	31 mpg (high)	26 mpg (high)	$2,400 (low)	342 g/mi (low)

Complaints by Category

Complaints by category, in the same fixed order on every page
Category	Complaints	Crash-Involved	Fire-Involved	Injuries
Engine	10	1	0	1
Transmission & Drivetrain	7	0	0	0
Fuel System	4	0	0	0
Electrical	10	0	2	0
Brakes	11	1	0	1
Steering	6	2	1	3
Suspension, Wheels & Tires	7	1	0	0
Airbags & Restraints	73	23	0	20
Driver Assistance & Speed Control	14	6	0	2
Body, Seats & Latches	12	1	1	4
Visibility & Lighting	11	1	0	1
Other	7	1	1	3

A complaint that names more than one category is counted in each, so the rows can add up to more than the total number of complaints.

Recalls (4)

EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Campaign 09V280000 · Jul 21, 2009
Defect
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.
Consequence
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.
AIR BAGS
Campaign 05V479000 · Oct 17, 2005
Defect
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.
Consequence
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.
AIR BAGS
Campaign 05V395000 · Sep 12, 2005
Defect
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.
Consequence
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.
STEERING:LINKAGES:TIE ROD ASSEMBLY
Campaign 05V187000 · Apr 28, 2005
Defect
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.
Consequence
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.