YearToAvoid

2005 Hyundai Elantra Recall List

4 safety recall campaigns on file with NHTSA for the 2005 Hyundai Elantra, affecting electrical system, airbags, and steering. Recall repairs are free at any authorized Hyundai dealer.

Recall campaigns
4
Do Not Drive
0
Park Outside
0
Over-the-air fixes
0
Latest report
Jul 21, 2009
Owner complaints
137

All 2005 Hyundai Elantra recalls

Newest first. Summaries are NHTSA’s own wording.

  1. NHTSA 09V280000Jul 21, 2009Electrical System3,011 vehicles

    Exterior lighting

    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.

    Risk: 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.

  2. NHTSA 05V479000Oct 17, 2005Airbags2,105 vehicles

    Air bags

    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.

    Risk: 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.

  3. NHTSA 05V395000Sep 12, 2005Airbags231,160 vehicles

    Air bags

    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.

    Risk: 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.

  4. NHTSA 05V187000Apr 28, 2005Steering277 vehicles

    Steering:linkages:tie rod assembly

    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.

    Risk: 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.

Frequently asked questions

How many recalls does the 2005 Hyundai Elantra have?
NHTSA lists 4 recall campaigns for the 2005 Hyundai Elantra, covering electrical system, airbags, and steering.
Are 2005 Hyundai Elantra recall repairs free?
Yes. Under U.S. law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls free of charge at authorized dealers, regardless of the vehicle’s age or how many owners it has had. Use the VIN check to see which campaigns are still open on a specific car.
What is the most recent recall on the 2005 Hyundai Elantra?
The most recent campaign is NHTSA 09V280000, reported Jul 21, 2009, concerning the electrical system.

Sources: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation complaint and recall databases; U.S. EPA fuel economy data; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.

Data updated Sep 24, 2026. Read the methodology and data sources. The Complaint Index is based on NHTSA owner complaints and recalls; it is not a reliability rating.