2004 Hyundai Elantra Problems, Recalls & Reliability
209 owner complaints sit in the federal file for the 2004 Hyundai Elantra, alongside 5 recall campaigns and 1 defect investigation. It scores 14/100 on the trouble index — one of this model's quieter years. Airbags leads the reports, typically around 44,000 miles.
One of the quieter years. Relative to its siblings, the 2004 Hyundai Elantra has drawn well-below-average complaint volume with at least four years on the road.
Better year
Where 2004 sits among all Elantra years
What owners report
“I noticed that the passenger air bag light was on back in may 2004. Now the light on the driver air bag is on and the passenger light for the air bag is off. I am concernrd thst neither air bags are not working. What should i do? There has been no incident so i will just put approx. Date of the air…”— owner report to NHTSA, 2004 Elantra
Mileage when trouble shows up
Among the 111 reports that include an odometer reading, problems most often appear around 52,000 miles. Half of those reports fall between 10,930 and 86,000 miles — a useful range to weigh against the mileage of the exact car you're looking at.
Recalls (5)
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…
Fix: 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…
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…
Fix: 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…
DURING AN INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY (IIHS) OFFSET FRONTAL BARRIER IMPACT TEST, IT WAS DETERMINED THAT FUEL TAN DAMAGE COULD OCCUR. ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, A VAPOR TUBE HOSE CLAMP THAT IS LOCATED NEAR THE FUEL TANK MAY NOT BE POSITIONED…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE POSITION OF THE VAPOR TUBE HOSE CLAMP EARS AND CORRECTLY POSITION THE CLAMP, IF NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 5, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI DE PUERTO RICO…
DURING AN INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY (IIHS) OFFSET FRONTAL BARRIER IMPACT TEST ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, FUEL SPILLAGE OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF FUEL TANK DAMAGE CAUSED BY CONTACT BETWEEN A VAPOR TUBE HOSE CLAMP EAR AND THE FUEL TANK. THE…
Fix: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE POSITION OF THE VAPOR TUBE HOSE CLAMP AND CORRECTLY POSITION THE CLAMP, IF NECESSARY. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MAY 24, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI AT…
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, IF THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT IS UNOCCUPIED OR IS OCCUPIED BY SOMEONE LIGHTER THAN 56.4 POUNDS, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG IS DEACTIVATED AND WILL NOT DEPLOY IF A CRASH OCCURS. HOWEVER, THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SENSOR MAY INCORRECTLY…
Fix: THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SENSOR WILL BE REPROGRAMMED.
Federal defect investigations
Led to recall campaign 04V208000.
Technical service bulletins
56 manufacturer communications — service bulletins, the biggest share on transmission & drivetrain and engine — are on file for the 2004 Hyundai Elantra. A TSB is factory repair guidance, not a recall — the repair is not automatically free.
See the 2004 Elantra TSB list →
Complaint history for this model year
When owners filed their reports — a long tail means problems kept surfacing for years.
Questions buyers ask
Is the 2004 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
The 2004 Hyundai Elantra drew 209 complaints in federal safety records — one of this model's quieter years. Its trouble index is 14/100, scored against the model's worst year (2013).
What are the most common 2004 Hyundai Elantra problems?
The top reported problems for the 2004 Hyundai Elantra are airbags (116 complaints), engine (16), and seat belts (13).
At what mileage do 2004 Hyundai Elantra problems show up?
Owners most often report 2004 Hyundai Elantra problems around 52,000 miles. Half of all reports that include an odometer reading fall between 10,930 and 86,000 miles.
Does the 2004 Hyundai Elantra have recalls?
5 recall campaigns apply to the 2004 Hyundai Elantra. Recall repairs are free at any franchised dealer.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.