2006 Hyundai Elantra
The Verdict
The 2006 Hyundai Elantra has 154 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are electrical (82 complaints) and brakes (31 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 63/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating. If you're shopping for a Hyundai Elantra, consider the 2025 model year which has 87% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2025 has 87% fewer complaints
View the 2025 Hyundai Elantra dashboard →
Klunk Score: Solid Pick
Fewer complaints than most vehicles. Generally dependable, but check the top problems below.
How is this calculated?
The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
| Year | Body | Brakes | Electrical | Engine | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 62 | 6 | 61 | 55 | 19 |
| 2001 | 122 | 25 | 128 | 35 | 17 |
| 2002 | 162 | 33 | 93 | 43 | 16 |
| 2003 | 107 | 25 | 55 | 38 | 9 |
| 2004 | 30 | 8 | 118 | 19 | 7 |
| 2005 | 31 | 10 | 79 | 11 | 6 |
| 2006 | 26 | 31 | 82 | 8 | 7 |
| 2007 | 136 | 30 | 70 | 22 | 8 |
| 2008 | 102 | 46 | 61 | 82 | 24 |
| 2009 | 166 | 24 | 63 | 18 | 8 |
| 2010 | 257 | 42 | 92 | 28 | 31 |
| 2011 | 192 | 42 | 101 | 105 | 17 |
| 2012 | 214 | 74 | 192 | 152 | 30 |
| 2013 | 507 | 218 | 261 | 258 | 34 |
| 2014 | 81 | 58 | 44 | 174 | 11 |
| 2015 | 76 | 43 | 27 | 98 | 9 |
| 2016 | 102 | 10 | 41 | 117 | 15 |
| 2017 | 315 | 39 | 89 | 293 | 23 |
| 2018 | 72 | 9 | 30 | 154 | 9 |
| 2019 | 32 | 5 | 73 | 128 | 4 |
| 2020 | 52 | 9 | 41 | 106 | 31 |
| 2021 | 68 | 8 | 30 | 16 | 4 |
| 2022 | 54 | 6 | 17 | 10 | 5 |
| 2023 | 37 | 6 | 23 | 20 | 4 |
| 2024 | 24 | 2 | 17 | 8 | 1 |
| 2025 | 14 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Compare Against
See how the 2006 Hyundai Elantra stacks up against rivals.
Complaints
My son was driving our 2006 Hyundai Elantra and crashed into the end of a guardrail. The air bag did not deploy. The car was declared a total loss by the insurance company. I am concerned that the airbag did not deploy with the severity of the crash. I have uploaded three pictures of the car and one of the end of the guardrail that was impacted. The estimate for speed at impact was 35 mph. The weather was sunny, dry and above 80 degrees. about 6:30PM Eastern time.
WENT FOR AN INSPECTION AND WAS TOLD MY FRONT SUB FRAME WAS RUSTED AND ROTTED. THEY TOLD ME IT WAS UNDER RECALL, BUT UPON FURTHER RESEARCH I FOUND THERE HAVE BEEN RECALLS ON THIS SAME PART FOR OTHER YEARS OF THIS CAR BUT APPARANTLY THE 2006 WAS NOT INCLUDED, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE THE SAME ISSUES, AND THEY CHARGED ME FOR OTHER REPAIRS UNDER THE PRETENSE THAT THE SUB FRAME WOULD BE FIXED BY A DEALERSHIP FOR FREE DUE TO THE RECALL.
EXTENSIVE RUST ON THE LOWER ENGINE SUBFRAME CROSSMEMBER: THE SUBFRAME HAS ROTTED LOOSE AND THE FRONT SUSPENSION CONTROL ARMS RATTLE THE SUBFRAME FROM WHERE THEY ARE ATTACHED. THIS ELANTRA WAS PURCHASED NEW AND ONLY HAS 44000 MILES. THE CONTROL ARMS WILL TEAR AWAY FROM THE LOOSE SUBFRAME AND CAUSE A LOOS OF CONTROL ACCIDENT.
I NOTICED THAT MY AIRBAG LIGHT STAYS ON NEAR MY DASHBOARD WHERE ARE THE SPEEDOMETER IS AND WHEN I HAVE PASSENGERS IN MY CAR THE PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT IS OFF I DON'T BELIEVE MY SENSORS WORK FOR MY AIRBAGS
MY BRAKE LIGHTS ARE STUCK ON BUT MY FUSES ARE NOT BLOWN.
AFTER OWNING TWO '06 ELANTRAS, I'VE COME TO REALIZE A RECURRING ISSUE WITH THE DASHBOARD ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS. WHEN THE TURNER INDICATOR IS ENGAGED, THE REST OF THE DASHBOARD HAS A TENDENCY TO SHORT OUT FOR A SECOND OR TWO BEFORE RETURNING TO NORMAL.
AIR BAG LIGHT ON BRAKE LIGHTS STAY ON AFTER CAR OFF AND FOOT NOT PUSHING THEM ON
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, THE AIR BAG DEPLOYED WITHOUT IMPACT AND SMOKE WAS DETECTED INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BURNS AND INJURIES TO THE EYES, CHEST, AND CHIN. MEDICAL ATTENTION WAS NOT RECEIVED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 135,000.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE POLICE INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE BRAKE LIGHTS WERE INOPERABLE. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE LOCAL DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS SIMILAR TO NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 09V280000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 133,676.
I REAR-ENDED SOMEONE AT AROUND 30-35 MPH. THE VEHICLE I HIT WAS STATIONARY. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY BUT THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT WAS LEFT ON. NO ONE WAS INJURED.
MY 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA BRAKE LIGHTS HAVE STOPPED FUNCTIONING ALL OF A SUDDEN. I REPLACED BOTH BULBS AND NOTHING CHANGED. THERE IS A SAFETY RECALL FOR THIS MODEL VEHICLE FOR A BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH MALFUNCTION AND DESCRIBES IN DETAIL THE EXACT PROBLEM WITH MY CAR BUT MY VIN DOES NOT APPEAR TO QUALIFY FOR THIS CAMPAIGN.
THE CAR AIRBAG LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY COMES ON. IT DOES NOT SEEM TO BE RELATED TO ANYTHING IN PARTICULAR. A MECHANIC READ CODE B1448 FOR A DEFECTIVE PASSENGER SIDE SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR. IT SEEMS THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH HYUNDAI'S AND THE ACCENT'S WERE RECALLED BUT NOT THE ELANTRA. I SUSPECT THE SAME OR SIMILAR PROBLEM IS HAPPENING WITH THE 2016 HYUNDAI ELANTRA OCCUPANT SENSOR.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY AND WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED, WHICH WAS A SAFETY CONCERN. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS INTERMITTENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL ON THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 140,000.
PASSENGER AIRBAG LIGHT IN THE CENTER HAS NEVER WORKED PROPERLY SINCE I'VE GOTTEN THE CAR, THE LIGHT NEVER USED TO GO OFF WHEN AN ADULT WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WHICH MEANS THE AIRBAGS WERE DISABLED. NOW THE DASHBOARD AIRBAG LIGHT HAS BEEN ILLUMINATED CONSTANTLY FOR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND DOES NOT EVER GO OFF, MEANING ALL AIRBAGS ARE DISABLED. IT CAME ON UPON STARTING UP MY VEHICLE AND HAS NOT GONE OFF SINCE. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR, BUT IS NOT REPORTED PROPERLY VIA NHTSA, INSTEAD MANY COMPLAINTS ARE MADE VIA FORUMS. ALSO, WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT AND MY HEADLIGHTS ARE ON, TURNING THE WHEEL AND USING THE BLINKER CAUSES ALL DASH LIGHTS AS WELL AS MY HEADLIGHTS AND BRAKE LIGHTS TO FLICKER BRIEFLY. REAR WINDOWS ARE NOT ABLE TO BE ROLLED DOWN VIA THE MAIN CONTROL ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE, ONLY CAN BE ROLLED UP.
THIS SAFETY COMPLAINT HAS TO DO WITH THE B1448 OC SENSOR MAT DEFECT, I HAVE AN AIR BAG LIGHT ON AND HAVE USED A SCAN TOOL AND GOT THE CODE FOR THE B1448 OC SENSOR MAT DEFECT. THIS ISSUE WAS GIVEN A RECALL FOR THE HYUNDAI SONATA BUT I HAVE A HYUNDAI ELANTRA AND THERE IS NO RECALL BUT MY CAR FACES THE SAME ISSUE. I'VE READ THAT DEALERS TRY TO CHARGE AS MUCH AS $1,000 TO FIX THIS ISSUE.
AIRBAG LIGHT ON DASH ILLUMINATED FOR 10+ YEARS, WILL NOT SHUT OFF. PASSENGER AIR BAG OFF LIGHT IN CENTER CONSOLE WILL NOT ILLUMINATE REGARDLESS OF EVEN WHEN A SMALL STATURED PASSENGER IS PRESENT OR THERE IS NO PASSENGER AT ALL.
MY PASSENGER OCCUPANCY SENSOR NO LONGER DETECTS THE PRESENCE OF A PASSENGER, SO MY PASSENGER AIRBAG IS ALWAYS ON, WHEN THE SEAT IS BOTH OCCUPIED OR UNOCCUPIED. ALSO, MY BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH NO LONGER WORKS, SO MY BRAKE LIGHTS DO NOT TURN ON WHEN I DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL. BOTH OF THESE ISSUES OCCUR INCESSANTLY.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE EXTERIOR BRAKE LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED EVEN WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT DEPRESSED. THE DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. UPON CONDUCTING RESEARCH, THE CONTACT WAS MADE AWARE OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 13V113000 (SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC, EXTERIOR LIGHTING) AS A POSSIBLE EXPLANATION FOR THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT THE VIN WAS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH THE RECALL. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 118,000.
ANNUAL SAFETY CHECK TODAY REVEALED ALL OF THE BREAK LIGHTING WAS NOT WORKING ON OUR 2006 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. CHECKED FUSE AND BULB AND ALL ARE WORKING. SEARCHED THIS WEBSITE AND FOUND RECALLS FOR MANY MODELS AND YEARS OF HYUNDAI, BUT NOT THIS PARTICULAR YEAR AND MODEL. I NOTICED ALSO THAT THE LEFT AND RIGHT TURN SIGNAL LIGHTS WOULD OPERATE WITHOUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION. THESE ISSUES WERE RESOLVED WITH THE INSTALATION OF A NEW SWITCH
MY CAR HAS HAD ENGINE LIGHTS GO ON AND OFF FOR YEARS ON THEIR OWN, WINDOWS THAT YOU USE ONE SWITCH FOR THAT MAKE A DIFFERENT WINDOW GO DOWN AND THEN SOMETIMES THEY DON'T GO UP, MY BRAKES HAVEN'T RELEASED THE CRUISE CONTROL AT TIMES AND NOW MY PASSENGER AIR BAG LIGHT WON'T GO OFF SO I CAN'T PASS INSPECTION. THIS IS NOT SOMETHING I HAD ANYTHING TO DO WITH AND WANT IT FIXED, IT'S A SAFETY ISSUE
154 total