2002 Hyundai Elantra: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 431 complaints
431
Total Complaints
72,000mi
Median Mileage
AIR BAGS
Top Issue
80
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

39,524 25th Percentile
72,000 Median Mileage
110,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

AIR BAGS
40
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM
29
SUSPENSION:FRONT
27
SUSPENSION
27
AIR BAGS:FRONTAL
22
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
19
STEERING
16
STRUCTURE:BODY
13
EXTERIOR LIGHTING:HEADLIGHTS
12
SUSPENSION:FRONT:CONTROL ARM:LOWER ARM
11

Severity Assessment

80
Crashes
7
Fires
53
Injuries
2
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"VEHICLE WAS INVOLVED IN A FRONTAL COLLISION AT 70MPH. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. VEHICLE WAS TOTALLED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *AK"
"WHEN BRAKES WERE APPLIED IN A PANIC STOP PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, AND RESULTING IN A COLLISION. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIIONAL INFORMATION. *AK"
"WHILE DRIVING, VEHICLE OFTEN GETS STUCK IN FIRST GEAR AND REVS EXCESSIVELY AS IF GEARS ARE NOT PROPERLY SHIFTING OUT OF 1ST GEAR. DEALER HAS SEEN VEHICLE TWICE. THIRD TIME DEALER INDICATED THAT A PROGRAM HAD TO BE ESTABLISHED IN ORDER TO FIX VEHICLE. *AK *JB"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28