"How reliable is the 2006 Hyundai Elantra?"

"Based on 209 NHTSA complaints, the 2006 Hyundai Elantra has a median complaint mileage of 68250 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 2006 Hyundai Elantra?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2006 Hyundai Elantra is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 209 total complaints filed."

2006 Hyundai Elantra: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 209 complaints

209

Total Complaints

68,250mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

34,212 25th Percentile

68,250 Median Mileage

103,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

Exterior Lighting

Service Brakes

Electrical System

Vehicle Speed Control

Frontal

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Seats

Automatic Transmission

Visibility

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE PASSENGER FRONT SEAT SLID FORWARD ON ITS TRACKS, CAUSING THE CONTACT TO IMPACT THE DASHBOAD, RESULTING IN A REAR END COLLISION AT 5 MPH. THERE WERE NO DAMAGES NOR POLICE REPORT FILED. AN APPOINTMENT HAS BEEN SCHEDULED TO HAVE THE SEAT INSPECTED AT THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP. *A..."

"WE PURCHASED 2 HYUNDAI ELANTRAS 2006 MODELS IN MAY 2006 AS GIFTS FOR OUR DAUGHTERS. WITHIN 1 WEEK OR LESS, THE PHONE CHARGER IN THE CAR WAS NOT WORKING ON EITHER CAR. THEY REPLACED THE FUSES IN EACH VEHICLE AND TOLD US THAT WHEN WE CHARGE THE PHONES, THEY SHOULD BE PLUGGED IN PRIOR TO STARTING THE C..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Air Bags 44 complaints

25th: 48,000 mi Median: 80,424 mi 75th: 125,400 mi

Exterior Lighting 33 complaints

25th: 62,696 mi Median: 85,000 mi 75th: 104,036 mi

Service Brakes 23 complaints

25th: 83,977 mi Median: 95,444 mi 75th: 111,803 mi

Electrical System 14 complaints

25th: 61,750 mi Median: 91,681 mi 75th: 111,803 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 11 complaints

25th: 27,000 mi Median: 45,550 mi 75th: 68,500 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

FL: 33 NY: 16 CA: 14 NC: 13 PA: 13 VA: 10 TX: 9 MA: 9 NV: 9 NJ: 8

Who Files Complaints?

11%

Original Owners

89%

Second+ Owners

Hyundai Elantra — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1992	46	-	Automatic Transmission	1
1993	39	-	Engine	2
1994	110	-	Frontal	26
1995	179	-	Frontal	32
1996	138	92,000	Gasoline	11
1997	196	89,000	Automatic Transmission	26
1998	75	72,000	Gasoline	10
1999	183	92,750	Automatic Transmission	24
2000	259	48,000	Frontal	43
2001	445	69,000	Air Bags	100
2002	431	72,000	Air Bags	80
2003	310	65,500	Suspension	59
2004	209	31,000	Air Bags	32
2005	180	51,500	Air Bags	43
2007	364	70,530	Visibility/Wiper	26
2008	423	55,409	Steering	57
2009	315	78,000	Steering	39
2010	494	62,000	Steering	67
2011	588	70,000	Engine	29
2012	911	60,000	Engine	72
2013	1839	43,000	Steering	157
2014	540	54,000	Engine	58
2015	344	50,550	Engine	45
2016	378	54,128	Engine	30
2017	1054	41,000	Engine	57
2018	385	23,892	Engine	14
2019	309	43,500	Engine	19
2020	294	6,200	Engine	28
2021	205	15,500	Warnings	11
2022	127	23,500	Seat Belts	5
2023	131	7,000	Unknown Or Other	11
2024	86	7,654	Unknown Or Other	11
2025	23	-	Unknown Or Other	4

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