Hyundai Elantra 2001–2006
3rd generation · XD (facelift XD2 from 2004)
NHTSA data through 13 August 20261,784 complaints, 1,257 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 1,257
- Median of reported failures
- 66,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Airbag system (27.8%)
- Recalls
- 0
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 28,000 and 100,000 miles.
Figure 1 · Hyundai Elantra 2001–2006 · 1,257 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 5,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 119 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 27 complaints (2.1%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 6,000
- 25%
- 28,000
- Median
- 66,026
- 75%
- 100,000
- 90%
- 140,000
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5,000 | 119 | 9.5% |
| 5,000–10,000 | 45 | 3.6% |
| 10,000–15,000 | 47 | 3.7% |
| 15,000–20,000 | 38 | 3.0% |
| 20,000–25,000 | 40 | 3.2% |
| 25,000–30,000 | 37 | 2.9% |
| 30,000–35,000 | 40 | 3.2% |
| 35,000–40,000 | 32 | 2.5% |
| 40,000–45,000 | 42 | 3.3% |
| 45,000–50,000 | 37 | 2.9% |
| 50,000–55,000 | 42 | 3.3% |
| 55,000–60,000 | 44 | 3.5% |
| 60,000–65,000 | 53 | 4.2% |
| 65,000–70,000 | 47 | 3.7% |
| 70,000–75,000 | 57 | 4.5% |
| 75,000–80,000 | 46 | 3.7% |
| 80,000–85,000 | 49 | 3.9% |
| 85,000–90,000 | 34 | 2.7% |
| 90,000–95,000 | 33 | 2.6% |
| 95,000–100,000 | 47 | 3.7% |
| 100,000–105,000 | 38 | 3.0% |
| 105,000–110,000 | 28 | 2.2% |
| 110,000–115,000 | 34 | 2.7% |
| 115,000–120,000 | 14 | 1.1% |
| 120,000–125,000 | 30 | 2.4% |
| 125,000–130,000 | 13 | 1.0% |
| 130,000–135,000 | 24 | 1.9% |
| 135,000–140,000 | 17 | 1.4% |
| 140,000–145,000 | 13 | 1.0% |
| 145,000–150,000 | 12 | 1.0% |
| 150,000–155,000 | 19 | 1.5% |
| 155,000–160,000 | 7 | 0.6% |
| 160,000–165,000 | 14 | 1.1% |
| 165,000–170,000 | 4 | 0.3% |
| 170,000–175,000 | 5 | 0.4% |
| 175,000–180,000 | 7 | 0.6% |
| 180,000–185,000 | 11 | 0.9% |
| 185,000–190,000 | 9 | 0.7% |
| 195,000–200,000 | 2 | 0.2% |
| 200,000+ | 27 | 2.1% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 1,784 complaints with NHTSA about the 2001–2006 Hyundai Elantra, and 1,257 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 28,000 and 100,000 miles. The median is 66,026 miles.
The most-reported areas are the airbag system (27.8% of complaints, typically around 50,000 miles), the suspension (14.6% of complaints, typically around 92,000 miles), body structure (6.1% of complaints, typically around 79,000 miles).
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 2001–2006 Hyundai Elantra last?
Half of the failure reports on the 2001–2006 Hyundai Elantra were filed by 66,000 miles and 90% by 140,000 miles — figures drawn from 1,257 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
27 reports (2.1%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Elantra reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 2001–2006 Elantra: the 3-minute check
Generated from 1,257 mileage-tagged complaints, 2 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Check engine management. Crankshaft position sensor and ignition coil failures causing stalling and misfire.
- Check emissions. Premature catalytic converter and oxygen sensor failure driving check-engine complaints.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 28,000 and 100,000 miles, with a median of 66,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the airbag system and the suspension are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The airbag system in particular shows a median failure mileage of 50,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Hyundai Elantra 2001–2006
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Hydraulic brake circuit100 reports21,00010,000–51,000Hydraulic brake circuit: 100 reports, median 21,000 miles, middle half 10,000 to 51,000 miles.
- Airbag system496 reports50,00015,000–92,000Airbag system: 496 reports, median 50,000 miles, middle half 15,000 to 92,000 miles.
- Engine and its cooling system73 reports50,00016,000–73,000Engine and its cooling system: 73 reports, median 50,000 miles, middle half 16,000 to 73,000 miles.
- Electrical system77 reports72,00040,000–113,000Electrical system: 77 reports, median 72,000 miles, middle half 40,000 to 113,000 miles.
- Exterior lighting89 reports75,00050,000–105,000Exterior lighting: 89 reports, median 75,000 miles, middle half 50,000 to 105,000 miles.
- Body structure109 reports79,00057,000–120,000Body structure: 109 reports, median 79,000 miles, middle half 57,000 to 120,000 miles.
- Suspension260 reports92,00067,000–127,000Suspension: 260 reports, median 92,000 miles, middle half 67,000 to 127,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airbag system | 496 | 27.8% | 50,000 | 15,000–92,000 |
| Suspension | 260 | 14.6% | 92,000 | 67,000–127,000 |
| Body structure | 109 | 6.1% | 79,000 | 57,000–120,000 |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 100 | 5.6% | 21,000 | 10,000–51,000 |
| Exterior lighting | 89 | 5.0% | 75,000 | 50,000–105,000 |
| Electrical system | 77 | 4.3% | 72,000 | 40,000–113,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 73 | 4.1% | 50,000 | 16,000–73,000 |
| Steering | 70 | 3.9% | 88,000 | 32,000–125,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 69 | 3.9% | 44,000 | 22,000–72,000 |
| Transmission and driveline | 64 | 3.6% | 48,000 | 26,000–78,000 |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Hyundai Elantra 2001–2006 · 1,257 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 45% of reports below
- 90,000 mi — 68% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 83% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 98%: the remaining 2.1% of reports (27) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
45% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Hydraulic brake circuit — median 21,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Airbag system — middle half 15,000–92,000 mi
- Body structure — middle half 57,000–120,000 mi
- Exterior lighting — middle half 50,000–105,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 40,000–113,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 16,000–73,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Suspension — middle half 67,000–127,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
68% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Hydraulic brake circuit — median 21,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — median 50,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Airbag system — middle half 15,000–92,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 67,000–127,000 mi
- Body structure — middle half 57,000–120,000 mi
- Exterior lighting — middle half 50,000–105,000 mi
- Electrical system — middle half 40,000–113,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
83% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Airbag system — median 50,000 mi
- Body structure — median 79,000 mi
- Hydraulic brake circuit — median 21,000 mi
- Exterior lighting — median 75,000 mi
- Electrical system — median 72,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — median 50,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Suspension — middle half 67,000–127,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 66,026 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The airbag system accounts for 27.8% of complaints (496 reports, 347 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 50,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 15,000 and 92,000 miles.
A single system taking 27.8% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
The suspension accounts for 14.6% of complaints (260 reports, 207 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 92,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 67,000 and 127,000 miles.
Body structure accounts for 6.1% of complaints (109 reports, 72 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 79,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 57,000 and 120,000 miles.
The hydraulic brake circuit accounts for 5.6% of complaints (100 reports, 73 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails early — a median of 21,000 miles, well before the vehicle's overall median. Failures clustered this far below the rest of the car usually point to a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear, because wear does not selectively target one system on low-mileage examples. The middle half of these reports falls between 10,000 and 51,000 miles.
The exterior lighting accounts for 5.0% of complaints (89 reports, 63 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 75,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 50,000 and 105,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 4.3% of complaints (77 reports, 56 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 72,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 40,000 and 113,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2001 model year drew the most — 445 complaints — while 2005 drew the fewest at 180. The median year sits at 259.
The first year of the generation, 2001, sits above the median. That is a common pattern — early production of a redesigned vehicle tends to surface problems that later years do not repeat — and it is worth weighing when choosing between years.
Recalls and what they cover
No recall campaigns covering this generation appear in NHTSA's post-2010 recall file. That is not the same as an absence of problems — recalls address safety defects specifically, and many of the complaints above concern faults that are expensive or annoying without meeting that threshold.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 1,784 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 351 (19.7%)
- Fires
- 26
- Injury reports
- 219
- Fatality reports
- 3
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Engine Management
Crankshaft position sensor and ignition coil failures causing stalling and misfire.
Emissions
Premature catalytic converter and oxygen sensor failure driving check-engine complaints.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 445 | 289 |
| 2002 | 431 | 308 |
| 2003 | 310 | 221 |
| 2004 | 209 | 131 |
| 2005 | 180 | 138 |
| 2006 | 209 | 170 |
What owners reported
At highway speeds approaching 65 MPH, steering wheel begins to shake. I was originally told by the dealership that the tires were out of balance or out of round. Had tires professionally inspected and balanced, and checked various times.... It is not the tires. I have lifetime balancing and alignment so the tires are…
2001 · 10 miles · Steering
ODI id number : 10010329 ODI id number : 10016373 please add me to the list of Hyundai Elantra owners who have severe steering wheel shake at speeds above 60 MPH and Hyundai has no idea how to correct the trouble. This has occurred since the vehicle was new and numerous attempts to fix the trouble have been fruitless.…
2001 · 100 miles · Suspension
the contact owns a 2001 Hyundai Elantra. The contact was unsure of the exact details in regards to the failure but stated that the air bag light illuminated on the instrument panel. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealer on numerous occasions where the vehicle was repaired. The failure continued. The failure…
2001 · 500 miles · Airbag system
the contact owns a 2001 Hyundai Elantra. The front passenger side window air bag was replaced in 2004. The day after the replacement, the air bag light illuminated again. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and they stated that they could not determine the cause of the failure. The contact discovered an air bag…
2001 · 1,000 miles · Airbag system
Built from 1,257 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page