Feds probe Hyundai Elantra over stalling problem

WASHINGTON The government is investigating 2007-2008 model year Hyundai Elantra compact cars after receiving reports of engine stalling because of problems with the vehicle's fuel pump module.

[Susan]

My husband bought a 2008 hyuandi elantra and it has 200 miles on it and it sputtered and stalled and died on a busy one lane street. Had to get it towed to the authorizated hyuandi shop and they informed my husband that it is the fuel pump and it would take a few days for the pump to come in. My huaband is now nervous to drive the car thinking he is going to get into an accident. this is a very dangerous thing. Hyuandi should recall "ALL" the 2008 Elantras

[Alan]

My 2008 Elantra SE has had two "episodes" of stalling. The first (at 1100 mi) on July 14 occurred on the freeway and began as a slight hesitation that got progressively worse such that we took the next exit and limped home on back roads. The check engine light came on and the car stalled twice before we finally made it home. The next day I was able to drive it to the dealer about 5 miles away.

Their diagnosis was a bad oxygen sensor which they didn't have in stock. They said it would be ok to drive the car until the new sensor arrived. It ran fine and 3 days later I took it in to have the sensor replaced. They ran diagnostics again and said the sensor was ok and needn't be replaced. They said maybe it was bad gas or vapor lock and sent me on my way.

The car ran fine until this afternoon when it began hesitating (1436 mi) on the freeway and once again I took the first exit and limped home, unable to exceed 25 mph, bucking all the way. My wife followed me to the dealer but we never made it as the Elantra shut down completely in rush hour traffic and I had to get out and push into a nearby parking lot. I called HRA and had the car trucked to the dealer, only about 4 blocks away. It was interesting to note the expressions of the show room customers and salesman as the almost new elantra arrived and was dumped in the parking lot.

I don't know if it is a bad fuel pump or something else. All I know for sure is that I have an unreliable car that my wife refuses to ride in. I really like the car when it is running well, but until a definitive diagnosis and repair is done I can't trust this car beyond short grocery runs.

[Susan]

Alan wrote:

My 2008 Elantra SE has had two "episodes" of stalling. The first (at 1100 mi) on July 14 occurred on the freeway and began as a slight hesitation that got progressively worse such that we took the next exit and limped home on back roads. The check engine light came on and the car stalled twice before we finally made it home. The next day I was able to drive it to the dealer about 5 miles away.
Their diagnosis was a bad oxygen sensor which they didn't have in stock. They said it would be ok to drive the car until the new sensor arrived. It ran fine and 3 days later I took it in to have the sensor replaced. They ran diagnostics again and said the sensor was ok and needn't be replaced. They said maybe it was bad gas or vapor lock and sent me on my way.
The car ran fine until this afternoon when it began hesitating (1436 mi) on the freeway and once again I took the first exit and limped home, unable to exceed 25 mph, bucking all the way. My wife followed me to the dealer but we never made it as the Elantra shut down completely in rush hour traffic and I had to get out and push into a nearby parking lot. I called HRA and had the car trucked to the dealer, only about 4 blocks away. It was interesting to note the expressions of the show room customers and salesman as the almost new elantra arrived and was dumped in the parking lot.
I don't know if it is a bad fuel pump or something else. All I know for sure is that I have an unreliable car that my wife refuses to ride in. I really like the car when it is running well, but until a definitive diagnosis and repair is done I can't trust this car beyond short grocery runs.

It is probably the fuel pump. It happend to my husband and we almost got into an accident. They replaced the fuel pump and now my husband is afraid to drive the car. Check out the following web site:
http://www.aboutautomobile.com/complaint/2008...

[Sarah]

I own a 2007 Elantra and it is currently in the shop at the dealership for the second time in 6 months for the same issue...the car acts like it is out of gas and wont start. Last time they replaced the fuel pump, and today when I went in they told me that they had replaced some of the bad fuel pumps with bad fuel pumps and I guess I got the luck of the draw....Woo Hoo Lucky me

[Susan]

I don't understand why there isn't a recall. We almost got into an accident. This is a dangerous situtation when on a highway going 55 mph and the car stalls, somebody is going to get killed. Now when my husband is driving his car he has one eye on the road and one eye on the dash board to see if the check engine light comes on. He's not happy, he doesn't want his new 2008 elantra anymore.

[hwe]

I would suspect a gas quality problem folks.
I have an 08 Elantra (automatic)with 7500 miles and not a lick of trouble. Just completed a 2k mile trip with no problems.
My 06 had a stick which I put 25k on without any problems.
Happy motoring folks.

[Rose]

I have an 07 Elantra SE with 24,400 miles and recently stalled when i was on a busy rode. Now the check light engine is on, so i am going to have them check it out as i know that it comes with a 100,000 miles warranty. This really freaks me out as i am a college student and bought this car thinking it would be very reliable. I am now scared hearing all other reviews about the same problem. I hope you guys are doing ok with your hyundai's.

[Linda]

We bought a 2008 Elantra in June 2008 for daughter. She was going 60 MPH on highway and car veered to right toward guardrail. She tried to correct and said there was NO steering and NO brakes. She hit guardrail going 60 and front of car is not there - it is under guardrail in pieces. Care also spun around and hit the back. Key won't come out now, door won't open and car must be moved by forklift. I don't want to just get body fixed and put her back in it - Can you find out what happened here? it is at body shop waiting for Adjuster now.This is traumatic for us all.
Linda

[Harold]

Santa Fe Brakes- or lack of them. My 06 SFe
(21000mi) has had brake issues from 3000mi. Rotors need turning, Pedal goes to floor, master cylinder for that one we were told, then Pedal back to floor again, some hydraulic pump now... This car will be gone soon, anyone else out there with these problems??

[Erik]

We bought a used elantra 2007 with 64000Km on it. 1 month after buying the car, the check engin light came on for no reason while dirving at slow speeds in traffic. It went away by itself after 3 minutes. Adn now, 2 months later (3 weeks ago).. The car completely stalled on a 1 lane bridge in traffic. And it refused to start. We tried over and over and nothing. Finally 5 minutes passed before the car decided to restart.
Now my girl friend is scared of driving it.. I brought it to Hyundai. They looked at it and said there's nothing wrong.(no error code from the machine they plugged on the motor). I searched the net and found all these other people having the same problem. So I called corporate Hyundai and they said there is no recall.
I finally sent Transport Canada a message asking that a recall be made.
2 year old car stalling. ridiculous.

[Rosie in Austin]

Erik wrote:

We bought a used elantra 2007 with 64000Km on it. 1 month after buying the car, the check engin light came on for no reason while dirving at slow speeds in traffic. It went away by itself after 3 minutes. Adn now, 2 months later (3 weeks ago).. The car completely stalled on a 1 lane bridge in traffic. And it refused to start. We tried over and over and nothing. Finally 5 minutes passed before the car decided to restart.
Now my girl friend is scared of driving it.. I brought it to Hyundai. They looked at it and said there's nothing wrong.(no error code from the machine they plugged on the motor). I searched the net and found all these other people having the same problem. So I called corporate Hyundai and they said there is no recall.
I finally sent Transport Canada a message asking that a recall be made.
2 year old car stalling. ridiculous.

My 2006 Hyundai Tucson died on me last week while I was driving. Thankfully I was in a parking lot. It turned back on after several tries and didn't stop again until today. The engine sounding like it was revving. The rps shot up to about 4 then it shot forward while I had the brakes on. When a nice gentleman tried to help me, I hit his car which was behind me because my brakes did not work at all. I bought my car when it was one year old. used. I don't even think I have a warranty because it was used when I bought it. The miles are 66,000 so if anyone knows the answer to this please let me know. I'm thinking it is some kind of fuel pump. I read on another blogsite that it could be some type of air intake clamps. Has anyone else heard this?

[M in TX]

I have a 2007 Hyundai Accent (manual transmission) with approx. 9000 miles on it. Today I had the scare of a lifetime. I was on the road going about 40mph when I suddenly felt as if someone had pulled on the emergency brake then I heard a loud pop. I gently pressed the brakes but by this time my car had turned sideways but continued skidding forward. I was on the oncoming lane and was fortunate enough that no car was in sight. The car finally came to stop and I managed to maneuver it to the curb. It felt very "choppy" but it never died until I shut off the motor. As I got out of the vehicle, I noticed oil steam coming from the cracks in the hood. I had HRA tow it to the service center and I am awaiting their conclusion of what may have happened. I realize this is a forum for Elantra models but when researching what happened to me today, some of the comments I have read on here may be related to my situation.

[kristy s]

I have the same issue bu mine is not newer then all of yours mine is a2000 hyundai elantra gls 4 door wagon. I had problems with it shifting and the air bag light would come on with out a reason also i noticed it would not ecelerate or shift after 300 rmps it would hesitate to shift and it would revive and pulse when it was in gear to drive. Also my check engine light was on so i took it to get it checked out and get a oil fluid chang and the person told me that the dianostics said oec sensor code error1012e that came up as the sensor for the electrical system.

Now recently the car shut off for no reason it shut off on a busy lane hig way i had to coast it into a business parking lot almost got hit by cars doing it the car had gave me prblems since i hadit and i purchesed it in 2007 the car was sitting on the lot for a hile aparently . the car is 10 years old from the date that it was new i was told when i got it the car was 7 years old.

the car seemed to have issues and i was not sure and we bought it anyways and not i do not know what is wrong with it i changed the spark plugs and the filters in the car and it shut off on me on a busy lane highway had me terrified to use this car.

if it was not the check engine light came on it was the air bag. and i would like to know why would the car shut off for no reason while still in drive?

[Shelley]

I purchased a 2005 Hyundai Tucson and only drove it about a week and it started stalling while I was driving 40, 50, 60 plus miles per hour. It would literally stall with no warning, on the interstate with people almost running into the back of me. Since it is an automatic, I would have to put it back into park and re-start the engine. When the car died, it had no steering and no power. It would just come to a dead complete stand still where ever it died. It was extremely dangerous. I took it to the dealer 3 times and they would never fix it until I threatened the general manager. I have never felt so unsafe and scared driving a car and knew it was only a matter of time before some one was hurt or killed. It was only after I made threats that they told me they had to call Hyundai and get permission to change a part. I still do not even know what part they changed as they have told me different stories each time I ask. It has not been stalling after the third "fix" but now the transmission is very hard to shift and they don't want to do anything about that. Hyundai is a bunch of liars. They tell you there is a 10 year warranty but they will never fix a problem. I will NEVER buy another Hyundai and tell everyone I know NOT to buy one. It's a scam and the entire warranty is just to get you to buy one of their vehicles as they won't even give you a loaner and keep your car for over a week. Buyers Beware and stay FAR AWAY from Hyundai.

[Tiffany]

I just recently started having the same stalling issue with my 2005 Hyundai Tucson. We had it towed to a mechanic and after having it for 2 days he wondered why we brought it in. Last night it stalled as we were turning a corner, losing power steering and everything. Thankfully the driver behind us was paying attention and was able to swerve.
We plan on reporting the issue to Hyundai and taking it to a dealer this week. This is a very serious and potentially hazardous problem that should be resolved immediately.

[Julie]

The engine on my 2008 Elantra stalled twice while I was driving. Once a few months ago, and once a few days ago. The first time, I was braked hard, then was making a sharp turn when the engine shut off suddenly. Luckily, there were no cars around me. The second time, I was going slowly and the engine shut off. Just like the first time, the lights were on, but the engine was off. The brakes didn't work, and I was headed into some shrubs, so I used the emergency brake to slow me down.

On both occasions, the dealer said that since they couldn't replicate the problem, and since there was no indication on the engine codes, they couldn't do anything to fix the problem.

THIS IS POTENTIALLY VERY DANGEROUS!!!

[Julie]

I just noticed something on my previous post. I'm in the USA, not Canada. I bought my car in Florida.

[Sasha]

Tiffany wrote:

I just recently started having the same stalling issue with my 2005 Hyundai Tucson. We had it towed to a mechanic and after having it for 2 days he wondered why we brought it in. Last night it stalled as we were turning a corner, losing power steering and everything. Thankfully the driver behind us was paying attention and was able to swerve.
We plan on reporting the issue to Hyundai and taking it to a dealer this week. This is a very serious and potentially hazardous problem that should be resolved immediately.

I had this problem with my 04 Elantra I dont remember the mileage when it happened. I had to have it towed to the dealership and it took them a few days to find the problem but it ended up being a bad coil. Im now at 120,000 and Im having the stalling problem luckily it has only happened when approaching a stop Ill be having the fuel pump replaced tomorrow and really hope it solves the problem. I have really enjoyed my Hyundai and love the fact its paid for :)

[Julie]

Tiffany wrote:

I just recently started having the same stalling issue with my 2005 Hyundai Tucson. We had it towed to a mechanic and after having it for 2 days he wondered why we brought it in. Last night it stalled as we were turning a corner, losing power steering and everything. Thankfully the driver behind us was paying attention and was able to swerve.
We plan on reporting the issue to Hyundai and taking it to a dealer this week. This is a very serious and potentially hazardous problem that should be resolved immediately.

Any updates?

[Joe]

I am having problems with my 2006 Elentra. If I don't take it out almost everyday when it rains, it stalls out. Went to two different dealers and got the same we can't replicate it, there is no problem speech. Mine is still under warranty and I am going to trade it in. I am sick of this crap.