2006 Hyundai Elantra: problems, recalls and reliability
1 recall and 155 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is air bags (31% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Jul 2009
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 155 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Jul 2021
“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.”Owner report · Structure · Apr 2021
“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.”Owner report · Electrical System · Feb 2020
Show 7 more owner reports
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Oct 2019
“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.”Owner report · Exterior Lighting · Jul 2019
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Mar 2019
“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.”Owner report · Service Brakes · Dec 2018
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Oct 2018
“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.”Owner report · Air Bags · Sep 2018
“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.”Owner report · Seats · Jun 2018
When filing, owners marked a crash in 28 of these complaints and injuries in 23 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 1 campaign
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 3,011 MODEL YEAR 2005-2007 ELANTRA, TUCSON, SONATA, AZERA AND ACCENT VEHICLES. A MALFUNCTIONING STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO FAIL TO ILLUMINATE WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED OR MAY CAUSE THE BRAKE LIGHTS TO REMAIN ILLUMINATED WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS RELEASED. A DEFECTIVE STOP LAMP SWITCH MAY ALSO AFFECT THE OPERATION OF THE BRAKE-TRANSMISSION SHIFT INTERLOCK FEATURE SO THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO BE SHIFT OUT OF THE "PARK" POSITION. IT MAY ALSO CAUSE THE ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL (ESC) MALFUNCTION LIGHT TO ILLUMINATE, AND IT MAY NOT DEACTIVATE THE CRUISE CONTROL WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE STOP LAMP SWITCH FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL BEGAN ON SEPTEMBER 2, 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT HYUNDAI OF PUERTO RICO CUSTOMER SERVICE AT 1-787-999-4310.
How other years compare
Check your exact Elantra by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2006 Hyundai Elantra reliable?
NHTSA has 155 owner complaints and 1 recall campaign on record for the 2006 Hyundai Elantra. The most complained-about area is air bags (31% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2006 Hyundai Elantra problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 68,000 miles or less.
Does the 2006 Hyundai Elantra have open recalls?
1 recall campaign has been issued, the latest concerning exterior lighting. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.