2008 Hyundai Elantra brakes problems

Related recalls

• Recall 20V061000Feb 4, 2020476,111 vehicles
  SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP:CONTROL UNIT/MODULE

  Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain 2007-2010 Elantra and 2009-2011 Elantra Touring vehicles. On February 21, 2020 Hyundai expanded the recall to include 46,425 model year 2007-2008 Entourage and 2007 Santa Fe vehicles. Moisture may enter the Anti-lock Brake (ABS) Module and result in an electrical short.

  Risk: An electrical short within the ABS Module may cause an engine compartment fire, even when the car is turned off, increasing the risk of an injury.

  Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will install a relay in the vehicle's main junction box to prevent the risk of an ABS short-circuit while the car is turned off, free of charge. The recall began April 2, 2020. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-855-371-9460. Hyundai's number for this recall is 188.

What owners say

1. Filed Feb 18, 2026199,950 miCABrakes

   The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that a week after the dealer performed the recall repair under NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V061000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic); the contact was made aware that the brake lights had remained illuminated after the vehicle was parked and turned off. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 199,950.

   NHTSA complaint #11718875 · source
2. Filed Nov 30, 2025NYBrakesElectrical SystemEngine

   The car was being driven nomore than 1hr. It began to smoke under the hood. The ABS EMERGENCY BRAKE LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE Then the EPS lights were on. The vehicle was pulled over and stopped. Fire was then observed falling from under the car. The hood was then popped to see the engine mainly on the driver side was totally catching fire. Then it spread. The engine needle never showed over heated. The car took no more than 6 minutes to catch fire from the time it started…

   NHTSA complaint #11702148 · source
3. Filed Aug 20, 2025FLFireBrakesElectrical SystemOther / Unknown

   The engine bay of my car caught fire due to the abs pump and module not turning off. I bought a part but never opened the box because I received a piece of mail stating the recall of that exact issue that they would replace all parts damaged. Which they didn't just installed their relay After Hyundai recall 188 was completed, my ABS pump failed. I believe it was caused by continuous power being applied post-shutdown — the exact defect the recall was meant to fix. The dealer…

   NHTSA complaint #11681965 · source
4. Filed Jun 3, 2025NYBody & StructureBrakesSuspension

   The entire undercarriage of the vehicle is rusted, allowed for 3 sections is not sufficient as it does not accurately account for the damage. The Fuel Suspension is also affected from the known Corrosion and Rust issue. I have had to make many costly repairs in the last 4 years and I did not know about this issue with the vehicle I have now had for 17years. Had I , I would have done my own repairs to ensure the unit was safe and operational and not only relied on Hyundai's…

   NHTSA complaint #11664566 · source
5. Filed Jun 30, 2024PABrakesSteering

   I want to go start my car just now to go to the store and when I turned it on and started it up the ABS lights emergency brake light and EPS light always lit up on my dashboard so I grabbed the manual to try to figure out what it is seen what each was individual thing standard for so I googled each individual and that's when I realized there's a recall for this from my vehicle for the ABS malfunction

   NHTSA complaint #11597834 · source
6. Filed Oct 5, 2022200,000 miAZBrakes

   The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the ABS system locked up. While in the parking lot, the vehicle was smoking. Additionally, while starting the vehicle, there was an abnormal high pitch winding noise detected. The parking and ABS warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who informed him they were not equipped to service the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or…

   NHTSA complaint #11488066 · source
7. Filed Aug 30, 2022WABrakes

   The contact owned a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V061000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) and requested to be removed from the recall distribution list as she had traded the vehicle seven years ago. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not contacted.

   NHTSA complaint #11482091 · source
8. Filed Jan 4, 2022OHBrakes

   The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 20V061000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, after contacting the dealer on several occasions she was informed that the part to do the recall repair was unavailable. The contact was later informed that the parts were now available, but the service center was too busy to service vehicles for the next several months. The manufacturer was notified of the issue, but no…

   NHTSA complaint #11446202 · source
9. Filed Nov 8, 2021198,000 miNCBrakes

   The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated while driving and at undisclosed speed, the vehicle was jerking and making a loud humming noise coming from the vehicle while depressing on the brake pedal. The contact stated that the ABS failure message was displayed. The contact was able to drive the vehicle to the residence. The contact was concerned about the brakes on the vehicle. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacture was not made aware of…

   NHTSA complaint #11439691 · source
10. Filed Aug 31, 2021157,000 miTNFireTowedBrakes

    The contact's husband owned a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while asleep, she heard a loud, popping sound emit from outside. The contact looked out the window and saw flames emitting from her husband's vehicle. The authorities were called to the scene and the fire was extinguished. A fire report was filed and no injuries from the fire were reported. Another vehicle and a tree sustained damage as a result of the fire. The vehicle was towed from the scene to an…

    NHTSA complaint #11431257 · source
11. Filed Nov 12, 2020FLBrakes

    A el vehiculo se le encendio la luz del abs, el vehiculo estaba detenido y posteriormente comenzo a salir gran cantidad de humo por debajo del mismo, logre desconectar la bateria, llame al mecanico y cuando reviso determino que era el sistema de abs que estaba daado.

    NHTSA complaint #11374380 · source
12. Filed Sep 29, 2020175,000 miORFireBrakesEngineFuel, Hybrid & EV Propulsion

    The car went up in flames while parked in our driveway. It had not been driven for at least 4 hours. It could have caught our house on fire if not for the quick response by the fire department.

    NHTSA complaint #11361727 · source

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology