Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (power steering, steering column, rack and pinion).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2008 Hyundai Elantra owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. The contact stated that while driving approximately 40 MPH, the steering wheel was making an abnormal clicking noise. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the power steering coupling needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle was no longer covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.
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
The EPS sensor trips when making a turn rendering the vehicle completely inoperable. I have to put the vehicle in park, shut it off, then turn it back on to continue moving. This is highly dangerous if it were to happen on the highway.
Tl* the contact owned a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. While driving approximately 15 MPH going around a bend, the steering ability seized. The contact crashed into a parked vehicle, rolled back, and struck another parked vehicle. The air bags did not deploy and the contact's head struck the windshield. The brakes also failed to respond. A police report was filed. The following day, the contact went to the hospital due to a severe headache and fever. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot by the police, towed to an independent mechanic, and then towed to the contact's residence. After the manufacturer was notified, the vehicle was towed by a third party investigator to their facilities. The vehicle was destroyed. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000. Updated 05/31/16
Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Hyundai Elantra. While driving at 45 MPH, the vehicle lost all steering capabilities. The contact crashed the vehicle into a tree. The air bags failed to deploy. A police report was not filed. The contact was injured, but did not require medical attention. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the power steering column needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the remedy failed to correct the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 86,000.
My daughter was driving on a highway (55 MPH limit) and slowed down to approx. 10 MPH due to a traffic jam when all of a sudden the EPS light came on and she lost her steering. At that speed, it was almost impossible for her to steer. She managed to pull the car over to the shoulder and called me for help. I researched her situation and learned that there is a recall for all 2008 elantras and later to fix the EPS. The date of manufacture had to be after 1 June 2008. Unfortunately, her car was built in aug 2007. That being said, perhaps the current EPS recall should be expanded to include 2008 models manufactured before June 2008? I called for a tow truck as it would be extremely dangerous (and pretty much impossible) for her to drive any further. …
I was making a right turn onto the street I live on, thankfully I was going pretty slow, as I was turning when all of a sudden my steering wheel locked up and I was unable to steer my vehicle. Thankfully I was the only one on the road otherwise id have hit an oncoming car as I wasn't able to maneuver my car, regardless of how hard I tried to turn the steering wheel. The EPS was lite up on my dashboard when I was able to stop and look at the dashboard. I had the car towed to the dealer, who told me my car was manufactured one month earlier than the current recall #127 and I would be responsible for the repair and tow. …
I bought my car new in 2008 -- single owner all this time. Was driving the car about 30mph in residential area when all of sudden the EPS light came on and power steering completely failed. Manually steered the car to nearby garage, where they found an error code in the electronic power steering module. Google search showed Hyundai had a recall for this, and this recall was performed on my car back in May. Started car back up, problem was gone, so brought car to Hyundai dealer, and they will run diagnostics and contact Hyundai for next steps. I called Hyundai myself and was given a complaint number: 8206849. Apparently what they did on my recall visit in May 2015 did not prevent this problem from happening. It was scary and dangerous to have happen -- this is absolutely a safety issue.
No damage, but I need to report the Hyundai practice. While I was on a highway, EPS lamp came on and steering became really tough. Once I pulled over and re-started the car, the lamp went off and I could steer without any problems. I found out that my car was actually recalled for the EPS system, so brought my car to a dealer. The dealer told me that the campaign is 'closed', they need to charge me to diagnose the problem..... 'wait, I just need to get whatever you fixed for the recall notice?' no, the campaign is closed so we need to diagnose the system, and if nothing is wrong, we cannot do anything. Is this practice correct? They said they found additional issues with the steering sensors but it's included in the diagnostics package....
I was driving on a freeway when my EPS light came on and when I began to exit my car did not want to steer. I took my foot off the gas and strongly steered right. At the stop sign I took both hands on the steering wheel and made a left turn. Every turn home was difficult. They power steering was not working.it was almost impossible to steer the car. I called the dealership and I started the car and it steered fine. I went to the dealer and they put it on the diag. Checck and they say it is c1290 steering torque sensor. At 74,000 miles you cant steer your car? You gotta be kidding me. They say it is not warranted but $2310.00 please will repair the problem. Its not a recall item like campaign 127 because its a different part. ?????
Related recalls
Steering › Electric power assist system
Hyundai Motor America (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2008-2010 Elantra vehicles manufactured June 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010, and 2009-2010 Elantra Touring vehicles manufactured November 1, 2008, to April 30, 2010.
Remedy: Hyundai will verify the proper operation of the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) and update the EPS control unit, free of charge. The recall began April 14, 2015.
Steering complaints in other Elantra years
Frequently asked questions
How common are steering problems on the 2008 Hyundai Elantra?
NHTSA has 55 complaints about the steering of the 2008 Hyundai Elantra, 18% of the model year's 314 complaints. The component named most often is linkages (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2008 Hyundai Elantra steering problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 15V-100 (electric power assist system, Feb 23, 2015). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2008 Hyundai Elantra steering problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 17% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 4 crashes, 0 fires and 5 injuries to steering problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.