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Air bagsPart report

2009 Hyundai Elantra Air bags Problems

Complaints
42about this part
Share
17%of 254 total for the year
Median mileage
82,500miles
Trend
StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.

NHTSA recorded 42 complaints about the air bags of the 2009 Hyundai Elantra, 17% of the 254 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 82,500 miles. 13 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers. 1 recall campaign on record is filed under a similar system.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“Takata recall about 2 months ago or 3 months ago my air bag light came on when I started the car and never went off the passenger air bag light that says off gos out when someone sit in the passenger seat but the light on the dash stays on I replaced the battery a month later because someone said to try that it did not work I looked up recalls and you do have them for 2009 elantras only for certain manufacturers months I belive my vehicle was affected too”

NHTSA complaint #11222819, filed 2019-06, 123,000 miles

“I hit a deer on highway 890 in rotterdam ny, spun out of control and hit the guardrail, car had damage all around, the most damage was in the front resulting in a totaled vehicle, my whole front end is gone, and no airbags deployed, we were traveling doing about 60 miles per hour”

NHTSA complaint #10820497, filed 2016-01, 113,000 miles

“Back in 2011, our 2009 Hyundai Elantra airbag light would stay on intermittently when the passenger seat was slid back. The light would go off when the seat was slid forward. Hyundai issued a recall in 2011 adding a cover to a sensor that seemed to fix the issue. Now, july 2015 and the airbag warning light is on and stays on. It started again when I: entered the vehicle, started it up, the airbag light went off. …”

NHTSA complaint #10733056, filed 2015-07, 53,500 miles

“I was in a front end collision on 7/30/10. The car of the driver who hit me had her airbags deploy, while mine did not. The impact to my car was severe enough that the radiator support had to be replaced along with the bumper headlight and hood. I was going 20 - 25 MPH and the other diver was doing approximately the same speed.”

NHTSA complaint #10353243, filed 2010-09, 39,000 miles

“In january 2017 I was involved in a accident. I hit another car in the rear at 65 MPH. The air bag failed to deploy I have been trying to get information from hyundia for over two years and they will not give any information they finally looked at my vehicle and said that the air bag failed to deploy because it was not designed to deploy in that type of accident .I assume there is a manufacture design problem. I was traveling on the freeway and a young girl crossed four lanes of traffic right in front of me and I hit her dielectric in the rear at 65 MPH. …”

NHTSA complaint #11155603, filed 2018-12, 46,000 miles

Related recalls

Related service bulletins

Air bags: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
2025314%
202412%
202366%
202244%
202122%
202052%
201921%
2018124%
2017324%
2016269%
2015239%
2014328%
201316813%
201212419%
20117718%
20104612%
20094217%
20083812%
20074617%
20065636%
20057152%
200411463%
20034821%
20027020%
200111837%
20003920%
19992016%
1998713%
19972118%
19961414%
19953531%
19943141%

Other parts of the 2009 Hyundai Elantra

Steering
133 complaints
Brakes
27 complaints
Electrical system
24 complaints
Vehicle speed control
18 complaints
Engine
13 complaints
Other or unknown
11 complaints
Body and structure
11 complaints
Electronic stability control
10 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
8 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
5 complaints
Equipment
3 complaints
Exterior lighting
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2009 Hyundai Elantra

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Nov 1, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology