2008 Hyundai Entourage Problems

What owners report

Owners of the 2008 Entourage most often describe problems with the power sliding doors, which can fail to latch, stick shut, or open on their own, and with front lower control arms that rust through and break, sometimes at highway speed. ABS module and brake concerns, hood latch failures, and assorted electrical faults also appear across the sample, with reports spread from very low mileage up past 150,000 miles.

1. 1
   Body and structure

   Power sliding doors open, stick, or won't latch

   • 25 complaints (34%)
   • median 52,500 mi at 5.8 yrs old (20 state mileage)
   • 1 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • filed 2009–2020

   Owners describe the power rear sliding doors opening by themselves while driving, failing to open from the inside or the remote button, closing partway and popping back open, or refusing to latch fully. Several report repeated dealer visits, motor or latch replacements, and the same behavior returning afterward; some say the dealer could not reproduce the problem or that the doors were not repaired at all. A few mention the door-ajar chime and warning light coming on intermittently at speed. Reported from a few thousand miles up to about 190,000 miles, with many complaints filed in the first 60,000 miles.

   3 related service bulletins

   What to check: Cycle both sliding doors several times from the inside handle, the B-pillar switch, the overhead console, and the key fob, then try to rock each door by hand with it closed to see whether it latches firmly. Ask whether the latches or the power door control module have ever been replaced.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “This the 2rd time my. Rear sliding door flew open while on highway with my grandkids in the car .majority of the times the rear sliding doors will not open the buttons do not remotely open the sliding doors and the sliding doors get stuck .its really dangerous because if my grandkids are back there a danger breaks out they are most likely not to survive .”

   NHTSA complaint #11340540, filed 2020-07, 193,560 miles

   “I was driving at 45 MPH and suddenly we heard the noise stating that passenger door is opened. We stopped our car on the side as kids were sitting in the back. Opened the doors and closed again. This happened few time since then. There is definitely some problem with the parts.”

   NHTSA complaint #10576598, filed 2014-04, 51,000 miles
2. 2
   Engine

   Engine stumble, warning lights, and loss of power

   • 33 complaints (45%)
   • median 68,000 mi at 6.5 yrs old (31 state mileage)
   • 2 mention a crash, fire or injury
   • owner-quoted repair $989 (median of 6 quotes)
   • filed 2009–2021

   Owners describe the check engine and ESC lights coming on together with a sudden loss of power or a near-stall, sometimes requiring a restart after waiting. Some report surging or racing idle and throttle response that hangs, while others describe cam phaser and timing chain replacement or a valve cover gasket leak found during diagnosis. Dealers are said to have attributed some episodes to a loose fuel cap. Reported from about 25,000 up to 120,000 miles, with several complaints between 70,000 and 100,000 miles.

   Recall 13V1130001 related service bulletin

   What to check: Ask for service records on cam phaser, timing chain, and wiring harness work, and during a test drive watch for hesitation, a hanging idle, or warning lights that come on together.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “When I stepped on the gas from a stop at a red light the engine started racing and the throttle stuck.the engine wouldn't stop racing so I had to turn the key off to get it to stop. Pretty scary. A secondary issue is that the rear passenger seat will not flip up. It's locked in place.”

   NHTSA complaint #11310993, filed 2020-02, 114,000 miles

   “The dealer says this happens when the gas cap is not on properly closed. The check engine light comes on and the ESC light comes on. This causes the car to lose power and almost stall. The only way to get the engine running right again is to turn it off and restart after about 30 seconds. This first happened to me on the bqe in brooklyn. This was in 2011 3 months after I purchased the car used from the Hyundai dealer second hand. Last week it happened 3 times. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10622476, filed 2014-08, 32,200 miles
3. 3
   Brakes

   ABS module moisture and brake/ESC warnings

   Mentioned in 9 of 60 sampled complaints

   Owners describe the ABS, ESC, and brake warning lights coming on together, sometimes with a soft or low brake pedal, and in a few cases smoke or a burning smell traced to the ABS module area. Several complaints involve recall 20V061000 failing to be completed because parts were unavailable or the wrong parts were supplied, and one owner reports a module that melted its casing. Reported from about 35,000 miles to 160,000 miles, with no clear seasonal pattern in the sample.

   Recall 20V0610002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Check whether recall 20V061000 was actually completed, not just scheduled, and watch for a brake pedal that sinks toward the floor or warning lights that stay lit after startup.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “While driving on interstate 40 in memphis, tn, approximately 2:30 pm on march 07, 2014, the ESC indicator light became illuminated on the dash-board. My attempts to extinguish the illuminated ESC light numerous times failed to reset or extinguished the ESC light. Upon arriving home about 3:30 pm, I parked my 2008 Hyundai Entourage, turned-off the engine and restarted the engine. The illuminated indicator ESC light did not inappropriately illuminate. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10568849, filed 2014-03, 74,442 miles

   “I was taking my family for shopping, and after my kids (5 kids) were seated in the car and making sure the seat belts was worn. I walked to the driver door to start the car and drive to the destination; a thick white smoke was coming out of underneath the engine hood even though the car's engine was still off! I was shocked and didn't know what to do first! Should I safe my family and help the kids to run out of the car or check the cause of the fire! …”

   NHTSA complaint #11394368, filed 2021-02, 99,000 miles
4. 4
   Suspension

   Front lower control arm rust and breakage

   • 9 complaints (12%)
   • median 118,418 mi at 10.9 yrs old (6 state mileage, few)
   • filed 2014–2023

   Complaints describe the front lower control arms corroding and then fracturing, in some cases producing a loud bang and loss of steering control or a wheel sitting out of position. Owners report clunking or squealing noises beforehand, and several say a mechanic found the arms rusted through during unrelated tire or brake work. Some owners outside the states named in a corrosion-related recall say they were told their vehicle was not covered, and others report protective coating applied under that recall did not stop the rust. Mostly reported between roughly 70,000 and 230,000 miles, often on vehicles driven in states with road salt.

   Recall 13V5560002 related service bulletins

   What to check: Have a mechanic inspect the front lower control arms for rust and flaking, especially on a vehicle from a salt-belt state, and ask whether campaign 13V556000 was ever performed on this vehicle.

   2 excerpts from owner complaints in NHTSA records

   “Backing out of my driveway and my van started making a loud thumping noise. I was not able to go forward or in reverse. Looked underneath and found the driver's side lower control arm corroded and disintegrated, and the axel had come out of the transmission. There was a recall in 2014 for corrosion but all they did was spray something on that was supposed to protetct it. It did not work. If I had been anywhere other than my driveway it could have been an extremely bad situation as I lost control of my steering. …”

   NHTSA complaint #11270025, filed 2019-10, 139,000 miles

   “This complaint is in regards to the NHTSA campaign number 13v556000-component suspension and/or front lower control arm corrosion. My vehicle was purchased march 2008 and is registered in virginia (not included in the recall), however 90% of the miles on this vehicle are from traveling in west virginia (which is included in the recall). I called the Hyundai customer service line to ask if my van was included in the recall. They told me it is not included in the recall. They would not tell me why it was not included. …”

   NHTSA complaint #10630501, filed 2014-09, 95,229 miles

Buying note. These are older vans, so condition matters more than the badge: get the sliding doors, hood latch, and front control arms checked before purchase, and confirm that recalls 16V843000, 13V556000, and 20V061000 were actually completed. Records showing ABS module, door latch, and timing component work would be a plus.

Summary written with AI from a sample of 60 NHTSA complaints for this model year (picked at random, with complaints that state a mileage and recent ones taken first), then checked automatically against the source records. Where a problem shows a complaint count, every complaint for this model year was matched with fixed keyword rules (written with AI and tested against the sample), and the mileage, age and repair figures are calculated from those complaints; owners' figures are as stated, not verified. Other counts refer to the sample. The excerpts come from NHTSA's public complaint records and are unverified; capitalisation is normalised, NHTSA staff notes are removed, and shortened text ends with “…”. Something wrong? Request a correction.