15 complaints reported

2002 Hyundai Elantra Exterior Lighting

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
15
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Mar 2010

SHORT HEADLIGHT BULB LIFE (LESS THAN 12 MONTHS). *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Mar 2010
Jul 2009

THE INSIDE OF THE HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY HAS FOGGED UP CAUSING THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE LAMP TO DIMINISH TO THE POINT WHERE I FEEL IT IS DANGEROUS AND I NEED TO REPLACE THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH HYUNDAI AT THE CORPORATE LEVEL AND THEY BASICALLY SAID THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO CLEAN THE INSIDE OF THE ASSEMBLY AND I WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THEM AT MY EXPENSE. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. AS WITH OTHER ELANTRA OWNERS I HAVE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE HEADLIGHTS CONSTANTLY NEEDING REPLACEMENT. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jul 2009
Jul 2009

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS 4 TIMES IN THE PAST 3 YEARS. *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: May 2009
Nov 2008

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. BOTH OF THE HEADLIGHTS CONTINUE TO BURN OUT AND HAVE BEEN REPLACED FIVE TIMES. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY AND IS THE CONTACTS RESPONSIBILITY. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 53,247 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 12,000. UPDATED 3/25/08 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED REPLACED 5 TIMES FOR EACH HEADLIGHT FOR A TOTAL OF 10 HEADLIGHTS. UPDATED 03/25/08 *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jul 2008
Apr 2008

HEADLIGHTS BURN OUT EXCESSIVELY. EVERY 1-2 MONTHS, ONE BURNS OUT AND ALTERNATES BETWEEN LEFT AND RIGHT SIDE. *CN

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Mar 2008
Jan 2007

HEADLIGHT BULBS ON MY 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA BURN OUT EVERY FEW MONTHS. MOST RECENTLY HAD TO BE REPLACED IN SEPTEMBER 2006 AND AGAIN IN DECEMBER 2006. WHEN I CONTACTED THE DEALER, GARY ROME HYUNDAI, HOLYOKE, MA, (413) 536-4328, I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD CHARGE $90/HOUR TO LOOK AT THE PROBLEM AND COULD NOT GUARANTEE THAT THEY WOULD FIND IT. THEY SUGGESTED THAT THE BULBS WERE BEING INSTALLED IMPROPERLY, AND ALSO OFFERED TO LIMIT WORK TO 1/2 HOUR. *NM

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Dec 2006
Dec 2006

MY HEADLIGHTS KEEP BURNING OUT. THE DRIVER'S SIDE BULB IS VERY DIFFICULT TO CHANGE - NOT ROOM FOR FINGERS TO ROTATE BULB IN AND OUT. REPLACEMENT LIGHTS ARE EXPENSIVE. HAD NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH ANY OTHER CAR. *NM

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Aug 2006
Aug 2006

I HAVE TO CONTINUALLY REPLACE MY HEADLIGHTS. SINCE PURCHASING THE CAR IN 2002 I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BULBS AT LEAST 3 TIMES A PIECE. DEALER TOLD ME IT WAS THE BULBS I WAS BUYING BUT I AM BUYING HYUNDAI BULBS. THIS PROBLEM IS VERY ANNOYING. IT IS HARD TO REPLACE DRIVER SIDE BY MYSELF. VERY EXPENSIVE TO TAKE TO DEALERSHIP TO BE CHANGED. ALSO THERE IS NO WAY OF KNOWING WHEN THE BULB BURNS OUT, HAD TO WAIT FOR COPS TO PULL ME OVER TO FIND OUT. *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jun 2006
Jul 2006

2002 ELANTRA HEADLIGHT BULBS BURN OUT EVERY TWO MONTHS. FIRST ONE THEN TWO WEEKS LATER THE OTHER, JUST LIKE CLOCKWORK. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS, AUTO HEADLAMPS GENERALLY LAST FOR YEARS! VERY EXPENSIVE AND ANNOYING PROBLEM. *NM

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jul 2006
May 2006

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED UPON INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE IT WAS NOTICED THE HEADLIGHTS WERE CLOUDY. THE DEALERSHIP DETERMINED THIS WAS NOT A MANUFACTURER DEFECT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALERTED.

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: May 2006
May 2006

HEADLIGHTS ON MY VEHICLE KEEP BURNING OUT TO RAPIDLY. THIS WILL BE THE 4TH TIME I HAVE REPLACED THEM SO FAR. I HAVE USED HYUNDAI BULBS TO VERY EXPENSIVE BULBS AND THE RESULT IS THE SAME AND THE DRIVER SIDE BULB IS VERY DIFFICULT TO CHANGE. *NM

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Aug 2006
Mar 2006

I'VE HAD TO REPLACE BOTH HEADLIGHTS TWICE SINCE I BOUGHT THE CAR IN 2002. *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: May 2006
Apr 2004

THE HEADLIGHTS ON THE CAR KEEP FAILING WHICH PREVENTS ME FROM DRIVING SAFELY OR DRIVING AT ALL. AS OF THIS DATE THE HEADLIGHTS HAVE FAILED 4 TIMES NOW; TWICE ON EACH SIDE WITH THE LATEST OCCURRING THIS PAST WEEK. I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP (ROWE, 207-854-2555) THAT HAS BEEN REPLACING THE LAMPS AND ASKED FOR AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHY THE HEADLIGHTS KEEP FAILING. THEY SAID THEY DIDNT KNOW BUT INSINUATED THE LAMPS WERE CHEAP. HE THEN STATED THE DEALERSHIP WOULD CONTINUE TO REPLACE THE BULBS AT NO COST UNTIL THE WARRANTY EXPIRES. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY NOT AN ACCEPTABLE SITUATION. IF THE REAL PROBLEM IS AS SIMPLE AS THE LAMPS BEING DEFECTIVE OR CHEAP THEY NEED TO BE REPLACED WITH A QUALITY PRODUCT BEFORE SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED.*AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Apr 2004
Apr 2004

I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE BULBS IN THE HEADLIGHTS OF MY 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA GT AT LEAST 4 TIMES (THIS WILL BE THE 5TH) AS THEY CONTINUE TO BURN OUT ON A REGULAR BASIS. IN COMPARISON TO OLDER CARS THAT I HAVE PREVIOUSLY OWNED, I HAVE NEVER HAD TO REPLACE THE LAMPS WITH SUCH FREQUENCY. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Mar 2004
May 2002

WHILE DRIVING IN A THUNDER STORM INTERIOR AND DIMMER HEADLIGHTS WENT OUT AT SAME TIME. THERE WAS NO WARNING. DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. *AK *TT

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 2002 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: May 2002

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 2002 Hyundai Elantra has 15 Exterior Lighting complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.