These help you judge whether this one is worth its price.
Costly problem zones ahead at your miles come with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro. See plans
Loading the EPA's yearly fuel cost
What about the price? Check the asking price on two listing sites. Buying from a dealer? Run its offer through the offer X ray.
Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.
The full record
Tap to open
What owners complain about
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Seller kit
Questions for the seller, test drive checks and price points
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
Walk up to the seller ready
Questions to ask the seller of a 2004 Hyundai Elantra, built from this year's owner complaints and recalls. What to feel, hear and look at on the test drive, with boxes to tick at the car. Honest points to raise on price, from the records and never from guesses. Copy the questions to your phone in one tap.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
Write your offer
A ready to send offer for the seller, by text or email
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
Send the seller a fair offer
Type the asking price and your own offer for the 2004 Hyundai Elantra, tick what you found, and get a polite message ready to text or email. Its reasons come from this year's owner complaints, recalls and crash ratings, and never from made up repair prices.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
When problems show up
Loading mileage at failure
Will it outlast the loan?
The month of your loan each problem zone lands in
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Recalls
5 recalls on file
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Crash ratings
NHTSA's stars out of five, for each version it tested. Front crash stars only compare cars of about the same size and weight. The tests changed for 2011 models, so these stars do not line up with newer ones.
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Fuel economy
The EPA's estimates for each engine and transmission, and its own yearly fuel cost. Yours depends on how you drive and the shape the car is in. Figures for 2007 and older use the EPA's 2008 method, so they may be lower than the original sticker.
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True cost to own
The loan, fuel, insurance and upkeep, a month and over 5 years
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
What it really costs to own
What the 2004 Hyundai Elantra costs a month and over 5 years: the loan and its interest, fuel worked out from the EPA's figures for the version you pick, and your own insurance, registration and upkeep. A cost a mile, a link that reopens your numbers, and the breakdown copied to your phone in one tap.
Car Hunt Pass: $15 once for 30 days, a launch price. It never renews. Full refund if you ask within 7 days.
Every year of the Elantra
Owner complaints for each model year, this one outlined. Tap a year to open it. The newest 2 are not judged yet. Bars are totals, so older years stand taller; the verdict compares every year at the same age.
Loading every year of this model
Before you buy this one
Built from this year's numbers. Whatever the data says, the car in front of you is the one that counts.
A history report such as Carfax or AutoCheck pulls in more of the car’s past than these checks can:
Crashes and damage reported by police, insurers or shops, even when it was fixed.
Service visits that shops reported, with the miles each time.
How many owners, for how long, and the states it was registered in.
Whether it was a rental, fleet or lease car, when that was reported.
It only knows what was reported to it. A clean report is not proof of a clean car. Ask the seller first: many dealers hand one over for free.
Red flags in a history
Salvage title
Usually an insurer called it a total loss. In most states it cannot be driven on the road until it is rebuilt and inspected.
Rebuilt title
A salvage car that was fixed and passed a state check. It can be fine, but it is worth less, can be harder to insure, and needs a careful inspection.
Flood damage
Water can ruin wiring and sensors months later. Be wary of a flood brand that vanished after a move to another state.
Lemon or maker buyback
The maker bought it back over a defect it could not fix. Ask what the defect was and how it was fixed.
Odometer rollback
A mileage reading lower than an earlier one, or a title marked not actual miles.
Many owners, fast
Three owners in two years can mean a problem each one passed along.
Gaps in the records
Years with no service or registration. Ask why: it may have sat, been off the road, or been rebuilt.
Title words and rules differ by state. Not legal advice.
Before you pay
Pre purchase inspection
Have a mechanic you choose, not the seller, put it on a lift and look it over before you pay.
Insurance quote
Get a quote on this exact car before you sign. Ask your own insurer and one or two others.
Not every car needs every fix. Run the VIN at NHTSA to see which are still open. Repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand; ask before any work.
Air bags
Oct 17, 2005 · Recall 05V479000
Certain vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system. The occupant classification system (ocs) installed in the right front seat of the vehicle may misclassify a child restraint seat (crs) as an adult. This may occur if the crs is installed after an adult has been seated in the right front seat. If there has not been a 'key on' ' key off' cycle with the right front passenger seat empty prior to installation of the crs.
What can happen
The possibility of misclassification of a crs as an adult may allow the right front airbag or side impact airbag to deploy in a crash and could result in injury to the right front occupant.
The fix
Dealers will reprogram the vehicle's ocs electronic control unit (ecu) to remove the feature that may cause the crs to be recognized as an adult. The recall began on november 15, 2005. Owners may contact hyundai of puerto rico at 1-800-981-0188.
Air bags
Sep 12, 2005 · Recall 05V395000
Certain vehicles equipped with an advanced air bag system. The occupant classification system (ocs) installed in the right front seat of the vehicle may misclassify a child restraint seat (crs) as an adult. This may occur if the crs is installed after an adult has been seated in the right front seat. If there has not been a 'key on' ' key off' cycle with the right front passenger seat empty prior to installation of the crs.
What can happen
The possibility of misclassification of a crs as an adult may allow the right front airbag or side impact airbag to deploy in a crash and could result in injury to the right front occupant.
The fix
Dealers will reprogram the vehicle's ocs electronic control unit (ecu) to remove the feature that may cause the crs to be recognized as an adult. The recall began on october 31, 2005. Owners may contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Fuel system
Jul 30, 2004 · Recall 04V370000
During an insurance institute for highway safety (iihs) offset frontal barrier impact test, it was determined that fuel tan damage could occur. On certain passenger vehicles, a vapor tube hose clamp that is located near the fuel tank may not be positioned properly and could cause fuel leakage.
What can happen
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire.
The fix
Dealers will inspect the position of the vapor tube hose clamp ears and correctly position the clamp, if necessary. The recall began on october 5, 2004. Owners should contact hyundai de puerto rico at 1-800-981-0188.
Fuel system
May 3, 2004 · Recall 04V208000
During an insurance institute for highway safety (iihs) offset frontal barrier impact test on certain passenger vehicles, fuel spillage occurred as a result of fuel tank damage caused by contact between a vapor tube hose clamp ear and the fuel tank. The vapor tube hose clamp ear was found to be mispositioned and facing toward the fuel tank.
What can happen
In the event of a crash, damage to the vehicle could cause the mispositioned clamp to puncture the fuel tank causing fuel leakage. Fuel leakage, in the presence of an ignition source, could result in a fire.
The fix
Dealers will inspect the position of the vapor tube hose clamp and correctly position the clamp, if necessary. Owner notification began on may 24, 2004. Owners should contact hyundai at 1-800-633-5151.
Air bags
Aug 26, 2003 · Recall 03V322000
On certain vehicles, if the front passenger seat is unoccupied or is occupied by someone lighter than 56.4 pounds, the passenger air bag is deactivated and will not deploy if a crash occurs. However, the occupant classification sensor may incorrectly interpret that a seated adult is an infant seat and deactivate the passenger air bag if someone heavier than 56.4 pounds who is seated with one leg resting on the outboard or inboard edge of the seat; with legs spread; or positioned off-center toward the center console and with his or her arm leaning on the console.
What can happen
In the event of a vehicle crash, the air bag may not deploy, possibly resulting in serious injury to the right front passenger.
The fix
The occupant classification sensor will be reprogrammed.
182 complaints; the part named most is the air bags
Unverified reports, not adjusted for sales. One complaint can name several parts, so shares add up past 100%. Filed Feb 2, 2004 to Feb 1, 2024. 14% name a part that is usually costly to fix.
Owners reported 24 crashes, 2 fires and 26 injuries in these complaints.
Air bags114 · 63%
Engine16 · 9%Usually costly to fix
Seat belts16 · 9%
What one owner wrote about the air bags
Vehicle 2004 Hyundai involved in accident on the street, this vehicle owner was belted when the accident occurred, the airbags deployed, this vehicle owner sustained severe injuries including fractured vertebrate of lumbar 1 and 2 and fractured ribs, note no other vehicle was involved, this vehicle owner side swiped a tree and sustained minimal damage to…
Filed Jun 14, 2019NHTSA complaint 11220188Crash reported1 of 18 owner quotes
Car Hunt Pass or Pro
13 more parts, and 18 owner quotes
Every part owners name for the 2004 Hyundai Elantra, with their own words about what went wrong. Usually costly to fix among them: Transmission and drivetrain, Body and frame.
Run the VIN at NHTSA to confirm every recall was fixed.
This year has 5 recalls on file. Recall repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand. Ask the dealer to confirm before any work is done. Look up a VIN at NHTSA.
Ask the seller for the service records.
Look closely for any work on the air bags. It is the part owners complain about most for this year.
Have a mechanic you trust inspect it before you pay.
Ask them to look at the air bags first.
Look at a vehicle history report.
It can show reported crashes, flood or salvage titles, and mileage that does not add up.
On the test drive, pay attention to the air bags.
The air bag warning light should come on at start and then go out.
