2009 Hyundai Elantra

small car / 4-door sedan

2009 Hyundai Elantra 4-door sedan
2008 Hyundai Elantra shown

Crashworthiness

Rating overview
Moderate overlap front: original test
Side: original test
Head restraints & seats

Key

  • G
    Good
  • A
    Acceptable
  • M
    Marginal
  • P
    Poor
  • Superior
  • Advanced
  • Basic

Some ratings use a scale of Poor to Good. Others range from Basic to Superior.

Moderate overlap front: original test

Rating applies to 2007-10 models

Tested vehicle: 2007 Hyundai Elantra GLS 4-door

The Hyundai Elantra was redesigned for the 2007 model year. Frontal ratings are assigned by the Institute based on a test conducted by Hyundai as part of frontal crash test verification.

The frontal offset crash test ratings also apply to the station wagon version of the Elantra, known as the Elantra Touring, beginning with 2009 models.

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Chest
Leg/foot, left
Leg/foot, right
Driver restraints and dummy kinematics
Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID VTF0608
Footwell intrusion
Footrest (cm) 6
Left (cm) 10
Center (cm) 7
Right (cm) 5
Brake pedal (cm) 10
Instrument panel rearward movement
Left (cm) 2
Right (cm) 2
Steering column movement
Upward (cm) 2
Rearward (cm) 3
A-pillar rearward movement (cm) 2

Driver injury measures

Test ID VTF0608
Head
HIC-15 303
Peak gs at hard contact 38
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.0
Extension bending moment (Nm) 13
Maximum Nij 0.53
Chest maximum compression (mm) 21
Legs
Femur force - left (kN) 3.9
Femur force - right (kN) 4.0
Knee displacement - left (mm) 2
Knee displacement - right (mm) 11
Maximum tibia index - left 0.73
Maximum tibia index - right 0.95
Tibia axial force - left (kN) 2.5
Tibia axial force - right (kN) 3.2
Foot acceleration (g)
Left 72
Right 114

How the moderate overlap front test is conducted

Side: original test

Rating applies to 2007-10 models built before December 2009

Tested vehicle: 2008 Hyundai Elantra GLS 4-door with standard front and rear head curtain airbags and standard front seat-mounted torso airbags

The Hyundai Elantra was redesigned for the 2007 model year. These ratings do not apply to 2010 Elantra models manufactured after November 2009, because of design changes made to the side airbags and body side and rear door structure to improve occupant protection in side impact crashes. (Information about when a specific vehicle was manufactured is on the certification label typically affixed to the car on the driver door or adjacent B-pillar.)

Overall evaluation
Structure and safety cage
Driver injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Driver head protection
Rear passenger injury measures
Head/neck
Torso
Pelvis/leg
Rear passenger head protection

View of the vehicle and barrier just after the crash test.

View of the vehicle after the crash with doors removed, showing the side airbags and damage to the occupant compartment.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the driver dummy's head was protected from being hit by hard structures by the side airbags.

Smeared greasepaint shows where the rear passenger dummy’s head was protected by the side airbag.

Technical measurements for this test

Measures of occupant compartment intrusion on driver side

Test ID CES0853
B-pillar to longitudinal centerline of driver's seat (cm) -7.5
Negative numbers indicate the amount by which the crush stopped short of the seat centerline.

Driver injury measures

Test ID CES0853
Head HIC-15 188
Neck
Tension (kN) 1.5
Compression (kN) 0.3
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 37
Lateral force (kN) 1.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 50
Average deflection (mm) 45
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 6.78
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 1.53
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 3.2
Acetabulum force (kN) 2.8
Combined force (kN) 5.9
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.9
L-M moment (Nm) 236
A-P moment (Nm) 50

Passenger injury measures

Test ID CES0853
Head HIC-15 436
Neck
Tension (kN) 0.4
Compression (kN) 0.6
Shoulder
Lateral deflection (mm) 37
Lateral force (kN) 1.3
Torso
Maximum deflection (mm) 30
Average deflection (mm) 25
Maximum deflection rate (m/s) 4.22
Maximum viscous criterion (m/s) 0.52
Pelvis
Iliac force (kN) 1.7
Acetabulum force (kN) 3.7
Combined force (kN) 4.8
Left femur
L-M force (kN) 0.4
L-M moment (Nm) 86
A-P moment (Nm) 48

How the side crash test is conducted

Head restraints & seats

Seat type: Manual cloth seats AHR

Overall evaluation
Dynamic rating
Seat/head restraint geometry
Technical measurements for this test
Seat type Manual cloth seats AHR
Geometry
Backset (mm) 45
Distance below top of head (mm) 58
Seat design parameters
Pass/fail Fail
Max T1 acceleration (g) 9.9
Head contact time (ms) 72
Force rating 1
Neck forces
Max neck shear force (N) 71
Max neck tension (N) 461

How the head restraint & seat test is conducted
Currently, IIHS tests apply only to front seats.