MajorCommonEngine

Hyundai Elantra: Crank angle sensor failure - stalling and no-start

Crank angle sensor failure - stalling and no-start is a common engine fault on the Hyundai Elantra on the 2006–2011 cars, and we rate it major. Putting it right costs $250 to $500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. Below is what goes wrong, the symptoms to notice on a test drive, where to look, and what to ask the seller before you hand over any money. It is one of 30 documented faults on the Hyundai Elantra.

Vehicle: Hyundai Elantra
Years: 2006–2011
Fuel: petrol
System: Engine

This page covers the Hyundai Elantra as a model. Some faults only affect particular engines or build years — enter a plate below to narrow the list to one car.

All Hyundai Elantra faults30 documented faults on this model

What you are looking at

No photograph available

We do not hold a verified photograph for this fault yet. We would rather show none than show a picture of something else.

What goes wrong

The HD Elantra's crankshaft position (crank angle) sensor is a known wear item: as it degrades the engine becomes hard to start, stalls at idle or cuts out while driving, often intermittently and worse when hot. It frequently fails without logging a clean fault code at first, so cars get traded on with the problem unfixed. The part is cheap; the risk is buying a car with an undiagnosed intermittent stall.

What you would notice

Long cranking before start, especially hot
Random stalling at idle or low speed
Engine cutting out then restarting fine
Tacho needle dropping to zero while running

How to check it

Where to look. Crankshaft position sensor at the lower front of the engine block near the crank pulley

Start the car cold, then again after a decent warm-up drive - hot restart trouble points at the sensor.
Let it idle for five minutes and watch for stumbles.
Ask directly whether it has ever stalled or failed to start.

What it costs to put right

$250 to $500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

Ask the seller

“Has the car ever stalled while driving or refused to start when hot?”
“Has the crank angle sensor been replaced?”

Now check the Hyundai Elantra you are actually looking at

Everything above is true of the model, and it is free. What it does not tell you is whether THIS car has been looked after: its odometer history and whether the reading has ever gone backwards, whether there is still money owing on it, whether it has been reported stolen, how many owners it has had and what it is really worth today. That comes from the official records for that plate. Enter the plate for the free details, or get the full history and a market valuation from $13.49.

Not sure what you would be paying for? See what a full KickTyres check includes.

Where this comes from

The failure described above is documented in the sources below. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them.

BreakerYard - Hyundai Elantra common problems (crankshaft angle sensor)
Hyundai Forums HD Elantra section - stalling/no-start crank sensor threads

Hyundai Elantra buyer questions

Is crank angle sensor failure - stalling and no-start serious on a Hyundai Elantra?

We rate it major and common on the Hyundai Elantra. The HD Elantra's crankshaft position (crank angle) sensor is a known wear item: as it degrades the engine becomes hard to start, stalls at idle or cuts out while driving, often intermittently and worse when hot. It frequently fails without logging a clean fault code at first, so cars get traded on with the problem unfixed. The part is cheap; the risk is buying a car with an undiagnosed intermittent stall.

How much does it cost to fix on a Hyundai Elantra?

$250 to $500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That figure is for this job on its own. A car showing the symptoms on this page is usually worth either walking away from or negotiating down by at least the repair figure.

Which Hyundai Elantra years are affected?

Our research records this fault on the 2006–2011 Hyundai Elantra. Build dates move around, especially on imported cars, so treat the range as the years to look hardest at rather than a guarantee either way. The official records tell you the exact build and first registration date for the car in front of you.

How do I check for it before I buy?

Start the car cold, then again after a decent warm-up drive - hot restart trouble points at the sensor. Let it idle for five minutes and watch for stumbles. Ask directly whether it has ever stalled or failed to start. Look here: Crankshaft position sensor at the lower front of the engine block near the crank pulley