Major Problems with Lotus Elise Derived from Complaints & Recalls

Learn about the common problems with a used Lotus Elise to avoid purchasing a bad year of the model.

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Best and Worst Years for Lotus Elise

Explore the chart showing how many complaints have been filed for each year of Lotus Elise.

Model Year	Complaints
2009 Elise	1
2007 Elise	8
2006 Elise	17
2005 Elise	46

Worst 3 Lotus Elise complaints

2005 Lotus Elise SUSPENSION Mileage: 1100 miles

2005 Lotus Elise COOLING SYSTEM Mileage: 15800 miles

2005 Lotus Elise ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING Mileage: 18000 miles

Browse Lotus Elise complaints by category

Problems with ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING, ENGINE and ENGINE are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Lotus Elise owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING driving in second gear and changing into third gear the radiator exploded and splashed hot coolant all over the windshield....	28 ~ 26328 miles
ENGINE second time this has happened. received new engine from lotus 4/21/2012 and had about 700 miles on new engine. was...	8 ~ 49025 miles
ENGINE > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING 1. nothing was obvious leading you to the event. 2. failure only occurred once but caused engine failure. 3. engine	8 ~ 20309 miles
COOLING SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING the hose connecting the two oil coolers in the front of the car failed on the freeway. i felt the...	7 ~ 37141 miles
POWER TRAIN the 2007+ lotus elise/ exige are all equipped with a shifter that is prone to failure. i have personally had...	4 ~ 13407 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER on my 2006 lotus elise i was driving down the freeway when all of a sudden the check oil light...	4 ~ 43798 miles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM intermittent problem where the entire cluster gauge (speedometer rpm gas gauge etc.) will shut down and later turn back on....	4 ~ 24325 miles
VISIBILITY tl*the contact owns a 2005 lotus elise. the contact stated that the defroster was inoperative which reduced visibility during cold...	3 ~ 16433 miles
REAR > SUSPENSION i was turning left out of a parking lot accelerating in a safe but enthusiastic manner when i felt a...	3 ~ 40994 miles
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM i was on the freeway driving at freeway speeds in the #1 lane when i smelled burning oil. i hadn't...	2 ~ 72000 miles
MANUAL TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN manual transmission popped unexpectedly out of 5th gear during hard driving causing driver to select wrong gear in attempt to...	2 ~ 14300 miles
SERVICE BRAKES tl* the contact owns a 2005 lotus elise. the contact stated that while driving 40 mph smoke began to emit...	1 ~ 41187 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC momentary brake failure yesterday. this happened to my wife. she's commuted with the car to work 3 times a week...	1 ~ 20200 miles
WHEELS oem oil cooling line crimp let go that is in front wheel well to oil cooler. engine oil poured all...	1 ~ 26000 miles
HOSES/LINES/PIPING/FITTINGS > COOLING SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING tl* the contact owns a 2005 lotus elise. the contact stated that oil was leaking from the vehicle. the vehicle...	1 ~ 14000 miles
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES on august 11 2010 i took my 2005 lotus elise with 9105 miles on it to get the inspection done....	1 ~ 9105 miles
DEFROSTER/DEFOGGER/HVAC SYSTEM > VISIBILITY tl*the contact owns a 2005 lotus elise. the contact stated while driving the vehicle during a rain storm the front...	1 ~ 23000 miles
GASOLINE > ENGINE > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING rocker arm broken on cylinder three. multiple cars (~20) have been encountered the same failure on the same cylinder. sold...	1 ~ 18293 miles
FLOOR SHIFT ASSEMBLY > MANUAL TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN sub: 2005 lotus elise nhtsa recall #05v-571 [xxx]. i live in nicholasville kentucky & dealer is in atlanta ga. driving...	1
TIE ROD ASSEMBLY > LINKAGES > STEERING please note i have not had an issue yet but other people i know have. the rear suspension inner toe...	1
SUSPENSION wiring on auto has been a mess since new auto towed 15 times for mechanical reasons and addition times tow...	1 ~ 1100 miles

FAQ

What year Lotus Elise is the most reliable?

Speaking of the models produced in the last 4 years, Lotus Elise models of 2009, 2007, 2006 year of manufacture have had the least number of complaints.

What year was a bad year for Lotus Elise?

Lotus Elise models of 2005 and 2006 are probably the years to be avoided like the plague due to a higher than an average number of issues reported.

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