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What 46 owners told NHTSA about the 2005 Lotus Elise
These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.
1 of 46 complaints match · Brakes · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters
May 20, 2014Engine & coolingBrakesFire
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 LOTUS ELISE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, SMOKE BEGAN TO EMIT IN AND AROUND THE VEHICLE. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO ENGAGE THE BRAKES BUT THE PEDAL SANK TO THE FLOOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER. THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE OIL COOLER LINE FRACTURED CAUSING A LEAK AND AS A RESULT, THE OIL COOLER AND BRAKES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,187. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 42,250.
NHTSA ODI 10592736
Working with the data? Download all 46 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 18, 2026
How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your
pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the
full 2005 Lotus Elise verdict →