My 2005 Elantra had just been at the dealer for it's 112,500 mile servicing. Everything checked out OK...including the thermostat. The VERY next day--literally--the thermostat closed shut and the engine overheated. Since I was in the middle of a huge bridge going into a major city during rush hour I continued to drive for another mile or two until it was safe to pull off the road. The weather was 95 F and brutally humid. That short drive was enough time for the radiator to crack and pour out antifreeze.

Long story short...after a 50 mile flat-bed tow back to the dealer (thank you AAA) and an $800 repair bill (new radiator, thermostat, compression test to ensure no piston damage, etc.) a lesson was learned.

There is no dealer replacement schedule for the thermostat and from what I can tell there is no reliable method of detecting failure (like a light bulb..it either works or it doesn't).

My recommendation is to change the thermostat when the hoses are replaced or the coolant changed... it's a "cheap" part..compared to an $800 repair.

 

That's good advice.


Actually, there is a coolant temperature gauge and if it starts to get into the red zone (or even just higher than normal) that is a sign to stop.



If your car overheated that much to cause that much damage, you were driving with the the gauge in the red zone for a long time.

So my recommendation is to keep an eye on your gauges and not just the warning lights.