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Hyundai Elantra Maintenance and Repair

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    jboynjboyn Member Posts: 3
    I'm glad to have found this forum, mostly when you read reviews of new cars by owners, they are just the typical glowing things about how nice it is, etc. My family is in the market for a new car, and are seriously looking at a new Elantra, preferably hatchback GLS.

    My main concern is long term durability, past 100k miles when the warranty runs out. Have any members here had a newer Elantra for that long? In your experience, did maintenance/problems go up after that mileage mark? I have a 91 Accord that is about ready to go to the used car ads, I'm just ready to move to an automatic, A/C, power windows, non-bare bones kind of stuff. For the price, the Elantra seems like a great deal. I just would hate to end up spending thousands of dollars in repairs in the next 15 years or so.

    Thanks in advance for any comments, I appreciate all feedback.
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    backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Fifteen-year reliability is hard to estimate becasue the Hyundais produced 15 years ago were not nearly as good of cars as the Hyundais of today. One thing you could do to is purchase the extended Hyundai warranty, which extends the "bumper to bumper" warranty to 10 years/100k miles. Those cost around $1000 for the Elantra, and you have a year after you buy the car to decide if you want it. Another thing to do is get the automatic, as you noted, vs. stick shift. The automatic is covered under the bumper-to-bumper warranty, while the stick shift may not be ("Oh, you must have abused the clutch, that's why it broke--that will be $1300, please.") And of course perform all the recommended maintenance. You could still end up with some failed parts in years 11-15, but that's not unusual for any make of car. Even if you had to replace some parts, the overall cost of ownership for 15 years would be very low because of the low up-front purchase price.
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    kyyuenkyyuen Member Posts: 11
    My dealer said the front seat passenger must be 87 lbs or heavier. However, they would not let a 95 lb dealer employee to go out on a test drive and to prove my point. They suggested that I return with my wife or my daughter. They also said they cannot do any work unless Hyundai agrees to pay them which prompted me to write to the manufacturor.
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    martintmartint Member Posts: 12
    I have a 2005 Kia Spectra with same problem. Wife is 130 pounds and does not usually activate air bag, light staying on. Car has been back to dealer few times including when Kia engineer was there. Is going back one more time for same engineer to computer fix. We will see. It is fine when someone weighing more than 130 sits in seat. I would bet Hundai and Kia use same components.
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    rcinmdrcinmd Member Posts: 139
    Friend of mine just replaced the tires on his 2004 GT hatch. He had just over 65K miles on the originals. What amazed me most was how evenly they had worn. He probably could have gotten a few more thousand out of them.
    He put on BFGoodrich Comp Pros, I believe they're called, at a local Sam's Club. They are H speed rated. He had virtually no shimmy issues with the Michelins, and the new tires are even better. They are Korean made, and of course, Goodrich is owned by Michelin. What impressed me as well was that all four wheels required only the smallest of balance weights.
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    backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    65k in a little over a year--that's a lot of miles!
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    njdevil1njdevil1 Member Posts: 45
    when you called hyundai customer service,did you tell them you were going for the lemon laws. i am not real sure how it works but the problems has to occur at least 3 times starting the first year. when we had problems with our 2003 sonata they seemed to be more helpful when we told them we were going after the lemon law.l
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    miamixtmiamixt Member Posts: 600
    I have had my 2005 Elantra looked at for Front End Brake noise 3 times now. While the noise couldn't be duplicated, I feel the Hyundai Dealer Service at both locations was excellent, with the mention of Loaner Cars each time. Was the problem fixed, no, but great Customer Service. If there is any system on my Car that I might not trust , it would be the Brakes?. :lemon:
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    jimbeaumijimbeaumi Member Posts: 620
    When I had my Elantra in for 60K mile maintenance, our new mechanic made mention of something I knew to be so: my tires will need to be replaced soon. The original Michelins, as many of us have noted here, did not last long (about 33K miles in my case). My replacement tires, Dunlop SP Sport A2, may last me about as long before I am forced to replace them, so I am pretty disappointed, especially considering the longevity of most tires today.

    His recommendation is a Cooper SLE Touring T-rated tire. Has anyone had experience with this model tire? I do not want to lose or serious compromise the qualities of low noise, reasonable handling, etc.
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    backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    How much are they? If they are much more than about $60 installed including lifetime warranty, I'd look for something (like Kumho).

    Have you tried looking at the customer reviews at some of the popular online tire stores (you know, the ones that advertise heavily in the car mags, hint hint)?
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    5port5port Member Posts: 395
    Dont compromise your tires. The Elantra came with an H rated tire. Replace it with an H rated tire for saftey sake.
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    njdevil1njdevil1 Member Posts: 45
    we owned a 1988 hyundai excel gl with the basics, sunroof, am/fm radio, and manual transmission. when we gave it to our son in law it had almost 200,000 miles on it with the original clutch. we never had any big problems with it. Our son in law made it go over the 200,000 mark but its life came to an end when someone ran a red light and totaled the car.Our son in law had no injuries. we have had no problems with the hyundai dealer honoring the warranty and the only thing we have done is the oil change every 3,000 to 4,000 miles and the tires rotated. if it needs additional work done they let me know. we do not go by the maintenance schedule. most of the time the additional work that is needed is under warranty. we also have received coupons from the dealer to get 7 free oil changes. we have a great dealership that even washes the car after you have it serviced.
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    planetmfplanetmf Member Posts: 5
    Did you ever find out what the problem was? I think my Elantra has the same problem and I've just been living with it for now.
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    c2rosac2rosa Member Posts: 76
    Hyundai Recalls Elantra
    Hyundai Motor Co. will recall 240,000 Elantra sedans and hatchbacks because of a possible defect in the vehicles' airbag system, the South Korean automaker said this week. A computer problem with its restraint system could improperly identify a child seat in the front-passenger position as a seated adult, leading to deployment of the airbag in a crash and potential harm to the child in the seat. The vehicles recalled are from the 2004-2005 model year. Hyundai reports no injuries nor any crashes as a result of the flaw. The vehicle repairs will be completed for free.
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    rjeskeyrjeskey Member Posts: 29
    I just bought a Black 2005 Elantra GLS and the hood, trunk and roof need to be repainted. I noticed 4 days after I bought it. It was from natural conditions that happens from the enviroment, in this case it was a bug problem. N.J had a bad bug season and when the bugs died and landed on the cars the sun would bake them into the paint. (this is what the Korean Reps from Hyudai said). Plus this car was not covered by the protection wrap. Anyway do you think this car being repainted will be as good as the Hyundai paint?? This is a big concern of mine. image
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    jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    In all honesty, these days a body shop that knows what it is doing can put paint down that is better than factory. Not to dis the Hyundai paint job, but the body shop has to look you in the face when they present the final result. And they are doing one job at a time, not hundreds (or in some cases, thousands) of cars a day.
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    kyyuenkyyuen Member Posts: 11
    My 05 Elantra has a annoying rattle (sounds like hard plastic rubbing each other) on the driver side of the car. It comes either from the front door or in between the front and the back door. It is more pronounce when making a right turn. Of course, dealer said they don't hear it...

    Looking for other Elantra owners with same experience and ways to get rid of it.
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    jboynjboyn Member Posts: 3
    Thanks so much for the opinion, that is very helpful for me!
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    jboynjboyn Member Posts: 3
    Backy-

    Thanks for that response, that's very helpful. i wasn't aware of the extended bumper to bumper warranty, sounds like good peace of mind.

    Good point on the auto vs. manual trans. too. Harder for the dealer to prove you abused an auto. transmission!
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    jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    On the way to work yesterday on the interstate, a truck lost a 3' piece of rebar which came bouncing towards my lane. A quick manuever and I thought I had dodged it. Unfortunately, the right front wheel caught it and whipped it into the passengers side door. Six inch gouge and accompanying dent.

    grrrrr.

    The day before a commercial truck came into my lane and forced me off the road and into a ditch. A GT handles high speed manuevers on sloping grass quite well! No damage, but the owner of the business got a call as I got the ID number off the truck. They called me back to make sure I and the car were okay. One of my less honest coworkers said I should have told them "No, there is this six inch scratch and dent ..."
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    backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    That is good you are ok, but maybe you want to have the car checked to make sure everything is in order, e.g. alignment, no damage to exhaust system, etc.
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    doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    After what happened the first time, do you reall *want* Hyundai paint on the car?
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    doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    Try this link.
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    kyyuenkyyuen Member Posts: 11
    Thanks for the tip. It seems easy enough to give it a try. :)
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    njdevil1njdevil1 Member Posts: 45
    i would suggest a auto transmission if you have alot of stop and go traffic,driving in congested areas but if you do mostly highway driving like we do than manual is highly suggested. If you drive the right way the clutch should last much longer than the warranty. we average 30,000 miles a year.
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    kyyuenkyyuen Member Posts: 11
    I got a call from Hyundai today. The threshold is 115 lbs. They will contact my dealer and have my car in for re-programming. Let's see if it will do it.
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    dclurkerdclurker Member Posts: 57
    115? Nope, I still don't buy that. IMO, Hyundai is either unable or unwilling to properly fix the OCS problem. I'll bet their "re-programming" will have no effect on your car. Good luck to you, though.
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    smith20smith20 Member Posts: 256
    I'm pretty sure that the threshold on my Elantra is 115 lbs (and consistently at that), but I am pretty sure it ought to be 55 lbs. I'm waiting to see if the airbag recall adjusts the threshold. Please update us if your reprogramming has any effect.
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    jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    I have an '05 GT hatchback in Tidal Wave blue. Over the last month, I have had a MAJOR rash of cars pulling out in front of me, changing lanes on top of me, and basically driving like I am not there. Unless this little jewel has developed some sort of auto cloaking, I am beginning to wonder if this is one of those colors that blends in a bit too well. Anybody else seen this phenomenon? Didn't have this happen with the Chianti Red '02.

    Jim
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    dclurkerdclurker Member Posts: 57
    It's interesting that Hyundai's 115 pound threshhold is almost exactly twice what it should be. It's like the programmer accidentally entered the correct value twice ;) Anyway, here's my theory: Hyundai knows it has a problem, but since the number of owners affected is quite small (after all, how many American adults weigh less than 115 pounds?), they feel they can stonewall us. BTW, after reading the details of the "baby seat" recall, I believe the proposed fix will have no effect on our particular problem.
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    miamixtmiamixt Member Posts: 600
    I have an '05 GT hatchback in Tidal Wave blue. Over the last month, I have had a MAJOR rash of cars pulling out in front of me, changing lanes on top of me, and basically driving like I am not there. Unless this little jewel has developed some sort of auto cloaking, I am beginning to wonder if this is one of those colors that blends in a bit too well. Anybody else seen this phenomenon?

    You don't live in Florida do you? Best bet would be to drive faster in your sporty Elantra :confuse:
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    jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    No, I'm down here in sunny Texas. 107d here today. The little blue doesn't have ABS and as a consequence I have flat spotted the Michelins. Idiot was watching traffic coming the other way on a major highway, and when the on coming traffic cleared pulled out without looking my way. I was already off the gas and poised on the brake, but 65 to near 0 at max decel is hard on the tires and the blood pressure. Don't ever let some one tell you these little buggers have bad brakes.
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    smith20smith20 Member Posts: 256
    It's interesting that Hyundai's 115 pound threshhold is almost exactly twice what it should be.

    I agree, I have thought this is interesting too since reading about other people having the threshold apparently at this weight too.

    Anyway, here's my theory: Hyundai knows it has a problem, but since the number of owners affected is quite small (after all, how many American adults weigh less than 115 pounds?), they feel they can stonewall us.

    I guess so.

    BTW, after reading the details of the "baby seat" recall, I believe the proposed fix will have no effect on our particular problem.

    That is unfortunate. I guess they still don't know how to fix it then. If it really is sensing consistently, but just at the wrong weight, it seems like such a simple fix to me . . . and from my experiences with our Elantra, I am convinced our OCS triggers at same weight every time . . . it is just the wrong weight. I am 155 lbs and it has always recognized me as a passenger occupant . . . always. If it is consistent, but off, I am thinking the hardware is probably sensing correctly (generating an electrical output that correctly corresponds to perceived weight), but they are just interpreting the resulting output wrong.

    It's not even really important to me that it senses at 55 lbs. If they could just "turn it down" to 70 or 80 lbs that would work just fine . . . and that would probably satisfy 95% of the people with this OCS sensor issue.
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    doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    BTW, after reading the details of the "baby seat" recall, I believe the proposed fix will have no effect on our particular problem.

    Perhaps. It depends on whether the weight sensor is a variable device that generates an actual weight value, or a simple switch calibrated to switch at a given weight. If it is a switch, a software change would not be able to fix this issue; if it is a weight sensor, though, they may very well have changed the software to a lower threshold but not revealed it (possibly as a hedge against lawsuits; it might be incriminating to admit that particular issue was a problem).
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    smith20smith20 Member Posts: 256
    Good point . . . if it's a switch that just outputs a binary "yes occupant" or "no occupent" output to the part that determines whether or not the airbag is on, then the switch is doing the weight interpretation internally and nothing outside of the switch can be done to fix that problem. They would have to replace the switch with one that interprets the weight correctly. Maybe that is why the fix hasn't been so forthcoming. Whatever part it is that interprets the output of the seat sensor, that is what needs to be fixed. You are right I made the assumption that the interpreting part was programmable. Maybe it's not.
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    backybacky Member Posts: 18,949
    Unless of course the problem is due to the design of the sensor in the seat... for example, because it's a sensor grid embedded in the seat cushion, it could be sensitive to improper installation.
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    kyyuenkyyuen Member Posts: 11
    Hyundai spokeswoman told me that 55 number was meant to be in metric measurement but she did not specify whether it is in kilogram. Well, 115 lbs equals to 52.16 kilograms and I hope she knows what she was talking about. She was supposed to have contacted my dealer to call me for the re-programming but so far I have not received any call.
    She also said 115lb is the borderline weight and the re-programming is to lower the sensitivities of the OCS system.
    I agree with you guys that it is probably a waste of time to bring my car in but I will give them the benefit of doubts.
    Will keep you folks updated. :confuse:
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    smith20smith20 Member Posts: 256
    That could be as well, but my point is that, if the sensor outputs an electrical signal that has a predictable correspondence to the actual occupant weight, then the results are simply being interpretted wrong and it should just be a matter of looking for a different output voltage of the seat sensor. I would think if the sensor was physically installed wrong to introduce insensitivity, it would not trigger consistently at all. I would expect to see it register an occupant at 70 lbs one day, 140 lbs another day, and 110 lbs still yet another day. Maybe it wouldn't be a range like that, but I doubt it would be consistent.

    The english and metric situation kyyuen brings up is very, very interesting. It reminds me of the failed Mars Orbiter in 1999 because english unit measurements were used instead of the scientific and engineering standard of metric units. Thus, it botched the mission when it got to Mars and it burned up. Maybe we have an opposite situation here? It was supposed to be 55 lbs, but in the design of the sensor (which is could be an outsourced part not itself designed by Hyundai, or by one of the parent company's electronics subsidiaries) it was calibrated to work at 55 kg. That would be 121 lbs, which is very close to 115 and I can still believe that's where my seat is triggering.

    From my experiences in business world I can completely see a realistic human error/miscommunication scenario how "55 lbs" could get tossed around from manager to executive to executive to manager to engineer and get twisted from 55 lbs to maybe somebody just put down 55, then a metric minded somebody guessed and thought it was 55 kg.

    Maybe that's why it got through testing too. The number got changed to 55 kg and it passed with flying colors. That makes the this theory seem all the more realistic to me because for the life of me I can't figure out how on earth this would have gotten through the quality assurance testing if the tester has written down on his/her records that the seat should trigger at 55 lbs / 25 kg.

    Anyway, it'll be interesting to see what happens after the recall fix . . .
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    jlflemmonsjlflemmons Member Posts: 2,242
    I was doing a board layout and had a 208 pin device for which I had to create a CAD model. The pin spacing was given in both english and metric. It wasn't until after the first boards came in and I saw that the pin to board alignment had an incremental error that I found the very fine print note deep in the datasheet that stated "English dimensions for illustration purposes only. Use metric dimensions for creation of pattern". Never made that mistake again.
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    dclurkerdclurker Member Posts: 57
    Your theory sounds very plausible to me.
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    dwynnedwynne Member Posts: 4,018
    I need a power window regulator/motor assembly (it appears to be only available as a complete unit - motor, cable, lift) for an '00 Elantra wagon I have for the kids to drive. I have the part number and the local dealers want $245-255 for it.

    Which Hyundai dealers sell OEM parts online or toll-free for cheap?

    Thanks,
    Dennis
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    doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    I would try a junk yard or maybe ebaymotors for something like that. I've gotten several parts for my Escort on ebaymotors and all have been perfectly serviceable.
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    kyyuenkyyuen Member Posts: 11
    The rattle is gone. It was indeed the panel rubbing the door frame. However, instead of removing the door panel and adding foam inserts; I used WD40 around the panel edges and it has been working good for 1 week so far. I will follow the DYI advice if it comes back.

    As for the OCS problem, Hyundai did mention the recent recall to fix the issues with the "Child Seat" will offer nothing to fix my current situation.

    I have an appoint with the dealer a week from tomorrow and I hope to bring back some better news.

    It is interesting to read all of your mind opening theories and they all make good sense.
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    smith20smith20 Member Posts: 256
    As for the OCS problem, Hyundai did mention the recent recall to fix the issues with the "Child Seat" will offer nothing to fix my current situation.

    I agree the description of the recall is not too promising . . . however, I remain hopeful that some how the threshold will be adjusted to the the ~55 lbs it's supposed to be. I have not read anyone on this forum describe having the problem the recall says it's fixing. (having the airbag activate when it should not activate)
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    dfox44dfox44 Member Posts: 1
    How did you ever resolve the over assist or dead spot when at speed for the steering? Recently a relative purchased a 2005 model and has complained about driving @ 55 mph and it feels as if there is no steering on center. Very unsettling. Do these cars have electric assist steering?
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    tils208tils208 Member Posts: 1
    My Husband has a 1997 Elantra wagon.It pauses when he puts into drive. It has 100,000
    miles on it. He said Pep boys tried to open his transmission cap and it was jammed. Could this be a problem cause it's low on transmission fluid, or is it the transmission itself? Thanks~Julie :mad:
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    llamaniallamania Member Posts: 25
    I bought this 2005 for 10 months now.
    I have no major complaints other than some squeaking coming from the passenger side interior when humidity is high.

    However, recently ( over the past few months ) I started to heard more frequently a cracking noise coming from engine when I do accenleration with a little more push. On the background of roaring engine, kind of static cracking noise is heightened to be very annoying. It's not that loud until recently. We can not tolerate that and took the car to the dealer yesterday. They checked it up. The mechanic quickly came to point that it's the aftermarket oil filter to blame. He gave me a brief description of genuine Hyundai oil filter, inside from the opening, there is a valve sitting on the bottom which can sense and control the oil pressure ( just reiterate what he said ). OK, then oil change done first time in the dealership. It costed me $30 inc Tax, a couple of bucks more than Sears do. I chose Sears to do the oil change for they use better lube oil. But they definitely do not use genuine Hyundai oil filter per se. On the way home, I can feel the much lessened noise though not completely gone. Yes, there is still some noise lingering. But, the most annoying cracking upon hard acceleration is gone. We thought we will wait to see.

    Today, it made very clear: the noise is almost completely gone.

    This makes sense.

    BTW, I have asked for a quote from parts dept at the dealership. Oil filter for Elantra (2005) $5.xx. In case you wanna DIY your oil change. ;)
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    5port5port Member Posts: 395
    For what its worth:

    I have a 2001 Elantra GT. I do my own oil changes and have from the beginning. I have been using nothing but Hyundai filters and keep an oil change log. I pay $4.50 for the filters at the dealer. Oil used is Castrol GTX 5W-30. I've had no oil related problems in 4 years.

    This past June Hyundai released a Technical Service Bulletin that says (not in the exact words) if a customer comes into the dealership complaining of oil related noises first step is to inspect the car for a genuine Hyundai oil filter. If the filter is not OEM next step is to install a Hyundai OEM filter and send the customer on his way. Hyundai suspects there are certain brands of filters that do not work well with their engines.
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    gsxrlvrgsxrlvr Member Posts: 1
    Just got a 2004 Elantra with 22k on it, car is fine except when you step off the gas to shift (manual) it seems like it takes a second for the RPM,s to come down, is this normal or is there a sensor issue of some kind ?

    Thanks
    Neal
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    doohickiedoohickie Member Posts: 949
    I think I read somewhere that a delayed deceleration of the engine has to do with the emissions controls. I can't remember the whole story but it seemed to make sense at the time.
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