Hyundai Elantra 2001-2006

tonykrapil · July 2001

I have this problem too and can say that it is not the tire balance as I had the dealer do it and just about 2 weeks ago had a tire joint balance them to be sure.

The tires seem to be wearing evenly, so to the naked eye, the front end alignment looks good.

IF I had to guess where and why this problem is occuring Id put my money on the dealer (in my case) over tightening and warping some of the front end components or even the rims perhaps.

Reason I say this is I had ZERO problems with the car untill I brought it in at 1000 miles. They checked the brakes etc. they had the wheels off to do this. When I changed the oil at 5k I also rotate the tires. I could not get these wheels off even with a two handled tire wrench. I did not have this vibration unit mr Good Shaft messed with the car. I had them loosen the wheels and torque them to specs and I could then losen them with ease. Even the guy at the dealer could not loosen them by hand.

Anyways, After all this, my rear brakes started making noise too like the drums were out of round. I took the car to another dealer and they replaced the drums and wheel bearings on both rear wheels and all is fine there now.

I will bring it in and may this other dealer can repair the problem too.

It is annoying. At speeds just above 60 and lower than 70 i get a steering wheel wobble that rocks the wheel about 1/4 to 1/2 inch side to side.

These morons wonder why we dont like to bring our cars in. Many of them dont have a clue.

Let me know what you guys find on yours

Tony

hbund216 · July 2001

No the tire vibration and gas cap aren't related. It might take a while for the light to turn off or it might have to be reset by the dealer. Depends on the car. Take it in just in case.

sfo659 · July 2001

You might want to review Consumer Reports' latest review on the Sunfire. The Elantra's side and front(driver)crash results, ride, engine noise, and comfort were all better than the Sunfire. Also, the Sunfire's predicted reliability was rated much worse than average. While the Elantra still needs time to really prove it's reliability, it did get a better-than-average reliability rating for the 2000 model, and with a five year bumper-to-bumper warranty on the 2001 Elantras, the Elantra seems a much better car for the money.

liljonson · July 2001

i had the brake problem too but i'm not taking it to the dealership no more till i need too. most of the guys working there are morons in my opinion and talk to me like i don't know anything thinking that they can get away with it. aslong as my brakes aren't bad i dont mind the braking annoyance at speeds above 60

backy · July 2001

The "problem" with the alarm going off when you use the key to open the doors is not a problem, but a "feature". I've done this a couple of times myself. You can stop the alarm by pressing the unlock button on the remote. I think the principle behind this feature is that it prevents anyone (even you!) from opening the car any way other than with the remote, without the alarm going off. Just watch out that you don't use the remote to unlock the doors too far from the car, or you'll discover another feature: the doors will automatically relock after a few seconds. The principle behind this one escapes me--unless it's to protect us from ourselves, e.g. if we accidently press the unlock button as we're walking away from the car?

liljonson · July 2001

yup this feature is a pain but its the safest around.

jxs81 · July 2001

thanks for your reply, presario1 and hbund216.

The steering wheel vibration is only barely noticable. I noticed it the first time when started, and it's not any worth at any driving condition. Should I expect no vibration at all for a new car?

hbund216 · July 2001

Most 4 cylinder cars some vibration. The vibration is more pronounced when cold. I don't own an Elantra so I don't know how it is in the morning. Maybe some of the Elantra owners can share their experience on cold starts. FYI, my 4 cylinder Accord vibrates in the mornings or when the AC is on. I would say mention it to the dealer when you take it in for service and see what they say.

tonykrapil · July 2001

MOne did not do it till the dealer jacked around looking for brake noise.

It happens very pronouncedly at speeds 62-78 mph. A very definate tiring wobble of the wheel.

When it was new and untouched there was ZERO vibration hot or cold.

I will be bringing it in one day soon.

Tony

majorthomecho · July 2001

Sorry to hear that you have a problem with the service people at your dealer, but I would not let that stop you from having a potentially major problem checked out. To put it off may put your life in danger or more importantly, may put other people's lives in danger.

presario1 · July 2001

tonykrapil, are you still suspecting the lug overtightning as the suspect? Have you torqued the nuts to spec? It took new tires and rims to solve my shimmy at highway speeds, from dealer. But I rotated front tires to back, before taking it back to the dealer 2nd time around, and those lug nuts sure were tight, barely got them off, I weigh 195lbs, and there is no way my 16yr. old son or my wife could change the tires. To summarize: The dealer says they replace all my tires and rims after two lengthy service calls, but it doesn't add up, because all four tires couldn't have been bad, but it apparently worked. Anybody have to change a flat or remove a tire for some odd reason, and find the lug nuts very tight?

tonykrapil · July 2001

presario1,

They are torque to spec now and also been balanced by the dealer and then again tire shop.

Yes I do believe the start of the problem was caused by the over tightening and this has caused some warp-age of perhaps the front bearigs or even the rims.
I rotated the tires twice already and the problem has stayed the same.

In the beginning, the car only had a clicking type brake noise from the right rear. Thats when the dealer got involved and a good car, with a great solid sure footed ride started falling apart.

I will make time to take it in and prepare to do battle. It is a shame one has to deal with various personalities and less than adequate mechanics at times. This is not to say all mechanics are bad, the good ones just seem to be a rare breed.

Tony

ajalger · July 2001

Hey..

I'm sure some of you guys have swapped the head unit in your 2001 Elantra. Is the wiring harness for 1997-1999 Hyundai's the right one? I went to a couple places and they only had that one.. I bought it, but have not had the chance to take my deck out to see what the connector looks like. Also, if not, where did you get your harness?

Thanks!

dorf47 · July 2001

Mine just started doing that this weekend. Got about 1400 mi. on it, when going under 50mph you don't feel anything. Go over 50 and you can feel the steering wheel vibrated, hard enough that if I place my hands lightly on it my hands shake pretty hard. Taking it in to the dealer on Wed. and will let you know what they do/tell me.

tonykrapil · July 2001

Hope they can not only identify the problem BUT fix it the first time too.

Tony

presario1 · July 2001

Good Luck Dorf47, let us know. I and a few others had the shimmy from the purchase date, unlike you and tonykapril most recent. Hopefully your tire just got out of balance, but I'm curious if your willing to rotate the front tires to the back to check the torque of lug nuts and if the problem is a bad front tire, before taking it to the dealer?

zcman · July 2001

early 90's 4cyl Camry's had a strong vibration in both the steering wheel and shift level at idle. The problem wasn't corrected until the Camry was redesigned in mid 90's.

Motormouth · July 2001

BMW was getting so many complaints about that they changed the lower control arms on the affected cars

There was a TSB on that

Also those BMW's had numerous other glithes with the cars such as a faulty thermostat that so many people were complaining about

And then recently, BMW does a recall on over 20,000 of the 3 series, X5's and other BMW for a faulty fan controller or something like that
Several reports of cars catching fire after as little as a 100 miles on a new car have been reported on those BMW's

And those cars cost 30-40-50 K dollARS OR MORE

When there is a vibration on the steering wheel a few things come to mind

An out of round tire, out of balance tire, bent rim would be the basics

In really bad cases, one should check for any wheel bearing play, severely warped disks, maybe even a control arm that is throwing the suspension geometry off

race3 · July 2001

My wife and I are very interested in the Elantra GT. Does anyone have any input? Any reasons why we should not get one? I can't find any reasons yet.

aquesada · July 2001

I worked 9 years as an engineer at a Bridgestone-Firestone and I can tell you something:
To get Original Equipment tires(tires for new cars) on spec is a really pain full job,I do not know about Hyundai specs but guys like Ford,GM or BMW,really try to stretch the dynamic balance tolerances as much as possible in order to provide an a smooth ride, by saying this I mean we,as new car owners, could get tires out of spec that can lead our cars to a shimmy or vibration problem.

Some of those out of tolerance tires are almost impossible to get balanced,
so be careful and remember: there are humans working at Michelin also!!

darpin1 · July 2001

I mentioned this in an earlier post. After changing tires to Mich- X-one to replace the oe Khumos I began to get a vibration. 2 dealer balances and five yes five at a tire store still had the problem until someone finally noticed a wobble that was either the tire or the rim out of round. Put the tire on the rear and was less noticeable but you felt in the seat. If the culprit tire or wheel is on the front you'll feel it in the steering if in the rear in the seat.Usually you'll find dots on the tire and rim that match or line up together they mark the high point in the rim and low point in the tire that cancels the imperfections in both tire and rim. However most technicians don't account for that therefor you can balance forever and never get good results.Another thing to check if it's in the driveline the vibration take the car for a drive at the speed you indicated. Clutch or neutral if it still vibrates the likelyhood it's in the wheels if it stops then maybe the driveline. My problem was resolved by replacing one of the rims. From that point on perfect. Hope this helps!

tonykrapil · July 2001

I went into the dealer today as I was in the neighborhood. I spoke to a very talented mechanic and he says he has seen this before and is wiling to bet it is a result of over tightening the wheels to the car. This actually will warp the wheel assemblies and the only fix is to have them replaced. I have arranged an appointment for this coming Monday.

I have rotated tires, one at a time by myself and took same ride everyday to work and back. Nothing made a change soooo I am thinking the mechanic is correct.

ALSO, I had rear brake noises which sounded like a drum out of round and even after turning the drums, the problem was still there till he replaced the bearings in both rear wheels.

Like I had mentioned before, I had zero troubles till I took it in to the dealer at which I bought it at. Its been down hill since then, but with Vic (mechanic) attacking each little problem at a time, I am confident all the problems will be resolved. This warp may have also caused some tire wear which will require replacement.

I still love this car more than most any I have ever had and I have had a bunch. It never fails to exceed my expectations.

Cya,

Tony

pewterman · July 2001

I have not been here in awhile, but have been reading, with interest, the various posts about "shimmies". I had only a minor one early on which was corrected by balancing. But, I brought it in for 7,500 mile service, which included rotation and balancing and, sure enough, car began to vibrate like a Cuisinart at 60-70 mph! Back to dealer, and they have ordered a new rim. I'll keep you posted if you keep me posted. BTW, I'm in North Jersey--and proud of it!!

elantra00 · July 2001

Thats right. Im in Jersey too as well as a few other people in this forum. Representin!

I have yet to feel this vibration/shimmy. I have the hancook tires on my car. They are pretty good. Maybe you guys got the Kumho tires and that could be the culprit...cheaper brand. Or a simple balancing would solve it too

cjaccetta · July 2001

Also checking in from North Jersey....

I had a minor shimmy on my Elantra GT until about 400 miles ran off the odometer. Then it disappeared. I suspect a flat spot on the right front tire that wore even as I drove the car a while. The killer bumpy roads in Essex and Hudson counties will even out those pesky flat spots! I made some posts in here and the GT forum about the problem.

to race3 (post 1319): there is no reason not to consider the Elantra GT if you're in the market for a versatile compact car. Like mpgman said: "it's the best kept secret under $15K". The only trouble you might have is actually finding one on a dealer's lot and then getting a good price. The demand for these cars is very, very close to exceeding the supply. Have you checked out the Hyundai Elantra 5-door topic? If not, go take a look...you'll find a lot of helpful info on what people are paying for the car in various parts of the country. Good luck!

tonyg6 · July 2001

Hi all...

I bought my 4dr GLS [silver 5 spd] about 2 weeks ago too. So far so good

The only thing that disappoints me about the car is the mast antenna in the back. I know it's only a matter of time before it gets bent by some kid or passer-by. Has anyone looked into replacing it with a power antenna or even a telescopic manual type?

I'm in central NJ and I'm beginning to see quite a few on the road [no GT's yet]. It's without a doubt a nice car for the money! Good luck to everyone.

aquesada · July 2001

My Elantra has the anntena incorporated on the rear windshield,and works excellent!
I don't know if you can get this nice feature in the U.S.

baber · July 2001

The only problem I had with the Michelin tires on our 99 Elantra was they were inflated to 50 psi when we bought the car. Our 99 Elantra has NEVER been back to the dealer since we bought it Aug 99. And we are HAPPY about it. Dealers screw up more new cars then anyone will ever know. I do the maintainance myself. I have had the tire rotations and balancings done by a local tire store. Last month we went on a 1,000 mile trip. The car was smooth as glass up to 100 mph. We have Kumho tires on our 99 Accent that have been very good to us. After 55,000 miles those Kumho tires still have plenty of life left. Our Accent is smooth to 80 mph (fastest I have driven it). I took my Accent to the dealer to replace the filter and fluid in the auto trans (30,000 miles) some months ago. I had to bring it back after the trans started to leak. Caused by the dealer of course. I had to have the radio replaced at the dealer (lightning strike) and they screwed up the AC controls. The only time I bring a car into the dealer is for warranty work, and hope they don't screw that up. We like our two Hyundais because we don't have to take them to the dealer. I guess we were luckey because both of our Hyundais were perfect when we bought them (except for the tire pressure), we didn't have to have the dealer do any adjustments. This has been better then the Subaru, Honda, or Mercedes that we have bought new in the past. All of those cars needed adjustments to fix factory defects. I remember the dealer screwed up the trans on my Subaru when they forgot to refill my manual trans after they changed the fluid. I always check work done on my cars now. A good mechanic is worth his/her weight in gold.

rab613 · July 2001

i noticed in a previous post that if the alarm is deactivated too far away, the doors will automatically re-lock.i bought an elantra in early june, and the factory alarm is an active, rather than a passive system.therefore, the alarm never activates itself; rather i have to remember to activate it whenever i leave the car.could someone please clarify this matter?

thanks

vocus · July 2001

My 2001 Protege has this feature. If you hit the "unlock" button on the remote to open the doors and don't open them within like 30 seconds, they lock themselves back. That doesn't work when you leave the car though. It does not lock automatically. You have to lock it yourself.

falis01 · July 2001

I have a 2000 Wagon bought in Nov. 99. It now has 34,000 miles on it and it is still a great car. Few minor issues to report: While getting the 30,000 service (done in Canada, great labor rates!) they reported that I had a hole in my exhaust manifold. They wouldn't replace it under warranty because it was American and they don't have as good of a warranty up there. The mechanic was actually shocked to hear that we had 10 year/100,000 mile warranty on the powertrain. Anyway, I took it back to Pittsburgh and had that and the driver's seatbelt replaced. It wouldn't retract properly and it kept getting stuck in the door when closing.

I also have a persisting problem with the seatbelt holder on the passenger side rear. It hold's the seatbelt out of the way when you fold the seats down. It keeps coming out and they keep putting it back in. I wish they had a better solution.

Anyway, relatively minor issues. The car is a LOT more quieter than before with the new exhaust manifold. It was sounding a lot like a Subaru. All Subaru's have that awful exhaust problem (that is why I will never buy one). Anyway, just wanted to update everyone!

tazereli · July 2001

they say you learn somthing new everyday so here's yours. the subaru's sound that way because of the boxer engine design (otherwise known as a flat 4 or H4). if you listen closely you will noice a similarity between them and older volkswagons. both have the same engine design. I love the way it sounds because of that disticnt exhaust note. there are really no other newer cars out there that sound like it. the only exception is Porsche which also uses the boxer engine design. kinda nice to stand out from the masses. the exhaust setup is no different from other small cars except perhaps for different manufacturers. its the same cat followed by the muffler design on just about every car on the road. hope that clears up any misinformation you may have been given.

Kyle

elantra00 · July 2001

where in central jersey are you? Im up in basking ridge in somerset county. See plenty of Elantras up here

No GTs yet, but keepin my eyes peeled

jkempskie · July 2001

New Elantra owners... check your tire pressure. I've heard of many people getting their new cars and finding out that the tire pressure is way above what it should be (mine was about 47 psi instead of around 30). This affects tire wear, gas mileage, and more.

JEFF

silver_bullet · July 2001

If you are getting a new car with 45-50 psi in the tires, it means your dealer isn't doing the PDI. The cars are shipped with high tire pressures to prevent flat-spotting during the shipping and storage process - dealers should be setting the pressure correctly BEFORE you drive the car.

tonyg6 · July 2001

Hey elantra00,

I'm in Colonia, NJ [near Woodbridge; central NJ area].

Last time I was up near Basking Ridge was on my way towards Morristown.

Since my last post, I've seen a good number of new [2001] GLS's but no GT's yet. It's obvious that people are slowly catching on to what a good value the Elantras are compared to other cars in its class.

I just bought the 2001 GLS 5 spd to replace my wifes commuter car [1989 Toyota Corolla running on second engine; 195K miles and running on its last breath]. She does about 80 miles round trip per day so her mileage goes high quickly.

We've had it for about one month now and so far everything is fine

I have to admit, being a long time Toyota loyalist [had 2 Corollas, 3 Celicas] I had my doubts about Hyundai, but after close inspection I could find no fault with their cars. I've also had my fair share of problems with Toyotas and other makes so I know that brand reputation only goes so far.

PS: I also have a Santa FE I bought earlier this year. My decision to buy another Hyundai was helped by my experience with the SF [great car, ride, value]

dorf47 · July 2001

Had to reset my appointment with the service dept. until next Sat. (Working on the roof of my house and the weather held me up) Lotsa Jersey folks out there, any from Pa? I'm near Scranton and it's still a surprise to see another Elantra on the road. Though I know they're selling well in this area.

csandste · July 2001

I was waiting for more availability on the GT, but the 1987 Nova I was driving may have given up the ghost so I gotta move fast. Was quoted $10,800 for a manual with group 2. This is better than the Edmunds fair value price, but can I do better?

elantra00 · July 2001

Ok. I know where Colonia is. My uncle use to live there. Like 40 mintues from me, if that.

Anyway, how do you like your Santa Fe? Im looking at one to replace my 96 Jeep Cherokee when I pass it down to my brother. Also, its high mileaged with 110k miles and uses up to much gas. I need something with 4 wheel drive to get me through the snow. I like the look of the santa fe so how is its performance?

Csandste...That is an EXCELLENT price. Go down to the dealer right now and buy the car at that price. That is right around invoice. I got my 2k Elantra for 10,900 after long negotiations. So at that price, BUY IT NOW

mike91326 · July 2001

I just got an 01 Elantra GLS, Group 3 with a 5 Speed. When I asked my dealer about fog or driving lights he told me that they only come on the GT. However, it looks like you could install lights where the round black vents are. The vents appear to only be held in by two screws each. Has anyone installed fog or driving lights in their 01 GLS? If so, what brand and model did you use and how much work was involved?

elantra00 · July 2001

It looks like you can, but I dont think you can. They have knock out panels to put the lights in but no wiring and no place to mount them. They quoted me $400 for the lights, mounting bar put in, wiring and switch plus instalation. I said hell no, and bought some PIAA driving lights. They look good and are half the price

smiller678 · July 2001

Those round black vents (air intakes) are where fog lights are installed on at least the Korean spec'd model. There is no wiring, at least on my car, for fog lights. I did get the 01 fog lights and created my own wiring harness. I used a generic fog light kit. I draw the main power off of the 12V battery power and on/off of of the low beam power. Thus, everytime I turn on my headlights (low beam) they automatically turn on. The problem with the 01 Elantras is that they the on/off switch is mount to the turn signal stalk. Thus, you have to get a new turn signal stalk and replace the original on. This requires a lot of expertise. I am not even sure that the wiring inside the vehicle is there. Probably its not.

mike91326 · July 2001

What brand and size of fog lights did you get? If I went with fog lights, your idea about using the low beams is great. It would make wiring easy. But, if I went with driving lights, I would need to install a switch in one of the knock outs on the dash. I would not want driving lights coming on with my head lights.

csandste · July 2001

When I went down to the dealer this morning to close on the $10,800 Elantra I was told that price was for the base car only and I would have to pay almost $400 more for the group 2 add on. This is not the deal I thought it was and I'm now waivering between the Elantra and a Focus Zx3. Actually I had planned to drive my mother-in-law's old Chevy Nova (which passed away on Friday) until the Elantra GT's were in better supply and the ZX5 was released so this comparison isn't quite as odd as it seems. However, now I'll have to choose since the only GT's around here have automatics.

I checked a local Ford dealer and they have manual transmission ZX3's coming out of their ears so I ought to get a decent price, think there's a $500 rebate+ 3.9% financing or $1000 rebate only on the ZX3. Price should still be higher than the Elantra but resale should be better. However given the fact that Hyundai's on a roll this might change. Anyone have thoughts on this?

fangio2 · July 2001

I'm in SC and my local dealer seems to have plenty of GT's and XG's.He's running XG's at a little over $20,000 and GT's for $13,999.

csandste · July 2001

St. Charles County Missouri (St.Louis metro). First GT into our dealer was a 5 speed, only have one auto. in stock now. Other dealers I called averaged about three cars all automatics. My local dealer sells Suzukis, Isuzus, VW's and Nissans as well so his lot is full. Probably carries about 30 Elantra GLS's. All 5 speeds are either charcoal or cranberry except for one black that has a sun roof. I'd love to pick up a GT for $13,999, unfortunately as of Friday I'm essentially car-less.

fangio2 · July 2001

hangin out here.These GT's seem pretty desirable-I'm gonna have to test one out .

smiller678 · July 2001

Hi,

I went with the Hyundai OEM Fog Lights for the Elantra. When I purchased back in December of 2000 there was no wiring kit or dash mounted switch. Only the lights so that is why I created my own wiring. Since I always like my fog lights on I decided to tie into the low beam and have them always on when the low beam is always on. Thus, there was no need for any dash mounted switch. I wanted to most integrated/factory look I could get. I bought my fog lights at HDK Auto Sport (www.hdkautosport.com).

Good luck,

Shawn

backy · July 2001

Shawn, it's lucky for you that you live somewhere where driving all the time with fog lights on is not illegal. Up here in Minnesota and neighboring Wisconsin, the state troopers will pull you over for that.

smiller678 · July 2001

Backy,

That may be the case in Minnesota and Wisconsin but I live in California. It is completely legal as is day time running lights. What is not legal is running fog lights in conjunction with high beams.

Hyundai Elantra 2001-2006

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