Hyundai Elantra 5-door

mpgman

I hear you on the gap insurance but leasing a low resale car is a bad idea in general IMHO, especially when you can can lease a more expensive and often better regarded model for the same or less due to the residual.

backy

I agree. I would never lease a Hyundai. The monthly payments are too high because of the low residual. Makes better sense on cars like Hondas, or some of the luxury brands like BMW that offer subsidized leases vs. rebates.

shurik

I have a 2002 Elantra GT with just under 28K miles on it. Took it in for 30K service and the dealer is telling me that the rear brakes are worn out 100% and need to be replaced. Breaking's been lousy lately so I believe him. However, is this typical brake wear on these cars? The dealer says that 17K is about all these brakes can handle. THIS statement I'm finding hard to swallow. I have a 2000 Toyota 4Runner with 75K miles and I still haven't had to replace brakes on it. I had brakes checked at the last oil change on the 4Runner and they had 50% wear.

What is up with Hyundai brakes? Anyone else had similar experience? Or am I being fed a load of crap and possibly other problems account for excessive brake wear?

Alex

utahgt

55000 on my GT and the front and rear about about 3/4 worn. Are most of your miles stop and go or highway?

backy

I have almost 30k on my '01 GLS, just had the brakes checked and they're fine. Strong braking action. Most of my miles are in city driving, a lot of stop and go. The statement about the brakes being good for only 17k is bunk--unless you are exceptionally hard on brakes?

shurik

Most of it is city driving. I live in Chicago area, so it's a mix of streets and congested highways. But I'm generally not hard on brakes. Also the front brakes appear to be fine and some other dealers I called said that front brakes will typically wear out sooner than rear.

I had a problem earlier where the parking brake cable broke and rear brakes wouldn't release. Had it fixed but suspect that somehow that caused the brakes to wear out. Just don't know how to prove that.

backy

I think you hit the nail on the head.

shurik

Most of it is city driving. I live in Chicago area, so it's a mix of streets and congested highways. But I'm generally not hard on brakes. Also the front brakes appear to be fine and some other dealers I called said that front brakes will typically wear out sooner than rear.

I had a problem earlier where the parking brake cable broke and rear brakes wouldn't release. Had it fixed but suspect that somehow that caused the brakes to wear out. Just don't know how to prove that.

dovid2

Our 2000 GLS brakes lasted 60,000 miles, and
my wife is not easy on them. Fronts do usually
go first.

harlequin1971

i think you need to shuttle over to a different dealer. bring your repair slips and ask them for a second opinion.

my guess is that dealer one just wants you to pay the full price rather than submit it to warranty for a reduced price...from what you are saying, it DOES dound like it relates back to your parking brake issue.

for what it is worth, some brakes are not built to last - the previous generation Volvo S40 was notorious for wearing out pads every 10-15k...but that is unusual and caused alot of frustration by owners. If Elantra pads only could handle 17k miles - I think we would have some real complaints going around about it.

you are getting the run around.

jimbeaumi

I have just rolled 51K miles on my '01 GLS with original brakes. I imagine the dealer will suggest work when we go in for the 52,500 checkup.

csandste

front and back.

aznmonty

i have about 43K on my 03GT, brakes starting to squeak. only started this week when temps started to drop. But, I figure this is a good time to replace the brakes. Anyone have a suggestion for a good place to do brakes in Chicago? Car X a good place? Need a place to do oil changes now as well..kill two birds with one stone.

themanx

See if your dealer has any specials or coupons... I get my oil changed at the dealer with all the $19.95 coupons they send me.

Might be able to get the brakes looked at and on special if you have a dealer you like.

My dealer knows me well and takes care of me on all sorts of small stuff.

ElantraStan

mpgman

Mine went at 27,000 but the front brakes are still good and have about 30% left according to my mechanic at 49,000. The bad news is that while the front are the original brakes the rears have only 30% left now too.

jlflemmons

'02 Elantra GLS w/5spd. Fronts were changed at 39K as I had warped a rotor (hot rotor + cold water = warp) and you don't put used pads on freshly turned rotors. Still had over 50% of the material left. The rears were less than 20% worn at that time.

 

If you are seeing rear brakes wearing out in less than 40K, something is not right.

billmchale

Well it took them long enough, but Hyundai elantra finally managed to get a good rating for the offset crash test scores. That means that the Elantra is now one of the safer small cars on the road.

jpryba

Sorry to be a party pooper, but Hyundai and a lot of other automakers seem to have some work to do with head restraints. Check out http://www.iihs.org/vehicle_ratings/head_restraints/details_page.- - - htm for more info. You'll see the Elantra didn't do too well, but the Civic and some others in the Elantra's class were about the same as well.

 

Of course, give the automakers a few more years and this won't be much of an issue anymore. It's the same when the IIHS started its offset crash tests in the mid 90's. Lots of cars didn't do too well back then.

mpgman

I've always been puzzled by my 01 Elantra GT hatch's doors that seemed to automatically lock themselves after several minutes, even after I left the car unlocked in the driveway or garage and swear the key fob lock button never got pushed. Some posters said this was a feature of the power door locks. I was in a Hyundai dealer picking up a new car today (05 Elantra GLS automatic sedan for $10,250 with CD, mud flaps and floor mats...hell of a deal I think with the rebates and all) and mentioned this locking problem to a service tech. She told me that they are not supposed to do that and that there was a TSB to correct an electrical issue that was causing it. Anyone hear about this? She said there was a wiring problem near the center pillar.

backy

There's no TSB like that on the Hyundai Webtech site.

 

My '01 GLS has one remote with a hair-trigger. All it takes is the slightest touch to lock the doors. That remote just failed, and I got a new one (under warranty). It doesn't seem nearly as sensitive. The remote was redesigned for '04 so that the buttons are depressed, making it harder to trigger accidentally.

billmchale

I agree Hyundai needs to do work on the head restraint issue. That being said it is not nearly as serious an issue as the offset crash test score was. A poor head restraint increases the chances you will get whiplash in a rear end collision; while I don't want to underestimate the pain or seriousness of whiplash it is far preferable to the risks associated with poor offset crash test scores.

 

The Elantra I think at this point can more or less be considered a safe, reliable car.

 

--

Bill

inharmsway

Hi.

My 2004 GT 5-door and a GLS rental I drove both locked doors 30 seconds after you hit the unlock button on the remote if you did not opened any doors. That way the car will not stay unlocked if you accidentally hit the unlock by mistake.

inharmsway

wittdog

I have a 2002 Hyundai Elantra GLS with 19,600 miles, and I had to replace the rear brakes and the rotors. I don't think that I am hard on the brakes, yet they were shot. The passenger rear brake was worn down completely. I did not hear any wear indicators until the brake pad was gone, and the metal left over was rubbing against the rotor, completely destroying it. The rubbing would only occur when I was accelerating, and the car had been running for longer that 15 minutes. It was also more noticeable when I made a sharp left turn. The driver side rear brake, still had 3 millimeters left. According to the dealer, three millimeters is when the brakes need to be replaced. The front brakes still have 6 millimeters left according to the dealership. I took the car to the dealer just last week for a oil change and a coolant flush. I thought the technician would have seen the brakes were going bad during the routine maintenance inspection that is included with the oil change. I just had the rear brakes cleaned and adjusted 9 months ago. (6,000 miles ago). The dealership covered the cost of the rotors, but I had to pay for the brake pads. ( I have had my car serviced at the same dealership since I bought my car in September 02). I asked to see the brakes, and they were indeed shot. The passenger brake pad was sticking to the rotor, wore it down and destroyed it. Is it normal to have to replace the rear brakes at under 20,000 miles?

 

wittdog

The mirror cover on the passenger side on my 2002 Elantra would not stay open and would fall back down. Upon further inspection, I determined that the cover was broken where it clips into place. The dealership replaced the sunshade under warranty. I hope that this information helps.

backy

No, it isn't. Any chance the car was driven with the parking brake partially engaged?

wittdog

No, my car was not driven with the parking brake partially engaged. That would be a good reason for the rear brakes to wear though. I found that out the hard way with my 1986 Cutlass Supreme Wagon. That happened years ago however. I didn't get an answer to why the pad was sticking in the first place from the dealership. If the parking brake had been partially engaged, wouldn't both rear brake pads have worn down and destroyed both rear rotors?

backy

That is a good point, and I think worth taking up with the service manager at the dealership to see if they will pay for the repair under warranty (because it appears to be a defect, e.g. brake sticking). If they won't agree to that, you can ask to talk to the Hyundai regional customer service rep.

wittdog

The issue has already been taken up with the service manager. Actually, my service advisor contacted the service manager and the local regional hyundai customer service representative. That is what I was told anyway. They only agreed to pay for the rotors. The service advisor who assisted me, suggested that I contact a hyundai customer service representative. I contacted someone from hyundai customer service and they called the dealership and spoke to my service advisor. The service advisor I was working with spoke to the customer service representative. The hyundai customer service representative said that the dealership did not indicate that there was any manufacturing defect, therefore the repair would not be covered under warranty. I brought up the fact that this should have been caught last week during my oil change and coolant flush. I thought that a routine maintenance inspection occurred every time the oil was changed. At least that is what I was lead to believe from the dealership. I don't think I will be successful in recovering the cost of the rear brakes, since the driver side rear brake was almost gone already, only 3 millimeters were left on the pad. I was concerned that I would have to pay for the rotors, when the passenger brake pad wore down to nothing, ruining my passenger side rotor. (Caused by the brake pad sticking.) I do agree that since the brake pad was sticking, it should be covered under warranty. I may contact hyundai customer service again to further pursue the issue. Do you suggest I should do that, or will it be a lost cause? Thanks for you help.

backy

I would pursue it further because it is clear the brakes did not operate normally, i.e. one stuck causing rotor damage. If you can show on the receipt for the prior service that a brake check was performed (or should have been performed) by the dealer, that will help your case. You could add that you checked with several other Elantra owners and none of them experienced this kind of rear brake wear, and uneven brake wear, in 20,000 miles. Perhaps a polite letter to the owner of the dealership, noting how you have been a loyal customer, purchased your car there and take it for service there, would help (couldn't hurt). No smart business owner wants an unhappy customer.

wittdog

Should I pursue the issue with the dealership or hyundai? I know you said I could write a letter to the owner of the dealership. That may help my case. Yes, I do have receipts from the service department that a 15,000 mile service was performed on my vehicle. This service was actually performed at 13,000 miles. This service was supposed to include cleaning and adjusting the rear brakes. Perhaps they were not adjusted correctly, causing the one brake to stick. I don't drive my car that much, back and forth to work, and to run a few errands here and there. Thanks for all of your help.

mpgman

The service tech at Lester Glenn in Toms River, NJ was adamant that the doors on my 01 GT hatch should not lock automatically, whether 30 seconds later or longer, if left in the unlocked mode and there is no key fob action to lock them. She says they have seen a few cars come in with this and when they did the fix, they found corroded wires in one of the housings near the center door pillar. Bottom line according to her is that there is a problem, Hyundai notified them of it, and that the dealer will fix it.

5port

There is a connector in either the A pillar or B pillar that handles the door wiring among other things. In the early GTs (01-like mine) if you used the automatic car wash alot water would make its way into this connector and rot a few pins. I believe there is a TSB for connector replacement.

harlequin1971

if currently locked:

 

if your vehicle is locked and the key fob is used to unlock the car (intentional or not) but the car remains unopened for 30 seconds, the car will once again arm and lock all the doors. This will disable as soon as any door is opened.

 

if currently unlocked:

 

if your vehicle is unlocked and at least one door (though not the hatch) has been opened, or if you have just exited from a running car, it should remain open. Failure to remain open is a service issue that should be addressed quickly.

 

Big difference maker is, was you in, or was you out?

 

If locked and u use a fob to unlock, u have 30 seconds to get it open before it re-locks. (preventing the inadvertent leaving on your car unlocked when putting your fob in a pocket and tripping the unlock button)

 

If it is open, it should lock unless activated by the fob.

mpgman

The GT is at the dealer. They are installing a new wiring harness. Sure enough, they found corroded wires near the center door pillar, exactly the way it was described by a service tech at another dealer. This is apparently in a TSB. Every time I've been to the dealer for servicing, I've always asked about any outstanding TSBs and each time was told there weren't any. Apparently this is an all day job so they need to keep the car another day. And to think that I thought that automatically locking doors was a standard feature! If some of you experience automatically locking doors on 01 or 02s, such as having the doors lock after you walk away from the car with the doors in the unlocked mode, you may want to visit your dealer unless you like the "feature" and are willing to bet that no door entry or alarm problems ensue if the connection shorts out. I am not sure when this problem was recognized and corrected so 03s might be affected too.

mpcdc

I have an 04 elantra gt hatchback with about 9,000 miles. I have been very happy with it but at certain highway speeds, approx 70-85 mph, when going straight, the car seems to shift a bit (it moves a little bit to the left or right) requiring me to make minor steering adjustments. It feels like it is being buffeted by strong wind, but on days without wind. It doesn't occur if I am cornering at all, below 70ish, or above 85ish. It has started (or at least I have noticed it) within the last 2,500 or so miles. Is this the "wobble" I have read about a lot in earlier Elantras or something simpler like an alignment (I do go over a bunch of poor city streets? Thanks for your help

jimbeaumi

The wiring harness corrosion issue may have been the cause of my alarm malfunction (5:30 in the morning, thanks alot) earlier this year. Dealer corrected it and indicated that there was a relevant TSB.

backy

Sounds like a re-alignment is in order, esp. since you just started noticing it and you drive on "poor city streets". Have you rotated the tires yet during the first 9,000 miles?

themanx

rotate the tires, check the air pressure, might want to check the lugs to see if they are tight on the wheels.

 

A possible alignment, but I would put money on a bad out or round tire..

 

Let us know what you find.

mpgman

The dealer is telling me that if you leave them unlocked they should stay that way and that there is no auto lock feature. They are replacing the entire wiring harness today after finding corroded wires. Warranty will cover the parts and about 8-9 hours of labor. This only happened when I was out of the car. I also notice that the later model key fobs have depressed buttons to avoid accidentally hitting them but this was not the case with my doors locking.

bri76

Today I went to the local Jiffy Lube for my usual oil change for my 2001 Elantra GT. I was informed that they offered a total transmission fluid flush called T-Tech. I remembered something in the manual stated that at 30k miles to have the trans fluid checked. Without the benefit of research or knowing better, I stupidly told the tech to go ahead with the flush.

 

What concerns me the most is the replacement fluid they used- DEXRON III.

 

Did I mess up my car? The car is presently running fine. The shifts are better than before but I can find no mention of Dexron III being okay for Hyundai transmissions. I told the tech to make sure a Hyundai approved fluid is used. He responded not worry that it is a standard transmission fluid and it should work fine. Should I spend another 100 something dollars to have it removed?

 

Thanks, in advanced.

bikerpa

On WebTech (http://www.hmaservice.com), Hyundai specifies "DIAMOND ATF SP-III, SK ATF SP-III" for automatic transmission fluid. I ran a search on the Hyundai-recommended product and DEXRON III and came up with this on a newsgroup:

 

"As has been stated many times in this newsgroup, Hyundai AT's *don't* use Dexron III/Mercon V AT fluid, and using it will royally screw up your

AT (but it's better than nothing in an emergency).

 

Hyundai uses a variety of Type 7176, a/k/a ATF++3 tranny fluid, which is more viscous than Dexron III. They aren't interchangeable, and Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF is *not* a substitute, unfortunately."

 

KEEP YOUR JIFFY LUBE RECEIPT, and scream bloody murder at the owner of the franchise. When you can prove that you are in the right, you have no business paying $100+ to remedy a problem they caused. In the future, also, you might keep a printout of the Elantra's manufacturer-recommended maintenance schedule with you whenever you walk into a place that'll try to upsell you services you might not need, and that might (if they replaced the wrong fluid, for instance) do more harm than good.

 

I used to use Jiffy Lube back when I owned a '95 Sonata - it was thoroughly blown out, and I felt it wasn't worth my time to do oil changes myself. Come to think of it, I ditched that car because the transmission failed again 57k after I sunk $2300 into rebuilding it the first time it failed; maybe this is why. On the other hand, since I bought my Elantra last April, nobody touches it so far unless they're me or the dealer, and I went to the trouble to learn how to fiddle under the hood and with the car up on jackstands for things like oil changes and tire rotation. It's worth it to me.

 

Good luck, and let us know how it goes!

lngtonge18

Dexron III is NOT to be used in a Hyundai tranny. Hyundai will not warranty a failed tranny if its discovered that this fluid was used. Dexron can be used in a jam and for short periods of time but it can destroy the tranny in as little as 10k because it is thicker then what the tranny was designed for, thus causing overheating, gelling, and too little lubrication. I would have the tranny completely flushed of the Dexron and refilled with the ATF-SP III as soon as you can.

 

As for Jiffy Lube, I would either demand a refund for the tranny service since they used a non specified fluid (show them your manual; I'm quite sure it specifies not to use Dexron) and take it to Hyundai to have the service done or buy enough fluid from a Hyundai dealer and take it to Jiffy and request that they redo the service with your fluid while you watch (request a discount since they are using your fluid). If you do the latter, just keep the receipts for the fluid and the Jiffy service in your manual. The Jiffy receipt should specify that they used the customer supplied ATF SP III. That way you are covered if the tranny fails before 100k.

 

This is not something to fool around with for sure. I'm friends with a Mitsubishi service advisor who said he has seen many failed trannys due to using Dexron fluid (Mitsu requires the same fluid as Hyundai). And I'm sure the owners blame the car for being unreliable when in fact it's their negligence for using the wrong fluid.

bri76

I will get the Dexron III removed. For the sake of a little brevity I did not mention the reason why I had it in mind to replace my tranny fluid.

 

Two weeks ago I had a small tiff with my Hyundai dealer when I had my Elantra in for a "check engine light" condition. He informed me that a speed sensor related to my transmission needed to be replaced under warranty. He then told me that I needed my transmission "tuned" and for $300 he can have my transmission flushed and in good working order.

 

I was having none of it as I thought I could get the same service done for much much less. That was the core problem. I took it for granted that the dealer was right in that at 30k miles I was in need of a tranny flush. I did not bother to check the manual. When the Jiffy Lube tech offered the T-Tech service, I immediately took him up on it.

 

Oh, the irony. I may have to slink back to this dealer to get a service that was unnecessary before, but right now has become imperative.

 

I may try AAMCO first. My dealer's prices are very high and I resent their attempt on making me spend extra money unecessarily. I understand that I may have left myself with little choice in the matter.

 

Thanks again.

bikerpa

No worries. Look on the bright side - you learned something, and your car still works. That's more than can be said for an awful lot of people out there, at times myself included. Good luck!

Sylvia

Yes, thanks for sharing your experience. This is very helpful information for Elantra owners to know.

billmchale

Is that you can never really trust with anything more than oil changes. I am sure that some of them are well run with good Mechanics working for them, but by and large most of the employees are not really mechanics; they know how to do an oil change and any other specific task they are trained for... but they are almost certainly not trained how to figure out all the right things for an individual car model, if its not in their computer they can't do it.

 

Find yourself a good mechanic and stick with him (or her as the case may be), go to him if you need anything more than an oil change (and you can't do the work yourself). It might be at the dealer, but some of the best mechanics work at greasey garages... at least that is my experience.

 

--

Bill

mpgman

Got the car back today with a new wiring harness. They claim it took a full day's labor, all covered by the warranty. If I left it unlocked and walked away it would still lock up. So far so good. No automatic unintentional locking, period.

themanx

I always get service coupons from my dealer for cheap oil changes and discounts on other works.

 

I actually think I could haggle them down on a tranny flush if I though the price was too high.

 

I let them change the oil every 3 to 4K miles and they know me well. I get taken care of well over there and for $19.95 I can't go anywhere else and get my oil changed any cheaper.

 

I am a great negotiator, it never hurts to ask for cheaper prices, discounted rates and special

deals.. all they can say is no.

 

ElantraStan

masondc

I need floor mats and have looked on eBay and other places. Do I need to buy mats specifically for a 2001 GT? Will other years (2000, 2002) work? Will floor mats that aren't for a GT work? Is there any guide for this? Thanks in advance.

backy

Years '01-'05 should work for the '01 GT. Another option is to get the standard grey Elantra mats; those will fit too (not as cool however). Or you could measure the GT mats and go to your neighborhood auto or discount store and find afternarket mats that are the closest fit, which would be less expensive than the OEM mats.