Hyundai Elantra Maintenance and Repair

kt01852

Just bought a brand new elantra.......85 miles on it. just noticed a tapping type noise when i first accelerate or going just a few miles an hour. I've never owned a 4 cyl. car let alone a brand new one. is this just a normal noise of a 4 cyl. or should i head back to the dealer. already heading back cause a/c isnt working.

baobaolele

I am a new member here. I want to buy a new 2005 car. I prefer Hyundai GLS or GT standard feature with mannual shift. Please give me some price info about these two models. Thank you so much!!!!!!!!!

kt01852

i just bought a 2005 elantra gls for 12,700......that is for an automatic. manual transmissions were about 1000 less.

doohickie

Which options?

kt01852

only got standard options for $12,700. but their standard options included am/fm stereo cassette......keyless entry....alarm......ac........not bad for the price except a/c isnt working(hopefully getting fixed tomorrow) and an annoying tapping noise from the engine in low gear. not sure if i made the correct car choice but only time will tell.

baobaolele

so 12700 is the outdoor price or dealer price, do you order any extra option or just purely standard feature? And also, which state you bought? Tahnks

baobaolele

just the standard feature. Thanks

jlflemmons

You can use the Edmunds New Car buying page and get a good idea of what prices are being paid in your area. Configure it to match what you are looking at and you can see the MSRP, Selling price, and invoice.

medic7603

I have a 1999 Elantra and the air bag light has been on for quite some time. The only shop in the area that will touch it for this repair is the Hyundai dealer and their labor rates just to look at it are very cost prohibitive(100+ /hr) I have checked all the fuses and basic things but don't what causes it to stay on. Any body have any ideas?

1racefan

Might be a faulty airbag module. If it is the module, and your light is on, you can go to an auto parts store and aske them to hook a reader up to your car and check for error codes (some places charge for this, some do not). Typically, the air bag module will show an error code on the scanner that the shop / store uses.

baobaolele

I plan to buy the 05 GT, would you please tell me how much you paid for the car (out door price), any extra feature, and which state you are, thanks.

Karen_S

This topic is about problems and solutions. Please go to the Hyundai Elantra: Prices Paid & Buying Experience to continue your discussion.

baobaolele

I live in Reno, Nevada, try to buy Hyundai from CA, do I have to pay CA's tax? what is the procedure for this? Thanks

kt01852

anyone else find the elantra engine a bit noisy when first starting or at slow acceleration or did i get a car with a problem? took it to the dealer......he claims "normal noises".......i didnt notice any noises during test drive. kind of annoying for a brand new car.
thanx for any info from anyone.

backy

Is this a 5-speed or automatic? I own both and notice the automatic is quieter. Anyway, neither is particularly noisy on slow acceleration. It does get raucous at high revs however (it is a 4-banger econobox, after all).

What you could do is, next time you are at the dealer, ask to drive (with service tech with you) your car and a new Elantra of same type off the lot back-to-back, and see if there is any difference in noise.

kt01852

2005 elantra.....automatic......
i have a whisling noise while stepping on the accelerator only at 40 mph or more...whistling stops once i release the gas pedal....sounds like it's coming from the front driver's side....anybody have this noise or any suggestion on what it may be?
thanx.

doohickie

This probably won't help too much, but my money is on a vaccuum leak. It's under warranty, right? Take it in and let them find it.

jkobb

I get that too , I guess it could be called a whistle . It will come at about 40mph to 50 mph . Around 55 or so it seems to go away or at least I`m not noticing it .If I lean over toward the center of the car it isn`t as noticeable. I was at first thinking a wind noise but when you let up on the gas it goes away. As soon as you push on the gas it comes back. I don`t know whats causing it , but if you get the car in and find the cause let me know too. I have out of town guests and won`t be able to get the car in for a while.

1racefan

I have had this same thing in a couple of other 4 cylinder vehicles I have owned in the past. I was told (by a mechanic) one time that this noise has to do with the fuel pump - that this noise was common at certain throttle ranges. He didn't go into any further explanation. I was wondering myself why the noise would come from the front of the car (seemingly) when the fuel pump is in the back - unless this noise is the result of some kind of electrical interference from the fuel pump, and the noise is coming out of a speaker in the cabin or something???

nodule

I have a 2005 Elantra GLS with 8900 miles. So far, the car has been great. However, from
the very beginning, there is this slight engine pinging on hard acceleration. What could be
causing this and what can I do to correct this??
I tried different gas brand, but that did not help at all.

Thank you

jessyj

Today i test drove a 2002 Elantra. Sometimes when I had the clutch pressed in I heard a loud moaning noise. This also happened once while I was driving as i was letting the clutch out. The other time it happened while i was sitting still at a 4 way stop. Is this common. Or does anyone have any guesses as to what it is. I am not sure if it was the clutch. I drove it for 40 minutes and I heard the moan (almost sounded like a pump turning on) like three times. They also told me that they had just washed the car ... could it have been related to that?

When i told the car sales man he said it was just the airconditioner ?

Thanks

backy

Well, it's not the A/C (or shouldn't be). It does not make loud moaning noises when working properly. Did the noise occur when you depressed the clutch pedal (and maybe also when you let it out)? If so, it could be some bushings, that had to be replaced twice in the first 35,000 miles on my '01 GLS. The good news is, it's covered under the 5-year/60k miles warranty (maybe also the powertrain warranty, but I'm not sure on that and besides you won't get the long powertrain warranty on a used Elantra). But if it happened while the car was just sitting there, and you weren't using the clutch pedal, I have no idea what it was. But I sure wouldn't buy that car until I did know. I'd make sure the dealer fixed it before buying the car.

jessyj

Well it did it when I was just sitting at the stop sign before I had begun to let out the clutch. It was almost like something turned on in the car and started humming. It was very odd and loud. (I've never heard anything like it) My sister was sitting next to me and heard it too. Then while we were driving it happened again when I had the clutch pushed in to shift into a higher gear and I was letting it back out again. It was just a hummmmm but loud and it definitely wasn't an engine noise. I would compare it to perhaps a steering pump noise? except it was lower toned definitely not screechy just a moan a low pitched one. It doesnt fade just HMMMMMM real loud and then goes away after I let the clutch out fully

It didn't happen every time I pushed in the clutch just a few times. The salesman hadn't had it checked over by mechanics yet, but let me drive it anyway because I said I wanted to.

kt01852

my elantra seems to have a high idle when started after sitting for a few hours........can anyone tell me what the "normal" rpms should be when the car is first started......mine run at about a steady 1500 until i put the car in gear and then the idle will drop down to about 800. is the 1500 at startup normal?
thanx.

dclurker

If it's any consolation, I have the exact same problem. I doubt that it's good for the transmission to be put in gear at such high RPM, so unless I'm in a hurry, I wait until the revs come down on their own (takes about a minute and a half) before putting it in gear. Apparently there's something called the cold idle air valve that could be the culprit. It should be covered under warranty, but then my experience has been that dealers will do/say anything to avoid doing warranty work. I'll probably live with the rev problem until/unless I have a more urgent reason to go back to the dealer.

tenpin288

This may actually be related to emission requirements and the fact that your car's catalytic converter cools down after being off for a few hours. Many cars with converters will exhibit this behavior on a cold start. The idea is to get the catcon to warm up to operating temperature as fast as possible and then the engine idle speed will drop down as the catcon reaches that temp.

alfredob

Around two weeks ago I noticed that the gasoline continuosly is pushed back when I am filling the tank. So, I have to spent a very long time in the gas station, pouring the gas very slowly. I have a 97 Elantra. The guy in the gas station told me that he had seen several of these cases in this model. What can Ido?

camelogue

I took my 2002 Elantra to my mechanic who did a brake job all the way around. They said I needed RF caliper. They said they called Hyundai dealer and were told this was not a BTB coverage item. Can anyone verify this?

Thanks

doohickie

Contact another dealer. This is NOT a wear item and should be covered by BtB.

doohickie

There could be a venting problem with your fuel tank. The air that is pushed out as the tank is filled goes out may not be venting properly.

Since 1970 all tanks are vented through a charcoal canister, into the engine to be burned before being released to the atmosphere. This is called evaporative emission control.

If the tank is overfilled, it is possible get gasoline into the charcoal cannister which can hinder or prevent this venting, thus causing spit back through the nozzle as air is venting out as the gas goes in. I've never messed with the cannister; I would probably take it to a repair shop.

alfredob

Thanks, doohickie, I will follow your advise.

doohickie

Good luck!

trevordavies

My 2001 Elantra (Ontario Canada) has what sounds like a front wheel bearing problem - buzzing which varies according to speed and on left/right cornering. It's only done 74000 kms (46000 miles). Has anyone had to replace a front wheel bearing? If so was it covered under warranty. Should I expect this to be covered under warranty here in Canada? Could it be something else e.g. from the transmission?

If this was not covered under warranty, did you replace the front wheel bearing(s?) yourself and did you need anything special to do it?

camelogue

Contacted another dealer, they said, they would have to look at it. Well its already been replaced and not covered by warranty. Has anyone had caliper replaced under warranty? Is it worth trying to contact Hyundai or was I screwed because I thought I only needed brakes and took it to local repair shop?

smith20

Hyundai is recalling Elantras to fix the Occupant Classification System. Read about it here.

I'm glad to hear they found a solution.

dclurker

I wonder if Hyundai's fix will help those of us who have the opposite problem: the airbags don't turn on when they should (when a small adult is the passenger).

kyyuen

I have just sent a letter to Hyundai Motor America regarding your question, let's keep our channels open see if there is a fix. My dealership has been useless in fixing this safety issue.

smith20

I wonder if Hyundai's fix will help those of us who have the opposite problem: the airbags don't turn on when they should (when a small adult is the passenger).

Interesting. I didn't even fully read the article I guess. I just read the title and saw OCS recall and I assumed it was to fix systems that couldn't recognize people that it otherwise should I didn't even realize anyone had a problem with it recognizing people (such as children) that are below the intended weight limit. I don't think I've ever read about anyone having that problem here on the Edmunds boards. Maybe the news article got its facts backwards.

dclurker

kyyuen---you and I must have the same dealer My dealer denied that there is a problem, stating that the airbags shouldn't come on unless the passenger weighs at least 115 pounds (my wife weighs 95). My "Rube Goldberg" solution? I bought a 25-lb weight (like what you'd put on a barbell). When my wife rides in our Elantra, I put the weight on the seat and put a cushion on top of it for her to sit on. I know that sounds weird, but at least it turns off that stupid light.

smith20--when I saw the headline I assumed the same thing you did. After reading the article, however, I realized that Hyundai, as usual, has it bass ackwards.

smith20

I'm hoping it's Reuters that has it backwards.

backy

You should print off Hyundai's own service bulletin on the OCS, which states the weight that is supposed to turn the airbag on (I think it's about 50 pounds but don't recall exactly), and hand it to the service manager.

I would expect a recall would cover both situations.

smith20

I would expect a recall would cover both situations.

My question is are there really two situations? I searched "airbag" in this discussion and the only problem reports I could find are ones where the OCS is not sensitive enough . . . thereby failing to activate the airbag for lighter weight people.

If anyone has actually had the problem where the airbag is always activated, or activates too easily, could you please post. I'm curious. I'm thinking the article is just wrong.

latham

My wife and I have a 2005 GLS Elantra. When she rides in the passenger seat, the airbag often does not activate right away. Usually it activates after a couple minutes, but sometimes it deactivates again. She weighs more than 130 pounds, so even a with threshold of 115 (which can't be right anyway) something is not right.

Just another data point.

inharmsway

My wife has to sit right in the middle of the front pass. seat for the light to stay off.
Niels

jossante

I found that the Elantra 2003 will shimmy in the front end, if u are not careful to use the R-series ties and not the S-series. my dealer at Moon Twp Hyundai, PA sold me S-series tires as replacement tired and it took me close to a year to figure out the problem. The car manual clearly states that the tires need to be of the R-Series.

jossante

:lemon: Update on Elantra brake problem. In 36,000 miles I had to replace my brakes 3 times because of this brake problem. not because the pads were worn, they were like new, but because of a defect behind the pads where a hole the poor quality material elongates from the moving of the pads and then the brake pads makes a loud clanging sound in the front end. Last month I filed Lemon Law papers with an attorney. End result after they talked with Hyundai, the attorney felt it was a risk they could not take and win because brake cases are too difficult to win. In case you dont know, the attorney is paid by the corporation they are suing, so therefore they must be sure they can win or they dont make any money.

jossante

by the way, i called Hyundai Customer Service first in early July. To speak of the brake problems with my Hyundai Elantra and they were very nice in taking the report, but never replied. i called them again, 4 more times over about 6 weeks and they always had a story how they referred the file on up. wow, they all talked so nice to me, but never a result, even now 9/16/05. Now i am stuck with a lemon that will wear out BRAKES EVER 12,000 MILES OR SO BECAUSE A ELONGATED HOLE GETS WORN IN A PIECE OF METAL BEHIND THE BRAKE PADS, EVEN THOUGH THE BRAKE PADS ARE IN EXCELLENT CONDITION. THEY IMPLY THE PROBLEM IS THE PERSON BRAKING, BUT AS I HAVE TOLD U , THE PADS ARE GOOD, THE FACT IS THE MATERIAL CANNOT TOLERATE THAT I DONT RIDE MY BRAKES, BUT APPLY THE BRAKING PATTERN IN MEASURED WAYS TO SLOW THE CAR AND NOT BE RIDING THE BRAKES. :lemon:

dclurker

Backy- I read somewhere that 58 pounds is the magic number. I had printed out a TSB stating that if the dealer observed the OCS problem, they were to ship the seat cushion to California for sensor repair/replacement. My wife and I drove to the dealer to make an appointment to have the driver's airbag reprogramming performed and so that they could witness the OCS problem. The service writer took a look and agreed that there was a problem. However, when I returned the next week for the appointment, a different service writer gave me the "115 pounds" line. I knew that was B.S., but it was then that I decided that life's too short to keep fighting with Hyundai and its dealers over this. You mentioned that you think the recall will cover both situations, but I disagree. I'll bet we're talking about two separate problems. Anyway, I'll keep driving my Elantra until the wheels fall off (it really is a good car, except for the OCS), but I'll never buy another Hyundai.

slim12

This is not a joke. My wife is highly sensitive to certain smells. We test drove a new Jyundai Elantra and fell in love with the car. Problem was withing ten minutes hse developed a headache and sinus pressure.
we then drove a used Elantra and she was fine.

Is there anything a dealer can do to get rid of that new car smell? Outside of cooking ameal inside the car, I don't thin a perfume coverup will solve the problem.

Same thing happened with a couch we bought. The new smell made her loose her voice for seven weeks.

Please help we love the car and she can't sit in it.

doohickie

One thing that absorbs smells is baking soda. Get one of those boxes designed to go in the fridge to cut down on odors and put it under one of the seats. It got the doggie smell out of my Escort.