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Hyundai Elantra Problems 2001-2006
Hyundai Elantra owners or owner wanna-bes, here's a place to talk about issues with the Gen 3 Elantra.
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I would consider replacing the master cylinder, but it doesn't fade with hard pedal pressure, it just doesn't seem to stop well.
Sorry for such a long post, but can anyone with the same car tell me if this is typical of this model?
What are you comparing this car to in terms of stopping distance?
You sure have driven a lot of different cars! Do you drive cars professionally?
So does that mean that you experienced the same feeling in the brakes? I would almost describe it as the same feeling as a car with non-power assisted brakes. (Maybe I should go look and see if this thing even HAS power brakes!)
One thing you might try is find a well-maintained '01 GLS on a dealer's used car lot (non-ABS like yours, with low miles or at least with a good amount of brake pads/discs left) and take it for a drive to see if it acts at all like the other car.
1. At high speeds (65mph+) it seems the steering wheel has a slight shake to it. Anyone had this problem on the Elantra? Maybe tires need to be re-balanced? Is this common?
2. I was also wondering about the low beam headlights...they seem a little weak to me, as though the light is not reaching far enough. Anyone else had this issue?
3. This one has me really puzzled: I lock the doors with the keyless remote. Then I come back and use the key to unlock the door....and the alarm goes off! It seems I need to use the remote if I lock the car with the remote, not the key or the alarm goes off. Oh my gosh what were they smoking when they designed that!?!?!?
Thanks so much for your input guys!
Congrats! I have an 05, essentially the same car, and I'm lovin' it.
but I have a few questions I was wondering if anyone has had similar issues:
1. At high speeds (65mph+) it seems the steering wheel has a slight shake to it. Anyone had this problem on the Elantra? Maybe tires need to be re-balanced? Is this common?
This is not uncommon, unfortunately. This is one of the few bugs they never quite got worked out I guess. Take back to the dealer until they fix it. Could be tire balance, could be a little more complicated than that (the way the tire was mounted), could be an imbalance in the brake rotors. I think there are one or two other things that contribute to the issue. The best advice is complain, complain, complain until they fix it. Sorry; I wish it was a simpler answer.
2. I was also wondering about the low beam headlights...they seem a little weak to me, as though the light is not reaching far enough. Anyone else had this issue?
Actually, I thought my headlights worked much better than the ones on my last car. It could be bad aiming? Maybe talk to the dealer about it. Also, they do have a pretty sharp cutoff on the top of the beam; my experience is they light up the road fine, but don't go much higher.
3. This one has me really puzzled: I lock the doors with the keyless remote. Then I come back and use the key to unlock the door....and the alarm goes off! It seems I need to use the remote if I lock the car with the remote, not the key or the alarm goes off. Oh my gosh what were they smoking when they designed that!?!?!?
When you use the key fob to lock the doors, the alarm is armed. When you go back to the car, the key fob is required to shut off the alarm prior to starting the car. This is pretty common on a lot of models with factory alarm. What you describe is exactly what the owners manual says it should do. Don't lose your remotes. If you do, the new remote needs to be programmed by the dealer (older models could be done by the owner but that ended in 2004).
Thanks so much for your input guys!
No prob. We're here to help.
This time they replaced the exhaust manifold, catalytic converter, and oxygen sensor.
But, don't ask me which one solved the problem, or the mechanic either..lol
As far as vibration goes, if you have a 5 spd, you will probably feel some above 70mph.
Other than that, I'm perfectly happy with my 04 $12.5K purchase price.
I look foreward to more rebates in 07 as sales have stalled as Hyundai has raised prices within 5% of Toyota, and the pressure is put on dealers to move the metal....
I have driven a few other Elantra 5-speeds of that generation and none of them had any wheel vibration.
I agree 100% with what the Car and Driver author wrote about it. Dec 06 issue pg 79.
I quote him, (On the interstate the engine turns raucous and irritating above 72 mph and downright annoying in the upper 70's.)
Thanks.
Any ideas on where I should look or do ?
Thank you
I would have thought the winter blend had switched weeks ago--I did give it some consideration. My mpg was 32-33 hwy, 29-30 stop and go, now 26 hwy -22 combined. To if if it was the gas, i have filled up at three different stations and have noticed no difference. I have replaced some of my senors, back when my car was in the 50-70,000 mile range. I guess it strange wishing the check engine light would go on !
Thanks
For comparison, before winter set in I could easily get 28-32 mpg in around-town driving in my '04 GT AT (EPA 24/32), with the variable being how much urban freeway driving I did. Now that winter is here (lately temps hovering at either side of 0 F), I am struggling to reach 23 mpg overall in around-town driving. I drive mostly short distances (<10 miles one way), and have not adjusted air pressure on the tires since temps were in the 40s (when I set it at 35). So the air pressure is 4-5 ppi lower than earlier this winter, the car is taking longer to warm up, it has more idling time (I let it warm up for a few minutes the other day when it was -10 F ), there's the winter gas, and the car is pushing colder, denser air (although I have no idea how much impact that has on FE).
You still might want to take your car in for a look-see at its next service interval, in case there's a problem.
That is an excellent Idea, I am schedule for my tire rotation. I will bump up the psi. I realize the car is older and the winter weather effects performance, but I did not experience this sudden change the past three years. I appreciate your responses.
Thanks
If I were in your situation and had to pay for it myself, I would try to locate a fairly low mileage salvage yard engine (or have the mechanic do the same). If you have to pay for a brand new engine, you may be better buying a whole new car by the time you're done.
I put new brakes on all the way around (was making noise before brake job).
Some people have suggested that there is a bad bushing in the rear? Anybody have any ideas .Thanks .I want to print out the answers and take them with me to dealer .
It could be a bushing, hard to say. I had a rear bushing problem on my 626, and it made a clunking noise. The dealer mis-diagnosed the problem, said the car needed new struts etc. I took it to another mechanic, who properly diagnosed the problem and the fix only cost about $120 including labor.
If you want to just try something cheap, try using some toothpaste on a soft cloth. The very mild abrasive should clean them up good (or so I've heard).
If you need to jack up your car to get under there, jack up both sides evenly if you're going to mess around with the sway bar. As long as the right and left rear tires are loaded the same (either both on the ground, or both hanging in the air and the car up on jack stands), there is no load on the bar. But if you jack up one corner and leave the tire on the other side on the ground, the sway bar will have a lot of force in it. It's not at all dangerous as long as the two back wheels are evenly supported (or both unloaded altogether).
If you jack up the car and remove the tires, this is what it would look like:
Help
I'm also thinking of some issue perhaps with the evaporative emissions system during fill up but I'm a bit lost on making the connection to the symptoms described. Perhaps someone here could carry this train of thought a bit further than I can.
thank you
Help !!!!!!!