18th Oct 2001, 05:23

Hi, my Lantra is a manual and when I hold the throttle in a steady position, it lunges back and forth, always surging.

9th Jun 2002, 14:51

Have had the same problem with cruise control and dealer could not get to repeat. Therefore nothing has been done about it.

18th Feb 2003, 15:32

We also needed a "cheap", reliable car so my wife could get to work safely. For four years this little car ran great, not one problem. In fact every time I brought the car in for regular servicing I questioned the service manager about the lack of work that was actually done. He insisted that all Hyundai scheduled servicing had been done and nothing else was needed.

Two weeks after the warranty expired the "real" maintenance started. First the Elantra needed brakes, then a timing belt. A month later the water pump went and the belt tensioner (of course). Not more than two weeks after that we replaced the crank shaft position sensor (towed it in that time). Now the daytime running lights only work occasionally and the high beam indicator light glows dim.

Trust me, this is not the end of your problems. Now that the car is paid for and the warranty is up the dealer informs me they will no longer be supplying courtesy cars. Don't even think of take a demo because their insurance won't cover you. Parts, forget it. Three to four weeks, if you're not a Hyundai mechanic. Was this a good buy;yes we got what we paid for... four years of trouble free driving. Would I buy another one; not a chance.

25th Jul 2003, 08:40

I have a 1997 Elantra Wagon. Boy, what a nightmare it's been! It's one thing after another and the mechanic can never seem to find anything wrong with it unless the computer says there is something wrong.

First I had all the brakes replaced 2 years ago. Then it quit running one day and I had to have the coil, spark plugs, plug wires, and a major tune up and it still ran terribly. After that my check engine light wouldn't go off and I found out my exhaust manifold was cracked and I had a major exhaust leak. These last two repairs set me back almost $1000.

The car runs rough and 'shudders' when it's at a stoplight even though I've been told there's nothing wrong with it. I just had to have ALL of my brakes replaced again (calipers and all!) to the tune of $450. The rotors are ruined, but I couldn't afford to have them replaced because Hyundai has decided to make you ruin the wheel bearings in order to get the rotors off. Big money! All in all, I got what I paid for. A cheap car for a cheap price. At least it's cute!

11th Oct 2008, 15:59

I just bought a used 1999 Elantra and it has been nothing but problems. The car had less than 50,000 miles on it, and within 2 weeks of owning it the engine blew. Has been in the shop for check engine light 4 times. Now drivers side window; you have to guide it to get it to close. I will never again buy a Hyundai.

26th Nov 2009, 20:28

I purchased my 99 Elantra in 2003 with 12K. At first I had some problems with the steering system (sorry it was so long ago I forgot the exact problem), but my warranty covered it.

At about 100K miles I had to change the alternate, and had some transmission work done on the car at 110K miles. (Instead of getting a new transmission I had transmission expert install a transmission repair kit). I am at 136K miles and the transmission is acting up again.

The driver window is also misaligned. (They do not go up or down properly when I try to close them via power windows)

Besides that the car has been a good buy. I got over 124K miles on the car and paid less than 5K for the vehicle.

I also did all the maintenance on the car (oil change, tune up etc...)

Bottom Line: I do not recommend you buy this car (or any Hyundai) at high mileage. Get this car at low miles (and cheap price) and keep up with the maintenance.