13th Mar 2008, 14:24

Hello.

I own a 2003 Elantra GT with the 5-speed. I had to replace the clutch at 60K miles ($950). I went to a private garage and had an after market clutch put in as the OEM was always weak from mile 1.

Everything was fine from that point on until a Hyundai dealer had to remove the transmission at 99K for warranty work (that was a close one :-) ). Well, they did not follow the proper procedure (did not remove the release arm for the clutch prior to removing the trans) and they ruined the clutch that had been working fine. The trans sounded like it was from a dump truck, but the clutch had been fine. So, they covered the trans work, but charged me for a new OEM throw-out bearing and OEM pressure plate. They said the disk was FINE!!! Hmmmm? That's because it wasn't one of theirs!

Now at 122K, the OEM pressure plate is causing the disk to slip again! I have filed with a lawyer, and will file a formal complaint with the NHTSA.

Otherwise... the car has been fine.

21st Mar 2008, 12:46

Yet another data point: I have a 2004 Hyundai Elantra GT 5-speed, and the clutch started slipping at 58K miles. I have been quoted $850 by a private one-man garage. This is to replace the clutch only, not the flywheel. I just noticed the slipping very recently, and he says it is best to replace it before the damage gets worse and involves more parts.

Other than this clutch problem, I have had few problems. The one other major problem I had was immediately after I bought the car new, it would stall unexpectedly (while sitting, while driving, completely random), and then not re-start for up to 15 minutes. After three trips back to the dealer, they replaced the engine control computer module. This all happened in the first two weeks after I had bought the car, new off the lot.

28th Mar 2008, 12:46

I have a 2001 Elantra with 140k miles on it. Problems to date are:

Bad spark plug wires at 80k; return spring popped out of driver side power window button (kind of strange), clutch has started slipping, lastly catalytic converter needs replacement. Front struts feel like they need replacement.

As noted in other columns reverse is a little touchy to engage, the clutch pedal has always been high. If it were an older VW, I would say that it has too little play... but it has 140k.

When I bought the car, I talked to a mechanic that had pulled one apart for some non failure reason (I don't remember what). His opinion was that it should make it to 300k. Based on how my engine is performing, I would agree with that forecast.

15th May 2008, 17:25

I have a 2004 Elantra, with less than 60,000 miles and this is the third clutch job it will need; of the year I've had the car, it's the second one I will need, and like many of you, I've been driving standard transmissions for 20+ years.

I don't know what to do. This seems like major consumer fraud. Do we get tough with the dealership or the car manufacturer?

The attorney general law office in Washington state says the lemon law doesn't really apply, since I bought a used car. You would think with so many people having this problem, someone would do something. If anyone knows of what else to do, please post. I will take a look at that law website above.

29th May 2008, 12:55

I have a 2004 Elantra GT and its clutch just failed at 61000 miles. The Elantra is my third car with a manual transmission, and the first two (Honda and Suzuki) went 136000 and 154000 miles on their original clutches. When I was shopping for my car, I believed all the equal quality spin Hyundai put on their car advertising, but in my experience it is not true. Driven only by one driver who is used to driving a manual, there is no excuse for a clutch failing below 80000 miles.

3rd Jun 2008, 11:14

I have a 2003 Hyundai Elantra and loved it until 3 weeks ago. It now has over 81000 miles on it, and 2 years of car payments left, and the oil light came on while my wife was driving it. It had started to leak oil, if you can call it that; more like pouring oil out when running.

Took it to a shop and they replaced the timing belt and camshaft seal, and called it fixed. I drove off and 2 minutes down the road the oil light came back on. Car was pouring oil out again, so I took it back.

He did some research, and took off the oil pan and had found that the camshaft bearing went out, and had made a deep groove in the camshaft, and said it probably ruined the block too, and says I have to pay about 4400 to fix it when the car isn't worth that much, and I still owe about 4000 on it. Anyone know if there is a cheaper way to fix this, or had this problem? Thanks.

12th Jun 2008, 03:04

Regarding Hyundai's, I have had a Hyundai Excel now for a number of years (1999 model) it has 200,000 kilometers on it. One thing we have been advised by our mechanics is to replace the cam belt every 100,000 kilometers as a matter of maintenance. Otherwise you can end up with major issues. It may not help the person who lodged a comment on the 3rd of June but it may be helpful for anyone else who has not changed their cam belt yet...

16th Jun 2008, 12:31

I have been driving a 2005 Elantra GT for about 2 years now. It is currently at 65K miles. We had to replace the clutch shortly after we purchased the vehicle (at ~35K miles). Like me, the shop owner was surprised at how early it was.

Well, the clutch is starting to feel odd again (always has been a bit 'high' in the stroke to engage - just like every Hyundai I have test driven - even new).

So, I did some research, and found that the slave cylinder has a small spring and plate that is designed to restrict fluid return to the clutch fluid reservoir, which in turn forces the clutch to slip between gear shifts (apparently a design to make it 'easier' to drive - maybe if you don't have any clue how to drive a manual tranny). There are many instructions out there that tell you how to remove this to get a more positive feeling clutch like this: http://www.elantraxd.com/DIY/slave.php.

It would make sense that a clutch designed to 'slip' virtually every time you shift would wear down very quickly. How this cannot be a design flaw that should be addressed, or, at the very least, acknowledged, I don't know. Mention this design next time you talk to the dealer and see what they say. I have asked a few times and never get a response, they always change the subject back to my driving - well, guess what I also drive a 1963 Chevy pickup that has over 250K on the current clutch... I think I know how to drive a manual transmission.