1999 Hyundai Elantra GLS from North America - Comments

First, it wouldn't run in the rain. No kidding. Stall out at a stop. It was the MAP sensor. This was replaced at 6 weeks.

Then, when you put the brakes on, the seat belt locks, and HARD. Was told this was normal.

Transmission delays and shifts weird. Gets hung in passing gear when the cruise control is on. Have to kick it down before the engine flies out of the hood. No problem found. Yeah...

Finally the transmission throttle position sensor was replaced at 8 months.

Did okay for 2 days, then back to the same old crap.

Now, when the car is on cruise control, or you are doing 65-70mph, the speedometer needle gets a "nervous twitch" and the car "lunges" back and forth. What the heck?

Minor annoyances are the squeaky steering wheel, and the paint wearing off of the window and door lock controls after just 2 months.

Add to that warped rotors at 15,000 miles and you've got a HyunDEAD.

Moral of this story: You get what you pay for. Cheap car, lots of trouble.

I've had what sounds to be the same problem with cruise control. Mainly at higher speeds, the cruise will repeatedly cycle quickly between accel and decel to maintain a set speed. In general, the problem is subtle at 65 mph, worse at 70 mph, and at 75 mph the passengers will lurch inside the car in time with these surges. The most frustrating thing is that there seems to be no pattern, in that it will work fine for a while and then suddenly begin surging. Of course it has worked fine each time I've brought it to the dealer who of course cannot find an "error" code in the computer.

I have this car and have no problem at all with the cruise control. In fact, I have had no trouble with the car at all.

I have driven it for two years now, over 45,000 miles and still love it!

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

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

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.

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!

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.