Faults:

The interior door handle on the driver side constantly breaks.

The wind deflector for the sunroof broke.

I've had problems with the transmission and mechanics tell me nothing is wrong. It sputters when idling and sometimes slips when down-shifting at speed.

General Comments:

The car is very comfortable and performs well when running right. The transmission worries me and it looks as though others have had the same problem.

Faults:

Serpentine belt broke.

Belt tensioner needed replacing.

Drivers interior door handle broke off.

Auto transmission would sometimes not engage when put into drive.

Sunroof wind deflector broke.

General Comments:

The best feature of the GLS Sonata is the 3.0L V6 engine. It will definitely get up and go compared to the four cylinder. Everything else is just pretty much what you would expect out of a Hyundai. The interior is simple and plain, but comfortable. The exterior steals some designs from Accord and Camry and at the right angle the front end kind of resembles a 94-98 mustang. Guess it was a desperate attempt to make a Hyundai look like a normal car. They have always made some funky looking cars. But anyways it was pretty good to me in the time I owned it. I ended up totaling it out when some moron pulled out in front of me while I was going about 50mph. The airbags deployed as they should and probably saved my life. I loved the car, but from what I've seen not too many others shared the good Hyundai experience that I did so I would probably not buy another. I'd rather just remember it how it was.

Faults:

Nothing out of the ordinary has gone wrong. I have had to replace the brakes and have a front-end alignment done.

Actually, within the first two weeks of purchasing the car I had to regularly take it back to the shop to locate an oil leak that the car had. It was loosing quite a bit of oil and the mechanics were having trouble locating it. In the end I had all the seals (every single one) in the engine replaced at no expense. It fixed the problem and I am quite a happy customer of the car yard that I was doing business with.

General Comments:

Quite a comfortable car. The Sonata is designed with the family in mind and hence offers plenty of cabin and luggage (boot) space.

The engine doesn't lag either. While it may only be a 4 cylinder, it still pulls the family at a cruising pace. Fully loaded with luggage and family, the car will glide with ease.

Even when fully optioned (with CD player, spoiler, tinted windows, alloy wheels, key-less entry, driving lights and all the other modern accessories) the Hyundai Sonata can be quite an affordable luxury vehicle.

Faults:

Driver's side window wouldn't seal properly allowing air to leak (and whistle) at 300 miles. Dealer found no problem.

I fixed the problem with only a piece of electrical tape.

Rear wheels were badly out of alignment at 4,000 miles. Dealer corrected: No charge.

Inside driver's door handle replaced at 25,000 miles.

One ventilation grille replaced at 26,000 miles.

Battery exploded at 38,000 miles.

Electric trunk-release actuator replaced at 60,000 miles.

General Comments:

This car was reliable, roomy, and comfortable.

Handling was moderate under most driving conditions.

The winter-weather performance was top rate.

Always started and warmed up quickly.

Traction was good, and braking was controlled and predictable even without anti-lock brakes.

The automatic transmission shifted smoothly and predictably in most driving situations, but when pushed hard in driving situations like hard acceleration and passing, it couldn't seem to find the right gear.

Driving with the electronic controller in P (power) mode instead of N (normal) allowed the transmission to perform more to my liking.

For a base model car I thought this car was a good buy considering the size, basic options including air-conditioning; comfort, quality of upholstery and carpeting, and the engine-power and fuel economy.

I would buy this car again for a great used price.