1998 Hyundai Sonata GSL from North America

Summary:

The worst migraine I've ever had!

Faults:

The door latch on the driver's door and the passenger door have broken.

The sunroof has broken.

A mechanic at the dealership broke the engine block while trying to remove the engine cover (after stripping the bolts), in order to change the belts. Needless to say, the engine was replaced, not at the expense of the dealership, but under the extended warranty. We have since stopped having the vehicle serviced at Hyundai dealerships.

General Comments:

I am trying to initiate a safety recall on the PLASTIC door latches installed on the Sonata and most Hyundai models. The plastic latches break easily, preventing the door from opening from either the inside or outside -- an obvious safety concern. The replacement part is only $97, but the task of repairing the door is labor intensive, because the internal mechanisms for the door latch cannot be accessed when the door is closed! In order to fix our doors, the dealership mechanic had to cut the interior surface of the door!

If you have had a door latch on your Hyundai break, please file a complaint with NHTSA, the government board that governs vehicle safety recalls -- http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 12th August, 2003

15th Jul 2004, 13:10

I had the same problem with opening the doors from inside. I had to change one of the handles, but I never had a problem after that. One more thing. You don't have to cut anything. This is weird. Just remove the door panel and whatever you have to do in order to fix the problem. The mechanic that worked on your didn't have a clue what he was doing.

21st Jul 2004, 18:45

We also have a broken door handle that was repaired once. The car is a 95 accent. Recently the wind shield wipers died in a rain storm and the sensor is about to be replaced.

8th Jul 2005, 15:11

I have 98 sonata gls that had a door problem. The problem was a $.50 spring about a half inch long that rusted out making the handle inoperative. Spring is behind door panel and if hyundai used a stainless spring there would be problem, but what the hell that would have cost another nickle. After replacing passenger side went the extra bit to check driver side and found that spring about to rot through. The fix takes about half an hour, feel sorry for those who shelled out big bucks to the dealer. Filed a complaint with NTSB, but UNTIL SOMEONE GETS TRAPPED AND DIES NOTHING WILL HAPPEN.

1998 Hyundai Sonata from North America

Summary:

As the mileage goes higher, so do all the problems and unforeseen expenses.

Faults:

The Sonata was a pretty reliable car until it had about 35,000 miles. The passenger side window motor quit working and the window fell of the track.

At 55,000 the driver's window motor quit.

At about 57,000 the power lock on the rear doors have broken. You can't lock or unlock the doors by pushing the buttons. You must pull up or push down on the locks.

The oxygen sensor went bad at about 60,000 miles.

The Sonata died at about 68,000 miles and will not start. The auto mechanic says the timing belt has slipped and the pistons are bad. He has suggested to replace the timing belt and pistons, but he says that the best thing to do would be to replace the whole engine.

General Comments:

The car is comfortable and roomy.

Through all the problems I am ready to part ways.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? No

Review Date: 7th May, 2003

4th Sep 2003, 12:03

Hey. I'm having the same problem with the windows on my '98 Sonata. Any suggestions about how to get that taken care of? It's a real pain in the derriere. Also, my windshield washer motor went out and my antenna snapped.

Thanks.

13th Sep 2003, 17:49

My '01 Sonata has been nothing but trouble since the day I bought it, and driving 70 miles to the dealership for repairs is'nt helping either. I want to get rid of it, but I don't want to lose a ton on a trade-in. I will never own another Hyundai.