2007 Hyundai Veracruz Limited AWD from North America - Comments

Rear wiper arm broke in car wash.

Engine failed would not start.

Transmission failed would not shift out of park.

Door seals worn, torn.

Some button/control faces worn down to black plastic.

Arm rest vinyl worn down to rubber like texture.

Rear window defroster element broken.

Power seat motor burned out.

Rear door latch ceased.

Passenger side mirror motor burned out.

My wife and I won this car at a local raffle for a childrens hospital and were one of the first people to have one in New Jersey. We actually were in the market for an SUV when we got the call that we won so it worked out. We're just glad we didn't have to pay for it.

We like the comfy seats which are easy to adjust and the room all around.

Overall the layout is good and on par with the build quality of materials of the Ford Edge and Saturn Vue.

We drove from NJ to AZ in 100+ heat and the A/C worked great.

The ride is pretty smooth and its quiet inside. The only problem with noises came from the windshield which whistles around 50mph and the transmission which makes groaning sounds under acceleration. Otherwise its quiet and comfortable.

We were surprised to see the gas go so fast especially in the city when it returned only 13-14 miles per gallon. On the highway we saw a couple times 19 but mostly 16-17 at 65mph. Not very good.

We are not impressed with the reliability and warranty coverage. On our trip to AZ, we had to have the car towed to a dealer when it refused to start after refuelling. Dealer said the gas sensor was defective. OK not that a big of problem, but annoying, and it left us stranded without a loaner car. So we had to rent a car for a day. When we got it back, the dealer said it needed an oil/filter/tuneup (with only 3500 miles?) and we had to cough up a heart stopping $520 for this service! My wife made a lot of noise saying we wouldn't pay so the service manager gave us $200 off. We left very upset. Thank God the rest of the trip was without incident because we wouldn't pay again!

Once again in September the car needed to be towed when the transmission would not shift out of park. This time again, the dealership where we got the car, charged us a painful $850 (!!!) for a brake pad service, oil/filter/tuneup/inspection all required under the so called "best warranty". crap!! If we owned a Toyota and got an extended warranty for 10 years 100,000 miles it would cost less than the money we paid to have this serviced and we probably would not need to use the warranty so often!

Now its December and time to write our review - a real review from real people not some dealer pumping his product. Overall an OK product with some quality problems and a dealer network bent on sucking money out of customers.

Some additional problems we had encountered so far- broken rear window wiper arm broken in a car wash, defective window defroster element, defective driverside power seat motor and front door seals that have worn down to nothing and leak in the car wash.

Also, this car cannot be compared to a Lexus- quality is too low. Lexus has real wood- this one fake wood. Lexus has real leather on seat back and arm rest, this has vinyl that looks terrible after some use. The Lexus is a Lexus. Yes it costs more, but you also get what you pay for.

BTW, a GMC Arcadia costs $41k fully loaded, the Veracruz $44 and the Toyota Highlander is $3k cheaper and has better resale value.

We are glad we didn't buy it and would never buy a Hyundai. Hope this helps.

If I had won that car in a raffle I would have immediately sold it, as the fuel consumption figures you give are appalling. I live in England, where the price of fuel is an absolute disgrace, due to a Government intent on taxing us cruelly - at the moment it is about £1 a litre.

Next to my mortgage, I spend my money on fuel, and I run an economical diesel (Peugeot 406), which gets about 48 m.p.g.

You also sound as if you have thieves for dealer's - you should call them 'stealers'.

Sounds like the more things change at Hyundai, the more things remain the same.

I have driven both a new Veracruz and a Ford Edge and Taurus X. I found the Fords to be of much higher quality inside and out, I was surprised to see you though they were on par with each other.

A friend of mine has an Edge and has had it since they first came out (his previous car was a '02 Explorer with a little over 200K). He has yet to have any trouble from it. So it doesn't have a 10 year warranty? It doesn't need it.

Sounds like you must have a lemon; my Veracruz hasn't had any problems yet. I have 13000 km (I reside in Canada) and only had to do regular maintenance. I'd also like to ask why do you compare the interior fit and finish to a Lexus? Obviously fit and finish and use of materials will be far more better in a Lexus. The only thing proven is that the engine idles lower than a Lexus R350 when at standstill. Also, where do you get $44K USD?

Sounds like my sisters Hyundai Elantra! First off I would like to say their warranty is not that great afterall. The dealer tried so many times to jack her out of money for the stupidest things saying that the car broke because she abused it! WTF? My sister drives like a 60 year old woman, slow and careful and takes excellent care of her car. And then there's all the problems... but that's another story. Anybody in central Florida wanna buy a used 2007 Hyundai Elantra for $4000?

The more things change the more they stay the same at Hyundai. Their newest scam are the dealers charging ridiculous amounts of money for an oil change when they have to fix a warranty item. I've heard of $500 oil changes and $1200 brake pads when an owner came it to have the drive-shaft bushings replaced or a faulty ABS brake modulator replaced. Their warranty is not that great when you think about it. It's a scam and just bait to get you in. Its also not "Americas best warranty." The 10year /100k mile is ONLY for the power-train and they don't cover everything. It really brings to light if they are frauds with their warranty what are their vehicles like?

New Hyundai vehicles are very high quality, save for a few examples such as this one. I am surprised to hear these horror stories about the dealers as I have a relative who has had two Hyundais and they were very happy with their dealer service. On the other hand, when they bought a new Kia, the dealer service was TERRIBLE!! I realize Hyundai owns Kia and almost every new Kia is a Hyundai design, but I hope Kia's terrible customer service is not about to ruin one of the good things Hyundai had going for themselves!

I cannot believe people are paying $500 for oil changes now, that is completely insane! I have read in Motor Trend where they are happily paying amounts such as this on maintenance for their long-term test vehicles and I do not understand why. Where I live, both the GM and Toyota dealer NEVER charge more than $20 for an oil/filter change and full inspection, and the first five oil changes are free! The nearby Ford dealers also give you five free oil changes!

I also know someone with a Mercedes SUV that keeps paying their dealer amounts like $1800 for brake jobs. My mechanic will do the same brake job on one of these for around $500, using OEM parts. If you don't like the price of service somewhere, let them know by going somewhere else!

I agree about the warranty. Who cares how good the warranty is if you have to use it so often. I USE to have 2006 Hyundai Accent and it was the worst car I have ever owned. I passed it on to the American Heart Association as a tax donation. The resale was so poor I couldn't sell it if I gave it away. I would have felt guilty if someone else had my problem filled Accent.

And to the person above me --- yeah Hyundai has improved, but they are not very high quality as you claim. Their long term reliability ratings have been in the bottom half of the charts for 2 years now. No wonder the resale is so bad.

On most vehicles there is engine wear in time where they get poor fuel economy for the first little while. I have three family members with new Hyundai vehicles, and they all love them.

Interestingly, I just the newest long term reliability report from consumer affairs and not onle Hyundai or KIA ranked in the top 20 of anything. In fact they gave it an overall rating of poor due to poor customer service, horrible depreciation rates and questionable reliability. My only other experience with a Hyundai was a 2005 Hyundai Sonata I drove as a business car from my company. Every other week the check engine light came on and my boss said it was no worth keeping. Since there are so many better cars out there I would never buy a Hyundai.

I bought a 2008 Hyundai Veracruz Limited with DVD player in February. Overall, it has been an excellent car for the price, and few complaints. Gas mileage isn't as great as I had hoped, but I'm also a lead foot, and at 6 feet tall, I wish the front seat would lower a bit more - guess it's made for a slightly shorter people. But yes, I would recommend it to family / friends.

My youngest brother purchased a Veracruz Limited in JAN 08, and so far it's been at the dealer 6 or so times for various problems. Nothing that could be used as a lemon law case but individual problems the warranty covers. Overall his wife likes it but it drinks gas at a similar rate to yours, perhaps 14 MPG. Other than than it's an OK vehicle, just the wrong one to be driving when gas is at $3+ per gallon.