2000 Hyundai Sonata GLS from North America - Comments

Check engine light after check engine light after check engine light.

This car has been in the repair shop too many times to be classified as a reliable car. The latest that is happening; this car shifts gears at will and all power is lost. I turn off the car and restart and all is fine for a few days and then the horror starts all over again. During this the check engine light comes on again.

All other times that the check engine light came on, it was always some sensor that went bad. If all these sensors are going out, to me that means the quality of the computer system on this car stinks. Now the car has always been repaired at no cost, but six (6) times in 18 months for check engine light is about nuts.

My 1997 Sonata has real issues. It has been in the shop for 4 months. Its on its 3rd transmission in less than a year! There are times that I would turn on my interior light, and the "Seat belt" light and reminder tone would start going off. At first we thought we were crazy and forgetting that we had locked the doors. The keys have been locked in my car numerous times. Then, while standing by the car one day, we noticed the doors locked all by themselves for no apparent reason! I love the overall look of my car, but, there is really something wrong with the "brain" of this vehicle.

My 2000 Sonata GLS is a beautiful gift from my husband... but it is beginning to fall apart in my hands. After the door speaker and back door locks stopped working, the check engine light came on. I spent over $800.00 on total repairs. Four months later, I had to replace the battery, the check engine light is back on and the windshield wiper and turn signal levers broke off in my hands! I've never seen anything like it. I'm considering trading it in, but I don't have a car note now and there are only 47,000 miles on it. None of the problems are under the 10 year, 100,000 mile warranty.

I have had many problems with my Hyundai Sonata (2001). The window mounts have broken 4 times, the back door lock broke once, the transmission went once, the radio had to be replaced due to an intermittent power problem, I have had to have two batteries replaced and the driver's seat has had to be replaced. This car is 1 1/2 years old and only has 35000 miles on it. I am very unhappy with the quality of the work. These problems have been replaced for free, but the time lost from work has been a burden.

I drive a 2000 Sonata, and I think it is a very reliable car. It already has close to 64,000 miles on it, mostly highway miles, and I never had a problem with it until recently. It turned out to be the brakes, which had gone pretty bad in the back, and the front was about to go too. But it was partially my fault, since I let it go for so long. Thinking that all repairs would end up costing close to $1,000, it only cost me $3-400. My Hyundai mechanic says it is a good little car, esp since we have so many miles on it and that was the only problem we've had.

My husband and I purchased our 2000 Sonata brand new in 2000. We were looking forward to the reliability, low maintenance costs, and peace of mind that is so often missing in used vehicles. We were very confident in our purchase, mostly because of the great warranty. I'm very sorry to say that my car has been nothing but the cause of great aggravation for me.

In a nutshell, during the 2 1/2 years I've owned this car:

-the alarm which the DEALER installed went berserk

-there was a short somewhere in the electrical

system which caused the interior light to stay on

ALL the time regardless of whether or not the car was

on

-the drivers side window fell into the door, not once,

but twice

-the car won't start after you fill the tank if you

let it get almost to empty

-the headlights both blew at the same time 3 times

in under 2 years

-the doors frequently lock by themselves, especially

if you hit a bump or close the door hard

-there is often a clicking noise in the steering

column/dash area that the dealership never seems to

hear

-and, of course, that STINKING CHECK ENGINE LIGHT!!!

It came on last night out of the blue-no warning at

all. The car started bucking a little and when I

shifted into 5th the light came on. This is when I

started to lose power, and within a few minutes it

was coming on every time I changed gears as I tried to

make it home in my shaking, bucking, 2 1/2 year old

car.

There have been other things too, such as the windshield wiper housings that have already rusted away, a discoloration of the seat fabric in a few places and the lid for the arm rest compartment fell off.

To add insult to injury, the people at the dealership seem to not give a hoot at all after you drive the car off the lot.

I have a 2001 hyundai sonata. I have had nothing, but check engine light troubles since I purchased it. The dealership says it is because of the gas cap not being tightened enough.

Now, I have tried to have the car inspected 5 times to no avail. I have been told there is something wrong with the on-board computer system, which is not allowing any emissions tests to be run. I now have expired inspection stickers. The service dept. at the dealership says that my car may not have been road ready when it was made.

Gee, thanks!!

What a nightmare this car has been.

I, too, have the same problems with my check engine light. It comes on constantly. My 2001 Sonata will not pass inspection. I have been to the dealership 3 times, to no avail. I, too, am driving around with expired inspection stickers. The dealership tells me my car is not ready also. They have told me to drive the car for 500 miles to reset the system. After I do that, it still does not pass. I have since driven the car 1,100 miles, brought it back to the dealership, and they still could not get a reading on my car. They told me to drive it a couple hundred more miles! Do you believe it? I told them no thank you, I will trade it. This car has been nothing, but a nightmare!

I have a 2001 Hyndai Sonata and I have had many problems including the window falling in the door twice. The brakes have squealed since almost since I first got the car and they tell me it is brake dust. My windshield wipers have quit twice and now my check engine light is staying on, but there doesn't seem like anything is wrong with the engine.

I have had my 2000 Sonata in the shop at least ten times in the past year. At least seven of those times were for an evaporation leak. Hyundai replaced my purge canister and about two months later (when my warranty was expired), the check engine light came on once again. It turned out to be the purge canister again. My mechanic gave me the old on which was obvioulsy not new and was glued together. Once again my check engine light is on and the computer reading keeps showing and emissions/evaporation leak. It also brings up something about my gas cap. I am very disappointed in the service I received on my car during the warranty. I am now paying out of pocket for problems they supposedly fixed. I like the car, but will probably never buy from Hyundai again.

I have a 2005 Sonata GLS and have had check engine light problems from the time I drove the car off the lot. I immediately returned to the dealership and they cleared the computer code, only to have this happen again and again and again. I have been to the dealer on about 5 different occasions for this problem, and each time they act like I'm crazy, telling me to tighten the gas cap. I have been able to get my car inspected, if I have them reset the light and immediately go to the inspection site. I hate this problem, and no one is doing anything about it. One time I was in the dealer, and two other people were complaining about the same thing. Is there anything we can do to get Hyundai corporate to do something about this? How does a company determine when to do a recall? Any suggestions would help. Recently, I was driving and the car just died in the middle of the highway and would not run. I brought it to the dealer, and surprisingly, they couldn't find anything wrong with it. I am constantly worried that this stupid car is going to die out again without warning at 40 miles and hour.