2001 Hyundai Accent LX from North America - Comments

Two clutch failures in the first 47,000 miles.

My wife purchased the car new in 2000. It seemed like a pretty good little car. It ran well and was comfortable, even for me and I am over six feet tall. Then the clutch went out. The pressure plate broke in three places and destroyed the clutch disk. That was at 22,000 miles. We took it to the dealer and they charged 800.00 to replace it. They said it was her fault for riding the clutch and showed me the broken pieces and the burned patches on the metal. I pointed out that the metal looked porous and seemed to be a bad casting. They assured me it was just fine, it was my wife's driving. What choice did we have? We had it fixed. Then, a few days before Thanksgiving, it started slipping very badly. We took it in and sure enough, they wanted another 800.00 dollars. They told her she was riding the clutch. I am here to tell you that while her driving scares me, she does not ride the clutch or use it in any way that is not normal use. I am also here to say that in all my years of driving, and I have driven manual transmission cars for more than 35 years, I have only had one clutch failure and that was on a 1958 Chevy pickup that had 122,000 miles on its first clutch.

My conclusion is that Hyundai has built a substandard clutch mechanism and the customer can expect to pay and pay and pay until they unload the car on someone else.

This is the third and absolutely the last Hyundai we will ever buy. It may be a cheap car to buy, but not to own.

I hate to tell you this, but your wife doesn't clutch properly. My 2001 has 76000 km (almost 50000 miles), I taught both my sons to drive standard on it, they drive it like it's a race car and I have not had a clutch problem.

I have a 2002 Hyundai Accent. Last week the clutch started slipping: I only have 19500 miles! The dealer claims I have "ridden the clutch," I HAVE NOT. I have driven a clutch for over 15 years. I did replace a clutch once before, but that was on an 8 year old Ford Fiesta that I had driven for 92,000 miles. I will never purchase a Hyundai again. It is a poorly made vehicle.

I have had a similar experience as the original poster. I bought a new 2003 Hyundai Elantra last year, and after 18,000 miles, the clutch failed. I was told by the dealer it is not covered under warranty, and it would cost $900 to replace. I have driven various manual transmission cars 20 years for hundreds of thousands of miles with no previous clutch problems.

I agree that Hyundai makes a faulty clutch, and would strongly advise against purchasing this make of car.

Tom.

I purchased a Hyundai accent 1300 c. c last year. (2003). It has 15000klm on the clock. I started having clutch problems last week. I have difficulties changing gears. I have driven several cars in my life I have never had such problems. I went to the dealer and they said that this is covered by the guarantee. They said that one of the 2 pumps is damaged and they will replace it without charging me.

Sam Karras

Athens Greece.

I have a 2001 Accent with 53,200 miles and so far I have not had any problems with the clutch. I have to admit once in a while I do get on it and spin the tires and so far still no problems. I just hope I don't jinx myself.

Marty

New York

USA.

I also had a clutch problem and right after that the timing belt broke at 43,000 miles and bent some valves in the engine, however Hyundai did repair the engine, but not the clutch issue, if I do buy another Hyundai it will not be one with a manual transmission, however I guess I'm asking for trouble considering I had bought one of the original Excels from the 80's and well that's another nightmare-

Can I just say one little thing to the people who say they will not purchase hyundai again, if you actually checked NO

manufacture will cover the clutch disc as a rule of thumb. In very odd cases it is done, as in, if there is a defect with a part ie: dual mass flywheels on the santa fe 2.0lt dsl and as it happens hundai cover all the parts including the disc so I don't think they are that bad. DO YOU?

There is a class action on the tiburon for something similar (denied warranty, chewing up clutches every 30k miles).

Clutch started slipping badly on my 2002 Accent yesterday at 94,000 miles. Time to take it in the shop and get the news.

Steve,

Texas.

I have a 99' Hyundai accent with 130,000 miles on it, and it has been in my possession and under good condition for 20,000 miles.

I broke a seal in the engine, and then the clutch progressively started slipping for 3,000 miles.

The clutch recently died, but I believe it was from rough driving.

It has been a good car and as aforementioned, no one can guarantee the clutch, regardless of the make.

The model isn't defective as far as I can tell, but I am looking for some info regarding clutch replacement and its difficulty. With cheap repairs, I find this to be a worthy investment.