Comments: 1-15, 16
With my Sonata now, it's been fine up until about October of '99 when I started experiencing some hesitation and gear problems. When I slow down, a lot of times the car will bump into gear especially if I stop at a light on a slight hill. I've had it checked at numerous places for transmission problems and none have been found. So it's very frustrating. I have 2 more years to pay on the car, so I can't trade it in for a new car unless someone pays my loan off.
Overall I like the car, but I just don't want it to break down on me. What I need is to really find out if there have been problems with this model from other owners or maybe the factory has some information for me.
My 95 Sonata has had the radiator replaced, due to excessive overheating.
Timing belt and timing pressure sensor changed.
Transmission replaced.
Now I'm experiencing trouble with what has been labeled head gasket problems. I as you, like my Sonata but it's getting very expensive and I have approximately 11 months to pay for it. Is there any recourse?
PLEASE HELP!
I bought a used 1995 sonata with 75,000 miles on it and changed the timing belt only to have the cv boots and joints fail. The engine is a piece of junk and the a/c went out on me. The body looks very nice, however I would hate to be in an accident while driving this casket on wheels, due to the cheap metal used.
I have owned a 95 Sonata since I drove it off the lot. Since I got the vehicle, I have had nothing but problems. There is one exception: the motor. Why they blew $3,500 (yes the motor is worth that much) on a Hyundai to put a Mitsubushi motor in it is beyond me. They should have painted "Crap" on the side of every Hyundai, because that's exactly what they are.
Here's a small and incomplete list of my problems with that piece of crap:
(1) Transmission Failure (which Hyundai refused twice to fix under warranty so now they will be spending some quality time with me in civil court).
(2) Clutch jobs (at least four).
(3) Starter, Alternator, Battery, Ignition and battery cables.
(4) Broken rims/wheels.
(5) Oxidized and peeling paint.
(6) Deteriorating bumper.
(7 - Infinity) I could go on forever.
All in all, I concur with the first dude: You get what you pay for.
If you buy a piece of crap then don't expect it to drive like a Mercedes. I might as well have got into a bathtub; chances are it would have driven better.
I bought a new 1995 base-model Sonata with an automatic transmission and only 7 miles on the odometer. It was reliable, requiring only scheduled maintenance which was always performed on time. There was a problem with the drivers-side window which wouldn't seal properly allowing it to leak air. Two trips to the dealer unvieled no problems with the mechanism so no repairs were made to fix the problem. I remedied the problem myself by sticking electrical tape in the window sill which aligned the glass correctly as it slid into place, sealing the window and stopping the noise.
I didn't quite like the performance of the auto-transmission because it was slow to downshift making the car feel sluggish and it at times "hunted" for the right gear under hard acceleration. It performed better in the "P" (performance) mode, but consumed more gas. I got rid of the car at 77,000 miles when the transmission began to slip and often wouldn't engage any gear at after a stop.
If I could get another one in good condition (preferrably a GLS V-6 model) and for a good price I may consider buying it.
I bought my 1995 Hyundai Sonata used, in 1999. It had about 125,000 miles on it at the time. (What was I thinking)? I noticed transmission problems almost immediately. The gears tend to grind a lot, and it doesn't like going into 1st without downshifting into 2nd first. Practicing this little maneuver seems to alleviate most grinding. It also requires some double clutching on occasion, from a stand still position. I have (basically) modified they way I drive the car in order to sustain smooth operation, which seems to do the job. My list of problems can be summed up as follows... 1) The belt snapped off of the harmonic balancer catching & bending the belt guide, which in turn, put pressure against the timing belt. This caused the timing belt to skip a few teeth. I had to replace the belt on the harmonic balancer, the belt guide, the timing belt, and have the timing reset as well. This could have been disastrous, however luck was on my side. (No valve damage occurred when the timing belt slipped). 2) The CV boots were replaced, and I now need to replace the front passenger side CV axle, it's clicking every time I turn left. I am now getting close to 150,000 miles on the odometer, and still paying for another year. If I make it another year, I will drive this car until it falls to pieces! Overall I cannot complain, it's really held up despite the high mileage it has on it.
I have a Hyundai Sonata GLS V-6 with auto transmition, the fact that makes the car "jump" when stopping on a traffic light is sometimes because the supports from the back of the transmition are damaged and they are not thight any more. Is a very good reliable car if the proper maintenance is given.
What a piece of crap! I bought the car in 98' with only 32,000 miles. I loved the car at first, but then within no time it started giving me problems. I have had it in the shop several times and even when it was under warranty it seemed as though my problems were never covered under it. It jerks badly when you go to stop, it dies going down the road and no one seems to know what the problems are. My suggestion to anyone who is even thinking about buying a Hyundai, get ready to spend countless hours at the mechanics shop.
I own a 95 Sonata GLS. Although I have never had any complaints with it and think it's a great car I do have to say there is a small problem now that it has 115,000 miles on it. The car seems to slip out of gear at random times. I could either be speeding up, slowing down, or staying at a constant speed. I haven't taken her to get checked out yet, but I am wondering if mixing transmissions fluids has anything to do with this. If anyone has any suggestions please email me at lhermes@mitre.org.
I do have to say otherwise my car has been terrific!
Thanks!
Lisa.
I bought a 2001 Sonata v-6 GLS. I love the car except that the transmission does not quickly engage. If I am backing out of the driveway and put the car in drive, it hesitates before going into gear. It does the same thing when I am pulling into traffic. Does anyone else have this problem? Is this problem solvable?
15/6/03 I purchased my Hyundai sonata 95,4 cylinder 2L three years ago and have had nothing but problems with it. It has got a fair amount of mileage on it (150,000) however the amount of money spent on it is unbelievable.
The first thing to go was the throttle position sensor, which I had replaced and was then warned that I should change the timing belt as it is prone to become loose quite frequently on this model and cause a lot of damage. Then the CV boots on the passenger side went.
Within the year the car at a standing position would idle erratically. It would rev continuously for no reason. I took it to two Hyundai dealers who after placing it on the computer told me that it was the throttle position, but were not 100%. No matter which dealer I took it to they could not help me. I drove the car around thinking I should change the whole throttle body instead of just the sensor as that would obviously become an expensive feat. What happened next was quite upsetting. I filled the car with petrol one night and the next day when I went to drive it you could put your foot right down on the accelerator and the car would go 20km/hr.When they opened up the motor they found that the timing had slipped, there was oil in the fourth cylinder and the the valves were bent. Now, the belt had only been changed a year previously.
So I warn anyone with one of these cars to always have the timing belt looked at and the tensioner changed at the same time as they are just as temperamental.
Apart from the engine problems the paint job on this car is a disgrace. The paint has peeled of the rear vision mirrors, the front and rear bumper and the hub caps.
I have never been so dissapointed in a car before. What a lemon!!!
I bought a 1995 Hyundai Sonata V6 engine when I turn the overdrive button on it will only get up to 45 miles per hour and yanks out of gear so I would have to drive w/o overdrive which revved up my RPM and really cost me in gas mileage around 2 weeks after this my car just quit going into drive it still drives in reverse, but will not pull forward. my passenger door will roll up the window, but will not roll down. something in my sunroof isn't functioning properly and when you drive down the road it constantly rattles to the point it's a hazard to the drivers concentration. I have notice quite a few people on this website with the same transmission problems maybe Hyundai should recall this transmission and get their loyal customers back up and running. if my transmission problems could be solved and maybe the rattle if anyone as any advice I would love my sonata and never buy anything else.
I own a 1995 Hyundai Sonota. A year ago I had the transmission replaced. $2000.00 dollars. I drove it home from the dealership (Hyundai-White Bear, MN. Hwy 61). After a couple days a trouble light comes on so I take the car back. They say I need a transmission sensor replaced. I just paid you $2000.00 to fix that. This isn't part of that problem they said. I left-with very bad thoughts in my head. The transmission sounds as if it is winding out before shifting. If I push down hard on the gas pedal when on the highway it will completely slip out of gear and will not engage until the motor slows way down. It also down shifts loudly and slams while braking for a stop. There are other problems as well. My point is they ripped me off-more than once. I will NEVER EVER buy a Hyundai again and I tell everyone the same.
I have a 95 Hyundai Sonata GLS automatic. My car has a habit of jumping into gear as I apply pressure on the gas while driving. It also makes a bad squealing noise when I turn. But the Sonata does have over 140,000 miles on it though. Other than this, it really is not a bad car. If I could get these problems fixed, I would keep my Sonata until it falls to pieces.
I got it new in 1995, today (2005) it is still running fine. Just replaced brake pads and battery. A/C died just after extended warranty expired (in 2001). Overall no problems.
As somebody noticed they did use cheap metal for the car.
I bought a Hyundai Sonata 2001 model this year 2005 at 65000km.At 75000km I send the car for service after it had been indicating a malfunction light on the dashboard. The mechanics told me they did not locate a problem with the car and they carried out the routine 75000km service. Now the car is at 83000km and it just shut off on me while I was on the road. The mechanics have looked at the car and they say the timing belt broke and has damaged the engine. I asked them why they did not pick up the timing belt problem when I brought the car in for service. Apparently they say it's only supposed to be replaced at 90000km.So I say the sonata is crap.