2006 Hyundai Elantra GLS from North America - Comments

Hi

Its to do with the initial starting. The clutch of the car seems to be a bit stiff - it releases late. I have driven stick shifts all my life, never had this problem. Because the clutch releases late, I am unable to synchronize clutch release and acceleration so the car either shuts off or moves with a jerky movement. This problem doesn't exist once the car is in motion for obvious reasons. It's a brand new car!!

I have the 2002 model...

I STRONGLY Sugest you to visit a local garage that you trust and obviously that IS NOT hyundai.

Get the clutch assembly checked out and bring it back if your garage claims something is wrong.

A good couple elantra's have had clutch failiors @ around 20000km due to factory defect...

Besides that, the car is as perfect and reliable as a civic.

Hi

thanks for your post. I am still having trouble with the clutch. I went to the hyundai service station and the guy tells me all hyundais have a bit of a problem - its to do with the way the clutch is designed. he said its not a big problem, I just need to change the way I handle the clutch.

Many times, especially at traffic lights, it so happens that the car dies down since the clutch does not release till late. Consequently I have to start the engine again!

I have realized that although the clutch does release quite late, I also do not need to press it all the way to the floor to release it. The gears are shifting very smoothly even when I press the clutch about halfway (or even lesser) to the floor. The only time I need to press it all the way to the floor is when I am starting the car which I do. This has reduced the jerkiness a lot since now, when I am shifting gear, I am only gently pressing the clutch pedal (not all the way to the floor).Is this OK? Will it affect the life of the clutches or gearbox? The car manual says that I need to press the clutch all the way to the floor for shifting gears at all times - why does it say that? As I said, the gears are shifting very smoothly even at gentler releasing. As long as the gears are shifting smoothly even at lesser, why is it needed to press the clutch all the way to the floor?

I just bought a 2005 5spd GLS and have not noticed this problem, hopefully it does not appear anytime soon. I would not accept the explanation that this is they way the car is made, I have a hard time believeing that.

Check for secret warranties on the clutch problem

it should be fixed under warranty

don't except the dealers idea that you need to change your approach on clutching... that's garbage

they will disclose any secret warranty or service bulletins if you push them to do so

good luck

Steve.

May I suggest you simply learn the way this clutch grabs and adjust your driving accordingly? Not all clutches are created equal. Just because something is different doesn't mean it is necesserily inferior. My truck has a very light clutch, and other people say they can't drive it because they can't feel the clutch even being present.

I've driven other trucks where the clutch does exactly what the elantra does - it grabs late in the travel. Just learn to drive it the way it wants to be driven.

Hi Folks.

In my country "Elantra" is called "Avante". Mine has about 3,500 Kms on it. I totally agree that there is something wrong with the clutch. It releases quite late and based on my experience I will never let anyone touch it because from what I've heard from others, this seems to be the habit of the car and the way it is designed. In my opinion it's only the manufacturer who should reconsider the design and I'm not counting on any local mechanic to be able to fix this problem other than making things worse !!

I love my car very much and I think it has lots of good things to offer in compensation of the above problem.

I have a 2006 GLS 5 speed. Around 40,000 miles the clutch went out. Took it to the Hyundai shop and come to find out the main cylinder also had to be rebuilt. All was covered under warranty, and I haven't had another problem.

Hyundai has a little valve that makes the clutch release slowly so that engagement is smooth. This is good for drivers who can't drive a stick, but bad for the rest of us. Removing this valve is very simple and takes only about 15-20 minutes total. There are several write-ups on the Hyundai Elantra boards on how to do this "valve-ectomy".

Yes a valvectomy is the way to go. Look in the DIY section on the elantraclub.com board, you will be glad you did. I own a 2006 Elantra GLS hatch 5 speed. Try out elantraclub.com; not much you can do or want to do to a motor under warranty, but we have lots of handling upgrades and other topics.