The car always gave me problems since I bought it in 2002.
I think this car was born with a lot of problems especially overheating problem.
I changed the disc brake at 20,000 km and the radiator fan motor at around 25,000 km.
I was very embarrassed when I used this car with my family to go to the Indonesian Safari Park in Puncak. Suddenly the car was stalled in the middle of the jungle and in the crowd of animals. I couldn't think since I was very nervous, so I tried to get the other car's help to tow my car. Thank God, a very kind man finally helped me towing my car to a safe place.
That was definitely the most terrible moment in my life and led to my decision to sell this car at any price immediately.
This MPV was a good looking car for the sum of money you pay, however it was not so comfortable to drive as some strange noises from the road entered the cabin.
The quality of the metal was not good compared to other Japanese cars. Hope that Hyundai will improve the overall quality of their cars.
2000 Hyundai Trajet GLS 2.0 (M/T)
I've also got a similar problem, and it occurred in the same place, that was when I went to the Indonesian Safari Park in Puncak, West Java. I was lucky that my car didn't get stuck in the middle of wild animals, but there was a smell of suspicious scorching coming from under the car. I checked it, but I couldn't find anything except that I felt something didn't go right with the clutch and brakes. The clutch seemed a little bit slipping, and the brakes were not that tight and I suspected this was because of the area of the Safari Park was of full of up-and-down terrains, and there was a lot of jammed traffic that forced us to use a lot of braking and clutching.
Right after we went back from the Park, I took my Trajet to an authorized Hyundai workshop in Jakarta, and I was lucky to get an excellent service. Their mechanics diagnosed abrade or worn-out brake pads and clutch in my car, and they replaced them with new clutch and all brake pads right away. The amazing thing was that, though the incident happened in 2004, far after the 3-year warranty was passed, the workshop replaced the parts absolutely free and I had to pay nothing including the service fee! This was despite the fact that the warranty actually did not cover worn-out clutch and brake pads.
I had had no problem anymore with the car until I sold it in 2005 because I moved out of the country. The odometer then was only 21,000 kms as I only used the car during weekends. I loved my Hyundai Trajet very much and now I plan to buy a Hyundai Entourage to replace it, because I couldn't get any Trajet in the U.S.
Helmi.
I bought the car in 2001 (2.0) and have been very satisfied with overall performance. I always check the car as scheduled and ask my technician to check other parts before I drive the car out-of-town or every 20,000 km.
No brake problem, no overheating, and no clutch problem (the clutch is little bit hard when moved from the first gear to the second one or vice versa, only when we're not accustomed to). Very stable in the high speed (or making the turn in the hilly road) and comfortable (compared to the other 2000 cc minivan cars) especially when you bring your family to drive 1,000 km non-stop.
The only problem so far is the fuel consumption, which is 1:4 to 1:6.