2004 Hyundai Elantra Transmission Problems

CLUTCH FAILURE AT 52,792 MILES. I OWN 3 OTHER CARS ; FORD, HONDA, AND CHEVROLET WITH CLUTCHES WELL OVER 120,000 MILES. IT IS NOT A RESULT OF MY DRIVING. HYUNDAI WOULD NOT REPLACE. NOT COVERED UNDER THE WARRANTY.*AK

I PURCHASED VEHICLE NEW IN MARCH 2004. I PREVIOUSLY OWNED A 1994 HYUNDAI EXCEL WHICH I ALSO PURCHASED NEW. THE DURABILITY OF THE EXCEL AND THE WARRANTY ON THE ELANTRA WERE THE REASON I CHOSE TO BUY IT. AT 13,000 MILES IN APRIL, 2005, THE CLUTCH ON THE ELANTRA BEGAN SLIPPING. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD THAT THE CLUTCH IS NOT COVERED UNDER THE 100,000 MILE WARRANTY. IT IS COVERED ONLY UNDER A 12,000 MILE WARRANTY. AFTER NEGOTIATION WITH THE MANAGEMENT, THE DEALERSHIP AGREED TO COVER 50% OF THE REPAIR. THIS WAS ACCEPTABLE AT THAT TIME AND THE PROBLEM APPEARED TO BE CORRECTED. IT IS NOW AUGUST, 2006, AND THIS VEHICLE HAS 33,066 MILES ON IT AND CLUTCH #2 IS WEARING OUT. STARTING OUT IN LOW GEAR IS DIFFICULT, THE CLUTCH SLIPS IN THE LOWER GEARS (2 AND 3) AND THE CLUTCH PEDAL IS EXTREMELY STIFF. AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS THE VEHICLE PERFORMS OK. I AM AFRAID TO TAKE THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER SINCE THEY ARE MORE THAN LIKELY GOING TO PUT THE SAME PIECE OF JUNK CLUTCH IN AS A REPLACEMENT TO THIS ONE. I HAVE TALKED TO AN INDEPENDENT TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THEY CAN USE A NON-OEM PART TO REPLACE. THE ONLY PROBLEM WITH THIS SOLUTION IS THAT THE COST IS GOING TO BE +$1000 VERSUS THE $800+ THAT THE DEALER WILL CHARGE AND THE USE OF THE NON-OEM PART MAY VOID THE VEHICLE WARRANTY. I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT A FEW OTHER FACTS: THE 1994 EXCEL WENT TO 122,000 MILES BEFORE NEEDING ITS CLUTCH REPLACED. THE REPLACEMENT CLUTCH WAS STILL IN THE CAR WHEN IT WAS TRADED IN AT 176,000 MILES. MY WIFE AND I HAVE BEEN DRIVING STANDARD SHIFT VEHICLES EXCLUSIVELY SINCE 1990, SO I DON'T WANT ANYONE AT HYUNDAI SUGGESTING THAT WE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE A STANDARD SHIFT VEHICLE. I CURRENTLY DRIVE A 1997 PLYMOUTH A 5 SPEED TRANSMISSION. ITS CLUTCH WAS REPLACED IN APRIL 2006 WITH AT 135,000 MILES. MY WIFE, WHO IS THE PRIMARY DRIVER OF THE HYUNDAI IS A PROFESSIONAL BUS DRIVER. *NM

ON 3/4/2005, WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY, THE CAR STALLED AND WOULDN'T IMMEDIATELY START. IT DID START LATER. I WAS TOWED TO A DEALER, WHICH REPLACED THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. ON 4/21/2005, I GOT TO MY PARKED CAR TO FIND THAT IT WOULDN'T START FOR 10-15 MINUTES. THE SYMPTOMS WERE VERY SIMILAR TO THE MARCH 4 INCIDENT, WITHOUT THE STALLING OUT ON THE HIGHWAY TO PREFACE IT. THE FOLLOWING DAY, I TOOK THE CAR TO A DIFFERENT DEALER, WHERE THEY TESTED THE CAR BUT MADE NO REPAIRS. I WROTE HYUNDAI. A REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE CONTACTED ME AND ASKED THAT HYUNDAI HAVE AN ATTEMPT TO FULLY INVESTIGATE. I HAD AN APPOINTMENT AT THE DEALER I PURCHASED THE CAR FROM, AND THE REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVE CONTACTED THEM TO COORDINATE EXAMINATION OF THE CAR. THE DEALER HAD ONE OF THEIR TOP ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS PEOPLE EXAMINE THE CAR IN CONSULTATION WITH THE REGIONAL OFFICE ON 5/7/2005. THEY COULD FIND NO PROBLEMS. ON 1/3/2006, THE CAR STALLED OUT ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AND WOULDN'T START IMMEDIATELY. A DEALER REPLACED THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR. ON 1/13/2006, THE CAR STALLED OUT ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AND WOULDN'T START IMMEDIATELY. A DEALER EXAMINED IT AND CONSULTED WITH HYUNDAI TECH LINE BUT DID NOTHING. I SENT HYUNDAI ANOTHER LETTER. THEY ASKED TO BE ABLE TO SEND A REGIONAL TECHNICIAN TO LOOK AT IT. A DEALER REPLACED THE POWER CONTROL MODULE AND CHECKED CONNECTIONS PER DIRECTIONS OF THE REGIONAL TECHNICIAN. HYUNDAI DEEMED THE CAR OKAY BECAUSE THE TECHNICIAN WENT FOR A 15 MILE TEST DRIVE; THE CAR HAS HAD THREE POTENTIALLY FATAL INCIDENTS IN 22,491 MILES. A REPRESENTATIVE AT THE REGIONAL OFFICE SAID THE THEY REPLACED THE POWER CONTROL MODULE BASED ON INCIDENTS IN OTHER CARS, WHERE THE ERROR CODE FOR THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR HAS COME UP. HE SAID THIS WAS A "PRECAUTIONARY MEASURE," THAT THE TECHNICIAN WASN'T ABLE TO VERIFY THE COMPONENT THAT FAILED, AND COULD NOT EXPLAIN WHY THE POWER CONTROL MODULE WASN'T SUGGESTED EARLIER. *JB

VEHICLE WAS UNDRIVABLE WHEN CLUTCH WENT BAD WITHOUT ANY WARNING AT ABOUT 13,900 MILES. DEALER CHARGES $900 TO REPLACE CLUTCH DUE TO WARRANTY ONLY BEING 12 MONTHS 12,000 MILES. I WAS ABLE TO HAVE HYUNDAI COVER THE COST OF THE PARTS ($260) BUT I PAID 100% OF THE LABOR. IN 30+ YEARS DRIVING I NEVER HAD A CLUTCH GO BAD ON ME IN LESS THAN 100,000 MILES. AND THE ONLY TIME I HAD PRIOR CLUTCH PROBLEMS I WAS ABLE TO PUT THE CAR IN GEAR AND DRIVE IT. THIS TIME THE CLUTCH WAS SO BAD THAT IT WOULD NOT MOVE THE CAR UNLESS IT WAS GOING DOWNHILL - ATOTHER TIMES THE MOTOR JUST REVED AND THE TRANSMISSION JUST SLIPS.

I BOUGHT MY HYUNDAI ELANTRA IN MAY 2004 AND THE CLUTCH IS BURNED OUT. I HAD A JEEP WRANGLER FOR 10 YRS AND THE CLUTCH NEVER BURNED OUT. I ALSO HAD A TOYOTA CELICA THAT WAS MANUAL THAT NEVER BURNED OUT. I WAS QUOTED $1500.00 TO GET IT FIXED EVEN WITH THE SO CALLED WARRANTY. SUPPOSEDLY THE WARRANTY ON THE CLUTCH IS ONLY FOR 12 MONTHS OR 12000 MILES.AK