2002 sonata engine cradle??rusted??

hi
after having such good luck with our used accent,my father has me looking
for a sonata/elantra.to replace his 1997 mazda.
i have found a one owner sonata with 100,000kms(canada)
she had it to her mechanic for a saftey inspection and they failed the car
and indicated the problem below.
car has full load including leather and moonroof
owner is asking $2500 obo.car is in very good shape other than indicated
below.

the lady that owns the car has indicated that it needs a new "engine cradle"
as the existing one is rusted out.
i have checked on the internet and this seems to be a problem with some
sonata's.i don't think anything has actually pulled out of the frame yet as
the wheels are straight and not leaned to one side.
i have checked the hmaservice site and cannot find a reference to "engine
cradle".or pictures of such.
my questions are:

what does the engine cradle consist of?
how many pieces does it consist of?
is it expensive to buy and replace(if even possible)?
would all pieces have to be replaced or only rusty ones?
does hyundai have a goodwill warranty to cover this?

i see a class action forming in the states but i am not sure if anything is
happening on this in canada.
thanks as always
jeff

 

This is the first time I've ever heard of a problem with the cradle in any
Hyundai.

If there is a problem with the craddle, there's not necessarily reason to
expect the wheels to be leaning to one side.

The engine craddle is a frame that carries the engine and the suspension
components. It bolts up to the underside of the unit body.

Depends on what you consider to be expensive. Not really sure of junk yard
prices, but that's the way to go. As far as installing it, you're in for
quite a bit of work. Raise the car, completely break the engine free of all
connections, both electrical and mechanical, to the car, unbolt the
suspension components from the car, raise the car off the craddle, remove
the engine from the craddle, reverse the process to install it in a new
craddle. Not a one day job for the back yard DIY'er.

It's all one piece, so I guess you could say that only the rusty piece has
to be replaced.

Don't know.

 

hi mike

here is a link to more info:
http://www.motorauthority.com/news/industry/hyundai-sonata-frames-rust-us-nhtsa-investigates/

i know,don't believe everything you read on the internet.

but this lady was pretty upfront with the problem with the car.
and we are in the heartof the canadian rust belt(atlantic canada)

i think the leaning wheels leaning is caused by the control arms pulling out
of the cradle(subframe)beats me.

really suprised me that a six yr old car would have to have this major piece
replaced.
jeff

 

This can indeed cause the wheels to lean, especially if rusted near wher
the control arms attach.

This is not an inexpensive repair.

Unlike what Mike says, the engine/transmission do not need to be removed.
They have two upper mounts and will come out when you remove the subframe.
Don't be fooled, though. This is a major job.

There is no recall or goodwill warranty in the U.S., but this will vary b
country

 

hi ht
as i thought.
she was quoted $1500 canadian.
to bad i could not attempt this myself,a very very nice car otherwise.
how many pieces does this cradle consist of?
and is there a pic on the hmaservice website?i searched for about a 1/2 hr
but could find nothing but ball joints and control arms ,nothing about
subframe or engine cradle.

thanks,jeff

 

hi all
i checked with hyundai canada.
the part alone is $900+tax canadian.
apparantly no aftermarket piece is available.

and 4.5 hrs labour to install.
after that it will need an alignment as all the front end parts have been
disturbed.plus it might need ball joints and control arms(not related to the
rusty cradle)

hmmm not sure if the car is worth it,i might try and get the owner to lower
the asking price.
regards,jeff

 

I happily stand corrected on this point.

 

Oops. I meant to say that the engine/trans will NOT come out when th
subframe is removed

 

As Mike says, it's just one piece. It'll be the large rectangular frame
underneath the engine an transmission