2004 Sonata Needs New Clutch

2004 Hyundai Sonata, 47000 miles, 4 cyl. Was told by the dealership that a
new flywheel was needed ($1100) and possibly a new flywheel ($1400). No
coverage on warranty because it is considered "normal" wear and tear.

Question, has anyone else experienced as issue like this one with a Hyundai?
My feeling is that I should have gotten more mileage out of that clutch. I
don't ride it or do anything funky. My other vehicle is a 1994 Jeep
Wrangler - that clutch lasted 75000 miles, and that's with going off-road,
drive through sand, and just beating the crap out of it.

I would appreciate any feedback you might have. My personal opinion is that
the Hyundai warranty is misleading.

M

 

Here are the clutch warranties:

Wear: 12 months/12,000 miles
Defect: 10 years/100,000 miles (original owner), 5 years/60,000 miles
(subsequent owners).


If it's just slipping, it's probably only a wear issue. If you have some
other odd concern, the chance of a defect goes up. What are the symptoms?

 

The clutch would engage when the pedal was nearly fully let out. Once
engaged, it took a long time to build up speed.

According to Hyundai, it was not a defect, only normal wear and tear. The
car was driven normally, nothing rough or speedy. Also according to Hyundai,
normal wear and tear is not covered by the warranty. I just find it hard to
believe there's nothing wrong with the clutch with it only lasting 47000
miles. I've taken it to a private mechanic who, after taking it apart, found
wear marks on the inside of the clutch housing, as if the assembly was loose
and rubbing against the housing. He also said that nothing seemed out of
balance or warped.

 

I had exactly the same problem, got the runaround from Hyundai, took them to
small claims court, and settled with them for the full repair costs, plus my
costs of suit. They also made me sign a nondisclose agreement. Once you sue
them, in discovery, you can require them to reveal defects, complaints and
clutch/flywheel repair statistics. Since the repair, I have put on an
additional 60K miles without a problem. My guess is that there was an assembly
defect (such as greasy on the assembly, or defective parts) that they are well
aware of. I know of others who have had the same problem as well. My
experience with Hyundai America is the reason I will never buy another car from
them. On this issue, Hyundai only seems to resolve the issue if you sue them.
Good luck.

 

I had exactly the same problem, got the runaround from Hyundai, took them to
small claims court, and settled with them for the full repair costs, plus my
costs of suit. They also made me sign a nondisclose agreement. Once you sue
them, in discovery, you can require them to reveal defects, complaints and
clutch/flywheel repair statistics. Since the repair, I have put on an
additional 60K miles without a problem. My guess is that there was an assembly
defect (such as greasy on the assembly, or defective parts) that they are well
aware of. I know of others who have had the same problem as well. My
experience with Hyundai America is the reason I will never buy another car from
them. On this issue, Hyundai only seems to resolve the issue if you sue them.
Good luck.

 

So you are now violating an agreement you signed, right? That places
you on the same level as Hyundai (actually, lower in my opinion) and
means that anything you say likely can't be trusted as you aren't a
trustworthy person.

Matt

 

So now you have to pay?

 

I guess you read the agreement between Hyundai and me and your judgment is so
astute that you can determine there was a violation. You're also such a fine
judge of character that you can determine who is trustworthy just by reading
newsgroup postings. It must be wonderful being you and being able to reach
such perfectly accurate conclusions. I'm sure you put your omniscience to good
use and you must have many friends and admirers.

 

Well, after reading your post, and the response to Matt post, I do agree
100% with Matt, you are totally UN-trustworthy, self-centered, and
probably not too smart.

 

You and Matt have a lot in common. You ought to start a club. I'm sure it
will be very exclusive. You're right that I'm not as smart as you. You're not
only a judge of character, but also of intelligence.

 

That gets my vote also .
look bloke ---------- you just violated a non disclosure agreement -
live with it and stop bleating and farting like a gut shot donkey .

 

So, you aren't denying that I'm right? I didn't need to read the
agreement. The content of your post combined with your attempt to
remain anonymous was all the information required.

Matt

 

You make it quite easy actually.

Matt

 

I suggest you read Michael's original post - you know, the one that asked for
feedback because he believed that Hyundai was acting in a deceptive manner.
That's what newsgroups are all about - responding to requests for information;
you would be wise to think about that before trying to stifle a reply to
someone else's request for feedback.

And on't worry, I am moving on, bloke. That'll keep this group more
homogenous, so you won't have to read comments you don't like and therefore
judge as untrustworthy. G'day.

 

If the clutch and pressure plate were rubbing on the casing you would
certainly have known it for those 47,000 miles.

 

I've read all the posts in this thread. And while you could have phrased
your reply to provide valuable information without disclosing the facts of
the settlement, you didn't do that. Instead, you also chose to post that
your settlement was the price of repairs. That would indeed violate a
nondisclosure agreement. So I guess I'm on board with all the others that
criticized you here.

 

Just from the symptoms, it sounds like a wear issue. If you complain to
Hyundai, they may or may not assist.

If you don't receive assistance, you'll wind up paying for repairs
yourself. You could go to small claims or other court, but winning won't
be a certainty.

 

I just want to add that people shouldn't be aghast at replacing a clutch a
43k miles. Superior drivers, like most of us here<grin> can nurse a clutch
for much longer, but we all know that one poorly excecuted drag race at the
lights, or one instance or being mired in mud, or a single messy up hill
start in the snow can doom that critter. Just ask my wife. Also, one thing I
wonder about is the OP's costs... seem quite high, and why not resurface the
flywheel. Ya, I top posted.

 

Thanks Darby, and for all the other posts.

It just pisses me off that the clutch went out at 47K - I think it should
have lasted longer, especially since it's not driven hard. Further, the
flywheel has to be replaced - $1050 just for the part and no after market
available. My personal opinion of Hyundai has really diminished to the point
where I won't ever buy another one. Their warranty doesn't count for much of
anything.

 

I understand your position and appreciate that you at least acknowledged that I
may have provided useful information in response to a request for information.
What you may want to consider is that informing the requester about the
nondisclose agreement also conveyed potentially useful information. What you
also may want to consider is that the nondisclosure language was not
boilerplate language and did not prevent my communication here. Providing
copies of the pleadings would have violated the terms of nondisclosure. In any
event, it's too bad the responders (but perhaps significantly not the original
requester) are much too quick to jump to conclusions and insult rather than
encourage discussion.