Hyundai Sonata 1998

• Recall 7238 [USA]: Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire.
  Vehicle description: accent gt model vehicles equipped with dohc engines manufactured from december 19, 1996 through june 30, 1997; 1998 accent model vehicles manufactured from may 6, 1997 through june 25, 1998; 1997 sonata vehicles manufactured from august 1, 1996 through july 9, 1997 and 1998 sonata vehicles produced from july 9, 1997 through april 24, 1998. The evaporative emission control systems may apply excessive vacuum to the fuel tanks during the canister purge cycle. Minor fuel tank distortion could result. A small crack could develop on the upper fuel tank surface. The "check engine" light would then illuminate and, in some cases, the vehicle driver could notice a gasoline odor.
  dealers will pressure check the vehicle's fuel tank to determine if it has cracked. If it is cracked, a new fuel tank will be installed. A new fuel filler cap that decreases the amount of vacuum inside the fuel tank will also be installed. Note: the 1997-1998 sonata fuel tanks have also experienced cracking. However, at this time, the cause for the cracking has not been identified. This portion of the campaign will begin after hyundai has determined the cause and corrective procedure.
  owner notification is expected to begin during january 2001.Owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact hyundai at 1-800-829-9956.Also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236).

• Recall R/2003/064 [UK]: Wiring concern in srs loom
  On some vehicles with side air bags there is a faulty connection onto the srs wiring loom under both front seats. This will cause the srs warning light to illuminate and the air bag system will be disabled.
  re-route and secure the air bag wires and connectors.

• Recall 2001081 [Canada]: Fuel supply
  On certain vehicles, the evaporative emission control systems may apply excessive vacuum to the fuel tank during the canister purge cycle if the two-way valve filter assembly becomes contaminated with dirt. Minor fuel tank distortion could result and a small crack could develop on the upper fuel tank surface. The driver may notice a gasoline odour. Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source may result in a fire. Correction: dealers will pressure check the vehicle's fuel tank to determine if it has cracked. If it is cracked, a new fuel tank will be installed. Dealers will also replace the canister two-way filter valve assembly with a new canister air intake system that will re repositioned to prevent it from becoming contaminated.

To ensure accuracy and for your safety, it is recommended to do a free VIN recall check here or here [USA] - UK - Canada.

Bulletins are notices put out by manufacturers in conjunction with the NHTSA to notify the public of manufacturing issues or changes.

Crack in gas tank discovered after several removals of tank to replace hoses, then clamps. Replaced 1998 tank with used tank from 1996 model. Within 3 month replacement tank was leaking from crack in same area as before. Discovered recall on this model and took vehicle to local dealer. Dealer refused to honor recall due to service performed in 2006 where they (supposedly) added check valve to prevent gas tank cracks from developing. Appeals to regional and national hyundai offices were also rejected. Dealer sent me away with seriously leaking / dangerous tank. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1998 hyundai sonata. The contact smelled gas and noticed a gas leak coming from the fuel tank. Recall # 00v314001 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly) was found. The dealer stated that there was a hole in the gas tank, but refused to repair it because the vehicle was not included in the recall. The contact felt they should replace the gas tank as stated in the recall. The current and failure mileages were 117,000.

We purchased a used 1998 sonata gl for my daughter in may 2006. In about july 2006 she noticed that she seemed to be using more fuel than usual. Also that her and her friends noticed a strong smell of gasoline. Checking under the vehicle i notice that the fuel tank was wet on the drivers side near the rear tire and smelled of gasoline. We took the car to be repaired. The mechanic upon removing the tank noted that on the top left of the tank (if you were facing the rear of the car) had been patched previously with some kind of epoxy. We have no idea when this repair was done. He attempted again to repair it with epoxy, this was unsuccessful. He then replaced the tank with a used fuel tank from another hyundai. This was also unsuccessful. He then welded the spot on the tank. This was also unsuccessful as the tank started leaking again from the same area. We checked with a dealer and found that the vehicle had been in and had a fuel lined or hose replace on or about march 29, 2001. According to the nhtsa campaign 00v314001 a note: this was six years ago in 2000-2001. This cracking and leaking of fuel is still an unresolved issue as noted in the note: what has been done? What is the update? It has been six years. This is a know problem of this fuel tank and hyundai is aware of it. They have had plenty of time to research and come up with a safe resolution to this dangerous cracking of the fuel tank. This portion of the campaign should have already been resolved and must be soon. The following is the note from campaign 00314001: nhtsa campaign id number : 00v314001 make / models : model/build years: hyundai / sonata 1997-1998 **note: the 1997-1998 sonata fuel tanks have also experienced cracking. However, at this time, the cause for the cracking has not been identified. This portion of the campaign will begin after hyundai has determined the cause and corrective procedure. *nm

Dt: the contact stated the check engine light is not functional and that the the obd to the system is not communicating. Due to this the evaporative system is not ready. This vehicle is not conforming to the clean air act and cannot pass emissions.

When driving out of my parking lot, two pieces of equipment fell off of my vehicle. One looked like a belt and the other a small drum. My automatic transmission would no longer function and i was forced to coast into a parking spot in the lot. *jb

My 1998 hyundai sonata has been a challenge to maintain. Twice the driver's side door spring has rusted through and window regulators have failed. This particular incident was a fortunate stop in the car shop to check something else. They discovered that the rack and pinion unit was leaking power steering fluid. I had been complaining to the mechanic that the car "clunked" in the front end going over a bump. This despite replacing the ball joints, struts and one tie rod. It seems that the clunking noise must have been coming from the rack and pinion. They also discovered at the same time that two out of four engine mounts were cracked and the other two were sagging. I'll be replacing those as well and hoping that the car doesn't cause any further problems for a while. I believe in maintaining my cars, but this car seems to have had more problems than most i have owned. The car has also overheated twice, once due to a burst hose and the second time due to a leak in one of the engine coolant temperature sensors in the block. For the latter incident there was absolutely no warning (gradually increasing operating temp over time). It also has the hard down shift from 3-2 (automatic transmission) that others have noticed. I won't be purchasing a hyundai again as i feel that this is way too many problems for a car with only 90,000 miles on it.

Caller stated: brought car in for inspection. When the car was hooked up the monitor status with the onboard computer red not ready on everything. Mechanic told consumer that he had to drive the car on a highway for 20 minutes, then drop down to 15 mph for 5 minutes, and then repeat, followed by a rest period of 5 hours. All to get the computer to give out the correct reading.*ak

The passenger window would not roll up, it got stuck in the middle of a rain storm. The passenger door will not open from the inside and the windshield wipers stopped working as well and replacing the fuse did not solve the problem. *jb

Dt: the drivers side door latch broke. Caller had to roll down the window to get the door opened. For about 6 months the handle had a hairline crack in it, and now the handle had 4 cracks. It is not strong enough to open the latch. Dealer and manufacturerr have not been contacted yet. Also caller had to replace all 4 of the window rollwers. *ak

After closing passenger door it will not reopen, inside door handle appears not to engage linkage, passenger would not be able to exit vehicle in a emergency, other similar complaints on file with ntsb. *ak

Passenger window and driver's door inoperable. *ak

I bought my hyundai in 2004. My 1998 hyundai sonata vehicle driver and passenger interior part of doors are stuck. I had the passenger side front door repaired the same year. It stuck again in 2006 and has been that way to this day. My problem now is that the driver side door is now stuck as of july 10 2010. I cannot afford repairs at the moment because the car just cut off while driving friday, july 16, 2010 and hopefully i can afford the repairs to get it working again. I must climb over the seat to the back and go out of the rear passenger door. The driver side rear door is not working because of the latch (they continue to break) and i have replaced all of them at one point. They are $25.00 at the jay mark hyundai. They are listed below: driver side window is broken. I went down and never came up again. I could not afford repairs then and asked the mechanic to push it up and put a screw so that it would not come down again. The latch has broken and been replaced twice. The third time i was not going to buy another latch. The door is stuck and will not open. The passenger side window will not go down completely. The passenger side front door will not open it is also stuck and has been for years. I had it repaired and about a year later it would no open again. The rear driver window will not go up and stay up. It will come down inch by inch until a certain point and now i cannot get it to go up again. The latch is also broken on that door as well and i had that latch replaced but only once. The electrical system caught fire.The electrical system is in disrepair again because the tail lights will work for a couple of days at a time and then they are out again or it will short out the bulbs and at night i must slightly touch the brakes while driving to have the tail lights and avoid a ticket. Because of the electrical problems they car will not pass inspection. The system is never ready. The battery will short from time to time and i must replace. *tr

There are many things that have occurred to my hyundai sonata 98 since i got the car as of september 2003. I've had to pay over $700.00 in transmission replacement costs, and fuel injection systems that had previously been fixed at the dealership while warranted (bob ciasulli hyundai). In addition, the driver's side plastic door handle is no longer working which was supposedly fixed by the "dealer service station". Later i found out there has been a recall on most hyundai 98 sonata models for the plastic door latch. I am unable to get out of the driver's side. A safety hazard. And even more frustrated and tired of dealing with bob ciasulli's dealership.

Fuel tank cracked. A recall had been issued on this make/model and year. However, this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak *mr

With 39,000 miles the transmission has failed.*ak

While driving at any speed egr light stays on. Dealer examined the vehicle twice, and replaced the egr valve and the egr switch. *ak

Same as odi id number: 1003666 . Front doors do not unlock from inside or outside and must crawl through back seat to get in to the front seat. Passenger side door stuck first and passenger had to get out the window. Two weeks later drivers side stuck. Two weeks later parking lights were left on at work and doors were locked... Battery died ...Door locks are electric... Front door key only unlocks back doors if you have a good battery! Couldn't get in car to open hood to jump battery...Had to leave car at work for days trying to get hood open with stiff wire and finally was successful when thick enough wire was used. Don't dare to lock car up again...I still find it locked up many times a week. Must be self-locking. Dealer told me this is a safety hazard and will not pass inspection. Dealer told me parts are about $100 for each door and $200 labor for each door to cut through the interior panel to get access to open them so they can work on them. That's a $600 fix that can happen over and over again because manufacturer used cheap plastic parts in the locks when they shouldn't have. *la

A crack on the gas tank. Also, dealer was notified and has fixed the problem. Was not contacted at the time of this call.*ak

Turn signals and hazards failed. All fuses, control box, and wiring were checked and problem could not be found. In addition, electric window assembly plastic pulleys have broken in 3 of 4 doors. Causing windows to remain in either up or down position. *tt

March 25, 2002 my driver side window would not close. I had purchased an extended service contract when i purchased this vehicle new in 1998. I took it to my local dealer, burlington auto mart, in burlington, nj, to be repaired. I checked my contract and thought this part, 83403-34011 regulator, would be covered. They said it wasn't. I contacted the hyundai protection plan administrators at hyundai motor america in fountain valley, ca and received a letter from denise lowrie, admin. Assurance prod. Dept., that said it wasn't covered. I was still in the process of trying to get this problem straightened out when on july 19th my driver side front window regulator also broke. I spoke to jason taylor, another administrator in the assurance prod. Dept., who said he gets several calls a week questioning whether the window regulators on the 1997 & 1998 sonatas are covered under the plan. He said that the plan was changed in 1999 and the regulator is now considered part of the window motor and so it is covered on the 1999 and newer sonatas. My extended contract states that the power window motors and gears are covered. The window regulators are not mentioned under exclusions. I don't know if you can look into this matter, but i really feel that the regulator problems should be examined, as it sounds like there are way too many regulators failing in the 1997 & 1998 sonatas.

Consumer states that fornt doors do not un lock.Dealer notified.*ak

I had just exited the highway (70mph), pulle off onto exit ramp. When i came to the stop sign my steering wheel "free spun" and i lost control of the vehicle. The left tire veered to the left and the car spun. If this had happened seconds before we could have been dead. The front end had a slight vibration a bit before but we didn't think much of it. Hyundai claims no responsibility. I have read, online. Of people who own the same make and model who have experienced "vibration" in the front end. I am at this point trying to get some compesation. My wife and two daughters were with me at the time and it really scared them.*ak

Fuel pump leaked fuel into the engine and caused engine to seize. *ak

Although air conditioner compressor was paid for at 900.+ dollars the belts and wheels still lock-up. When taken back to have checked the problem can never be produced. As for clock spring the owners manual says that the airbag system should be checked every 10 years abd this system has failed in 2 years. Service manager told me airbags will not deploy now. I am told if i pay for the repairs to the airbag first i will be reimbursed, but why must i pay for a safety item that is beyond my control and that is a major item of safety. *ak

While attempting to open/close power window, window will not work. Problem had started with driver's side window first. Then, other two windows on passenger's side front and rear did not work. *ak

1998 hyundai sonata 4 cylinder with automatic transmission. Repeatedly would go into neutral in critical situations like freeway merge. Only way to engage drive again was to shift into neutral and re-shift back into drive. On at least one occasion had to find way off road and shut off engine and restart in order to get into gear. Dealer refused to fix and stated all were like this. Could have killed me. The manufacturer and dealer were totally unresponsive even when reported under the full warranty. Unpredictable. Incident cound approximate. Date approximate

Windshield makes a whistling sound when driving at high speeds. Taken vehicle to dealer who cannot find a remedy. *ak

While driving down the road at about 15 mph, driver in front came to a complete stop. It was really foggy outside, and consumer pressed on the brakes, and hit the other vehicle's bumper, and airbags deployed. Consumer felt that airbags shouldn't have deployed. Dlr said an airbag specialist would look at it. But someone tampered with the car before specialist came.

I bought the car from the dealer with no front brakes and transmission that faild the next day.

Transmission both times while on the highway. 1st time under warranty, this time it's not and apparently it is okay for the transmission to go out not even a year after being replaced, brakes were serviced and fixed, windows fixed not under warranty,also my gas cover became loose & fell off while traveling down the highway and the strip on my door is coming off

When shifting from 2nd to drive there is a reving of the tachometer sometimes up to 4,000 rpm before the shift is completed and sometimes there is a banging noise. *yc

While driving vehicle automatic transmission malfunctioned, causing the vehicle to hesitate and may result in a crash or be rear ended. Cause unknown. Dealer cannot determine the cause. Please provide further information.

On two occasions the transmission failed while pushing on the accelerator, vehicle shifted in neutral on its own, almost resulting in possible collision. *yc

We had gotten the recall letter for something other than the gas tank on the vehicle we were told it had a crack in it at the time we took it for the first recall letter for this vehicle,we can only fill the fuel tank to 3/4 hash mark and below that piont in order not to leak.

I bought this car used from budget car sales, less than 3 months the original transmission went out, earnhardts replaced with a so called rebuilt one, less than two years on this transmission and it went out. At the time of the first failure the milage was about 27,700, when earnhardt's replaced the transmission they did it with a rebuilt one. The service agent said at the time that i drove it off the lot the guarantee would be 5 years or 60,000 miles and when it went out it had around 42,200 miles on it. When i had the transmission checked, there was metal shavings in the pan. So i had the car towed to cottmans transmission in mesa, az. Where it sits because i didn't do anything to this transmission. It is a faulty rebuilt transmission that was put into the car. I feel i shouldn't have to pay for a lousy rebuilt one anyway. According to the tsb's there have been three different items listed on the transmission and i haven't received anything from hyundai. There was no notification from them at all. This is my only car and i am a single mom. I need this car for work. There needs to be a solution to this problem. I hadn't even owned this car for less than 2 yrs. And i don't understand why it needs a 3rd transmission. There definitely is a problem and hyundai and earnhardt doesn't want; to take responsibility but yet they want to take my money for which i don't have. I can't even find a consumer address for them on the internet. Thank-you for looking into this. *ak

No summary listed for this vehicle.

While coming to a stop sign, without any prior warnig, the tranmission drops, causing the vehicle not to go forward and the vehicle would go in reverse. Also, brakes are working intermittently, and when consumer lets his foot off the brakes there is a sqeaking noise coming from the brakes. In addition, there is a problem with the timing belt. *ak

While driving 65 mph vehicle had no frontal impact and no accident, but driver's and passenger's airbags deployed inadvertedly, causing driver to lose control of vehicle and going into a ditch. Please provide further information. *ak

False deployment of air bag causing driver to panic.

False deployment of both the driver and passenger air bag resulted in the driver to feeling sick and dizzy from the substance which came out of the air bag.

Vehicle was repaired as soon as loaner car was available - 6 days. Vehicle was returned in satisfactory condition.

Consumer letter requesting all information, investigations and recalls pertaining to the 1998 sonata or the y3 seat. *ts *nm

The vehicle is being recalled for the evaporative emission control system, 00v-314, the consumer was told that since he lives in pr that they would not be able to provide recall service on the island. Nlm

Engine failed. Yh

Consumer was involved in a 5 mph minor collision in which the driver's and passenger's air bags deployed, both driver and passenger sustained injuries. Please give any further details. *ak