12 complaints reported

1998 Hyundai Elantra Power Train

Owner-reported problems and safety issues filed with NHTSA. Review common failures, severity levels, and complaint trends over time.

Reports
12
Crashes
0
Fires
0
Injuries
0

Complaint Timeline

Chronological view of owner reports

Oct 2008

CAR DOWNSHIFTS END ENGINE REVS. IF PUT INTO REVERSE, FORWARD TRANSMISSION CAN THEN USUALLY BE SELECTED. CAN PUT FOOT ON GAS AND ENGINE/TRANSMISSION WILL "IDLE/REV". *TR

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Oct 2007
Apr 2007

AFTER ENTERING A HIGHWAY MY ELANTRA CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP ON THE HIGHWAY FROM 65 MPH AND THE ENGINE DIED. I LATER HAD TO REPLACE THE FRONT BRAKES AND WHEEL BEARINGS ON THE SIDE I SWERVED INTO AND I'M SURE THAT IS WHAT CAUSED THE PROBLEM. I HEARD A WOMAN COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS SAME SITUATION THAT HAPPENED TO HER TWICE TO A DEALERSHIP MECHANIC WHILE SHE WAS HAVING THE TRANSMISSION ON HER ELANTRA CHECKED OUT. I THINK THIS PROBLEM RESULTS FROM THERE BEING NO LOCK ON THE SHIFTER BETWEEN NEUTRAL AND DRIVE. IT TAKES VERY LITTLE EFFORT TO POP THE SHIFTER INTO NEUTRAL (LIKE A COAT SLEEVE) AND I THINK I TOUCHED IT WHILE REACHING FOR MY RADIO.THIS SENT THE ENGINE INTO VERY HIGH REVS WHICH CAUSED THE VACUUM SYSTEM TO FAIL AND THEN CAUSED THE POWER BRAKES TO FALL TO THE FLOOR. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Apr 2006
Mar 2005

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA. THE PROBLEM I HAVE IS SPORADIC AND WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE IS EQUIPPED WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. AT ANY GIVEN TIME THE VEHICLE WILL JERK TO ALMOST A COMPLETE STOP AS IF SOMEONE HAS PULLED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE ON. THIS WILL HAPPEN AT VARIOUS SPEEDS AND HAPPENS WHETHER OR NOT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS ON. I HAVE PARKED THE VEHICLE AS IT FRIGHTENS ME TO DRIVE MORE THAN 20 MPH. I USE MY VEHICLE FREQUENTLY FOR MY EMPLOYMENT AND HAVE BEEN RENTING A VEHICLE. I BELIEVE THE PROBLEM IS NOT AS UNCOMMON AS IT APPEARS TO BE. I HAVE READ NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS ON HYUNDAI (ACCENT)AND ELANTRAS WHERE THE PROBLEM I AM HAVING IS THE SAME. I THINK THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS NOT ONLY TO THE DRIVER OF THE DEFECTIVE VEHICLE, BUT ALSO TO ANYONE WHO MAY BE FOLLOWING CLOSE BEHIND. I HAVE HAD SOME CLOSE CALLS DURING THE DOWNSHIFT, BUT LUCKILY NO ACCIDENTS. I HAVE READ ARTICLES WHERE THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED AS MANY AS FOUR TIMES IN ONE YEAR AND STILL THE PROBLEM WAS NOT FIXED. AS YOU KNOW, TRUST WORTHY AUTO MECHANICS ARE A RARE BREED, AND I CAN NOT AFFORD TO GO THROUGH NUMEROUS PARTS REPLACEMENTS WHILE THEY TRY TO DETERMINE THE EXACT CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. ANY INFORMATION AVAILABLE SEEMS TO COST AT LEAST $24.95 TO OBTAIN AND I STILL DON'T KNOW IF I AM GETTING THE INFORMATION I NEED. I KNOW THAT HYUNDAI IS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM AND DON'T THINK THEY SHOULD BE ALLOWED TO HIDE THE DETAILS FROM CONSUMERS. THE LAST TIME I DROVE MY VEHICLE, I ARRIVED HOME IN TEARS, SHAKING FROM HOLDING THE STEERING WHEEL SO TIGHTLY IN CASE IT DECIDED TO JERK TO A STOP. PLEASE HELP. *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jul 2005
Jun 2003

TRANSMISSION DIED AT 74,000 MILES. NO REVERSE, SLIPS OUT OF FIRST. 8JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jun 2003
Apr 2003

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IN 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA FAILED AT 72,000 MILES AND HAD TO BE REPLACED. *NLM

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: May 2003
Mar 2003

TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE COMPLETELY REPLACED AFTER 77,000.00. THE CAR HESITATES OR GETS STUCK IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, WHICH POSES A SAFETY HAZARD, ESPECIALLY WITH CHILDREN IN THE CAR. THE DEALERSHIP WERE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED LIED TO ME AND TOLD ME THAT IT HAD A 100,000 MILE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. IT TURNED OUT IT ONLY HAD A FIVE YEAR 60,000.00 MILE WARRANTY. *NLM

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Feb 2003
Jul 2002

CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED. TS *JB

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Mar 2002
Oct 2001

OVERDRIVE WAS COMPLETELY GONE. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER, AND TRANSMISSION WAS REBUILT FOUR TIMES, BUT PROBLEM STILL OCCURS. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Oct 2001
Jun 2000

AFTER DRIVING CAR AND STOPPING, CAR WILL NOT SHIFT FROM PARK. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jun 2000
Jun 1999

AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION SHUDDERED WHEN ACCELERATING OUT OF A CORNER, EVENTUALLY STARTED SLIPPING OUT OF DRIVE; ONCE, CAME TO A STOP, TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF DRIVE, COULD NOT GET BACK INTO GEAR. TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED AT DEALERSHIP ON THREE OCCASIONS. REPLACEMENT #1 ON 1/8/1999, #2 ON 1/29/1999, AND REPLACEMENT #3 ON 6/23/1999. ALSO TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHEN SHUDDERING OCCURRED AFTER FIRST REPLACEMENT, PROBLEM WAS DUPLICATED, BUT DIAGNOSTICS COULD NOT FIND A PROBLEM. *AK

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jun 1999
Mar 1999

CONSUMER IS REVVING AND THE ENGINE BEGINS TO ROAR. VEHICLE SEEMS TO BE STUCK, SOMETIMES JERKING, THE TRANSMISSION HAS BEEN REPLACED ONCE. PLEASE ADD VIN.#---

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Feb 1999
Jan 1999

TRANSMISSION FAILED. YH

Type: Vehicle, Vehicle: 1998 HYUNDAI ELANTRA, Manufacturer: Hyundai Motor America
Incident: Jan 1998

Trend Over Time

Complaints by year

Quick Summary

The 1998 Hyundai Elantra has 12 Power Train complaints on file. Review the timeline above for detailed owner experiences.