Overview & Reviews

A relative newcomer to the American marketplace, Hyundai is a Korean automaker with a product line that has improved greatly over the past decade. Hyundai cars and SUVs provide a high level of content for an affordable price, and are currently backed by one of the industry's longest warranties.

In 1947, Chung Ju Yung founded the Hyundai Civil Engineering Company. Mere months later, the outfit was bombed in the Korean War. However, the company regained its footing to distinguish itself as one of Korea's leading construction enterprises during the 1950s.

By the late 1960s, Chung had turned his attention to the automobile industry. The Korean government at that time believed that it made more sense to import vehicles than produce them domestically, and had made its opinion known. Still, Chung opted to follow his own convictions, and in 1967, he founded the Hyundai Motor Company.

The company quickly established an alliance with one of the industry's oldest automakers, signing a two-year contract with Ford in 1968 to share assembly technology. Hyundai's first car, the Cortina, was created from that partnership. The manufacturer's first car to be designed and built in Korea was the compact Pony (although the car was based on Japanese technology courtesy of Mitsubishi). The vehicle made its debut in 1974, and the following year Hyundai began exporting it to overseas markets.

Hyundai entered the U.S. market in 1986 with the introduction of its subcompact Excel. The car was an immediate hit, with its supreme affordability being a primary selling point. More than 100,000 Excels were sold stateside in the first seven months. By 1988, Hyundai had begun to produce cars using its own technology. The midsize Sonata was the first fruit borne of this endeavor.

Unfortunately, Hyundai's nascent image was soon tarnished by the poor durability and reliability of its vehicles. Sales tanked. However, rather than abandon the American market in the '90s, Hyundai chose to invest heavily in new product designs and improvements in overall quality and reliability. In 1998, Hyundai also purchased Kia, another Korean automaker, to expand its business and economies of scale.

It all started to pay off by the start of the new millennium, with the 2001 Elantra in particular showing massive improvements in overall quality, reliability and performance. Other models followed suit and the desirability of Hyundai cars increased sharply. Providing an extraordinarily long warranty period didn't hurt either.

Today's lineup is indicative of Hyundai's complete turnaround. Hyundai has a vehicle for nearly every segment, including the economical Accent subcompact, the popular Elantra compact, the midsize Sonata sedan (also available as a hybrid), sporty Genesis and Veloster coupes and a couple of stylish SUVs. Hyundai has also expanded into the entry-level and premium-level luxury sedan markets with its Genesis and Equus sedans. Having gone from being the butt of late-night TV jokes in the 1980s to a well-respected manufacturer of quality vehicles, Hyundai has created a very inspiring rags-to-riches story.

User Reviews:

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  Oil change problems - 2021 Hyundai Santa FE XL
  By Jim Burton - November 17 - 3:54 pm

  I bought a 2022 Santa Fe in July. It now us 10,000 miles but it’s nearly impossible to get an oil change. Hyundai withholds the information from oil change places, like Jiffy Lube, which forces you to go to a dealer. But the dealer in my area said on November 12 that they couldn’t do an oil change until December 13, a month later. Now my car has 10,000 miles - way over the 7,500 miles time to get a recommended oil change. What a mess, and it’s intentional by Hyundai. I will never buy another Santa Fe because of this Hyundai game. Can’t get it serviced. Forget it. I’m selling this one.

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  Engine blown - 2014 Hyundai Elantra
  By Carla Soleski - May 1 - 11:53 am

  I purchased a 2014 Hyundai Elantra in late 2014 new. The only reason was the 100,000 mile warranty.The car has 31000 miles and I owe approx $15,000 to Hyundai for it.I have owned Hondas, Toyotas and must say they have exceptional customer service and stand behind issues involving their vehicles. Hyundai fails in this area.I have never had an issue with this car, I have maintained it. On April 28th I was driving on the expressway, having no issue, when suddenly the oil pressure light flashed and I heard a loud noise and the engine shut down. I rolled to the shoulder. There was oil all over the ground under my vehicle.I called Hyundai roadside assistance and they were there within 30 minutes.They towed my car to the nearest Hyundai dealer, Webb Hyundai in Merrillville Indiana. Within a couple hours a technician named Jim called me to say that my engine was locked. He said it was ruined and would cost $7000 to replace.He went on to say that they will not honor the warranty because whoever changed my oil filter last overtightened it and the gasket was crushed, sticking out, which caused all the oil to leak out. #1 The oil change was in January, the car is parked daily and nightly on a white concrete driveway. ‪#‎2There‬ is no sign of oil, not one drop. If it was an issue with the oil filter, I would have had a problem within days of the filter installation. A mechanic friend believes it was a problem inside the engine that caused the regulation valve to stick, the high pressure cause the catastrophic event, deformed the filter & the gasket between the filter and the base blew out and the system lost oil causing the engine to seize. I have filed a complaint with the corporate office to no avail. I have spoken with the district manager at Duke of Oil in Hobart Indiana, who claims no negligence. He told me the same thing my mechanic friend says, that it is an engine issue and Hyundai should replace my engine. Webb Hyundai told me to tow my car out and they offered no resolution at all. Now I will sit with a car that doesnt run in my driveway, I cant afford to repair it , and I have to make the payments to Hyundai every month or my credit will be ruined. I am hoping everyone will share this so others will not buy Hyundai vehicles. Warranties are important, that is why most of us buy new cars. Hyundai is lax in not taking care of their customers and it needs to change . I believe Hyundai legally has to prove that it is not their engine issue to void the warranty? They seem to be making up a story to get out of standing behind their product.I will be consulting an attorney.

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  My Car Air Bags dont deploy - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By Raul E. Garcia Sr - January 5 - 9:03 am

  I was involved in an accident and the airbags did not deploy. I contacted the Dealer here in town (Mesquite TX) and they send me to the Manufacturer, did not fix my airbags. Manufacturer did not accept any responsibility and just said: contact your dealer. Never heard of them again. I have to drive my poor car, with no airbags, and the dealer wont listen to you. Dont buy Hyundai cars. They stink! No customer service, and they dont care if you are injured or not. Tires have to constantly be replaced, specially the right rear tire. And Power Steering pump went out at 35000 miles. no warranty cover. Ralph in Mesquite Texas

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  PISSED! - 2011 Hyundai Elantra
  By Ronald - November 27 - 12:38 am

  I bought the 2011 Elantra new. Hyundai avertized 39mpg on the road, the best was 34mpg. I fought with the deal about one year. Then it appears they were taken to court for that, and now each year I take it in to slow them my miles I have, and then I get a gift card for $80-100. Next the car started locking in gear, the towed it in and fixed that problem. This was followed by having transmission problems, that finally they put another TRANS (79, 000 miles) in it (only after a number of trips back to the dealer. After that I had to take it in for something on a recall. Then around 95,000 it started having difficulty shifting into third gear. This problem came and went. It ALWAYS seemed to improve as I was about to take it into the shop. This time it continue non stop for about a week so I took it in. Well they said I need the SECOND NEW TRANS. But now I was over bought warranties. They said the original warranty is for 100,000 and Im at 104,000, so Im over that, and the warrenty for the replacement TRANS that I got a 79,000, is only good for 12,000. So that means I 4,000 over origin warrenty, and 25,000 over warrenty for the second TRANS. Now they want me to pay $2,900 for the second TRANS! Well, I was told this the day before thanksgiving, Ive had time to calm down, so I go back tomorrow I speak with someone else. I guess if they dont cover the cost, then I begin a campaign of writing on these forums/blogs, etc. Letting people know of my experiences. This is my 5th Hyundai, and if they dont do the right thing and put a new TRANS in at NO COST to me...it will be the last HYUNDAI I EVER PURCHASE! I also have concerns about the paint chipping and the floor mats wearing out! If anyone can help please respond here, [contact info removed].

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  Who actually sets out to buy this car. - 2015 Hyundai Accent
  By Roland Kelly - November 26 - 2:34 am

  My 2013 Jetta was damaged in an accident, while being repaired the other partys insurance was kind enough to add insult to ingury by inflicting this car on me as a rental. This car accelerates at the speed of smell. Any and all road noise is heard and felt. The car rides like an unbalance washing machine. It didnt fit my dog comfortability let alone my small children. And to top it all off comes without a spare tire.

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  Got the lemon!! - 2012 Hyundai Elantra
  By brittany - November 4 - 12:22 pm

  absolutly hate this car! Good gas mileage and good in the snow but other then that horrible engine drone. Transmission has had a problem since day one that the dealer will do nothing with! Most uncomfortable driver seat and rider seat. Love the size of the trunk and heated front and back seats. Have yet to recommend this car to anyone.

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  Wasted money when fuel system keeps failing - 2012 Hyundai Genesis
  By Ken Payne - October 18 - 10:26 pm

  Car looks & feels great until it stalls at the intersection, or sputters when accrlerating between 20 & 40mph after the repair. Hyundai doesnt seem too interested in repairing performance issues. Their solution is to keep having the customer purchase expensive fuel parts to guess a fix.

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  The worst car I owned and the most expensive one - 2013 Hyundai Elantra
  By Bruce Para - October 11 - 5:37 pm

  The 2012 and 2013 Elantras will apparently always be able to write they get up to 38 MPH. They did lie to the EPA and over-inflated mileage. Thats fact. Hyundai (corp.) told me the old stickers (Monroney) shouldve been replaced on cars reflecting actual and lower mileage. That never happened I understand, however, from Edmunds that this slight of hands (my phrase) is quite okay. But I bought a car that "got" up to 38 MPH and no trip has come close. Problem 1. Under 500 miles had a hardware problem to my overpaid and larger GPS. It took time and effort to get that corrected and I read a review elsewhere when one person gave up on the GPS. Im back at my own dealer. I have well under 9k miles on my car and three things needed to be fixed. The dealer may have been somewhat confused but at least they agreed to correct it. The issue, however, is an old one. Bring it in. They see what the issues are. They order the parts or not. I bring it in and they got the wrong part and did little to nothing with my car. Do they care? Doesnt seem like it. I like the dealership at this time. I loathed them when I bought it and when we buy another, it will not be a Hyundai. But I held my breath. Maybe they improved. It appeared that way. The service dept. dont have to drive it back in three+ times to get things fixed that shouldve been done ONCE. It feels like the old days with the old very bad dealers and cars. The good news is I am dissuading friends from going to Hyundai. Its working so far.

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  DONT Buy A Genesis Thinking Its a Luxury Car - 2013 Hyundai Genesis
  By Bert Blackman - October 9 - 12:20 pm

  Dont buy a Genesis thinking its a luxury car. My car has wind noise, lots and lots of wind noise. Engine sounds funky, although nothing has broken yet. It sounds like its coming apart. At 15 months, all of my clear coat has peeled off. Of course, not under warranty.... But, the worst thing about this car is that if you buy one, you have to take your "luxury" car into a Hyundai dealership and talk to Hyundai service people for every little thing. And, that, is akin to being treated like a skunk at a wedding. Wind noise: Not their fault. Vibrations: Not their fault. Paint peeling was caused by a "rock chip" even though it started in the back, around the trunk, first. Washing the car removes paint. "Sweet." Part of the reason one purchases an upscale car is for the upscale experience. I own Porsches, Mercedes Benz, Infinity, etc. All are acceptable. Hyundai is like a cattle call. Did I save a few bucks? Yes. But after 15 months of this, I regret not just going down to the local Porsche dealership and dropping 125,000 on a Panamera. Life is too short to suffer with Hyundai and the untrained ruffians who work there. Oh, and in this car, you are either burning up or freezing to death. Climate control is awful. Freezing in winter, heat up, and cold air blows.... somehow......

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  What hasnt gone wrong??? - 2007 Hyundai Sonata
  By Kaitlyn - September 21 - 2:12 pm

  I HATE this car. I take relatively good care of my car but it is literally falling apart. In the 5 years that I have had it, my driver window dry rotted and had to be replaced, my back passenger window has done the same thing, my driver door handles have both broken (interior completely broke off and exterior wont catch the latch anymore, the passenger side exterior hand literally broke off, my fuzes keep blowing so my airbag and check engine light are constantly on, my airbag had to be replaced on the passenger side, and my visor will not stay up anymore. Should i continue? It was a good first car due to good mpg and safety features, however, in the long run it is proving to be more money and trouble than its actually worth.