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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  BEWARE - TRANSMISSION NIGHTMARES - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By pap811 - June 8 - 12:26 am

  I bought my Tucson Limited in February 2016. This was my 3rd Hyundai and I never had issues before. The car was not right from the beginning..,,,the ride was uneven and the transmission was jumpy..I had it in 3 times in the first month for the rough ride and they ended up replacing all 4 tires. Things were ok until a few weeks ago when the transmission started really acting up. I was in traffic and stopped at a light and when i stepped on the gas to go, the rpms went up but the car would not move. It happened 5 times that day. I took it to service and they told me there was "no known issue" and they said they could not replicate it so there was nothing they could do. One week later I went to make a turn and the car would not move. I almost got hit. I called service again and this time they said they did a "software update" and it was fixed. That lasted one week and it happened again last Friday on my way to work. Its in the shop now. They have given me a rental. As soon as I get this car back I am trading it in. I know i will lose a lot of money but I am so scared to drive it again. I have submitted cases to Hyundai Consumer Affairs and the National Traffic Highway Safety Administration. This car is dangerous. Does someone have to get injured or die before they do a recall? It will happen if they let this go.

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  Dont Buy This Car -- Head for the hills - 1990 Hyundai Sonata
  By Poopdeck90210 - May 3 - 2:00 am

  My 1990 Hyundai Sonata was a disaster. This car totally sucked. Every part of this car malfunctioned just after it went out of warranty -- including the battery and the stereo system. I spent more time in the service department for this car than I did going to the grocery store every week. *SIGH*

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  ENGINE issues . - 2015 Hyundai Sonata
  By Mohammed Khan - February 4 - 7:15 am

  2015 Hyundai Sonata >>>>>>>THE WORST NEW CAR EVER. DONT BUY. (ONE START TO POST THIS). NEW CAR has 7k miles NEW to replace engine.

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  2011 SONATA GLS 88K MILES EMVINE SEIZED - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Melissa - January 31 - 8:07 pm

  Besides the countless amount of recalls. Two weeks ago driving in the highway the car engine seized no warning signs at all. Thank goodness i was able to get the car off to the side w 2 children in the car. The warranty doesnt cover it because Im the 2nd owner. Which is frustrating bc the internet is full of the same compliant. Damn even the mechanic said it was the 4th one he seen in a month same issue. Obviously its a defect Hyundai should stand up and help their customers. Car is sitting at dealers and I still owe 2 more years

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  Wont buy another Hyundai - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Jason Powell - January 2 - 6:28 am

  This is my first Hyundai and it has left me stranded in an intersection twice trying to turn. Car wont go anywhere. Have to shut it off and restart it.

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  Very Poor Customer and Dealer Service - 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By dougjim - November 30 - 2:48 am

  Our vehicle is going on 4 yrs, with numerous recalls (and some others issues mentioned). But, the real problem is when you have to deal with a dealer. Our vehicle suddenly has paint bubbling up everywhere from a poor factory paint job. Ive never seen a problem like this with any other vehicle weve owned. The dealer was very unhelpful (Im sure ours isnt the only vehicle with this problem). He downright just didnt want to deal with us. When I emailed Hyundai and told them I was disappointed in their dealer attitude and build quality, their response was a legalistic youre out of warranty response. Never will buy another Hyundai after this.

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  My first real lemon also!! - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Skip - November 17 - 2:20 pm

  When I first purchased the vehicle I noticed a significant delay between pressing on the gas pedal and acceleration. Within one week of driving the Tuscon I was almost in an accident because the SUV was slow to respond through an intersection. I reported this to the dealer and was informed by one of his technicians that there was a recall and a software update was needed. The update was only moderately successful. The transmission is unpredictable in how it responds to steep hills, sporadically jerky, and still, at times, slow to accelerate only now its inconsistency keeps you sweating it out at busy intersections. Every passenger that has been in this vehicle has commented on it. Ive talked to the technician and he told me this is the nature of a dual clutch transmission but he would look at it. I have told the owner of the Hyundai dealership on two occasions that I believe this vehicle is unsafe and should not be on the road.

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  Same problems as everyone else - 2016 Hyundai TUCSON
  By Brian M - September 18 - 6:54 pm

  Nothing else matters here, except the transmission issues. If you live anywhere where you might actually have to pull out quickly at any point, dont go near this vehicle. We had the 8/11/2016 "new" update done at the dealership, and we were holding out hope that would take care of our issues. Well, my wife just called me this morning - stepped on the gas to make a left turn, and the car just herked and jerked and just wouldnt get going. And today isnt one of the 95 degree days with the A/C cranking and you step on the gas and nothing happens for 1-2 seconds. 55 degrees this morning. You could give me this car for free today and I wouldnt take it. Starting down the road of heading to the dealership again

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  Chronic Engine Seizures - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Alex Kennedy - July 24 - 8:53 pm

  All you need to type into Google is 2011 or 2012 Hyundai Sonata engine seizure and see all the complaints and class action lawsuits! DO NOT BUY THIS CAR or you will be sorry.

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  Dont buy this car - 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Tonya - April 18 - 4:40 pm

  My husband and I bought the 2008 Hyundai in September. We put 10,000 down on it. Well, It has had nothing but problems. The transmission slips, there is a rattling noise coming from the engine, the wheel alignment does not stay in place, gas mileage sucked, and when the kids hooked up there dvd systems or game systems in the back it would cause a frying sound thru the speakers. We traded it in today and lost almost 18,000 on it. We lost all of our investment and only had it 6 months. We bought this 2008 as a demo with low miles. I will never look at or consider buying another one.