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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  Horrible Car - 2008 Hyundai Accent
  By Not So Happy - July 15 - 1:57 am

  We have owned the car for 1 year and almost every 2 months it is in the shop. The check engine light is always & the engine is misfiring. Have had to coils replaced. They always say "sometimes these things happen & well get it taken care of." The car is 1year old, should have no problems. I would seriously reconsider my options before buying this car. A bus is more dependable. Thank goodness for a second car.

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  clutch problem - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Steve - July 9 - 2:29 pm

  I have owned my 2005 Hyundai Elantra for 3 and one half years. It will be paid off in 5 months. At the 36,000 mile mark 2 weeks ago, the clutch went. I have had 5 other standard transmission vehicles which have had between 70,000 - 140,000 miles without ever having to replace the clutch. This clutch cost me $1,000 to replace and will probably cause me to look elsewhere for my next vehicle. It makes me wonder whether Hyundai spent enough time and money on this aspect of the Elantra and whether other owners have had this problem as well.

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  Deteriorating after 10K Miles, - 2009 Hyundai Genesis
  By NOT HAPPY - July 9 - 10:41 am

  I may be one of the unlucky ones. After 10K miles rattles and creaking have started to surface and they are getting worse. Especially one loud RATTLE from the rear end. Doesnt sound like a $40K car any more. My old Jeep made less noise. Registered my issues with Hyundai. Hope the rest of you dont wind up like me. Killed the fun.

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  Just like riding in a boad - 2013 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid
  By elias7 - July 4 - 6:38 pm

  Bought brand new 2013 sonata hybrid ltd and been driving it for 18 months. Drove many different brands in the past, (BMW, Mercedes, Honda, Toyota, GM, Nissan, Ford). This car has very poor driving dynamics, it rocks back and forth, nose dives too much on road imperfections and during braking. Gas pedal is very irresponsive, almost dangerous when youre trying to clear an intersection at orange lights. Braking is too harsh when you first touch the pedal then fades to very poor when pressed hard. Panoramic room creaks, even after 3 attempts from dealer to fix. Seats are very uncomfortable on trips longer than 2 hours. needs alignment every 20k. Not that good on gas. car makes you dizzy.

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  Work that warranty - 2002 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Disgruntled - July 4 - 10:00 am

  I have had nothing but trouble with my new Santa Fe. Oil leak at rear engine seal. Vibrations and wheel shaking above 60 mph. Poor voltage regualtion under load. High pitched whining noise between 40-45 mph. 4 trips to the dealer with less than 5K miles. Going to test the Lemon Law in my state.

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  Warranty is not as good as I thought - 2008 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ed - June 30 - 12:30 am

  The car seemed OK and when I drove it for a while I got home and looked under the hood. Most of the fluids where not at the proper level. I topped them myself rather than drive 40 miles back. The engine luggs at 40 MPH when in top gear. Suspension handles bumps in a way that feels odd like the tires are bouncing over the bumps. The dealer claims an oil change is needed every 3000 miles and the company backs this up but when I first got the car they said 3000 only for severe use. Now they say everything in the US is severe. I had 2 mechanical problems with a tire pressure detector malfunction and a brake problem. Their "best warranty" did not cover anything.

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  Too noisy for a small car - 2016 Hyundai Elantra
  By MOHAMMAD GHAFERI - June 27 - 5:06 am

  I bought it a month ago. It does the job of taking me around but for an engine this size it is too noisy.

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  Power Failures - 2005 Hyundai TUCSON
  By College Student - June 24 - 2:06 pm

  Bought a Tucson for female, working college student who commutes. Nothing but TROUBLE. Year 1 -it began flashing power lights, and dying on her while driving. Then began having dead batteries randomly. Hyundai Service refused to replace the battery until 2 year warranty was up so we had to PAY for one. Also dead if it isnt driven for several days. Something in the elec system is pulling juice during non- running time but they cant find it and have now given up. We will replace it with one she can be secure and safe driving (and not driving). SKIP THIS MODEL TUCSON!!!

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  Lied to Deceived - 2005 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By BOB - June 23 - 5:03 pm

  The dealer never informed me of the outrageous and extremely costly maintenance schedule. Didnt know I was buying a Jaguar!! Better think twice about buying!! Timing belt must be replaced at 60,000 at a cost of at least $600. If you dont replace, and something goes, you buy a new engine. If Hyundai is so confident of powertrain warranty. They should step up to plate and warranty timing belt to 100,000. Gas mileage a joke!

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  Problems with 2006 Sonata - 2006 Hyundai Sonata
  By Patricia Moline - June 19 - 8:06 am

  One year into ownership, I had trouble with the locks & the dome light burned out. The door locks would unlock & lock on their own. I have 18,400 miles on it now and the back drivers side back brake is bad. The dealership said Hyundai will not warranty the brake. The car is not yet 3 yrs old. I am the original owner. I bought the car new in Sept. 2006. I will be writing the MN Attorney General about this problem.