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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  New car wont start - 2008 Hyundai Veracruz
  By Diane Flynn - November 25 - 1:26 am

  We bought this car on October 29 and had to have it towed on October 30 because it would not start. It supposedly was repaired on october 30, but on October 31 it would not start again. On November 1, it would not start until we worked with it for fifteen minutes. On November 2, it is being towed again because it will not start at all. Be very concerned about the electrical system in these cars.

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  horrible engine - 2000 Hyundai Accent
  By Judie - November 9 - 2:27 pm

  At about 57,000 miles the car stopped on me and a " new" engine was replaced a t Diamond Hyundai. They had it 5 weeks as they had to get the engine from Korea. Today at 138,000 which is almost 80,000 miles on the "new" engine I find that my car has done the same thing... just stopped. Both times ,the mechanic has said that the timing belt broke and that the pistons and values were bad. What is wrong with this fraudulent engine ??? oh and the last mechanic has told me that the engine put in last time at Diamond Hyundai is not a new nor manufactured engine. They lied and did not need to ahve my car for 5 weeks as it did not obviously come from Korea. Maybe the local junk yard.

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  Buy something else - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Displeased - October 28 - 10:52 am

  The warrenty is worthless. They just say sorry we cant fix it. The engine rattles very bad and I guess we just have to live with it. The service man said that we have to use premium gas if we want any Hyundai to run normal. That didnt help either.

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  Problems! - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Roxanne - October 18 - 12:53 pm

  I have had numerous problems with my car. I researched it thoroughly but seemed to overlook the fact that all the good quality reviews were INITIAL. after 2 months of having my car the problems continued to roll in. Now a little over a year old, it seems like i have a new problem every month. I am also not impressed with the service workmanship i have received.

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  stay away! - 1999 Hyundai Sonata
  By jb - October 15 - 8:15 pm

  Acquired in 2000 with <13000 miles. Fuel & crankshaft sensors shot in 6 mos. Then, out of the blue, it wouldnt start! A loaner was never available. Stalled at a city intersection - $400 to fix. Was told a new timing belt would be necessary soon with only 38000 mi on it! $1000 later, I had paid off the loan but couldnt afford a newer car payment. The decision was made for me 3 wks ago, when I was in a car accident. Front drivers side crushed like a soda can when impacted by a vehicle at only 30 mi/hr. I now know why the car needs side airbags! Got a check, since repairing cost more than resale value. For a car driven approx 5000 mi/yr, there is no excuse! Ill never buy another Hyundai!

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  Cheap Parts - 2011 Hyundai Sonata
  By Ramses - October 9 - 6:47 am

  The price is good on the vehicle but it has a lot of issues. I have had 4 recalls, including one on the engine. A lever in the starter will probably break because it;s made out of plastic. GET READY TO PAY A FORTUNE ON MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS!

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  Not Happy with the 2009 Santa Fe. - 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe
  By Keeley - October 6 - 3:11 pm

  I have been the owner of my 2009 Santa Fe all wheel drive 6 cylinder for approx. 3yrs and I bought it with 38,000 miles. I drive at least 85 miles per day. First: the 09 Santa Fe drives terrible on the highway. It vibrates terribly and upon bring to dealer they said it was possibly tires or rotation was needed. (I put brand new tires on the vehicle at 45K and at 53k & rotate every year) this never fixed the vibration or the poor handling. Dealership told me I guess thats how it drives and there is nothing they can do. Second: my 09 Santa Fe has a horrible sound system that you cant put up over 14 decibels without blowing a speaker. The volume goes well up to 50. All of the speakers have either blown or went out which I have replaced three times with factory speakers and again they are blown. I have a three year old in the car constant so its not like Im blaring rap music with the bass at 10+. Horribly annoying and expensive to fix and not covered. Third & most disturbing: my 09 Santa Fea gas gauge malfunctioned at 61,000 miles. After filling my gas tank to a range full line I noticed I drove the car to just above a half tank. After turning car back on the gas gauge needle was buried at empty and gas light on. Very nervous immieditely went to get gas. Only took 18$ to fill. Strange which means its not empty. Thought was a fluke. Drove to work used 1/4 of tank. Turns car back on after work. Read empty again. After filling the car yet again now using only 8$ I knew there was a issue. I brought to dealer they told me it is electrical. Fully serviced the vehicle through Hyundai. At the tune of $184.00. Two days later. Started again. After reading on forums this is a severe issue and souls have a recall. Its the tank sensor. Brought back to dealer. They told me to remove old sensors and put new ones it will cost roughly between 500-1000 dollars. It is not covered under warranty and there is no recall. So much for 100K bumper to bumper warranty. This is a severe issue that can cause death or harm. If you dont make sure to reset your miles and keep an eye on your mileage you can run out of gas. The car may even just shut down at high speeds. I would not advise anyone to buy this suv Im a former Jeep owner and as soon as I get the money to fix the gauge issue I will be selling ASAP and buying either a new jeep or Subaru. The gas mileage is terrible the car vibrates and you dont know if you have gas. Sounds like a death trap to me. Hyundai is putting people at risk with the above issue and should recall the vehicle to fix for free. DO NOT BUY!! Any Sante fa prior to 2011. They all have the same issue

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  New Clutch at 30000 - 2005 Hyundai Elantra
  By Patrick - September 28 - 2:08 pm

  New clutch at 30000 and not covered under "bumper to Bumper". I was the only one who drove it and I did not abuse it! Do not buy a manual transmission, because the clutch is not covered under bumper to bumper and they wear out prematurely. A Auto transmission is covered.

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  Piece of crap - 1996 Hyundai Accent
  By ptlytch07 - September 20 - 3:05 pm

  This car is a complete piece of junk. I purchased this vehicle from a private seller and it had 103,000 miles on it. It seemed to be in great shape and run good, but after only a few hundred miles its true colors began to show. The engine finally blew and I replaced it with another identical engine from a junkyard car and had the exact same problems. I was fortunate enough to sell the car while it was actually running. I have had many cars in my lifetime and this was probably the biggest piece of crap of all time! Dont even think about buying one!

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  Worst car ever !!! - 2006 Hyundai Elantra
  By floridagal - September 18 - 5:11 pm

  I purchased my hyundia elantra GLS only 4 months ago and I am looking to unload this car fast, it handles really poorly. Have to floor it to get it up to 20mph and from there it speeds up to 50 by hardly touching the gas. The gas pedal has a very soft and loose feel to it, and I dont feel I have any control over this car. My previous 1999 corolla handled much better than this. The car looks nice for the money but was not worth buying as I dont feel safe nor enjoy driving it.