Hyundai Elantra 2005 Problems

You should go for it. It gets The Tick from me and Hyundai has a great reputation for reasonable running costs.

I'VE had at least one previous report of a similar clutch failure on an Elantra, but it was some time ago and was never explained. A mate who runs a Hyundai dealership told me at the time that it was very much out of character for Hyundai, given his experience with the brand. Your friend's diagnosis might be on the mark, that it's a random failure because of the quality glitch with the spring in your car. If you still have it, I would speak to Hyundai head office and ask that you be able to show it to their technical experts. If it's a quality issue, you might have a chance of getting some of that $1100 back. Warranties don't normally cover worn-out clutches; they are considered normal ``wear and tear'' items, along with brake linings, filters and tyres, etc.

We haven't had any significant reports of premature clutch wear on the Elantra, but it is an issue that seems to be creeping into the car business generally. We have had numerous reports of premature clutch wear on a number of makes and models, such that it could be concluded that carmakers are cutting back on clutches in order to save money. Two clutches in less than 50,000 km is not fair wear and tear, and I would be having Hyundai or its dealer show me the worn parts and justify to me that it isn't a component problem and their responsibility.