1998 Hyundai Sonata
Safety record from NHTSA: recalls, owner complaints, investigations and service bulletins.
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Vehicles › Hyundai › Sonata › 1998
These records cover every 1998 Hyundai Sonata. To see whether one car still needs a recall repair, decode its VIN or check it with NHTSA.
Recalls
1 recall names the 1998 Hyundai Sonata. Newest first.
Vehicle description: accent GT model vehicles equipped with DOHC engines manufactured from december 19, 1996 through june 30, 1997; 1998 accent model vehicles manufactured from may 6, 1997 through june 25, 1998; 1997 sonata vehicles manufactured from august 1, 1996 through july 9, 1997 and 1998 sonata vehicles produced from july 9, 1997 through april 24…
Risk and remedy
Risk
Fuel leakage in the presence of an ignition source can result in a fire.
Remedy
Dealers will pressure check the vehicle's fuel tank to determine if it has cracked. If it IS cracked, a new fuel tank will be installed. a new fuel filler cap that decreases the amount of vacuum inside the fuel tank will also be installed. note: the 1997-1998 sonata fuel tanks have also experienced cracking. however, at this time, the cause for the cracking has not been identified. this portion of the campaign will begin after hyundai has determined the cause and corrective procedure.
Owner complaints
49 complaints3 involved a crash3 injuries
What owners report most
Latest complaints
- Electrical system · Latches/locks/linkages
I bought my hyundai in 2004. My 1998 hyundai sonata vehicle driver and passenger interior part of doors are stuck. I had the passenger side front door repaired the same year. It stuck again in 2006 and has been that way to this day. My problem now IS that the driver side door IS now stuck as of…
I bought my hyundai in 2004. My 1998 hyundai sonata vehicle driver and passenger interior part of doors are stuck. I had the passenger side front door repaired the same year. It stuck again in 2006 and has been that way to this day. My problem now IS that the driver side door IS now stuck as of july 10 2010. I cannot afford repairs at the moment because the car just cut off while driving friday, july 16, 2010 and hopefully I can afford the repairs to get it working again. I must climb over the seat to the back and go out of the rear passenger door. The driver side rear door IS not working because of the latch (they continue to break) and I have replaced all of them at one point. They are $25.00 at the jay mark hyundai. They are listed below: driver side window IS broken. I went down and never came up again. I could not afford repairs then and asked the mechanic to push it up and put a screw so that it would not come down again. The latch has broken and been replaced twice. The third time I was not going to buy another latch. The door IS stuck and will not open. the passenger side window will not go down completely. The passenger side front door will not open it IS also stuck and has been for years. I had it repaired and about a year later it would no open again. the rear driver window will not go up and stay up. It will come down inch by inch until a certain point and now I cannot get it to go up again. The latch IS also broken on that door as well and I had that latch replaced but only once. the electrical system caught fire.the electrical system IS in disrepair again because the tail lights will work for a couple of days at a time and then they are out again or it will short out the bulbs and at night I must slightly touch the brakes while driving to have the tail lights and avoid a ticket. because of the electrical problems they car will not pass inspection. The system IS never ready. The battery will short from time to time and I must replace. *Tr
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Crack in gas tank discovered after several removals of tank to replace hoses, then clamps. replaced 1998 tank with used tank from 1996 model. within 3 month replacement tank was leaking from crack in same area as before. discovered recall on this model and took vehicle to local dealer. dealer…
Crack in gas tank discovered after several removals of tank to replace hoses, then clamps. replaced 1998 tank with used tank from 1996 model. within 3 month replacement tank was leaking from crack in same area as before. discovered recall on this model and took vehicle to local dealer. dealer refused to honor recall due to service performed in 2006 where they (supposedly) added check valve to prevent gas tank cracks from developing. appeals to regional and national hyundai offices were also rejected. dealer sent me away with seriously leaking / dangerous tank. *tr
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 hyundai sonata. the contact smelled gas and noticed a gas leak coming from the fuel tank. recall # 00v314001 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly) was found. the dealer stated that there was a hole in the gas tank, but refused to repair it because the vehicle…
Tl*the contact owns a 1998 hyundai sonata. the contact smelled gas and noticed a gas leak coming from the fuel tank. recall # 00v314001 (fuel system, gasoline:storage:tank assembly) was found. the dealer stated that there was a hole in the gas tank, but refused to repair it because the vehicle was not included in the recall. the contact felt they should replace the gas tank as stated in the recall. the current and failure mileages were 117,000.
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage
We purchased a used 1998 sonata GL for my daughter in may 2006. In about july 2006 she noticed that she seemed to be using more fuel than usual. Also that her and her friends noticed a strong smell of gasoline. Checking under the vehicle I notice that the fuel tank was wet on the drivers side near…
We purchased a used 1998 sonata GL for my daughter in may 2006. In about july 2006 she noticed that she seemed to be using more fuel than usual. Also that her and her friends noticed a strong smell of gasoline. Checking under the vehicle I notice that the fuel tank was wet on the drivers side near the rear tire and smelled of gasoline. We took the car to be repaired. The mechanic upon removing the tank noted that on the top left of the tank (if you were facing the rear of the car) had been patched previously with some kind of epoxy. We have no idea when this repair was done. He attempted again to repair it with epoxy, this was unsuccessful. He then replaced the tank with a used fuel tank from another hyundai. This was also unsuccessful. He then welded the spot on the tank. This was also unsuccessful as the tank started leaking again from the same area. we checked with a dealer and found that the vehicle had been in and had a fuel lined or hose replace on or about march 29, 2001. According to the nhtsa campaign 00v314001 a note: this was six years ago in 2000-2001. this cracking and leaking of fuel IS still an unresolved issue as noted in the note: what has been done? What IS the update? It has been six years. This IS a know problem of this fuel tank and hyundai IS aware of it. They have had plenty of time to research and come up with a safe resolution to this dangerous cracking of the fuel tank. This portion of the campaign should have already been resolved and must be soon. the following IS the note from campaign 00314001: nhtsa campaign ID number : 00v314001 make / models : model/build years: hyundai / sonata 1997-1998 **note: the 1997-1998 sonata fuel tanks have also experienced cracking. However, at this time, the cause for the cracking has not been identified. This portion of the campaign will begin after hyundai has determined the cause and corrective procedure. *Nm
- Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Dt: the contact stated the check engine light IS not functional and that the the obd to the system IS not communicating. due to this the evaporative system IS not ready. this vehicle IS not conforming to the clean air act and cannot pass emissions.
- Power train › Automatic transmission
When driving out of my parking lot, two pieces of equipment fell off of my vehicle. one looked like a belt and the other a small drum. my automatic transmission would no longer function and I was forced to coast into a parking spot in the lot. *Jb
- Seats
Consumer letter requesting all information, investigations and recalls pertaining to the 1998 sonata or the Y3 seat. *ts *nm
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch · Visibility › Power window devices and controls
Dt: the drivers side door latch broke. Caller had to roll down the window to get the door opened. For about 6 months the handle had a hairline crack in it, and now the handle had 4 cracks. It IS not strong enough to open the latch. Dealer and manufacturerr have not been contacted yet. Also caller had to replace all 4 of the window rollwers. *ak
- Power train › Automatic transmission
1998 hyundai sonata 4 cylinder with automatic transmission. repeatedly would go into neutral in critical situations like freeway merge. only way to engage drive again was to shift into neutral and re-shift back into drive. on at least one occasion had to find way off road and shut off engine and…
1998 hyundai sonata 4 cylinder with automatic transmission. repeatedly would go into neutral in critical situations like freeway merge. only way to engage drive again was to shift into neutral and re-shift back into drive. on at least one occasion had to find way off road and shut off engine and restart in order to get into gear. dealer refused to fix and stated all were like this. could have killed me. the manufacturer and dealer were totally unresponsive even when reported under the full warranty. unpredictable. incident cound approximate. date approximate
- Steering › Rack and pinion › Rack
My 1998 hyundai sonata has been a challenge to maintain. twice the driver's side door spring has rusted through and window regulators have failed. this particular incident was a fortunate stop in the car shop to check something else. they discovered that the rack and pinion unit was leaking…
My 1998 hyundai sonata has been a challenge to maintain. twice the driver's side door spring has rusted through and window regulators have failed. this particular incident was a fortunate stop in the car shop to check something else. they discovered that the rack and pinion unit was leaking power steering fluid. I had been complaining to the mechanic that the car "clunked" in the front end going over a bump. this despite replacing the ball joints, struts and one tie rod. it seems that the clunking noise must have been coming from the rack and pinion. they also discovered at the same time that two out of four engine mounts were cracked and the other two were sagging. I'll be replacing those as well and hoping that the car doesn't cause any further problems for a while. I believe in maintaining my cars, but this car seems to have had more problems than most I have owned. the car has also overheated twice, once due to a burst hose and the second time due to a leak in one of the engine coolant temperature sensors in the block. for the latter incident there was absolutely no warning (gradually increasing operating temp over time). It also has the hard down shift from 3-2 (automatic transmission) that others have noticed. I won't be purchasing a hyundai again as I feel that this IS way too many problems for a car with only 90,000 miles on it.
- Electrical system
Caller stated: brought car in for inspection. when the car was hooked up the monitor status with the onboard computer red not ready on everything. mechanic told consumer that he had to drive the car on a highway for 20 minutes, then drop down to 15 mph for 5 minutes, and then repeat, followed by a rest period of 5 hours. all to get the computer to give out the correct reading.*ak
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch · Visibility › Power window devices and controls · Visibility › Windshield wiper/washer › Motor
The passenger window would not roll up, it got stuck in the middle of a rain storm. the passenger door will not open from the inside and the windshield wipers stopped working as well and replacing the fuse did not solve the problem. *jb
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch · Power train › Automatic transmission
Follow up to complaint #10102430, pasenger door will not open from inside/outside, after removing inside door panel fished out a broken spring rusted through, was able to repair with $.50 spring from local hardware store, checked drivers side and found same spring about to rust through, if hyundai…
Follow up to complaint #10102430, pasenger door will not open from inside/outside, after removing inside door panel fished out a broken spring rusted through, was able to repair with $.50 spring from local hardware store, checked drivers side and found same spring about to rust through, if hyundai used stainless spring would have prevented problem, fell sorry for that person trying to seek medical help at a emergency room entrance when door won,t open, transmission also goes out of gear when after slowing for ez pass then slams into gear. *ak
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
After closing passenger door it will not reopen, inside door handle appears not to engage linkage, passenger would not be able to exit vehicle in a emergency, other similar complaints on file with ntsb. *ak
- Structure › Body › Door · Visibility › Power window devices and controls
Passenger window and driver's door inoperable. *ak
- Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
There are many things that have occurred to my hyundai sonata 98 since I got the car as of september 2003. I've had to pay over $700.00 in transmission replacement costs, and fuel injection systems that had previously been fixed at the dealership while warranted (bob ciasulli hyundai). in…
There are many things that have occurred to my hyundai sonata 98 since I got the car as of september 2003. I've had to pay over $700.00 in transmission replacement costs, and fuel injection systems that had previously been fixed at the dealership while warranted (bob ciasulli hyundai). in addition, the driver's side plastic door handle IS no longer working which was supposedly fixed by the "dealer service station". later I found out there has been a recall on most hyundai 98 sonata models for the plastic door latch. I am unable to get out of the driver's side. a safety hazard. And even more frustrated and tired of dealing with bob ciasulli's dealership.
- Engine and engine cooling › Exhaust system › Emission control › Gas recirculation valve (egr valve)
While driving at any speed egr light stays on. Dealer examined the vehicle twice, and replaced the egr valve and the egr switch. *ak
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
Fuel tank cracked. A recall had been issued on this make/model and year. however, this vehicle was not included in the recall due to vin. *ak *mr
- Power train › Automatic transmission
With 39,000 miles the transmission has failed.*ak
- Electrical system · Latches/locks/linkages › Doors › Latch
Same as odi ID number: 1003666 . Front doors do not unlock from inside or outside and must crawl through back seat to get in to the front seat. passenger side door stuck first and passenger had to get out the window. Two weeks later drivers side stuck. Two weeks later parking lights were left on…
Same as odi ID number: 1003666 . Front doors do not unlock from inside or outside and must crawl through back seat to get in to the front seat. passenger side door stuck first and passenger had to get out the window. Two weeks later drivers side stuck. Two weeks later parking lights were left on at work and doors were locked... Battery died ...door locks are electric... Front door key only unlocks back doors if you have a good battery! Couldn't get in car to open hood to jump battery...had to leave car at work for days trying to get hood open with stiff wire and finally was successful when thick enough wire was used. Don't dare to lock car up again...i still find it locked up many times a week. must be self-locking. Dealer told me this IS a safety hazard and will not pass inspection. Dealer told me parts are about $100 for each door and $200 labor for each door to cut through the interior panel to get access to open them so they can work on them. That's a $600 fix that can happen over and over again because manufacturer used cheap plastic parts in the locks when they shouldn't have. *la
- Structure › Body › Door
Consumer states that fornt doors do not un lock.dealer notified.*ak
- Electrical system · Exterior lighting · Visibility › Power window devices and controls
Turn signals and hazards failed. all fuses, control box, and wiring were checked and problem could not be found. in addition, electric window assembly plastic pulleys have broken in 3 of 4 doors. causing windows to remain in either up or down position. *tt
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly
A crack on the gas tank. Also, dealer was notified and has fixed the problem. was not contacted at the time of this call.*ak
- Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly · Fuel system, gasoline › Storage › Tank assembly › Mounting · Fuel system, other › Storage › Tank assembly › Filling/charging
We had gotten the recall letter for something other than the gas tank on the vehicle we were told it had a crack in it at the time we took it for the first recall letter for this vehicle,we can only fill the fuel tank to 3/4 hash mark and below that piont in order not to leak.
- Visibility › Power window devices and controls
March 25, 2002 my driver side window would not close. I had purchased an extended service contract when I purchased this vehicle new in 1998. I took it to my local dealer, burlington auto mart, in burlington, nj, to be repaired. I checked my contract and thought this part, 83403-34011 regulator…
March 25, 2002 my driver side window would not close. I had purchased an extended service contract when I purchased this vehicle new in 1998. I took it to my local dealer, burlington auto mart, in burlington, nj, to be repaired. I checked my contract and thought this part, 83403-34011 regulator, would be covered. they said it wasn't. I contacted the hyundai protection plan administrators at hyundai motor america in fountain valley, ca and received a letter from denise lowrie, admin. Assurance prod. Dept., that said it wasn't covered. I was still in the process of trying to get this problem straightened out when on july 19TH my driver side front window regulator also broke. I spoke to jason taylor, another administrator in the assurance prod. Dept., who said he gets several calls a week questioning whether the window regulators on the 1997 & 1998 sonatas are covered under the plan. he said that the plan was changed in 1999 and the regulator IS now considered part of the window motor and so it IS covered on the 1999 and newer sonatas. my extended contract states that the power window motors and gears are covered. the window regulators are not mentioned under exclusions. I don't know if you can look into this matter, but I really feel that the regulator problems should be examined, as it sounds like there are way too many regulators failing in the 1997 & 1998 sonatas.
Service bulletins
Technical service bulletins and other communications the manufacturer sent dealers about this vehicle. Ask a dealer for the full document by its number.
- 10230904This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to the accumulated moisture in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. This TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes or during normal driving operation.
- 10217258Effective June 2, 2008, Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 110 (FMVSS 110) established a threshold for correcting load carrying capacity information indicated on tire placards when vehicle weight has been increased before retail sale. This limit is the lesser of 1.5% of GVWR or 100 pounds. If the total added weight exceeds the lesser of the limit, a label must be added to the driver-side B-pillar within 25mm (1 inch) of the original tire placard.
- 10217251Follow the guidelines outlined in this bulletin to inspect and clean or replace certain components of the engine intake system accordingly during engine short block or sub-assembly replacement.
- 10196546Hyundai approves only the ATF, DCT gear oil and IVT gear oil specified in the vehicles owners manual. Use of other ATF may result in improper shift quality or other drivability conditions. Use of other DCT and IVT gear oil may result in reduced durability. Hyundai does not approve the use of any aftermarket ATF or gear oil additives.
- 10190044This bulletin provides the service procedure for engine connecting rod bearing clearance testing. Perform the procedure outlined in this bulletin to fulfill the Bearing Clearance Test inspection requirements to determine next required steps.
- 10190038This bulletin provides best practice recommendations when performing brake service procedures.
- 10189989This bulletin provides the inspection procedure and repair guidelines for certain vehicles listed below.
- 10183963This bulletin describes the procedure to inspect and identify fluid which may appear around the brake caliper area.
- 10183960This bulletin provides tire vibration service procedures, including how to optimize vehicle vibration performance. For all wheel/tire balance claims, the Tire Balance Data Sheet must be fully completed including imbalance and Road Force Variation (RFV) data. The Data Sheet can be found at the end of this bulletin.
- 10178175This bulletin provides information regarding condensation related to moisture accumulation in the headlamp, rear combination lamp, daytime running lamp (DRL), or fog lamp. The TSB illustrates the various causes of condensation inside the lamp assembly. Lamp assembly replacement is NOT necessary in most cases. This condition can be eliminated by turning on the lamps with the engine running for several minutes, or during normal driving operation.
- 10176182This bulletin provides information on tire maintenance best practices and procedures for dealers and customers to maximize tire life and performance.
- 10176178This bulletin describes the general guidelines to help disinfect and protect vehicle exterior/interior surfaces using recommended safe chemical products.
- 10174808This bulletin provides information on identifying dealer stock vehicles with either: A Battery SOC alert - low Battery State of Charge (SOC) at or below 50%. A 30 Day alert - vehicle has not started and reported an SOC in 30 days.
- 10174807The automatic transmission warranty repair policy authorizes in-dealership repairs of the following components for both OEM (new) and remanufactured automatic transmissions:
- 10173546This bulletin describes the general guidelines to disinfect and protect vehicle interior surfaces using certain safe chemical products.
- 10172142This bulletin describes the requirements for all wheel alignment and/or vehicle tracking claims and best practices when diagnosing and conducting alignment-related repairs for all models and model years.
- 10170883This bulletin provides guidelines to inspect the USB, head unit, and multi-box for common connection conditions. 2. This bulletin presents guidelines to inspect for common Android Auto and Apple CarPlay connection conditions. 3. This bulletin provides physical differences between the USB 2.0 port and USB 3.0 port.
- 10169370The Blind Spot Detection (BSD) or Blind-Spot Collision Warning (BCW) is a system that measures the speed of and distance from the following vehicles by using two magnetic wave radar sensors attached in the rear bumper. The BSD/BCW detects vehicles within the blind spot zone and gives off an alarm (visual and audible). The two magnetic radar sensors provide these functions for BSD/BCW: ? Senses other vehicles in the BSD/BCW zone and turns on the BSD/BCW warning lamp for the driver. The warning lamp starts blinking, along with an audible sound, when the driver turns on the turn signal lamp to enter the lane where another vehicle is driving.
- 10167253This bulletin provides instruction detailing the proper methodology for scanning and uploading captured GDS data files to the Techline Repository. Compliance with this bulletin ensures that the GDS data files are correctly transferred and matched with a Techline Case number.
- 10082725This bulletin provides information on components, attributes, and precautions of the 7-speed dry-type dual clutch transmission (dct).
- 10040957Hyundai: all sonata hybrids. Brake bleeding procedure.
- 10020878Exhaust gas recirculation (egr) system diagnosis.
- 10003225Pre-conditions for readiness monitors.
- 10000710Obd-ii readiness test drive cycle.
- 633884Subject regarding diagnostic guide for clifford and dei security system.
- 631997Information on exhaust gas recirculation. *Slc
- 604210Subject on airbag repair kit part numbers.
- 604012Subject on evaporative emission codes diagnosis on some vehicles.
- 604011Information on fuel injector configuration.
- 601635Shop manual on DOHC spark plug wire routing.
- 601634Specification on rear brake disc minimum thickness.
- 601628Vehicles may experience a wind noise in the area around the right
- 601623Vehicles may exhibit a harsh 3-2 downshift.
- 601621Installation procedures on wood interior trim.
- 54161Provided procedures for the installation of a block heater.
- 54113Shop manual correction on cylinder head bolt torque specification.
Every Hyundai Sonata model year
Bars are owner complaints, dots mark years with recalls. Select a year to open its report.