1998 Hyundai Sonata problems
Owners have filed 68 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Hyundai Sonata. Fuel system is the most reported problem area, at 19% of complaints. Next are transmission (18%) and wipers, windshield & visibility (15%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 68 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Fuel system 19% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 3 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 3 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 80,000 miles 23 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 1 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 6 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 3 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 1 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 0 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 2 |
What the data shows
Of the 23 complaints that include odometer readings, half describe a problem before roughly 80,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 3 complaints mention a crash; 3 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 29th most-complained-about out of 34 model years of the Hyundai Sonata with enough data (41 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
Consumer was involved in a 5 MPH minor collision in which the driver's and passenger's air bags deployed, both driver and passenger sustained injuries. Please give any further details.
False deployment of both the driver and passenger air bag resulted in the driver to feeling sick and dizzy from the substance which came out of the air bag.
While driving 65 MPH vehicle had no frontal impact and no accident, but driver's and passenger's airbags deployed inadvertedly, causing driver to lose control of vehicle and going into a ditch. Please provide further information.
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".
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.