Are Hyundai's Reliable?

974 Views | 19 Replies | Last: 8 hrs ago by 1agswitchin4lanes
Bonfire97
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AG
Just curious on feedback from anyone who owns one. Are these reliable vehicles that will last 150-200K miles if treated well? I have heard varying answers. Most folks I work with love them. However, a friend of mine who lives 2 miles down a dirt road had a Tucson and got rid of it because he said he just didn't feel like it was built that well and the gravel road was hard on it. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
rilloaggie
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AG
My brother bought a Hyundai car that's been a POS. Engine failure under warranty but the service was so slow he was carless for 2 months while it was in the shop. Lots of minor issues with buttons and smaller things breaking. He's pain is also peeling off in splotches all over. He's never buying another
80sGeorge
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This guys never been a fan..

txyaloo
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Finally got Youtube to quit showing me Scotty vids only to be tortured on Texags with them!
TecRecAg
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AG
Had a friend who drove one of the sedans. No warning, engine gave out on the highway at 110k miles.
Ag for Life
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txyaloo said:

Finally got Youtube to quit showing me Scotty vids only to be tortured on Texags with them!

That guy is a beating, I will never willingly watch another one of his videos.
Bonfire97
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AG
I can't stand him and he is like fingernails on a chalkboard to me. But, I did watch the link above. LOL
88Warrior
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Wife drives a 2019 Santa Fe..125k miles and Zero issues (knock on wood)…
Lavender Gooms
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AG
We have a 2011 Kia Sorento (pretty much the same as the Santa Fe) that we bought in 2016 with 60k miles on it. Currently pushing 210k with basic maintenance and no major engine/transmission problems.
BEaggie08
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AG
I think this is a hard question to answer as the South Korean vehicles have evolved much over the last couple of decades. They came to the US market with a low cost, low quality strategy. They built capital and started hiring away engineers and designers from European manufacturers. Currently, they are selling much nicer vehicles. They aren't dirt cheap like they were in the past, but they seem to be a pretty good value.

Anecdotal evidence aside - according to a 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, Hyundai is one of the most dependable brands, ranking higher than brands such as Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Mazda, and BMW. Additionally, Repair Pal has ranked Hyundai 4th in reliability out of 32 car brands.

I think it depends on what you want in a car. I enjoy the luxury touches of their higher trim packages without the luxury brand price tag.

I've owned a '21 Kia Telluride, '24 Hyundai Santa Fe Hybrid, and I just picked up a '24 Hyundai Ioniq 5 a couple weeks ago. I also have a 2018 Honda Accord. When I set out to buy the most recent vehicle, I was determined tot purchase a non-Korean vehicle, but after test driving a variety of vehicles, within the framework of what I wanted the Ioniq 5 was too hard to beat. I wanted to like the Honda Prologue, but the interior was meh at the top trim level. I wanted to like the Equinox EV, but I didn't. I wound up leasing the Ioniq 5. I guess I'll give it another go in December 2027.

I say research the specific vehicle you're interested in (YouTube, Edmunds, Car and Driver, message boards, etc.) vs using potentially outdated manufacturer reputation as the primary guidepost. This is true across all manufacturers. In my experience though, the post 2020 South Korean vehicles are a pretty good value and I haven't had any significant issues to date. Best of luck in your search.
lb3
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AG
I have a '22 Tuscon. Only have 32k miles so I c an't speak to longevity. Only issue to date is some intermittent CarPlay connectivity issues.
El_Guero512
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Buddy just bought another Santa Fe Hybrid 2025 after his 2016 Santa Fe had engine failure with around 130k miles.
Jack Boyett
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AG
My wife bought a '19 Kia Optima with 120k on it a couple years ago. It's now at 167k with 1 problem in that time frame that ended up being free to fix.

It had a knock sensor code and went into limp mode. I changed the knock sensor and it made no difference. Ended up taking it to the dealer and all it needed was a computer update which they did for free.

That said... GDI engines. I was new to what this meant. When I had the intake off to change the knock sensor, the valves look like ass with carbon buildup. Seems like a poor idea for engine design to me. Almost like they are thinking that if you can get 150k miles out of it, the new car buyer will be happy so who cares. I like to buy cars with 100k and drive them to 300k. Not sure this was a good choice for me.

Another issue is oil consumption. Around 1 qt per 1000 miles. That's not that big of a deal to me, but I see people complaining about less on here sometimes.

Positives - very well made. Drives like a new car even with 167k on it. Very quiet and smooth. Interior still in great shape.
Roger350
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AG
2015 sonata hybrid - I am an oil change zealot, always Mobil 1, always a Mobil 1 filter, and never more than 5k miles between changes. Catastrophic bearing failure at 132k. Sure, I got a new engine for free after 6 weeks of waiting, but bearing failures? Come on, this is as basic as it gets.

Rest of the car hasn't been worse than the '07 Impala it replaced, but it hasn't been better either. Only 1 of 4 door locks work, crappy switches and sensors.

Will not buy another one, and I'd love an Ioniq 5N, but just will not do it...

YMMV
Dr. Nefario
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Hyundai is kind of a weird beast. In the '80s and '90s they were cheap, disposable junk. Then in the late '90s they shifted toward building vehicles with more long-term reliability and introduced their 10 year, 100k mile powertrain warranty. This wasn't just a marketing tool but also an internal strategy to drive improvements. Their overall quality and reliability improved drastically through the '00s and Hyundai sales increased substantially. Then in 2009 they started producing Theta II engines at their manufacturing plant in Alabama. This plant produced 100s of thousands, if not millions, of engines before manufacturing errors started coming to light. It then took Hyundai several years to completely sort out the issues. (Note that the Theta II engine issues were exclusive to the Alabama plant and Hyundai didn't experience the same failure rates in other parts of the world). Hyundai also started completely redesigning ALL their models in the early '10s, both stylistically and all the way down to the frame. We all know how well that worked out for Toyota with the Tundra, and Hyundai did that with their entire product line. They've since settled in and Hyundais built in the last 4-5 years are perfectly fine. If you're looking for new or lightly used, Hyundai is a good value and 200k miles is not an unreasonable expectation if you keep up with the recommended maintenance. Stay away from anything built in the '10s and you should be fine.

Overall, I would put reliability of new Hyundais above GM, Stellantis, and anything European, and on par with Ford or Nissan.
“You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.” -Abraham Lincoln

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Bonfire97
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Quote:

Quote:

I like to buy cars with 100k and drive them to 300k. Not sure this was a good choice for me.

Yeah, I like to at least get 200K out of something.
10andBOUNCE
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BEaggie08 said:

Anecdotal evidence aside - according to a 2022 J.D. Power U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, Hyundai is one of the most dependable brands, ranking higher than brands such as Toyota, Lexus, Honda, Mazda, and BMW.
Isn't this just further evidence that JD Power is completely bogus? Does anyone believe this statement?
Bonfire97
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AG
I think all that stuff, including many sites on the web that "review" products, are paid-for BS.
tk for tu juan
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How many miles of gravel roads are you driving on daily? The answer will determine if the co-workers or the friend's experience applies to future reliability.
1agswitchin4lanes
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Moms 3.8L Genesis has 120K miles and other than routine maintenance, no issues.

I'm not sure I'd buy the 2.4L powered Hyundais and Kias.
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