Hyundai Sonata, 5 speed, 2005, 4 cylinder, 47,500 miles, approximately 4 years old. There was a lot of play in the clutch, but it still engaged. Once engaged however, the vehicle was slow to build up speed. Took it to key Hyundai, the dealer where it was purchased. Was immediately told that their 5 year, 60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty would not be in effect because this was due to normal wear-and-tear. They never dropped the transmission to look at the internals. They gave me the choice of $1,100 for repairs, and $2,500 if a new flywheel was needed. Since it wasn't covered by a warranty, I took it to my mechanic. He dropped the transmission and noted that the flywheel came loose from the shaft it was attached to and caused wear to the clutch assembly housing. The flywheel and other parts would have to be replaced. The flywheel alone will cost $1050, and the entire job about $2300. No after market flywheels are available for this vehicle. Hyundai should have honored their warranty. I spoke with several people at key Hyundai plus Hyundai usa customer service. Key said that it was not going to be warranted and customer service would only refer me back to the dealership. No one could give me information about an average life for the clutch.

- Jacksonville, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2004 Hyundai Sonata. The contact stated that at 40,000 miles, the vehicle's clutch failed to engage when switching between first and third gear. The failure caused the vehicle to only use fourth gear. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who stated that a new clutch assembly was needed. The dealer also stated that the fly wheel had overheated and should be replaced. At 60,000 miles, the failure was duplicated. The dealer stated that the failure recurred because the fly wheel was not replaced. The vehicle was inspected by another dealer who stated that the vehicle's type of fly wheel was designed for a truck, not a sedan. More specifically, the disc in the fly wheel was moving up and down instead of spinning. The fly wheel was damaging the engine housing which caused the clutch assembly to fail. The engine size was unknown. The current mileage is 66,000 and failure mileage was 40,000. The consumer provided copies of the repair invoices for the vehicle. Updated 07/06/07

- Emnaus, PA, USA

I purchased my car in January of 2005 (it's a 2004 model, purchased new). I've been driving a standard shift for 8 years. Starting in mid July, I began to experience problems accelerating. Taking it in to the shop, I was informed the clutch had "burned out", and would need to be completely replaced. I was also informed that I "rode the clutch" which caused the failure. As my previous car, also a Hyundai, had gone for more than 50,000 miles over the 6 years I owned it and never had a clutch problem, I am suspicious of this particular reason for my clutch failure.

- Somerville, MA, USA

My 2004 Hyundai Sonata has been having clutch and flywheel problems starting at less than 10,000 miles. It is now at 40,000 miles and it's getting worse. I've had mechanics (not biased Hyundai personal) tell me that the fly wheel is most likely warped, causing the clutch to shimmy and slip under load (up hills with passengers, etc). I had the dealer look at it and they said it was "fine". I'm thinking about taking it to another dealership.

- Marysville, WA, USA