RoadVitals

1998 Hyundai Sonata Fuel system Problems

Owner-reported complaints naming the fuel system system, filed with NHTSA

Data refreshed

Fuel system reportsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
10
Latest Dec 11, 2007
Share of all reportsThis category as a share of every owner report on file for this model year. One report can name more than one component, so the categories overlap.
20%
of 49 total
Crash or fire reportedReports in this category whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. The reporter's own answer on the NHTSA form, not a verified finding.
0
Injuries or deaths reportedTotals the submitters entered on their own reports in this category. Not verified by NHTSA and not a casualty statistic.
0

What this page shows

Reports naming fuel storage or delivery — tanks, pumps, lines, injectors and fuel leaks. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 1998 Hyundai Sonata submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 reports on file name it.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

Owner reports naming fuel system

Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed

Fuel system
Filed Dec 11, 2007

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

NHTSA ID
10211434
Incident
Nov 28, 2007
Mileage
120,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Jun 13, 2007

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.

NHTSA ID
10193270
Incident
Jun 7, 2007
Mileage
117,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Nov 28, 2006

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

NHTSA ID
10174592
Incident
Jul 31, 2006
Mileage
99,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed Feb 24, 2004

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

NHTSA ID
10055594
Incident
Jan 4, 2004
Mileage
60,000 mi
Fuel system
Filed May 30, 2003

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

NHTSA ID
10021914
Incident
May 20, 2003
Fuel system
Filed Jan 18, 2003

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.

NHTSA ID
10002907
Incident
May 16, 1999
Fuel system
Filed Aug 9, 2001

FUEL PUMP LEAKED FUEL INTO THE ENGINE AND CAUSED ENGINE TO SEIZE. *AK

NHTSA ID
750146
Incident
Jul 31, 2001
Fuel system
Filed Apr 19, 2001

THE VEHICLE IS BEING RECALLED FOR THE EVAPORATIVE EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM, 00V-314, THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT SINCE HE LIVES IN PR THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE RECALL SERVICE ON THE ISLAND. NLM

NHTSA ID
560849
BrakesFuel systemTransmission+1 more
Filed Sep 26, 2000

TRANSMISSION BOTH TIMES WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY. 1ST TIME UNDER WARRANTY, THIS TIME IT'S NOT AND APPARENTLY IT IS OKAY FOR THE TRANSMISSION TO GO OUT NOT EVEN A YEAR AFTER BEING REPLACED, BRAKES WERE SERVICED AND FIXED, WINDOWS FIXED NOT UNDER WARRANTY,ALSO MY GAS COVER BECAME LOOSE & FELL OFF WHILE TRAVELING DOWN THE HIGHWAY AND THE STRIP ON MY DOOR IS COMING OFF

NHTSA ID
732524
Incident
Nov 17, 1999
Fuel system
Filed Jul 17, 2000

I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN JANUARY OF 1999. ON 2/26/99 I SENT THE VEHICLE TO JIM CLICK (520-292-3790) TO HAVE THE FUEL TANK REPLACED BECAUSE OF GASOLINE LEAKING. THEY DETERMINED IT WAS A CRACKED FUEL TANK. ON 11/29/99 TOOK THE CAR BACK TO JIM CLICK BECAUSE GAS WAS LEAKING OUT. THEY DETERMINED AGAIN THAT THE GAS TANK WAS CRACKED. ON 7/15/00 ONCE AGAIN, GAS IN LEAKING AND MAKING A PUDDLE. TOOK IT TO JIM CLICK AND WAS INFORMED THAT THEY CAN PUT ANOTHER GAS TANK ON THE CAR BUT IT COULD HAPPEN AGAIN. *AK

NHTSA ID
725558

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.

Other components reported on this vehicle

Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own

Elsewhere on this vehicle

Data sources

Data on this page last refreshed .