QuestionI purchased my Hyundai Terracan in March of this year and had it taken in about two months ago after having the car star smoking (from the center area under the hood. I took it by two mechanics on the way to the dealer and both said it was the clutch and to take it into the dealer. When the dealer saw it - they washed down the underside (without opening the transmission) and now - 3 days ago I took it in again (this time the clutch was slipping) and they said it might be a failing disc (probably due to misuse), when they saw the part - they said that the disc was completely worn due to misuse and that it was not covered in the guarantee. Is this normal (I have recently read that the Tiburon has a lawsuit pending in California for a similar problem)? Also, is there any asbestos in the clutch area and if not, what produces smoke and its pungent smell?
AnswerHi, Kathryn. I cannot give you specific information about the Terracan because it's not available in the U.S., but I'll give you general information about clutches and do my best to give you the information you want.
First, without seeing your clutch, I cannot offer an opinion as to whether your problem was caused by misuse. It's certainly not normal for a clutch to wear out after a short distance of driving. (6 - 7 months seems very short, but I suppose that I technically don't know how far you've driven). For a clutch to wear out in a short driving distance, there's a problem somewhere. It could be abuse/misuse as cited by the dealer, or it could also be a defect in one of the clutch components, or even a misadjusted clutch master cylinder pushrod (or clutch cable, depending on what system the vehicle has).
While I cannot tell you whether the clutch disc contains asbestos (wouldn't in the U.S.-- it's been outlawed), the clutch disc does contain some sort of friction material. In most cases, the smoke and smeel would have resulted from overheating the friction material.
The issue with tiburon clutches has specifically to do with the V6. From what I've seen of the lawsuit it's very weak and doesn't address the real technical issues of the situation. In my personal opinion, the issue is that the clutch in the V6 tiburon has not been made durable enough to withstand hard driving and the power of the V6 engine. Whether the Terracan has similar issues, I'm unable to say. You might try posting on an online board asking if anyone else has had an issue, and the number of responses will give you an idea of how common it may be.
As far as receiving significant reimbursement for damages, class action lawsuits aren't the way to go, however. Their real value is punitive. The total amount of the settlement is typically enough to make a company change it's business practices. The company receives a large penalty, and the lawyers receive a significant amount of the settlement, leaving the remainder to be divided among the plaintiffs, which typically amounts to a very small award to each plaintiff compared to the damages.
