Hello everyone, this is my first post - I wondered if anybody could help me with this problem - I have just had my 2004 Coupe SE 2.0 in for MOT on Saturday at Hatfields in York. I thought the car would get through no problem. It failed on two areas - the upper power steering pipes or hoses leaking and the parking brake efficiency is below standard - the first problem is covered by the warranty - the second is apparently not - they say that the whole handbrake needs replacing and they claim it is general wear and tear - therefore they are going to charge me £250 to replace it - I am speechless - I thought that this would be covered by warranty - should a handbrake really need fully replacing after just 4 years? does it sound like general wear and tear? I really don't think it seems right and fair - it was only in for its 40000 mile service three months ago and nothing was picked up about it there - if anybody has any ideas about what I should do please let me know - thank you.

Puzzling how many handbrake issues are being reported by UK Coupe owners . I wonder if this issue is present on other manual tranny Hyundais not just the Coupe ? Is the issue corrosion on the handbrake cable ? Could the problem be proximity to the ocean environment (salt laden air)? Could the problem be lack of regular use of the handbrake ? Brakes are definitley a 'wear' item but if there is a TSB or recall on a engineering or manufacturing flaw then Hyundai should cover the repair costs .

After a year from buying the car I did get a letter from Hyundai claiming there were some problems with handbrakes on the coupe I've got - it claimed that you should let the handbrake 'click' when pulling it up and not press the button down - I have always done this so wondered if this meant that with it needing to be replaced now is it not a manufacturing issue rather than wear and tear - I've never heard of any car needing a full handbrake to be replaced after just 4 years - have I got a case?

I have never heard of the entire handbrake assembly needing replacement , especially on a newer well maintained vehicle . I would take the letter from Hyundai to the selling/servicing Dealer/Agency and have a little discussion with the service manager .

Unfortunately I can't find the letter that I got from Hyundai - I'm going to ring Hyundai tomorrow to see if I can find out any more information - it definitely doesn't seem fair to me. Thansk for the advice so far.

Right - Ive found the letter - it explains that you have to let the handbrake 'click' when you pull it up - it also explains that this is down to a manufacturing problem - so should I be paying for a whole new handbrake (the woman at the service centre told me it had to be replaced because it was seizing up!) after just 4 years - and also should this not have been picked up in the service I had on it just 3 months ago?

It's good that you found the letter. Take it back to them and take the letter with you to explain the problem at hand. The letter should be proof that this is Hyundai's manufacturing problem and not wear and tear, and therefore you should be covered. I'm not surprised it didn't get picked up in your service three months ago, though, and I'm assuming that you as a driver didn't feel there was anything wrong with the handbrake (because as you said you thought you'd pass just fine). Plus sometimes they just forget stuff here and there anyway (read other posts such as "weird transmission activity") I've never heard of a car needing a full hand-brake replacement after four years, either.

This post has been edited by jlien222: May 27 2008, 04:50 PM

the TSB on the handbrake refers the the handbrake lever itself, there was an instance (in the U.K.) where the handbrake lever flew off which caused an accident, so l doubt if this would be anything to do with your problem. l would agree that it's unlikely that the whole system should need replacing, maybe just the cable has siezed up. a main dealer is going to charge you mega bucks to do anything on your car. l would suggest you get a second opinion from an independant garage you can trust. (your MOT failier certificate should state exactly what the problem is, such as handbrake inefficient on n/s etc, if the handbrake is inefficient on both sides it's likely to be the cable, if it's only on one side it may be the cable siezed on that side or a problem with the brake itself)