Hyundai Santa Fe Maintenance and Repair (2006 and earlier)

1racefan · January 2005

In terms of the stuttering - my wife's Elantra had a similar problem. In her case, it was a faulty throttle position sensor that caused a slight hesitation / stutter when the accelerator was initially depressed.

terrie1111 · January 2005

I wanted to purchase my 18 year old daughter a new or used santa fe and am a little curious as to how you compare the santa fe to other suv's....I like the price as it is affordable...does that mean "you get what you pay for?" I really like the style and my daughter loves it and it is affordable, but, I don't want to throw my money down the toilet if the vehicle doesn't hold up or if there are mechanical problems in my future. Can you recommend another sound vehicle, with a good price tag, that is a GOOD vehicle??!! Thanks, terrie1111

stever · January 2005

Many people are reluctant to recommend a top heavy vehicle for any new driver, but I'd certainly shop and test drive a Santa Fe if I was in the market for a SUV for myself. Gotta love the warranty.

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colleenb · January 2005

My sister also has a 2004 Elantra and had the same problems. Her car was stalling too.

terrie1111 · January 2005

Thanks for the quick response! Have you heard any negative remarks regarding the Tiburon....I like the way it looks and the gas mileage...Terrie1111

stever · January 2005

I don't follow the hatchbacks much (I have enough trouble trying to keep track of the SUVs out there!).

Take a look in the Hyundai Tiburon discussion for comments and advice.

Have fun shopping.

Steve, Host

lshirley2 · January 2005

Yes, in June I was driving along fine when the car just died. I had it towed to dealer and they said the engine shafts(?) broke and scarred the engine. I had 65,000 miles on it. The engine was replaced. the catalyic converters were replaced, the busted engine caused them to break. Several other sensors were also replaced. The warranty covered everything but the tuneup and spark plugs and wires. around $700.00. I now have about 9,000 miles on the new engine and it is running fine.

cjb2486 · January 2005

When we bought our 2004 Santa Fe, it was also with my 18 year old daughter in mind. So far it's a year old and have had no problems with it in 12,000 miles and my daughter loves driving it. As far as how it compares, we shopped around a lot and compared the Santa Fe to the Escape and RAV4. The Santa Fe seemed to give a lot more for the money and felt more secure. Also we previously had a '97 Honda CR-V, which had much less power and got worse gas mileage than the Hyundai. The best indication of how we like the Hyundai compared to the CRV is that in 3 years we only put 20,000 miles on the Honda, while we're putting 1,000 miles a month on the Hyundai.

As far as problems go, you're in the "Santa Fe Problem" forum so it looks like every car has problems. I know of 2 other people that have a Santa Fe. One is 2 years old with about 20,000 miles and the other is only 1 year old with over 50,000 miles. Both have been troublefree like mine.

Best of luck.

frustrated01 · January 2005

After no less that 8 times the car was in for a look at, and have heard through the servise advisor 2 others have the same problem, the Dealer now wants to refund me all moneys spent for chrome wheels and low profile tires that they sold me plus tax to get out of his problem. I still have no idea if the standard alloy wheels will not vibrate. Oh he also offered me to spend an addl $900 for the new Hyundai 18" chrome wheel or $2100 for the Hyundai 20" wheel. Isn't he great(yeah riiiight)

I will talking to the local TV Nevada news station (of which I have contacts,so watch for me), Hyundai USA and looking into the lemon laws and also hope the dealership is keeping up with this message as he knows who he is

bb04 · January 2005

My SF is about 6 months old with 9,000 miles. Check engine light came on about a month ago. I retightened gas cap, even though I thought it was ok, and a few days later the light went off. About a week later, same thing happened, did the same thing, and light went off. Mentioned it to the service dept. who said as long as it went off, it should be ok, no reason to run a diagnostic. A few days after my next service, light came back on and stayed on for a week. Was then told that as long as it was not blinking, its okay to drive and that it happens alot in these cars. Eventually brought it back in because it was still on. They reset it and said it was because of the gas cap. Light stayed off for a day but came back on and has stayed on for over a week. Did not get gas after service/before light came back on. Is this a common problem with the SF? They don't seem to think it's a big deal. I had a Saturn with 190,000 miles and the the few times the light came on, it was for a good reason. Even if nothing is wrong with the engine, it is annoying that it is always on.

richardk · January 2005

It is not normal for the check engine light to be on -- even if it goes back off spontaneously. When this happened to my 6-month-old 2004 Santa Fe, I stopped in the nearest Autozone store and asked them to read out the codes. (They'll do that for free.) Then I looked up the code on the Hyundai Webtech site, and found a diagnostic procedure specifically for that code. I printed the procedure and handed it to the service guys at the dealership. They ended up replacing the canister control valve, which they said fails fairly often on that model. Your codes are probably still stored even though the light has gone off, so you should try to find out what was wrong and get it corrected. If your dealer's service department says this is normal, you need to find another dealer (or contact Hyundai directly).

bb04 · January 2005

Thanks -- light was still on this morning when I stopped for gas. Filled up and light actually went off after starting car. However, when I went to drive away it lurched a few times before it started driving smoothly. Will definetly ask the dealer to come up with something better than just a loose gas cap.

richardk · January 2005

Again, if you read out the code that's being recorded, you can take advantage of the fact that all of Hyundai's TSBs, shop manuals, and diagnostic procedures are on their WebTech site for anyone to use. This is a fantastic service. (Most other manufacturers don't want to make it easy for the consumer to find this information, so kudos to Hyundai!) In my case, the TSB corresponding to the CEL code said specifically that the symptom was not due to an air leak -- hence, not a loose gas cap. So the service department couldn't use that line. Instead, they followed the flow chart I handed them, and fixed the problem. I suppose they might have found the TSB themselves, but why take a chance? By the way, Hyundai is very serious about customer satisfaction, and it's earned them one of the highest customer loyalty ratings in the industry. After you visit the service department, you'll get a questionnaire in the mail, and how you respond does matter to the dealership. So they should make sure you're satisfied that your problem was addressed.

1racefan · January 2005

I agree with Richard about the WebTech site - It is a wonderful tool. My wife has an '02 Elantra, but I lurk around some of the different Hyundai forums because her next car will likely be another Hyundai, as we have been very pleased with the vehicle itself. We have only encountered 1 real problem with the car - knock on wood (and it is coming up on 60K miles), but I was able to use the WebTech site to kind of "self-diagnose" what was wrong, and what needed to be done. Once the service department replaced the part that WebTech referenced, our problem went away. The biggest issue we had was getting the service department to actually replace the part, as it took 6 trips for them to finally replicate the problem. I understand that it is not cost-effective to just replace parts without diagnosing a problem, but I was still disappointed that it took so long to correct.

fmre4 · January 2005

Hi,

Can anyone post the link to this site?

Thanks!

stever · January 2005

http://www.hmaservice.com/

Steve, Host

fmre4 · January 2005

Thanks for the link!

phlwrt · January 2005

When I start my Santa Fe for the first time each

day, it immediately revs to 2500 rpm. I am

concerned that it won't be getting enough lubrica

tion at that high rpm after sitting all night.

Please advise.

Thanks,

Philip

bobbyj · January 2005

We are approaching 60,000 miles and the dealership wants to change the timing belt. Is this the proper mileage for a new timing belt?

skuuter · January 2005

Uh,

Your maintenance guide says that's when it's due, so...in order to keep your engine under warranty, I'd recommend you "get 'er done"!

ann76 · February 2005

My husband and I bought a 2004 Santa Fe this past September -- it was a new vehicle with only 52 miles on it. Since September, we had to have a new engine put in (the original blew) and a new transmission. The dealer has been very difficult to deal with and Hyundai USA hasn't been any better. Has anyone else every experienced something like this? We've pushed for a new, comparable vehicle but have been denied twice. Any advice or comments would be appreciated.

skuuter · February 2005

Let's see; you've had this vehicle five months or so and have already had the engine and transmission replaced? It doesn't seem like anyone's giving you too hard a time.

Why did the engine blow? And why was the tranny replaced? And lastly, what other problems have you had? From what little you mention, I'd say you're being treated quite well and in a reasonable amount of time. I'll assume that Hyundai have given you a rental to use while yours is in the shop??

ann76 · February 2005

The problem I see is that this is a new vehicle and to me, the problems are inexcusable. The dealer's customer service was not good. The engine blew due to high oil pressure -- the transmission, they don't know. We are still having problems with the "new" transmission and are waiting to see what the latest problem is. The frustration is beyond belief.

howdycuz · February 2005

Howdy- Test Drove the new Base 2005 Tucsoon (5-Speed Manual) and was pretty impressed. Got @ 37 MPG (Hwy.) and liked all the "Included Options" for a decent Invoice price. My concern is that it's a NEW model of car. I've heard it's based on the Santa Fe, but not sure HOW CLOSELY. Anyone familiar with how they compare?

2005 Hyundai Tucson:GL Fwd 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M)

Engine: 2.0-liter DOHC, double overhead cam/ 16-valve Inline 4-cylinder w/ CVVT- Inline 4 cylinder configuration gas engine - 16 valves variable valve timing 140 hp @ 6000 rpm 136 ft-lbs. @ 4500 rpm - Regular unleaded fuel.

DriveTrain: 5-speed manual transmission - Front-wheel Drive. Suspension: Four-wheel independent suspension - Front and rear stabilizer bar.- power-assisted rack-&-pinion - Front MacPherson struts w/coil springs, Hydraulic shock absorbers and anti-roll bar - Rear strut w/multi-link, (coil springs, hydraulic shock absorbers and

anti-roll bar.)

THANK ALL!

lngtonge18 · February 2005

This isn't really the best place for this discussion but I'll answer your question. The Tucson and Sante Fe are unrelated, other then the V6 engine and 4 speed automatic which are exactly the same (well, the Tucson has 3 extra horsepower). The Tucson is based off the Elantra platform, which is a tried and true design and has been reliable. The four cylinder is the exact same engine as the Elantra with a few extra horsepower. The Sante Fe is based off the Sonata platform.

I wouldn't worry about the Tucson being a "new" car since all of its mechanicals are shared with other Hyundai products and have been around for awhile.

coolhandjack · February 2005

I'm in a position to purchase a 2001 SF GLS with 65,000 miles for $8,000. I've bluebooked it and found that it's a very good price. I like the way it looks and drives but I can't afford to keep fixing a vehicle that has issues. I've been looking over the boards for the last few hours and see an even mix of positive and negative. I've carfaxed (vin check) this vehicle and looked over the mechanics worksheets showing the inspect when the vehicle was brought into the dealership. Can anyone give me some advice?

kent4 · February 2005

Own a 2001 santa fe purchased new, less than 50,000 miles and have oil changed every 3000 miles at local service station. Developed a noise that the dealer tried 3 times to figure out, last time in they took valve covers off and said it was the worst gummed up motor they had ever seen and there was no way we were having the oil changed regularly. They said this would therefore not be covered by the 10 year 100,000 mile warranty unless we could show proof of oil changes. Local service station painstakingly spent hours digging through receipts to show oil had been changed. When the info was received by dealer they called the service station and harrassed them. Still awaiting outcome while dealer says he is waiting for a hyundai rep to contact them which they said could take a week or more. Up to this point their service has been great and we considered buying another hyundai but being called a liar does not make you want to do business with someone. Just venting and curious if anyone else has had such problems.

fmre4 · February 2005

Sorry about your problem...

This is slightly of off topic here, but a co-worker of mine is in a somewhat similar situation with his VW Passat.

Even with regular oil changes at his local service station, his engine was gunked up to the point where it suddenly stopped running. (scored cylinder walls, and heads damaged, requiring a new engine)

According to my co-worker, VW has acknowledged a "gunking" problem with some of thier engines like the one he has(4cyl. turbo), and a year ago VW extended the warranty to specifically cover this problem.

But even after providing receipts of oil changes, the dealer refuses to fix it under the warranty, and wants $9,200 to replace the engine!

Hope you can get things resolved in your favor.

BTW, which type of engine is in your Santa Fe?

skuuter · February 2005

A situation like that would make me wonder what kind of oil the local garage was putting in the motor...or, if they were really changing the oil as often as they charged for it. One more reason to "do it yourself" or have the dealer do the oil changes. They certainly couldn't refuse to resolve the problem if that were the case.

codata99 · February 2005

maybe you can show us some pictures of that.

gscottsykes · February 2005

Hi,

On 2/11/05 my wife said our 2002 Santa Fe was losing power. I went out to try and start it and to make a long long story short the engine completely "froze up" and we now have it in the shop and the engine will be replaced with a used one for a cost or $2000.00 dollars. This totally sucks because there is only 78,000 mile on this vehicle.

fmre4 · February 2005

Was the vehicle regularly serviced? Not just oil changes, but the other "required maintenance" Hyundai says that need to be done?

If so, was the work done at the dealer or elsewhere?

This is our second Hyundai (we now have an '04 Santa Fe LX), and over time, I've found that they're real good on making sure that we get the "routine" service reminders.

To be on the safe side, we have all the work done by the dealer. Seems that's the a good way to ensure the warranty that's so hyped about will be honored, and to prevent any future "not covered under warranty" occurances...

kent4 · February 2005

It would be nice to have all service done at dealer but closest is hour away. I beleive Texaco Haveline will tell you they make as good an oil as anyone else and thats what the community trusted station has used each change. Since first post the dealer put the valve covers back on and said it was ok to drive until they got info. 2 days after getting back found huge puddle of oil under car, informed dealer who called roadside assistance and paid for it to be towed back to him and said he knew they had done something that caused it(did not say what). Another example of great service that will be all for nothing if they don't stand behind their engine. They took pictures and sent them to Hyundai they said, valve covers were on before I got to see it. Oh yeah, and as for changing the oil yourself, you better save every receipt and take dated pictures of yourself doing it.

kent4 · February 2005

Guess what, Hyundai is going to put a new block and rework the heads all under warranty. It's nice to hear about a car dealer and car maker standing behind their product. I'm glad it is going to end like this because their service has been a bragging point for me with the guys at work when they complain about the service they get on other makes of cars and they laugh when I tell them we love our Hyundai, well I just moved the Tuscon to the top of the list of cars I'm going to consider buying this year. Thanks for listening, so long.

kingtriton04 · February 2005

To all:

I purchased a new 2003 3.5L LX AWD and from the first day it burned oil. It was burning over 1 1/2 quarts per 3000 miles. Everyone told me it was within specs of 1 qrt / 1000 miles...Don't buy into this!! The Hyundai Corp finally agreed to rebuild the heads and it worked for several months, then the oil consumption started again. I sent another nasty letter to the Corp., and this time they agreed to replace the engine. I have not had any other problems with this car, except that the fuel guage was defective and had to be replaced several times.
It is a nice car otherwise

skuuter · February 2005

Glad to see you stuck to your guns and didn't just take the line. It's hard to believe, but Ford used to tell people back in the late 70's that anything better than 500 miles to a quart was acceptable. I never bought that as I've never owned a car that burned more than half a quart between changes. Needless to say, I don't buy Fords.

ilikesun · February 2005

I have a 2001 Santa Fe and it is a 5-speed manual which I have heard aren't very common. When I go from stop to start in 1st gear the car shudders a lot. I am not new with a clutch. I even try to let off the clutch in different ways to see if it will act normal but it doesn't. My other cars have been manuals too. If I accelerate as if I am starting a race it doesn't usually shudder. However, starting gradually, the car shakes and everybody is staring. Does anyone have a Santa Fe with a stick and do you have this problem?

richardk · February 2005

I have a 2004 Santa Fe with 5-speed manual, and it does not do that. It sounds like your clutch may be defective.

codata99 · February 2005

How many miles does it have? Are you the original owner?

ilikesun · February 2005

I am the second owner. I bought it with about 43,000 miles and now it has 64,000mi. on it. I had the dealership fix a bearing on the clutch plate last year because it was making a weird metallic sound every time I would push the clutch in. I told them if the clutch needed replacing to do it while they were in there. They said the clutch looked new so it didn't need replacing. My warranty ran out at 60,000 miles so now I only fix things if I have to.

codata99 · February 2005

At mileage the problem started?

ilikesun · February 2005

When I bought it I think. So about 43,000 miles.

codata99 · February 2005

ok then the repair should be covered under the powertrain warranty...slight problem here as your complaint hasn't been documented during the warranty period, but I'll help you to get your SF repaired free..first you need to have the dealer diagnose the shuddering problem.
Before you do that, call Hyundai Motor America to discuss this issue.

tooldogg · February 2005

Mine does the same thing. When the temp gage gets to a certain point the defroster turns off and the fan kicks up a notch or 2 depending on how cold it is outside. I like it since it defrosts the window everytime you start it.

densmith · March 2005

We also have a 2001 Sante Fe V6 which experienced the same problem. When we had around 40,000 miles on the car we noticed an annoying shudder at about 40 mph in 4th gear, especially when traveling along on a slight incline. The dealership couldn't figure out the problem, so Hyundai told them to replace the transmission. We were told the company policy was "replace instead of repair."

Now at 92,000 miles we're having the same problem again. As stated in the previous post, the car kicks into 4th gear at about 40-42 mph if you back off on the accelerator. If you gently apply the accelerator at about 40mph, the car remains in 4th gear and shudders the way a standard drive would if you try to start from a stop in 3rd or 4th gear. We could hit the tiptronic and gear it back into 3rd and then accelerate very quickly to bypass the shuddering. We cannot cruise along at 40 mph without experiencing the problem.

We're now out of warranty. I need to know if anyone else has had this problem. Was it diagnosed and if so, what was causing it? We can't afford a new vehicle and need to keep this one a little longer. We'd like to avoid replacing the transmission, and any information we can give the mechanic would be helpful.

boltguy · March 2005

Are you sure you're out of warranty? Wouldn't this be covered under the 100K powertrain warranty?

codata99 · March 2005

This might apply to your case.
www.hmaservice.com/webtech/iindex.asp?id=394895148#_394895148

jjridge · March 2005

just bought a 2004 santa fe and am having a sweeking noise in the breaking system. It was a demo with 6,000 miles when I bought it. The noise only happens after I have been driving for about 40 minutes. The noise pulsates and speeds up as i go faster. When I apply the brake it stops but when I release the brake it starts again. It is very annoying. the dealership said that the parking brake was to tight but am still having the problem after they adjusted it. anyone else having that problem or suggestions?

avitweb · March 2005

Hi all!!
I have a 2003 GLS 4WD and I wanted to get some opinions.
1 - High pitched whine intermittently regardless of speed, (heck it even does it in park)
2 - Ride has become very loose (I feel eveything in the road now!) (Mind you I have had it for just over 2 years - it never used to ride like this)
3 - when I depress the brake pedal slightly, the sound of air escaping can be hear at my feet
4 - tap tap tap from behind the firewall...louder then softer, louder then softer.
Those are the major ones - Dealer ALWAYS say "Cannot Duplicat Concern"
Personally i think this is how they get out of Lemon Laws!
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

stever · March 2005

Welcome to Edmunds.

When you get the "Cannot Duplicate" response, make sure your complaint is noted on your work order. Then if the problem persists you can show the dealer or manufacturer that you've complained about the problem before.

Steve, Host

Hyundai Santa Fe Maintenance and Repair (2006 and earlier)

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