Hyundai Santa Fe (2006 and earlier)

sannette · February 2002

I am looking into purchasing a SF 2002 LX and have a few questions. I have seen both AWD and 4WD used, I'm assuming, to mean the same thing. Which is correct? If 4WD is correct, is it all the time or does it have to be put into 4WD?

I am currently a Saturn owner and had been waiting for their SUV to come onto market for 2 or 3 years now. I recently had a bad experience with Saturn, which forced me to open my eyes and see what else is on the market. After test driving a Santa Fe I could not believe the comfort, the quiet ride, and the incredible warranty plan. The Saturn was a complete disappointment after being in the Santa Fe. I'm currently doing my homework and these forums have been an excellent source of information. Thank you for the input.

guyf · February 2002

The Santa Fe is a permanent all wheel drive. You don't have to do anything to activate it. I drive on snow 4-5 months per year and I can tell you the traction is excellent.

santafekid · February 2002

The recall for CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR (CPS)is now posted on the NHTSA site http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/recalls/

The recall includes SF's built between 03/2000 - 02/2001 - but not all of these vehicles are subject to the recall problem.

I called Hyundai (1-800-633-5151)and they looked up my VIN and although it was built during the specified period (09/27/01), I was told my car is not one that is affected by the recall. I have an '01 GLS V-6 with 4WD.

I suggest that anyone wondering about theirs, call Hyundai and let them check their VIN.

guyf · February 2002

I got my recall letter yesterday from Hyundai Canada. I'll take it in at the next oil change.

lrchome · February 2002

I also called Hyundai, and they told they have no record of my Vin# being recalled for CPS replacement. So I ask why is mine not being recalled, since it was manfactured within the time frame. They then told me that Hyundai has no recall in USA for CPS replacement. I told him the recall was listed on NHTSA site. He said they were premature, and they have not listed a recall yet. So yours will probably be recalled when the recall is instituted.

txsantafe · February 2002

A quick question, what is the manufacture date for your Santa Fe?

In your posting, you typed in the date of 09/27/01 as your manufacture date. This date is outside the recall dates.

dgrpk · February 2002

Have any of you santa fe owners looked at the aztek from pontiac. I am looking to purchase soon and I have it narrowed down to either of these two. If you think the aztek is ugly, try and put that aside for a moment. My main concerns are reliability, and safety. I like them both, dont plan on taking them off road, have a 16 month old, and this vehicle needs to last.
Worried about the stalling I've been reading about, I live in az and don't want that to happen when its 115 degrees outside with a little one on board! Need as much info as possible. thanks.
These forums are great, looking forward to hearing from you.

4teleportation · February 2002

How do most of you Santa Fe owners find it in terms of spaciousness?

Our '95 Dodge Caravan is about to kick the bucket, and just told our mechanic today not to do the $500 repair to stop the oil leaks. As soon as tax refund comes in we're dumping the Caravan and getting a new car.

I know this seems like apples and oranges, but the two models coming in our talks (my wife and I) are Honda Odyssey and Santa Fe.

Personally, I wouldn't mind having an SUV, and the Santa Fe seems to carry the qualities I value most: gas mileage, warranty and bang for the buck.

But I'm also aware that minivans have more cargo room, and having a Caravan for the past 7 years, where I could remove both rear seats and haul stuff was invaluable.

Anybody else face similar issues that we have and ended up purchasing a Santa Fe? If so, how do you feel about now?

Thanks for any feedback.

jaserb · February 2002

Granted, it won't hold the proverbial 4x8 sheet of plywood, but mine has swallowed stuff that would make a Rav4 or CRV blush in shame. I got a full size treadmill (in the box!) in there once, and another time I put in a 72" long bookcase. Granted, I needed to move the seats way up, but I got the hatch closed both times. If you don't need the 7 pass. capability of the Odyssey the Santa Fe will hold quite a lot of stuff.

-Jason

hyundaima · February 2002

It got three-star rating WITH SIDE AIRBAGS in the NHTSA side-impact test! You don't want to put your baby in the back seat of the Aztek.

http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/testing/NCAP/Cars/2002SUVs.html

txsantafe · February 2002

The IIHS gave a marginal rating to Aztek and a good rating to Santa Fe. So if safety for your 16 monthg old baby is one of your concerns then I would go with a Santa Fe.

IIHS website is www.hwysafety.org

dgrpk · February 2002

that is a strong statement. I did look at the crash test results for both vehicles, but I'd say maybe that comment was a little harsh? If it were that unsafe, it wouldn't be on the road. Obviously marginal isnt the best, but it isnt the worst either.
Some people say that these tests are only a guideline, and that it is impossible to test a vehicle as it would actually happen on the road. you'd have to test it up against every other model/type on the road in every angle and with every possible situation that might occur and at different speeds.
I do agree with you both as far as the santa fe getting a better review, and I do wish they would retest the tek, gm litigation, youre not the first to say that. In looking at the results on the websites www.iihs.org and www.nhtsa.com, the tek isnt even in the same class as the santa fe, its a heavier vehicle, doesnt this change its safety comparison to the santa fe?

Now how about those recall and stalling issues? Is it just regarding 2000/2001 - (07/00-02/01) models? Does that mean the 2002 have had this problem corrected? Consumer reports has the santa fe predicted reliability as below average. and the tek as average. they tested a 2001santa fe and tek. not the 2002.

As far as gas mileage, it isnt one of my biggest concerns.

As far as the double rebate, toyota doesnt offer rebates, and neither do a few other foreign made cars (honda). remember the price I gave you is $18,000 after tax, title and license. on the santa fe $17342, plus ttl would bring it to approx 18942. and they are doubling the rebates on all models not just the tek.

txsantafe · February 2002

See post 3155 and the problem has been fixed. I subscribe to Consumers Reports, the reliability is low because of the previous cars made Hyundai under the previous CEO and remember that CR will only report what people have sent in via snail mail on auto repairs. Since Hyundai has gotten a new CEO, quality has improved greatly and sales have gone trough the roof. Also

mastrv · February 2002

If you say "ignore" the safety tests, then why have them at all? The reason is because although you can't test EVERY angle, you can test some angles. The ones that cause most damage/injury. It keeps the car manufacturers honest. If they didn't do these, they'd get away with anything.

It sounds like the person comparing between the Aztek and the Santa Fe has already made up their mind. They keep coming back to the Aztek as a better deal/value. I have had my Santa Fe for over 6 months with 12,000 great kilometers and no problems. One of the best, quietest and most economical rides I've driven. If you like the looks of the Aztek and believe it is a better deal/value, then you should just go ahead and buy it.

It really comes down to a personal decision and personal likes and dislikes. You should list all things (like safety, price, performance...) that are important to you and YOU rate each car. Maybe rate each from 1 to 10. Others CANNOT do this for you, for they have already done this and can only give you THEIR evaluation. It's YOUR evaluation that matters. You will live with your decision and not others.

waynesan1 · February 2002

Just wondering if anyone has had any problems with outside mirror noise on the SF. My right side mirror was making a noticeable whistling noise so I took it back to the dealer and they said the seal was not right so they replaced the mirror. It was fine for about 2 weeks and then started making the noise again. Now the driver side mirror is starting to make a similar noise as well (not as loud but noticeable). Have any of you had similar problems?

santafekid · February 2002

Sorry for the dead brain. My manufacture date is 09/27/00.

sbmd · February 2002

Just wondering if anyone has any feedback on Hyundai dealerships in the MD/DC area. I'm in the market for a Santa Fe LX AWD, and I'd like to know if anyone has any positive (or negative for that matter) feedback on dealerships in the area. Thanks.

sbmd · February 2002

Is $23,300 a good out the door price for an LX 4WD? This includes all fees, tax, and tags. Thanks.

txsantafe · February 2002

It is no big deal. If you get an Automatic, you get what they call the Shiftronic Automatic. All that does, is allow you do manual shift your gears if you so choose to drive that way otherwise just leave the lever on Drive. Most of the time, I do not use the Shiftronic and all the boards that I read I have not seen any major problems with it.

Hey Mastrv

Where have you been hiding?

gsogymrat · February 2002

I found a 2001 pewter FWD Santa Fe GLS with 19K miles. It has aftermarket leather and stereo and appears in good condition. The dealer was asking $21,800 originally and it sat on the lot for months. Then he dropped to $19,800. After pointing out several things I would want fixed (a small ding on the door, missing wheel emblem, etc.) I told him I would give him $17,000. He has countered with $17,800. I know Edmunds TMV is lower but there seem to be few used FWD V6 with leather in my area and I think $17,000 is fair. He seemed very eager to sell and I am hoping to get my price. I was disappointed when he told me the warranty drops to 5 years, 60K miles on the powertrain on used Hyundais. BTW I had read that the Santa Fe didn't have very good pick up so I test drove this one with 3 fairly hefty guys along and it did had plenty of pickup for me. Maybe the AWD makes a real difference.

harry31 · February 2002

I have a FWD GLS. Plenty of pickup for me, also. I think the reviewers complaining about the Santa Fe pickup have just come from testing a Porsche. You know, 0 to 100 to 0 in 12.9 seconds - top speed 188 MPH. After one of those, you might feel that a Jaguar was slow.

Funny thing is, the same reviewer will call a 4cyl Honda, "Nimble". Yeah, right!

jceh1 · February 2002

sbmd

$23,300 with tax and tags? That's below MSRP for the vehicle alone. What area do you live in?
I'm in Metro NY area and best I could do was $23,400 before taxes and tags.

greg55126 · February 2002

For all who want to know. I just picked up a GLS, V6, ABS and TC, FWD, roof rack and rails, Woodgrain Dash, Mud flaps, floor mats, cargo tray. List price was $21,334 plus the $225 bike rack and 3 oil changes got it for $20,300. I am sure it was not the best price out there but had fun making the deal. What do any of you think?

So far I love it. So much bigger than I thought. Thanks to all who have written in and given this kind of info it helped the process.

sbmd · February 2002

I'm in the DC Metro area. The dealership is in northern Virginia.

polie8080 · February 2002

Hey guys, i don't really know how to use this forum, so I made an email for whoever is interested to reply to. Maybesantafe@yahoo.com
I might buy a Santa Fe. And might buy one soon. Ive been doing the research and would like to know, from real people, If the Santa Fe is a good mechanically sound vehicle. I want to get a base model, except with the utility package. I want it in stick (the AWD v6) but i dont think its available.
I made the mistake of buying a 99 KIA Sportage convertable. It has only 32,K miles, but has never been a good car. I could get a different car Other than a Hyundai, I know Buick is offering 2002 cash back and 5.9 APR. But I need a van. And Hyundai offered to pick up the loan value of my KIA. I dont want lightning to strike twice. So please, if anyone has any input, Pro or Con, please get it to me.
Im not completely sold on the Santa Fe. But the value is undeniable. I might get the GL 5 speed manual if that is the only manual they offer. I just want to be able to control my car. 3500 pounds is really heavy.

guyf · February 2002

I have 40,000 km on my Santa Fe and it is very solid and reliable. The manual is not available with the V6 but the shiftronic let you control the vehicle the same way as a manual. You should test drive the shiftronic to see if you like it.

mastrv · February 2002

To dgrpk:

I know what you mean about dealers and slimy salespeople. Keep looking. Try to get the best deal you can and remember, YOU are the customer. There are good salespeople out there. Sometimes different people at the same dealership can be very, very different too. I don't think this problem is specific to any dealer or manufacturer. Basically, when a saleperson thinks they have the upperhand (like when a car is selling well), they will try to get as much as they can out of you. Try to go to a dealer with many models to choose from, or come back and talk to different salespeople. They use various tactics to make you anxious, like waiting in their office or desk for a long time. Get upset if they do this or talk to a different salesperson. Also, don't be afraid to walk out. They seem to change their attitude when this is done...I guess they think they're losing a sale.

To txsantafe:

I've been around, putting my 2 cents in every once in a while.

To polie8080:

The 5 speed may be available in different models depending on the country you're in. They recently started offering a 5 speed manual with the 4 cylinder version with Front wheel drive in Canada. I think it's the same in the US. I don't think the V6 is available with a manual 5 speed, though. Have you tried the automatic with the Shiftronic? It's kind of like a clutchless standard. It's not the same but you may like it. Try it out.

actionball · February 2002

Im surprised by all the people who say they DON'T use the shiftronic gate. 90% of the time I leave it in drive but for going up long hills, esp at higher altitudes it is a blessing. Being able to just kick it down to 3rd and sail up a mountain pass at 70 on cruise control is great. It is nice on long descents as well. The SF engine makes enough power, it just makes it at 4k rpm's.

My only issue is actually user error, I will forget it is in shiftronic and after the hill I won't upshift so I drive for 60 miles in 3rd gear. I guess if the car were noiser in 3rd gear at 70mph I would notice, bummer...kinda, sorta not really.

guyf · February 2002

I agree with you actionball, I use the shiftronic pretty much in the same way you do. The regular automatic is nice in stop and go traffic but I prefer to use the shiftronic in hills and mountains and anticipate the downshifts.

I feel the automatic works on what would be the economy mode in cars with different shifts modes. If you want full acceleration and power, just use the shiftronic and let the engine rev.

groksoup · February 2002

After some shopping around, we just bought a 2WD V6 LX model Santa Fe in Southern California (San Diego, to be precise).

Got what we thought was a good deal: $20,680, including mudflaps, roof tie rods, and floor mats. Licensing and taxes were extra, of course.

So far, the car -- Pewter and dark gray interior -- has been fun.

johnstone53 · February 2002

After doing a lot of research I purchased a 4WD LX last Saturday. I will be picking it up this Saturday. I got the Merlot color. I paid 23,100 which included the mud guards, floor mats and roof rails. Also just to let you know the price I received from the Autobytel dealer was 23,430 and that was after he deducted $500 for an advertising fee that he wanted to pass on to me. My readings from Edmunds paid off as I knew enough not to fall for the advertising charge. After hearing this I decided to pass up on this dealer and went elsewhere.

actionball · February 2002

Around here, (everywhere else too) the dealers put the big car ads in Thursday's paper with super priced bait-n-switch mobiles.

The tactic is simple, go in Wednesday evening or Thurday morning since the ad prices often don't take official effect until Friday. Ask for the ad rig and the dealer might be thrilled to have it sold and off his lot before the weekend herd of bargain hunters comes in wanting to see it. That way they don't have to strategicaly bury it or dance around the topic that weekend, they can just say flat out that the ad rig is sold.

We did it that way and got a 2002 Pewter GLS 4wd for the ad price of 19,495. Made it cheap enough to load in the warranty expansion/maintainance contract and get out the door well under 21,000. The MSRP was 21,500.

lrchome · February 2002

What is the warranty expansion/maintenance contract you paid for? And how much did it cost?

deke131 · March 2002

I rercently bought a 2002 SantaFe 4WD GLS 2.7 V6. I love it. It rides like a lux car, gets about 20 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway. People comment very favorably on this "ute"!

actionball · March 2002

Its simple, the regular Hyundai warranty is 5/60k bumper to bumper and 10/100k powertrain. Non transferable.

The expansion just boosts it to be bumper to bumper for the whole 10yr/100k miles, no deductable, and you can transfer it to a new buyer. When selling a 6 year old Santa Fe it will be nice to say "oh yeah, it comes with a 3yr/34,857mile bumper to bumper warranty too"

The service contract is just 3 years of oil changes more or less.

I think we ended up paying about $700 for the package. Like everything else at the dealer it was negotiable...and negotiating after midnight on a Wednesday seems to be a wedge in your favor at the finance table. 12 oil changes is $360 by itself so it seemed quite the bargain to be able to guarantee an easy sale of our SF in a few years. Who can pass up an inexpensive, well built, used suv that has more warranty left than most will have new?

infobabe · March 2002

10 years ago my parents bought me a brand new Hyundai Scoupe as a high school graduation gift. It turned out to be a horrible vehicle...I had problems galore with it. It was under warrenty, but I was at the dealership with it constantly and it turned out to be a major hassle. The car had alternator and fuel pump problems and the check engine light never went off.
Anyway, I like the look of the Santa Fe and may include it in my current car search. However, I am very nervous about owning another Hyundai. Should I be?

dgrpk · March 2002

My husband and I put an honest effort in trying to get the santa fe. I called the salesman from hyndai, (he was nice) and told him what was up. He did his best $18500 plus ttl. I told him what the price on the pending sale of the aztek was, $18600 w/tint out the door, and he said hed talk to his mgr. He couldn't match it. (even on a 4 cylinder)!

We called around to see if anyone else could match the price on the aztek, no one else had a base, so we bought our aztek last night, through the kia dealership across the street. talked to the man who we spoke to when we were looking at sportages, the two dealers are owned by the same owner. did the deal through him. I actually ended up speaking with the owner of the pontiac dealer to complain of the unhappy experience we had, he passed it on to his brother, and he didn't do too much. He did clue us in on the new rebates after feb 28 which was good. I wouldve liked to have them at least apolidgize for the misunderstanding that went on, that wouldve been the right thing for them to do, but, despite all, pontiac gave us a fair deal on the car, and their person in finance treated us good.

We have our aztek, in yelllow, but for all you reading these boards, The santa fe is a great car as well, but for us, price won out. They are both nice cars that have a luxury feel, and I wouldn't have been disappointed with a hyundai. I wish they would do some rebates to help us dollar conscience consumers.

thank you all for your advice, comments, (and scolding ( mastrv)
: ) Wish me luck on my vehicle and good luck to those still shopping.
I now have my life back, a new car and can get on to other things. Will check back to say hi and let you know how things are going with my aztek.

mastrv · March 2002

Congratulations with your new purchase and I wish you all the best. Don't think of my previous post as a scolding...think of it as a heart to heart talk. I'm sure you'll be very happy with your Aztek. Keep in touch.

txsantafe · March 2002

You should not be worried about owning a Santa Fe. Hyundai has a new president since your parents bought your car for you. The new prez has been very concerned improving quality of the vehicles. IMO, the Santa Fe is a well built quality XUV. If you check this board and other Santa Fe boards, you will see the number of happy owners.

To dgrpk:

Good luck w/your Aztek

carseeker4 · March 2002

After months of searching, researching and hedging, we finally decided on the Hyundai Santa Fe V6 4WD. It simply had the best combination of features and price. The 2 finalists, the SF and the Tribute, were examined with a fine tooth comb and I found the Santa Fe had BETTER build quality, maybe not quite as elegant as the Trib but the doors closed better, the joints seemed tighter, and since we could have gotten the Trib on S-Plan, the price was not much different, so I figured we'd take a shot at Hyundai... I would never have done this a month ago! But we loved the nice LONG ride home (50 miles, we bought it at the Airport Auto Mall in Philly, which is 47 miles from our house!... but there is a Hyundai dealer about 5 miles from here where we can get service - and they didn't have any SFs when we checked there on Thursday... all sold out...). We also like the saftey rating of the SF (in the IIHS frontal offset test) compared to the Trib and I thought the interior was... well... "cooler".... (I liked especially the floor shifter as opposed to the Trib's column shifter). Its Pine Green... a bit feminine (sorry, girls), but a neat color. As we were negotiating, about 3 families were combing over the vehicle.... almost had to send out the hounds to keep em off! So....I'll keep y'all posted... put 66 miles on it today!
-Ted

gsogymrat · March 2002

Like carseeker4 I bought a Santa Fe this week after much research and comparison-- I think I test drove all the competition. The bottom line was each of the competition had one or more things I didn't like and there was nothing about the Santa Fe I had a major issue with. The Tribute was also my second choice: liked the styling but not noise or quality. I considered buying a used Santa Fe but my family talked me into a new one. The local dealer had the exact model I was looking for: 2002 FWD LX, Pine Green, ABS w/traction control, mats, roof rack crossrails and cargo tray. My dealer experience was good. I hate haggling and told the salesperson that I would give him $21,500 + TT&F that day for the vehicle and that if he didn't want to sell it to me for that price I would be buying one that day through Sam's Club at the dealership in Gastonia. He agreed without argument and spent a lot of time going over the vehicle with me, introducing me to the service center staff, etc. I'm very happy the Santa Fe so far. I'm doing a few modifications including upgrading the sound system, adding wood trim, chrome accessories and towing hitch. Looking forward to many happy miles!

onesantafe · March 2002

250 miles on my new Santa Fe.. Did a lot of research and was between the Santa Fe and Tribute. Time will tell if I made the correct decision. For now, I am very pleased. I decided on FW drive LX and had to have a sun/moon roof installed... $23,100 and yes hood deflector, mats, etc. Smiling now.. hope that continues. It is truly been enjoyable so far.

gsogymrat · March 2002

A salesperson at my local dealership said getting a sunroof would void the rust protection warranty. Any truth to that?

carseeker4 · March 2002

Best wishes to both of you with your new Santa Fe's. Like you, I am enjoying it... I was surprised to find that a recently issued special Consumer Reports rated it ahead of the Trib in predicted reliability. Now, mind you that's "worse than avg" vs. "MUCH worse than avg." for the Trib. But, they said that about my wife's 99 Grand Am and while it had a couple issues in the first 3000 miles, its been fine ever since....(its got almost 30K on it now).

txsantafe · March 2002

On other Santa Fe boards, I have read about a lot of people getting sunroofs. Nobody has said anything about voiding the rust protection warranty when adding a sunroof.

My question to the dealer would be: how can adding a sunroof void the rust protection warranty?

onesantafe · March 2002

One dealer told me they couldn't install a sunroof due to the wiring going through the roof. The dealer I purchased my Santa Fe from said it would be warranted as long as I own the vehicle and didn't mention anything about voiding any rust warranty. Maybe that is part of the reason I am having it installed through my dealer

carseeker4 · March 2002

Gang - I am wondering about the best way to protect the interior. The dash and leather for instance.... I would be tempted to use ArmorAll for the dash sometime in the summer but it gets very reflective. Also, I usually like to put some kind of cover over the driver's seat since its the most often used.... any suggestions? Thanks.

harry31 · March 2002

ArmorAll gives too much dash shine for me. I use 303 on all the car's plastic/vinyl, inside and out. ArmorAll is good ( and the price is right ) for my wheel wells - and the cat's litter box.

carseeker4 · March 2002

Thanks, harry31. I'll have to track down this "303" stuff... you're right. I shined up my dash in a previous car with ArmorAll and would up getting blinded on sunny days! I'll keep it for the tires!

greg55126 · March 2002

Hey,
Going on my 3400 mile trip soon only have 600 miles in on the new SF. Owners manual says 1200 miles before you go over 55mph. Anybody have any suggestions that I might take before that long drive? I plan on varying the speed through out the trip but would like to go 75 - 80 when speed limits allow. Also think I will change oil before going on the trip. Hope to have the 1200 miles in by then but even if its is under that shouldn't I change it?

Hyundai Santa Fe (2006 and earlier)

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