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Hyundai Santa Fe Transmission Problems

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Comments

  • xfiles954xfiles954 Member Posts: 2
    how is hyundai using a sealed tranny on the santa fe you cant add fluid and didnt they have these problems like 10 years ago I was told there were no more tranny problems by alot of owners but while i was at the dealer I never saw so many tow trucks brining in dead hyundais
  • dbqfandbqfan Member Posts: 16
    I am on my 2nd transmission and still have the same problem. It seems to only do it when the engine and transmission are cold. The dealer and Hyundai seem to have lost there hearing when I complain about it so I am turning the whole mess over to the Iowa Lemon Law and my attorney. I am so sorry that I bought a Hyundai as the warranty is worthless. Hyundai and the dealer make you jump thru hoops to get a repair and then I get a used transmission with the same problems. I have stopped at a few dealers here and they do not want my Santa Fe on a trade due to the problem. I have to disclose my past history and that kills the deal right away. I am stuck with this lemon for now until I get a lawsuit filed. :mad: These dealers are all a bunch of crooks.
  • bdadcintibdadcinti Member Posts: 1
    I have an 04 Sante Fe with an automatic/automatic shift transmission, the dash lights are showing the "D" light for Drive and the "1" for first gear, the display should only be showing the "D" if I am in automatic and "1" if I am in the shift mode, it will not shift up and down through the gears in either mode, the only way to get the transmission to shift is to get up to speed, shift into neutral, let the engine idle down, put it back in to drive and the dashboard light/transmission will shift into second gear.......repeat for third and fourth. I have tired unplugging the transmission location plug, blowing out both sides...did not work... I also disconnected the battery for 10 min and this did not help.. Any Ideas....... Please help
  • chucko6chucko6 Member Posts: 81
    So much for the Great Hyundai Warranty.
    Many of us sympathize with you because we are in the same boat but just haven't gotten as far as you.
    Let us all know how your Lemon Law pursuit goes since many of us will follow suite eventually
  • chucko6chucko6 Member Posts: 81
    Seems like this should be covered under your Tranny Warranty unless you have exceeded your mileage limit ?
    If you have, sounds like you need to go shopping.
  • dianneseydiannesey Member Posts: 1
    We just experienced the same problem. We have replaced the throttle body twice on this 2008 Santa Fe. It just dies and we have no acceleration at all. It wasn't covered under warranty because it was done by a different dealer and because it was warranted for 50,000 miles. I have never had such a problem on any vehicle and am concerned about suddenly losing acceleration on the highway. I will not buy another Santa Fe.
  • jaycastlejaycastle Member Posts: 1
    edited December 2011
    My wife's 06 3.5. Santa Fe with 55k miles, seems to be stuck in manual shift mode.
    The (D) indicator is missing in the (auto) mode, but it manually shifts OK if left in
    manual mode, starting in 1st, manually shifting as proper speed is assumed.
    I suspect the problem to be the (auto to manual switch) . The (brake applied)
    light would come on intermittently before the shift problem. I would like to know
    where the switches are located, whether inside the tranny or not??
  • chucko6chucko6 Member Posts: 81
    Just goes to prove that Hyundai has never conquered their Transmission
    reputation. Weather you go back to the '90's, '06, '08, or even last year the story goes on & on.
    You would think they'd get it right when they come out with an upgraded version.
  • stephen_22stephen_22 Member Posts: 2
    From Canada...
    I forget if mine is 2011 or 2010, I got it in March 2010... It's the Hyundai Santa Fe 3.5 Auto FWD. Got really good deal so I bought the vehicle but things that have been fixed so far

    ** 1. Transmission was slipping (replaced with brand new transmission)
    2. Paint on door (there was a paint air bubble on one of the doors)

    Each time, the dealer loaned me a car to drive and the car was fixed in ~2 days max. So great service.

    Overall. It's a car you can get at a great value with loads of features, I recommend it...

    ** With hindsight, I think the transmission might not have been the issue and it's the car's crazy sensitive gas pedal. **
  • chucko6chucko6 Member Posts: 81
    Maybe it isn't the Service that's inconsistent but rather depends on what country you live in.
    Here in the US, they replace transmissions with Re builds and they would never replace anything on your sensitive manner of driving-- they would Test Drive and base on their "professional" opinion.
  • stephen_22stephen_22 Member Posts: 2
    Nothing to do with country. The dealer also wanted to rebuild the transmission but I fought for a new transmission and I also had the paint issue on the car. So I think the dealer just gave me the benefit of the doubt.
  • marybamaryba Member Posts: 1
    I got a new transmission under warranty (after much fighting) but still not great...now downshifting I feel a hesitation around 60-50 KPH. Am I crazy or do I have a lemon?
  • ghettoiamghettoiam Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2010 Santa Fe V6 3.5L Sport. Has 30K on it.

    Over the last couple weeks there has a been a knocking here and there. Today the knocking/jerking became very bad. As we accelerate, the transmission seems to slipping all over the place.

    We're not very happy with it. We're making arrangements to drop it off tomorrow while we go on vacation. I'll want a new transmission for sure.

    I think it's safe to not blame your gas pedal. :)
  • tedrik2tedrik2 Member Posts: 13
    Are you aware of the FIX for these tranny problems? Take it to the dealer and have them apply TSB 11-AT-011-1 (or any update). This fixed my problem with the harsh/ abrupt shifting. I had it done back in May and have smooth shifting since. I have posted here before concerning this topic. I REFUSED a new tranny (they will tell you NEW but it would be REBUILT). BTW any transmission will "clunk" such as at low speeds (going through a parking lot) as sometimes it will start to go into a gear but you force it to downshift due to the "crawling" through parking lot. Good luck!
  • caguilarhcaguilarh Member Posts: 3
    Hi I have the same problem with my SF.
    I found information about the magnetic coupling .
    Did you fix your car??
    I own a 2004 Santa Fe 4WD LX, 3.5L V6 with 5-spd Automatic and "SHIFTRONIC" Function
  • caguilarhcaguilarh Member Posts: 3
    edited May 2012
    I own a 2004 Hyundai santa fe 3.5 4WD

    since I bought it feels like a jerk when accelerate from 0 to 20 milles and its worse when up a hill.

    I read it could be a magnetic coupling.

    someone else with this problem?
  • grampy1grampy1 Member Posts: 140
    Does anybody know if the transmission issues have been solved? I just bought a new
    2012 Santa Fe with 4 cylinders and am wondering if the tranny problems are in/on the 4 cylinders.
  • chucko6chucko6 Member Posts: 81
    You would have to follow the Tranny posts to see which engine dominates the problem. They have had a couple of computer updates to minimize the complaints, but in my case, the shifting problems remain the same
    as they were when my 6 cylinder (2010) was new.
  • tlewistontlewiston Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2010 Hyundai Santa Fe, with automatic and 3.1 V6 (no AWD). When stopped on hill, car would not go forward & started to back into car behind me. I pressed on the accelerator until, with brakes squealing. it shot forward. A few days later, the wife started it up after work. It accelerated suddenly, almost hitting parked car. It goes to the dealer tomorrow, and I will mention the magnetic coupling and TSB possibilities. If it doesn't get fixed right, or they can't find anything at all, I will be contacting Hyundai and the Natl Traffic Safety board.
  • seabee7seabee7 Member Posts: 2
    I own a 2005 sante fe and while im driving, no matter the speed, it will shift down then back up and over and over again. some times it doesnt do it at all and then it will just out of the blue do it again. does anyone know why this might be happening?
  • chucko6chucko6 Member Posts: 81
    edited July 2012
    If you are still under Warranty, take it to your Dealer. They will probably tell you that they have to replicate the issue in order to deal with it.
    If it only happens rarely, they will most likely tell you to hang in there.

    By the way that Tranny is different than the 6 Speed now having problems.
  • seabee7seabee7 Member Posts: 2
    It is not under any warrenty anymore. Is there any fix that I can do to help? It isnt really rarely, it happens bout every 3 or 4 days. Will this cause any major problems if I just let it go?
  • ibhipruibhipru Member Posts: 1
    If I need to accelerate quickly, especially to pass, there is a mometary delay before the transmission responds. The motor reves than a couple of seconds later the car lurches forward. If you are in a curve or changing lanes, the lurching almost pulls the wheel out of your hands. I have had a few near "loss of control" incidents as a result. Is this a defect or simply a SantaFe design flaw.
  • geragera Member Posts: 13
    Santa Fe's have always had transmission problems, ever since I bought my brand, spanking new in 2001. We put 3 transmissions in it the first year and then I had no more problems with it until it hit 150k miles. Then tranny went out and we never could get it "normal" again. I finally gave up and sold it cheap just to get rid of it. Stay away from the Santa Fe is what I would tell you. They are wonderful cars, with lots of room inside. Too bad they have never acknowledged the bad transmissions. I thought that after all these years they would have at least found a fix for it.
  • chucko6chucko6 Member Posts: 81
    The 6 Speed Tranny is very suspect ranging from 2-3 Slams, delayed shifts,
    and hanging-up in various gears. I don't beleive they have a Fix other than the alleged computer updates. They won't beleive you unless they can duplicate the problem, so unless it's there full time, Lots of Luck.
  • caguilarhcaguilarh Member Posts: 3
    My car is repaired.
    It was the magnetic coupling.
  • diamond22diamond22 Member Posts: 13
    There are a number of posts on the transmission problems with the 2010 V6 Santa Fe two wheel drive. My problems (see other posts under diamond) started with less than 5000 miles on it. They replaced the transmission (so they say) and put in a couple of software upgrades. My problem initially was it would jump into gear and sound like the whole xmission was going to drop out. After getting a new rebuilt xmission, it started jumping into gear when you started the car while in park. It still does that but hasn't lurched for a long time as it originally did. I now have about 38000 miles. You need to report this to the Transportation safety board. Hyundai regional customer reps aren't very responsive to the problem and have their heads in the sand hoping it will go away. good luck.
  • santafe2004santafe2004 Member Posts: 1
    My 2004 Santa Fe started giving me issues Easter Weekend 2012 and no one has been able to help me, it is doing exactly what your vehicle has been doing along with shutting off from time to time while I am driving. I took it to Glen Burnie Transmissions they told me I didn't need a new transmission and Antwerpen Hyundai can not figure out why my truck is acting this way, I am so frustrated and disappointed if anyone can offer suggestions or a mechanic it will be greatly appreciated!
  • ermac_79ermac_79 Member Posts: 1
    My 2004 Santa Fe GLS (automatic) is doing the same thing too. It has been fine, never needed major repairs, is low mileage for it's age. Battery is a yr old, hoses were replaced a month ago. It was fine until yesterday afternoon, then it went dead three times in a two minute period while in traffic. Before it did this, all the gauges lit up, the shifter vibrated, then it went dead. After a few minutes, I got it started up long enough to make the 2 minute drive home. While pulling into the garage, it died again. Any ideas? I read on another forum that there is a fuse issue with this particular yr/model.
  • chaardchaard Member Posts: 2
    car bucks shifting

    Wired up temporary horn switch. I tried wiring to relay in fuse box but when I got half way removed, found it too difficult. I wired straight off + terminal at fuse box. Horn works. I took it for a drive and before I got off my street the car bucks and won't go into 3rd gear. It also stalls. Does the computer need to be flashed? Check engine light came on also.
  • chaardchaard Member Posts: 2
    I fixed it. Turns out I left the air intake loose. Code was low airflow?
  • take_fivetake_five Member Posts: 1
    edited August 2012
    I own a 2011 Hyundai Santa Fe GLS 4 cylinder. It appears I have the identical problem you are describing. I live in LA / Hollywood Hills Area and there have been numerous close calls where I am rear ended entering the 101 freeway entrances where there are sloped ramps or practically no ramps in areas forcing me to accelerate only to find a hesitation to the transmission and the engine ramp up to 5 or more RPMS. Allot of engine commotion, but no transmission response, and when the transmission finally responds, your neck gets whiplash and you need to really grab hold of the steering wheel to stay centered or if your already moving say on the freeway, when the transmission finally decides to act, you have no power as it accelerates lacking torque because the transmission shifts to an improper gear. Another issue I am having is going uphill. In areas such as the Hollywood Hills there are alot of residential and road byways that travel up the hill to meet mulholland drive, travelling up those inclines are a major pain on my Santa Fe. For example, from a full stop going uphill, the transmission makes it to second gear then seems to love staying on second, because unless I change to manual transmission shift, it will not engage to 3rd. The RPMs go up to 5 or higher, and I’m not even putting on full throttle, If I do accelerate to promote the transmission to go to third, the engine slows me down as it starts compressing due to the RPM going so high up and stays in second gear. I relate this to when you have a piece of gum stuck on you and your trying your best to toss it and it just becomes stubbornly attached to you, the transmission just loves sticking on second gear. I Accelerate, Decelerate, Accelerate, Decelerate and nothing, its just stuck on second gear. Very annoying and frustrating. When I’m traveling on the freeway, the engine ramps high with the RPM’s on just a minor slope, no load and no passengers. As if the transmission computer does not know what gear to change to and becomes so dramatic on slight changes in the slightest inclines. I recently traveled to Montana, and while driving from Montana back to LA, I had to exit in Salt Lake City Utah, because the RPMS where reaching the red color on just the smallest freeway inclines and I felt the car hardly going forward, no torque power. Once stopped at the end of the ramp exit, I barely taped on the gas pedal to proceed from the ramp and the RPMs went all the way to the red while the car barely moved forward, the computer did not know what gear to change to, no torque power, only when I switch to manual shifting mode and shift myself, did the car start cooperating. Again, it seems like the computer does not know what gear to change to and appears that when you go manual shift mode, you bypass the computer programming. Its the only logical thing I cant think of. What I don’t like is that the check engine light has never activated and when I have taken it to Puente Hills Hyundai, they state they cannot duplicate it. On the Montana trip, when I exited the freeway in Salt Lake City, I went straight to Murdock Hyundai as it was acting up. When I drove onto their service lane, I asked the adviser if one of their techs can jump in and drive the car since the transmission was shifting crazy, but the service advisor said there was no one available, so I turned off the car. When they got to it, it was working again and they did not duplicate it. All they did was reset the computer and stated they did a software update and let me continue the trip, the transmission started to act a bit better for the remainder of the trip. As of today, these issues are a common day problem for me. So I suppose that I must drive until something breaks or my family and I get rear ended. I'm currently at 48K miles and under warranty, but unless the tech can duplicate it Im out of luck. I want to enjoy the Santa Fe, but this is really killing it for us. Thankfully we have the option to switch to manual shifting mode.
  • doxie35doxie35 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2012 Hyundai Sante Fe with 1500 miles on it and last week the whole transmission gave out on me. The Vehicle is currently at the dealer awaiting a new transmission (covered under warranty). The dealer told me it was a internal default which means the whole unit needed to be replaced. When they hooked up the computer to the car it showed no bad sensors on the transmission. Has anyone heard of such a thing on a brand new SUV? This is very unfortunate and I hope this does not steer me away from other Hyundai vehicles in the future!
  • l_dl_d Member Posts: 1
    An occasional problem on this vehicle is failure of the Crankshaft Position Sensor. This failure may prevent the vehicle from starting. You should check into it!
  • countrygirl574countrygirl574 Member Posts: 1
    we have a 2007 Santa Fe , our transmission went all together . It only has reverse . We still owe $11000. on the loan and cant afford to purchase a new tranny and make the payments on the car too ..
    Hyunai should replace the tranny !! Isnt a Transmission supposed to last at least the life of the car ?? Our car has never been abusied in any way .
    This is the first car loan that Ive ever had , and now its going to ruin my good credit .
    :lemon:
  • chucko6chucko6 Member Posts: 81
    Hyundai has a poor reputation for engines & trannys. A lot of us hoped that would improve over the years, but even the 6 Speed leaves alot to be desired.

    Apparently, your mileage has put you beyond the Warranty. It's a tough lesson to learn, but you have to stick with Quality products.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    edited November 2012
    The Identifix ratings we have here are good for Santa Fes. If you look around the forums, you'll see lots of transmission problems discussions. The actual failure rate for SFs is probably typical, but it's a real pain if your car winds up being one of the few percent that fails.
  • kdconodkdconod Member Posts: 53
    "Isnt a Transmission supposed to last at least the life of the car ??"

    I dunno that may be a bit unrealistic. Yes we see here bad stories of Hyundai trannies with lots of problems and they really should look into this. Off the top of my head a transmission should last about 150,000 miles. But even when you take care of a car, parts can go bad. On my old Plymouth Voyager I had a piston rod snap and the tranny had to be rebuilt before I hit 100,000 miles.
  • chrisc0520chrisc0520 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2004 santa fe with 118,000 miles. At 63k miles, my car was towed and the day I picked it up I drove to my destination and parked. Upon starting up the car and attempting to shift from park to reverse the stick shift locked. Then I forced it into gear and broke the shifter to where it went from park to drive with almost no effort. I had it towed to a hyundai dealer and they supposedly fixed it and said it was the kotter pin. Now whenever I park on a hill or with the tires turned slightly or sometimes on a straight surface, it's impossible to put the car into reverse without rocking the car first with my foot out the door like Fred Flintstone. This doesn't occur all the time but has become frequent enough that I won't valet or loan my car to anyone. My mechanic thinks its the transmission but I disagree because it bagan at 63k miles. I want to sell the car but won't sell it with this problem. Do you have any ideas? Chris
  • chrisc0520chrisc0520 Member Posts: 3
    I have a 2004 hyundai santa fe gls awd with a 2.7L 6 cylinder engine. When should I expect to change my transmission?
  • obktobkt Member Posts: 35
    When parking on any incline, I always engage the parking brake, release the foot brake and then put the tranny in park. This takes the strain off of the pin in the tranmission that is holding the car from rolling.
  • chrisc0520chrisc0520 Member Posts: 3
    I already use the emergency brake but its not the solution.
  • chucko6chucko6 Member Posts: 81
    edited January 2013
    Has anyone that's concerned about their 6 speed tranny shifting @ the right time had a fix ?
    My 2010 V6 AWD occasionally hangs up on 2-3 and frequently on 3-4 shifts. I find myself upshifting manually just to keep it moving. Makes me feel like it's Retarded.
    Of course the Dealer has not been able to duplicate the problem since there aren't too many open roads with grades near their location.
  • excusemakerexcusemaker Member Posts: 2
    Test drove at 72,000 kms.
    No tranny problems noticed!
    WTF?
  • excusemakerexcusemaker Member Posts: 2
    Take him out until it happens!
    Lock him in!!

    LOL
  • tedrik2tedrik2 Member Posts: 13
    had the problem when purchased new in 2010-had the TSB fix in Aug 2011 and no problems since-I noted the TSB bulletin within this thread-get it done-the dealer should be aware and you will have a smooth shifting santa fe.
  • firstname1firstname1 Member Posts: 1
    How long do Santa Fe's last? Mine is a 2002. Should i start shopping?
  • chucko6chucko6 Member Posts: 81
    Mine turned 3 last week. (35,000 miles)

    I was out looking at the Mazda CX9 and Honda CRV just this morning.
  • royh1royh1 Member Posts: 7
    I am curious as to why? I own a 3 year old Santa Fe with about 31,000 miles, and it drives well, looks good, and still has lots of warranty left, so what are your problems other than maybe you just want a new car? Although this isn't my all time favorite car in my life, 45 years of driving, I like it a lot and now that most of the value drop has occured, can finishing paying it off and have equity.
  • chucko6chucko6 Member Posts: 81
    My 2010 V6 AWD Limited is basically a nice vehicle. The fact that a company that has been making vehicles for 17 years doesn't have something as basic as a transmission, perfected, is unreal.
    If you have followed this Thread, you can see my and numerous others problems and complaints. Some have had replacements with rebuilt trannys, others claim computer updates have helped, but I just put up with the daily Slam and delayed shift.
    In my younger days, the Sante would have been gone 2 years ago, but as a Senior Citizen I have become just a bit more tolerant.
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