Hyundai Santa Fe Maintenance and Repair (2007+)

staceyschoony

Well -- Hyundai has issued a TSB for the issues regarding the ESC/AWD engine light. It definitely is the throttle body!! The service department confirmed it -- apparently it was done right around the time that I started having my SF issues. Thanks again for the information -- if I hadn't asked them to research it further , I wonder how long it would have taken for them to find this out ! I'll let you know my production date when I get it back.

vijaygopal

Hi, i live in Dubai and i own a 2007 Santafe, very happy with the car but off lately the engine stops suddenly especially while idle and take a while to restart again, the Hyundai Agency guys have already replaced the fuel pump and the trottle control but the problem still persists. Can anybody give me some advice on this so that i can share it with the experts who till now could not do much about my problem except to waste my time.
Thank You

wamba2000

JCW...sorry, been away from the boards for a few days.
The dealer did set the auto-locking feature at 15mph, don't know why this isn' t standard out of the factory like on other cars. Did find one quirk: If the car is locked by reaching the 15mph speed, then I arrive at my destination and want to get something out of the rear cargo area, I can not use the remote unlock button to unlock the rear hatch. Only using the Unlock buttons in the car will release the rear hatch. I can also click the remote lock button, then unlock the rear hatch with the remote. Works different than other systems, but ok once you figure it out.

My map lights do illuminate when the door is opened, no problems there.

I will take it in and have them adjust the shield. It probably isn't hurting anything, but my ears in the morning!

somedai1

any other signs before it shuts down? does it run hot (overheat) - when it gets started again - is the check engine light on or flashing? how long have you had it?

staceyschoony

Okay, here I show that I'm a girl with no mechanical tendencies-- is the throttle control the same as the throttle body? Also -- does it happen primarily when it is cold or wet outside? Maybe these factors are important.

bannod

Could it be the main relay? I had an Accord that wouldn't restart for a while when it was hot out. I lived in Texas at the time.

When I called to make an appt. to have it fixed, the service manager said "How do you know it's the main relay?" I think if I'd been a guy, he wouldn't have asked me that.

vijaygopal

No signs at all, Dubai is a real warm place and there is no question of rain or cold temp here. The engine just shuts down by itself, there is no clue before that except you can feel the rpm falling a bit that's all. In most cases it shut down when i was starting it in the mornings or while i start the car while parked.

Thanks

rick2456

That is exactly why I went with the SE version instead of the limited.. I absolutely hate auto climate control. To me, it is a step back from the simple intutitive dials. I do like separate controls for the pass/driver like I had on my Envoy, but the auto controls that work by setting a temperature truly suck.

themoonman

You are describing the same problem I have been having with my 2007 Santa Fe limited. Took it to the dealer and they "found nothing wrong".

orzecap

Thanks for the response.

My dealer also looked into the problem and could find nothing wrong. I do believe they tried, but the problem is intermittent and of course I couldn't reproduce the problem when bringing the car in or while at the shop. They are a good dealer and I believe that they really put effort into identifying the issue.

If you find out ever what is happening, please let me know.

vlad36

My 2007 Santa Fe Limited is nearing the 180 day mark since I rolled it off the lot. It only has 4,500 miles on it, and I live in the New York city area. I had an oil change done after 90 days, and I was going to schedule another one shortly. The dealership tries to upsell additional maintenance survices at certain points in the car's lifespans. The question is: is anything other than an oil change necessary at this point? The car runs fantastic, and I want to keep it that way!

slateblue

Check your owners manual for required maintenance and intervals and turn down any other profit items your dealer is trying to push on you. With only 4500 miles on your car there is nothing you need except oil and filter changes. I would be looking for a different dealer to perform required maintenance.

gunga64

Stacy can you tell us the TSB number? Never know when you need it. I haven't had any problems with my 2007 sf limited. But always look to see if a problem TSB might arise.

staceyschoony

What I found in the "invoice" is: -TSB08-FL-004 - REPLACE THROTTLE BODY FOR CODE -P2135. All is well since I had the throttle body replaced.

klain626

Recently the Santa Fe's temp. is rising to the red. The fan kicks on within 5 minutes regardless of outside temp. Also, when the car is put in reverse it sounds like there is an exhaust leak. I appreciate any insite to these issues. Thanks

pelican19

My wife's 07 Limited has run well for the last 12K miles. Tuesday she went shopping and when she got back to the Santa Fe it was dead. No crank when she tried to start. All the electrical systems seemed to be fine. Horn, lights and radio worked but no power to turn over. She called me first and I walked her through taking out the cap on the shifter to get the truck into neutral to see if it was the safety switch. No joy. I told her to call roadside assistance. They arrived and tried to jump start the truck. No joy. They called it in to get a flatbed for her. The dealer had it for a day. Turned out to be the fuse block. So far so good...

rick2456

Something is seriously wrong. My temp gauge never even gets to the halfway point. Take it to the dealer ASAP.

coachhaack

Just had a similar problem with mine--it was a bad control module. (the computer that controls the vital functions of the engine).

This problem tends to be intermittened, and worsens with time. I brought my car to two very honest men, who could not get the car to mis-behave while in their care. But the problem got worse until I was eventually stranded, and had to call for a tow.

If you can convince your mechanic to replace the control module, I bet your problems will go away. Until it gets worse, you'll keep taking in in, and they'll hook it up to the computer, and see nothing wrong, so, since they find nothing "mechanical" wrong, they start looking for "physical" malodies like a blocked fuel filter.

It will get worse with time. Tell them to replace the control module. I bet your problem will go away. Hope this helps. The bright side, is that you shouldn't have to replace it more than once in a car's lifetime.

vlad36

I feel foolish, but I wasn't able to remove the tire valve caps in order to check the tire pressure. I twist them, but they don't come off as opposed to the plastic caps I'm used to. I have a 2007 Limited, so the caps may be different from some of the other trims. Please advise what I'm doing wrong.

rugzy

I am thinking of buying a 2007 Santa Fe LTD AWD. It only has 7700 miles on it. I can't confirm if it was ever brought in for a service and I was wondering what the owner's manual lists as the service interval for oil changes?

thanks

travelgrrl

I drive an '07 Slate Blue Limited and my passenger side mirror was hit today.. :sick:

The whole mirror needs replacing (casing is cracked, bottom piece snapped off), and I'm having a hard time determining if this is something that I will be able to do myself or if I'll need to visit a body shop.

From my initial searching online, looks like the mirror runs $150 - 200+. I still haven't found an exact match for what I need, nor can I tell if the mirror will come painted to match my color.

Any suggestions on what to do to replace a side mirror? If so, did you go through the dealership to order your part? How costly did it end up being (this is my biggest concern)? Any information will help!!

bj02176

Ditto for me, had to use pliars to get them off

reemoe

I was looking at the scheduled maintenance listed for my 2007 Santa Fe GLS 2.7L.

I noticed it mentioned replacing the climate control air filter every 12 months or 10K miles. The car is nearing 10K (about 9,800).

What brands are recommended, assuming aftermarket is sufficient? Anyone have a part #?

Thanks in advance!
Ryan

sprintrps

7500 miles.

donna18

:confuse: Can anyone help me...I have a Sante Fe Ltd. 2007 that I just brought into the dealer to have the windshield replaced for a stress crack. When I took vehicle home I noticed a hole in the headliner to the right of where the mirror sits. Dealer said this is standard on all 2007's for add on componets/options to run cable/wire?
Please any one out there with a 2007 ltd have this hole at top of windshield near mirror in headliner?????????

patches2

has anyone had their weather stripping around the drivers side door start to fall apart ? I've had my sf for 4 months and it's falling away in chuncks. :mad:

pelican19

Relax. Its there by design. It is not visible to anyone unless you are feeling around for it. If you had the rain sensor feature the wire would come through it. If you CAN see it while sitting in the passenger seat without tilting your head down and forward then the dealer did something wrong and you should have them replace the headliner.

somedai1

i saw an imperfection at the base of the driver side window right bottom corner... like a triangle cut...i'll see the dealer about it at 30k service...

tallyclassic

AutoZone doesn't list anything. Discount Auto Parts offered to order one, then had to order the engine air filter too so I said forget it.
Found one on many sites...NBR?? Something like that. Came up when you put ing the make and model.

russo5

My 07 that I bought in November has this problem.
So far it is falling apart but it is torn right about where the door latch mechanism is.
Hey I know I've got a big rear end but I know that when I get in and out of this car my butt is not rubbing up against this weather stripping.

russo5

You where given a NEW SF to drive as a loaner???!!!!!!!
Wow you fared much better than I did.
When my dealer had to keep my SF overnight because of a CEL I was given an 06 Santa Fe that was basically a four wheeled ashtray. It was filthy inside and out !!!
It reeked of cigerettes and a radio knob was missing as was one of the rear seat headrest. I asked if I could have a different car and was told that the only other service car available was " a clapped out 05 Elantra that had no gas in it " .
I mean come on !!!! Did I buy some bargain basement model that already looked like crap? Is that what I brought in to the service department?
No !! I bought a new SF and it only had 6500 miles on it. And it was still as clean or cleaner than when I bought it. ( i'm kind of a clean car nut)
So far my "SERVICE" at my service department gets a thumbs down.

mpuzach

I hate to say it, but you should be glad you even got a loaner. I don't get one when I take my $55,000 Corvette in for service or warranty work; I also didn't get one when I took my $55,000 Audi in. IMO anything that I can drive for free while my car is being worked on is a plus; I don't have a need for the loaner to be as nice as my own car.

attilla

wHERE IS THE ENGINE DRAIN PLUG LOCATED? DO I HAVE TO TAKE OFF A PLATE UNDER THE ENGINE? ALSO...I SEE A BLINKING RED LIGHT COMING FROM A SENSOR ON THE TOP OF THE DASHBOARD AND I FIND NOTING IN THE OWNERES MANUAL ABOUT THIS. CANY ANYONE ENLIGHTEN ME ON THESE TWO ISSUES>

somedai1

get under the car - behind the plate that it would seem you have to remove you'll see the drain pan with drain plug at rear...

blinking light is for alarm function....

attilla

Thanks so much for the info on the drain plug. What with having to take the engine cover off just to change the oil filter, I thought Hundai was going a little overboard. My 2004 Santa Fe 2.7 litre had the oil filter right where you could get it very easy. Oh well, I suppose that's "progress"

jcwsbltd

After a year, I've just replaced the cabin air filter. The Dealer wanted $29 for one, but Pep Boys sell'em for $21.99. It's quite a finicky thing to do, but once you realize what it entails, it's not too bad.

In the manual it says first to open the dashboard storage compartment door and remove the side clips that hold the door in place. The drawing in the manual is not very good, so after fiddling with it, I realized that the 2 clips are y-shaped ...

you push the bottom tab of the clip in from the outside of the edge a little ways with the left hand and then pull it from the bottom towards you with the tab using the right hand - and it eventually slides out through the little cut out opening. Then you do the same with the left hand one and the drawer drops down just enough to expose the filter behind the drawer at the top.

To remove the filter assembly, you have to depress the double clips left and right and slide the filter asembly out towards you. I didn't bother to drop the drawer completely down, as there is just enough room to pull it out over the top of the drawer.

You then squeeze the filter in the middle to dis-engage it from the holding tabs and then replace it with the new one by squeezing it in the middle, which positions it under the holding tabs again, and then it simply springs back into shape and is held in place for re-insertion.

You have to get the air flow arrows in the same direction, so don't turn it over when removing the filter assembly. Getting it back in is easy enough, but the little drawer tabs are finicky to put back, so be careful in getting the clips to seat properly.

The old one sure was dirty after a year! The A/C fan seems to work better, though.

somedai1

is the cabin filter the same as the climate control filter?

jcwsbltd

yup - it's the filter that cleans the air that comes through the air vents when it is in recirc or in air quality control mode if it detects pollutants. It is designed to prevent dust and pollen from entering the cabin.

tallyclassic

No,NO. Engine oil is the black pan on the 3.3. I just did it last night.

When laying under the vehicle, the pan is on your right. Drain bolt is towards the rear.

paulnz

Just thought I would pass this along (there have been other related posts by others as well):

I have a new 2008 Santa Fe Limited with about 1,000 miles on it. It has always had a vibration between 50 and 60 mph. Not real bad, but enough so you could notice. I took it back to the dealer and they rebalanced all 4 wheels. No dice - the vibration was still there.

Took it back again and this time the did a RFV (Road Force Variance) test on all 4 wheels using a Hunter GSP 9700 balance machine. From what I can gather, this machine runs the tire against a roller under a load comparable to what the tire would have when running on the vehicle. It then measures the variance in pressure as the wheel rotates. This can spot out of round tires, defective rims, or tires with belt problems. A good tire should have a fairly uniform pressure (not air pressure, but the pressure it exerts agains the roller) as it rotates.

They said the variance limit on my tires should be about 19 lbs. They found one tire that had a variance of 47 lbs! They replaced that wheel with one from another vehicle (they tested it before they put it on and its variance was 10 lbs.). This completely solved the problem and it is now vibration free.

However, they apparently did not register or reset the TPMS system for the new wheel and now my TPMS malfunction light stays on. I can stop back up and get that reset, so it is not a big deal. I am just glad the vibration is gone.

If you are having a vibration problem that a standard wheel balance does not solve, I would suggest you push the dealer for a road force variance test. Now that I had it done on my SF, I can see why dealers don't use it more often - it took around 30 minutes a wheel to run them on the Hunter machine. They will want to do regular wheel balance and send you on your way - which may or may not solve your problem. If it doesn't, the RFV test is the way to go.

attilla

On my 04 Santa Fe 2.7, changing the oil filter was a snap. East to get to and really no tools needed. Never had a problem. On my '07 3.3 liter it now appears that I have to remove the cosmetic engine cover, which is no big deal. However, I'm confused about removing the oil filter. I see there are two "o" rings and that they come with the new filter. My question deals with the actual removal of the filter. Are special tools required and are there other parts that need to be removed from inside the filter case? I have the shop diagram showing part numbers 26351D; 57140A;26352; and then the oil filter. I've been using AMSOIL synthetic for years and in my opinion it's the best there is. As not many dealers carry it, that's why I change my own filter. Any help greatly appreciated.

Lou O.

stelmoqn

My husband hates the fact that the rear view mirrors dims automatically and wondered if there is a way to switch it from dimming automatically and make it a manual operation. It doesn't bother me one way or the other, but hubby hates it and I'm tired of hearing him complain every time he drives my car at night.

drwoodr

It can be turned off. How depends on the type of mirror you have (with or without the Homelink option). Without Homelink, hold the button in the bottom center of the mirror between 3 and 6 seconds to turn on or off. With Homelink, the second button from the right is the on/off switch.

But then he'll complain about the glare from the headlights behind him, since there is no manual day/night setting. Personally, this is my second car with this feature, and I love it.

somedai1

the big o-ring comes off easily - just roll or pull it down over the threads - the small one requires a little effort - needle nose pliers seem to work the best...

ymmot11

I need to replace this filter myself. Do you have a part number? Discount Auto Parts has #24517. Where did you obtain a manuel? Do you think a novice could do this job?

thanks,

mpalacol

My car is one year old. Same thing happened to me last month. The check engine light came on and I thought my gas cap was loose. When I entered the freeway, the check engine light was viciously flashing and my engine started sputtering. I was so afraid my car was going to stall on the freeway. The dealer fixed the oxygen sensor but my car has been sluggish ever since. It almost feels as if the the parking brake is halfway depressed. Very disappointed!!!!!!

At the 6-month mark, my air bag warning light was on for several days. The dealer said the fuse box needed to be replaced.. . . . and my passenger seat belt fastener fell through the bottom of the seat. Not too happy and made sure I stated my problems in the annual Consumer Report Survey.

jcwsbltd

They all use different part #'s for proprietary filters , so just make sure it is the cabin air filter for your make and model when you ask for the price. You can soon see if it is the right one when you compare it to the old one.

The ownwrs manual that came with the vehicle has the info' for changing out this filter - although the pictures aren't that clear. If you are careful not to break any plastic components, It can be done easily enough - no tools are required. I would recommend a flashlight to see with.

Open the compartment door, and hold it so it almost hangs all the way down.Push the bottom of the side stop-tabs in and pull the "y" tab down and out each side. Then let the door rest down. I didn't find it necessary to drop the door down further as there was just enough room to squeeze the filter assy. out over the top. With both hands,reach in over the top of the door, to the tray behind it. pinch the two end clips of the tray together and pull the tray out over the top of the door.

Squeeze the filter in the middle like a concertina which removes it from the little retaining tabs on the tray. Replace the new one in the same way by squeezing it in the middle and dropping it into the tray. When it springs back into shape, it will then fit under the tray tabs on it's own.

Tip - try not to turn the filter assembly over when removing it, so it will easily go back in the way it came out. Make sure the side retaining clips click into place when replacing the assy. Replace the "y" side tabs holding the door partially closed , so they end up in the correct postion as stops for the door. Good Luck.

lucky15

When I purchased my Santa I looked underneath the vehicle to check out the spare tire, was not happy about where it was located but I noticed it was a full size tire and I was happy about that at least. Today while checking the air pressure in the tires I decided to check the air pressure in the spare, to do so I had to lower it almost to the ground to get to the valve on the wheel, that is when I notice it is a full size (temporary spare) not to be driven over 50 mph. and it is to be inflated to 60 psi. Go figure!! There is room enough for a full size regular tire, but no we get what appears to be a full size, but it is a actually a temporary tire. Isn`t life grand!!!

attilla

I had a full size spare on my 2004 SantaFe, with the same wheel that was on the car. When I bought my 2007 I thought it would be the same but no, they cut down to the emergency wheel. That change added storage iunder the rear floor. Actuallu I traded the car in before it had reached the 60K miles and never needed to put that spare on the ground.

staceyschoony

You may want to have them check for TSB's on this ( see message #640). I had the same thing happen to me, and they kept thinking that it was fixed. They finally discovered that they needed to replace the throttle body. I have been pretty lucky since then -- no more check engine lights or flashing AWD /ESC lights. Good luck!