Hyundai Santa Fe (2006 and earlier)

jericho_ave

I got word from the dealer on what's the problem with my santafe.(See message 1520 and 1571 for background on story).

One of the pistons broke!!!

Does that sound right???

He told me that they got a new engine from Hyundai and they are replacing it now. It should be ready in a couple of days.

Can anyone enlighten me what would cause a piston on a new engine to break?
I don't know much when it comes to engines so please help me out here. Also how can I confirm that I have a new engine on my car... is there a engine/machine number I could check it?

I hope someone in the forum would reply to my post ASAP.

hung0820

Yes! The dealer have been aware of this piston breaking problem. The new engine will solve the problem plus work much better and more reliable. It happen only one a very few/smaller percentage of the Santa Fe early generation.

Once you have the new engine replace then you have to go back with the BREAK-IN period again. You can drive in high speed but accelerate slowly and brake/stop slowly as well. You will love it more than when you bought the car. The car go smoother because of the new generation-improvement engine. Good Luck.

hyundaima

When you take your SF in for service, make sure they write up a repair order noting the symptom. If they refuse to do so, call Hyundai right there and tell the rep. that you know they should at least scan the computer for any trouble code stored. They may not be able to come up with a fix on the first visit, but it's very important to have the problem documented. Don't leave without a copy of repair order showing owner complaint in your hands whenever you go to a Hyundai dealer for warranty work.

dreadedrummer

I'm considering buying a SF in the next year or so and I was interested in hearing what people are saying about them. I have noticed on this site that comments seem fairly glowing, but I was wondering if anyone had any concerns with their new SF's. I'm not really speaking of big problems, but also the garden variety; be it annoying rattles, poorly placed controls, or anything which you might not notice during a test drive but after a couple of months just starts grating on your nerves. An example: I currently drive an Elantra wagon which I mostly love, but the cup holder is right against the radio controls which can be really annoying. I would appreciate feedback of that nature, or anything which any of you might consider to be useful to me. Thanks in advance for all of your helpful insights.

billtung

have seen the April issue of the Today SUV magazine in Chapters last nite, I've almost finish reading the whole magazine, today I went back want to get my copy but guess what?.... All copies gone in one day! I Can't believe it!

What I remembered was the SF project pictures in SEMA show Las Vegas was unbelievable great, I love it so much than any of the SUV pictures I ever seen, no wonder why the SF special project had the most attention among the 6 different 2001 new SUV's in SEMA show.

Here is the link to see the SF picture in the SEMA show, I browse through all pics in http://www.sema.org/show/semashow/showpics.cfm?base=433

But the SF I like is not there, only can see its side in one pic

http://www.sema.org/show/semashow/showpics/display.cfm?pic=p0002169.jpg

The Pewter SF on the right hand side is the one I mentioned! It show on Today SUV magazine in & out!

It show on Today SUV magazine in & out!

2 more pics of SF in SEMA show:

http://www.sema.org/show/semashow/showpics/display.cfm?pic=p0001917.jpg

http://www.sema.org/show/semashow/showpics/display.cfm?pic=p0001860.jpg

I'm so proud that I had bought this "Angry Pikachu"(I like this name so much, heard the name from ateixeira, Thks ateixeira for this wonderful name! (ateixeira enjoys his Subaru so much than the SF))

The audio & the video features inside the show project SF projects is unbelievable expensive & top of the line. It means the guys convert the SF think SF can be one of the most luxury SUV despite of its cheap window price.

Today SUV also has a 2001 new SUV's test, the Santa Fe test results is better than other magazine's test results. (Quite interesting find out SF accelerates faster than the new Rav4! But still heard people count on the acceleration of SF? For my delivery SF now already 11000km, on road everyday, still no problems, very adequate acceleration on city & highway, I find out my full load SF handling improves on wet & snow day especially on corning)

Talking about reliability, I don't know why I suddenly met a lot of old Pony & Excel (15 to 18 years old... maybe.) on Vancouver's road. Had taken pictures to prove, will post later! (My brother in law 2nd hand Excel still performs very well after he bought it 5 years ago, he is the one I consulted him about the reliability of Hyundai's car before I made my decision to go for SF.)

Those cheap people whose had ruined directly or indirectly these cheap Hyundai's toys should be reasonably be fair to Hyundai's don't go too far about their compaints (Be understand the meaning of "U paid what U get" in the past. Consider how much U pay for SF & XG300, forget about the non-sense unreliability term those non-sense people apply on these 2 beautifully made cars.

Remember! Every proven reliability & safety & high performance will make car price go up, it is a universal rule, unless the car had no demand on it or the auto makers do not want to make more profit otherwise.

I believe Gasoline engine days is about to end within this 10 years. Don't rely on your expensive powerful engine too much, think about the high tech future, save some $$$ for your future electric car, the gasoline engine will definitely go to the museum like the Typewriter(VS the computer) do.

Thanks for reading my long .....long post.

Bill

dognut1

I have two SantaFes. Both are LX models and have over 6,000 miles on them. I love both of them and have few complaints. However, there are a few things I will mention when I go into the dealer.
1.Both have clocks that the : between the numbers flickers. The numbers are fine, just the : between them.
2. The radio dials are too small. I like big chunky buttons that are easy to push. The sound system in one SF has terrible AM radio reception. There is interference from everything including windshield wipers, blinkers, etc. that comes and goes. In the city or near street lights there is lots of static. I'm not sure if this is the antenna or electrical system.
3. I use the shiftronic all the time. I love it. However, twice I must have slightly knocked the lever and it slid into "drive". When I went to shift, it then went into "neutral". This hasn't happened since I became more sensitive to the fact that it can happen!

I am 99.99% satisfied with both, and hope this post won't discourage anyone. The SF is a great SUV. I would use up lots of space repeating all the positive things compared to the few negatives.

hung0820

I really love my Nordic White Santa Fe LX-AWD V6. There is nothing that make me feel bad about the Santa Fe. I can say 99% satisfactory and did not hate anything about the Santa Fe. I love everything the Santa Fe layout.

All of the Santa Fe in the market right now are up-to-date and should not be able to find more problem. Most of the problem have been updated and should be find right now. Good luck

markinct

Does anyone know what kind of deler-installed accessories are available. Specifically I am looking for

1. Fender flares
2. Wood trim for dash
3. Running boards
4. Are mud guards standard.

Thanks very much. Wood like to stay with dealer-installed items rather trhan going aftermarket.

Mark

hung0820

1. Fender Flares available at www.hdkautosport.econgo.com

2. Wood Dash Trim available at www.hdkautosport.econgo.com, www.wooddashfactory.com, www.autodash.com, and www.tischerhyundai.com

3. Running Boards do not comes with Santa Fe but Side Steps available at www.hdkautosport.econgo.com. (more than 5 series)

4. Mud Guards are NOT standard on Santa Fe but you can purchase on-line with cheap price at www.tischerhyundai.com and then click on "Parts Department".

At www.hdkautosport.econgo.com ,click on SUV products and you will find more than 5 series of Santa Fe.

lrchome

Hyundai Engineering and Construction lost 2.4 billion dollars in the year 2000 and was going bankrupt. The South Korean Govt. stepped in and extended credit to keep them from bankruptcy.

Does Hyundai Engineering and Construction own Hyundai automotive, and if so are their assets available to Hyundai Engineering and Construction.

If you know please advise if you dont know dont speculate. This could be a very serious problem for our warranties if Hyundai Engineering and Construction could take the assets of Hyundai automotive.

If you want to read the story go to USA Today then to automotive section the full story is there.

bironb

Dognut1, if you think the radio buttons are small in the US Santa Fe you should see or should I say not see the preset radio buttons in the Canadian Santa Fe. You need eye glasses to see them and surgeons fingers to push them. For some reason Hyundai Canada replaced the standard radio with an ugly aftermarket Clarion unit that does not match with the rest of the dash. That and the lack of V6 performance was enough to turn me off from purchasing a Santa Fe. Perhaps next years model will be improved in both counts, I hope so.

hyundaima

Hyundai cars sold in this country are manufactured by Hyundai Motor Company(HMC) based in S. Korea. Hyundai Engineering & Construction does not own HMC. HMC and other auto-related companies were spun off from the Hyundai Group last year, so they don't have the interlocking relationship(cross-ownership, loan guarantee, etc.) anymore.

viperu

Well,it happened to my Santa Fe today.My wife was driving it when it suddenly lost power and then cut off completely.We have a 6 cylinder and had been reading the stories about the 4 cylinders and the timing belt problems and had noticed the same problems.However we had taken the car into the shop 2 weeks before for a noisy belt and they had replced the tensioner and belt at that time.Still noticed though the sudden split second drop /hessitation in power this week and had planned to go back to the shop Monday.Should have done it sooner.End result,car was towed in and preliminary guess was the timing belt went out and damaged the engine bad.I'll know more Monday when they tear it apart.Meanwhile I'm in a 2001 Cadillac Seville they provided us which they could keep for what it is worth and give me back my Santa Fe.They said they would probably replace the whole engine.Will have to wait and see.Anyone else with 6 cylinders encountered this problem?

Steve

billtung

I don't like
- the lever hanle on the driver seat(small & difficult to find)
- the driver seat belt click plug-in (locate on very narrow space - differcult to plug in).

Hope Hyundai's can improve all these in the 2002 model!

My delivery SF, have 11,000km on it in about 4 1/2 months, recently notice a little bit vibration on the brake paddle sometime when I go to a complete stop. But not happened every time. Are there any SF owners have experienced the same problem, the vibration on the brake pedel last about 1/2 second & disappeared. My delivery job required me makiing frequent stop & turned the SF on & off.

Will follow up this problem & let everybody know.

billtung

Recently met a lot of old Hyundai Pony & Excel on the road, about 6 of those!

Why still has people drove it if it is a junk car & not reliable?

http://www.members.home.net/g7florist/sf/DCP00329.jpg

http://www.members.home.net/g7florist/sf/DCP00331.jpg

Why u want your car safe while other don't?

http://www.members.home.net/g7florist/sf/DCP00332.jpg

PS: I'm not saying Hyundai is good but at least not so Junk!!!

stever

Check out this recent New York Times article (free registration is required):

Family Struggles to Save Hyundai

The patriach/founder is now dead and the sons are competing for the spoils. One son runs the automotive group and it's no longer a division of Hyundai Group. The two largest divisions of Hyundai Group are teetering on bankruptcy, but Hyundai Motor is doing well against little domestic competition.

Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

bobinuk1

I picked my new v6 on 24 march,in the service book it states first service at 10,000 miles and every 10,000 after that. Can you please tell me if its the same in the US and Canada.
Also notice we get indercator mounted just in front of doors, behind front wheel arch. If anybody would like to see pics of UK model, let me know and I will post some.------BOB UK------

fuller2

Finally got my Nordic White GLS. Next week, I'll have custom leather/heated seats installed. Mine is Nordic White, and so far I love it. A couple of questions: For post #1616- Do you know what month your Santa Fe was manufactured? Can anyone recommend the best place to buy a stainless steel dash kit? Has anyone found a good cassette player that fits/blends nicely? And finally, would adding a brush gaurd impact my gas mileage much? Thank you in advance!

berge3

I've been checking out the Santa Fe Lx both where I live in Kansas City and up in Milwaukee, Wis. where I have occasion to visit. At all the dealerships, I'm finding a "pricing adjustment" of $2,000. The $2,000 is being tagged on because of strong demend for this vehicle. Anyone out there know where you can get a fair price without being gouged like this? None of the dealers I've talked to want to talk a deal even at MSRP; they just laugh say look somewhere else.

rsharp83

Use the net. I purchased my LX in Jan. via the net and got a better deal. I live in St. Joseph and finally found a good deal at Sunflower Hyundai, but only by using the net through one of the autobuying services. Neal Weaver is the Internet sales Manager at Sunflower and was very helpful. But the popularity of the Sante Fe has grown and when I was at Sunflower a month or so ago they only had ONE on the lot! When I purchased mine they had 10-12 on the lot. I would guess the internet is your only hope of getting below MSRP.

Northtowne Hyundai does not have a dedicated internet sales dept. and they were not going to deal even back in Jan. So I'm sure they will give you nothing below MSRP even if you use the net.

(If you do go to Sunflower and Neal Weaver tell them you were referred by Randy Sharp. If you buy something I get a gift certificate or something)

Sante Fe's are hot so I wouldn't count on any deals.

lrchome

Here in the US the service is 7500 for oil change, and every 7500 thereafter.

I do not know what the indercator you are talking about is, I dont have anything mounted in front of the front door. What does the indercator do what does it indicate.

lrchome

Thanks for the info on Hyundai Automotive,I was quite concerned, about the companys financial condition. I am relieved now that I know the warranty is in safe hands.

lchatt55

Check out post #875

sen1

I St my GAL via the net at Rick Case in S. Florida at MSRP and a very knowledgeable and straight shooting interned specialist there told that if I had walked in front door it would have cost me $1000 to $2000 more. And, I believe her. I spent hours on net and reached out 300 miles from my home in S. Florida. I found very few cars available and none were below MSRP. I bought mine a month ago. Net specialist told me state of Florida had an allotment of 38 cars for February and Rick Case got 16 of them. On the 17 of Feb they had 8 left. On 22 Feb they had 2 left. I think all of them were sold by end of month. I can give you her name and phone number if you want; come down here, the weather is beautiful and you can have a nice trip driving it home.

sen1

Damn spell check changed some words.
"I bt my GSL..."
Internet, not intermed.

stever

Remember that you have 30 minutes to make any changes or fixes after you post a message (i.e. after our spell checker mangles it ). Just click on the Edit button that follows your message after you post it.

Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

squiremarc

After 6 months of research, and 2 weekends of price comparisons and test drives, we finally bought our silver Santa Fe GLS yesterday. The stock here at the dealers lots is starting to dry up, with the next shipment not due to arrive before May 15. Most dealers have 1 or 2 in stock, while some of the larger dealers in Toronto seem to have more in stock, as well as better color selection. We wanted silver, and most local dealers seem to have this color, or black only. With this limited supply, some dealers seem to be holding out for MSRP, but informed buyers can get a deal if they do their homework. We paid about $1500 below MSRP, not a bad deal on a vehicle that is in demand.
Thanks to everyone on this board for your input.

hyundaima

Yes, please post some pictures of your Santa Fe. inside and outside.

michele15

I own a 94 mazda and am trying to rid of the car due to replacing the timing belt 3 times in over a year! I drove the santa fe this weekend and loved it! but to be honest 1616's problem with the timing belt concerns me. I don't want the same headache with a new SUV, i am trying to get rid of those problems. While the timing belt IS under warrenty, i don't want the headache! Is there any more news on the timing belt concerns or was his new SUV a fluke? tnks 4 help!

jericho_ave

Hi all!

I still didn't get my santafe from the dealer over the weekend. They didn't finish installing the replacement engine. I have no clue as to when it will be ready. I'm missing it already.

Also Mr. Host (Steve) how can I add a new topic for discussion? The santafe is a great mini SUV, best in class in my opinion, but based from my personal experience, like everything else, it is not perfect. I notice that problems posted here is not given due attention, so I'm considering adding a new board focusing on the problems, major or minor. So owners could be aware of what they might encounter with their own santafes

I'm sure it won't be as busy as the Tribute - Escape problem board because Santafe problems seem to be few and at times isolated cases.

I hope other owners don't get the wrong impression why I'm doing this. Before I had this problem with my car, I would be the first to say that a posting of "owners" with major problems or discontent with their SF is bogus, fake and is absurd. I still think some of them are, like the ones in the carpoint.com consumer review boards, but here at Edmund’s most of us can tell if it's true or not.

billtung

I paid CDN$29000 (including PDI) for my pewter(silver) GLS V6 SF in BC.
Just curious how many you paid for yours.
Can u tell all Canadian or email me at billtung@home.com? Thks.

casey14

For those looking for Santa Fe in the Northeast and willing to pay MSRP AtlanticHyundai on Long Island has a lot of them on the lot now. They were allocated 75 for April and have been coming in the last few days. I ordered my AWD V6 Pewter GLS with ABS about a week ago and picked it up Saturday. The number is (631) 587-0700 ask for Rick DiMarco hes the internet manager or visit their web site at www.atlantichyundai.com. Im not affiliated with Hyundai in any way Ive been following the board for awhile and just thought I would post for those looking for Santa Fe. As a matter of fact after having to pay MSRP I didnt want to give the dealership any publicity but since Ive been following this board for a couple of months I though I should post for those still looking.

hudson10

HI, I got my nordic white, with silver cladding, a few days ago, it is a gls with awd. I love it. I own a beaty salon, and a few of my customers, said that business must be good, because I was able to buy a lexus. ha. I had my heart set on pewter, but when I saw the white and silver together, had to have it. I am wanting to get a moon roof installed, but heard they couldnt do it in the sante fe. Does anyone know, would love some input thanks. lisa

tonyg6

You most certainly can get one installed!

check out:

http://x-marksthe.com

This owner put in a fully powered aftermarket electric sunroof.

You can get one installed by a local shop otherwise ask your dealer for help on recommending one or having it done for you.

I'm also considering getting one installed and have shopped around [I'm in NJ]. I suggest you shop around before you choose a shop. You may find price differences between 2-3 hundred dollars. Ask the shop if they've installed one on a Santa Fe [very important]. If you can find a Santa Fe with an aftermarket installation try to go and see it. Look at the outside installation as well as the inside finish work. Also ask about their warranty [a lifetime warranty is best of course].

Good Luck!

drew_

I have created a dedicated Hyundai Sante Fe problems topic for all of you. Click here to get to that discussion topic.

Hope this helps!

Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

viperu

Well,I got the bad news this AM when the mechanic started to tear the engine apart and fell the timing belt shredded.He didn't even finish tearing into it because he knew the valves had been hit good and he called Technical Support and advised them of his findings.The end result was a newe engine to be put in and it should be ready in about a week.It only had 2800 miles on it.On the positive side,the dealership has been nice and seems to be going all out for me.They had never had a 6 cylinder throw the timing belt before.Don't get me wrong,I still love my Santa Fe and can't wait to get it back.Maybe it was a fluke.I just got a extra 2800 miles of life,LOL!!
I'll let the board know the end result next week.

Steve

squiremarc

Is your SF a V6? I thought the V6 had a timing chain, not a belt!

billtung

SF safety comment:

http://www.new-car-net.co.uk/sec_indepth.html?serialno=12051

SF performance comment:

http://www.new-car-net.co.uk/perf_indepth.html?serialno=12051

bobcook54

Just received notice that a new radio is now available on GLS and LX models: AM/FM CD WITH a cassette player MSRP $300.00. Since a cd is standard,I hope they have upgraded the speakers with this new radio because $300.00 is a helluva lot of money to pay for just a cassette tape player. No word yet,however,on the speakers. Bob

guyf1

Well that's interesting. My brochure says the V6 has a "robust timing chain".

I checked Hmaservice.com and in the V6 they show a timing belt!

Maintenance cost just went up with a belt replacement due at 96,000 km I suppose!!!

viperu

Yes my 6 cylinder had a timing belt or at least what was left of it.They haven't had any problems with the 6 cylinder so maybe mine was a fluke like I said.Also my Santa Fe was a second generation model.I'll let you all know how it goes.

Steve

wbdave

The news that I've been waiting for over 4 months finally came in yesterday, my black GLS V6 AWD w/ABS was in. I picked it up last night, so far so good. A special thanks to hyundaima who provided the east coast hyundai phone number. The woman I spoke with there, Jennifer, promised she'd reserve my vehicle at the port in NJ and have it allocated to my dealer. Three weeks later, done! I have to believe it was her intervention that made it happen, heck my dealer told me to get my deposit back, that there was no way they could get the vehicle.

hung0820

Hyundai has made safety the number one priority when developing the Santa Fe, which has been recognised by the organisers of the North American NCAP crash test survey. Thanks to the use of a Cray super computer which simulates crashes at many angles, along with many actual tests, the Santa Fe earned some impressive scores.

It earned four stars (drivers side) and five stars (passenger side) in the American NCAP front offset crash tests. And in the side impact tests, the US testers awarded it five stars on both the driver and passenger sides.

The Santa Fe has a frame-type monocoque body and seven-way impact dispersion to give it maximum strength and protection in the event of a collision.

All Santa Fe models come with standard anti-lock brakes with Electronic Brake Force Distribution, enabling maximum braking force to be applied to the wheels with the most grip whilst preventing wheel lock up.

Santa Fe also has an automatic fuel cut-off facility in the event of a severe accident, as well as a collision sensor and lock release mechanism to allow a quick exit for all passengers in such an event. The central locking system will automatically unlock the doors if the airbag is deployed.

The Santa Fe is equipped with the latest in depowered airbags which are standard equipment for both driver and passenger. The front seatbelts have pre-tensioners, which tensions the belt and then gradually releases it in the event of a collision.

Childproof locks are standard on all three models.

The 60/40 front/rear drive split on normal roads of Santa Fe's full-time all-wheel-drive is unusual, 50/50 being the norm for such systems, and it matches the car's approximate kerb weight distribution. This 60/40 ratio can vary either way according to load and/or changes in wheel grip conditions.

Strong Word:
***Hyundai has made SAFETY THE NUMBER ONE (#1) PRIORITY when developing the Santa Fe***

tonyg6

Ok...so a problems topic was created and a link tossed in...but where is the topic group itself?

I didn't see it as a separate entity in the SF forum!

bfh1

For months I have been obsessively checking out the dealers in my area. (I suppose it was border line stalking) Then 4 days ago,I saw 2 being unloaded,they had already had 2 on lot-1-LX that had been there one day & a fwd that had been there for about 6 days. had originally had my heart set on a pewter LX, but then I saw the merlot up close-WOW! there it was. I went back that evening-I went home to think about it, the next AM 2 were gone just mine & the fwd were left.
While we were getting ours,someone else bought the other. If I would have gotten there 5 minutes later, I wouldn't have one. - I did pay sticker, they were not flexible at all. The salesman said ,a dealership in IL, could take them & sell @ $2000+. I don't care it's mine now! I got to drive it Sat. night & my husband has had it since.
He came home today & wants to know when HE can get one. I've spent months researching & comparing to others. I remember seeing the first one on the lot in Nov. & knew I had to have it.
I love it! The b-day on mine is Feb 18 & I got her w/ 20 miles on it, while I was buying her, they let someone else drive her-BOO.
Now I finally have something to write about instead of just reading the posts.
Happy & safe driving!!

hyundairacer

Well,
I went on my first road trip! It wasn't that big, but I drove to Atlanta and back from West Palm Beach. I went up to see U2! They were great!
Anyways, I was really impressed on how the Fe handeled itself. Smooth and quiet ride! If I had any doubts before, they've all disappeared! Only one little problem. My headlights aren't working, so I had to drive with just foglights. I could have used my brights because they still work, but I would have blinded so many people. I thought it was a blown fuse, but I checked all of them yesterday and they are all fine. Wonder what it is? Going in today. Will let everyone know later. --Alex

jericho_ave

tonyg6 is right, the problem board is not available in the initial list of topic when you go in the santafe page.

about the crash result I'm glad it turned out great for the SantaFe. Gives most of us owners a sigh of relief. where can we verify the data hung0820.

I'm glad Hyundai provides people to go in boards like these to keep owners and shoppers updated with the most current info.

stever

I was able to find in the Town Hall SUV list ok. Please tell us if you still have trouble finding it there. It's not listed (yet) on the Santa Fe 2001 New Vehicle page under Consumer Comments, if that's how you are coming to Town Hall.

Hyundai Santa Fe Problems.

Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

roadkill55

I go in through the Santa Fe Owner's Club and it does not show there. Could it be added the this?

tonyg6

Yeah it's in the SUV forum but not in the Santa Fe.

Maybe it's me, but wouldn't it make more sense to create and maintain it in the spot people[SF owners] are more likely to look for it...such as the SF forum?