Hyundai Santa Fe (2006 and earlier)

carseeker4 · April 2002

While getting an oil change for my SF today, I checked out the SFs in stock (and saw a few Merlots ). I noticed a difference in the interior design of the 2002.5 release. A "flatter" overhead panel. "Squared-off" air vents and defogger/foglight/emergency flasher buttons and the clock is down near the radio. I like the clock lower down and the flatter overhead "glasses compartment", but I like the more rounded buttons and air vents in my SF better. Has anyone else noticed this in the new "release"? Lots more popping up on the roads.

collins14 · April 2002

We bought a GLS AWD from Charlie Thomas Hyundai in Houston today. I can't say enough about this dealership. They were very upfront and professional- I would definitely recommend the salesman Will. The interior has changed starting with models produced approx. March. In addition to above posted changes the most noticeable is how the rear seats fold down. The pull strap has been replaced with a slide button on the top/back of the seat. Also cute places to fix the back seat belts so they don't get lost when folding seat down. We opted for old version- my husband liked the front overhead console better- better light positions. Thanks for everyones help on pricing.

venture1 · April 2002

I posted on April 20, about picking up a pewter GLS for my wife and promised to let y'all know what the dealer charged me for it. Well...it's been 10 days now and the Santa Fe is sitting in my driveway with dealer plates on it - and they say they still haven't received the CO from the dealer they traded with to get it. They traded with a dealer in West Virginia and my dealer is in PA.

Ain't that a hoot?

stever · April 2002

Wonder whose insurance would pay if a hailstorm struck tonight?

Steve
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carseeker4 · April 2002

collins14... congrats on the new SF and on entering the growing family (I won't use the word "cult" for now!). I was mixed on the old vs. new interior. Overall, I guess I do like the "old" center console "shapeliness" better....best wishes!

venture1/steve - I suggest staying at home and watching the Weather Channel 24 hours a day and when those strong T-storms get nearby on Thursday, run out and park the SF under an overpass somewhere! ;-). Hey, if they mess up the paperwork, maybe you get it for FREE!

gilfam24 · April 2002

Just bought GLS AWD w/trailer hitch.Pine Green. Paid 21300. Only had it a few days, but so far I think it's a very good vehicle. Where can I check on recalls.

stever · April 2002

The Edmunds Maintenance Guide keeps track of them.

Steve
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collins14 · April 2002

If it will be a help to others- we paid $21480 for our GLS AWD with ABS/Traction Control, tow hitch, roof rack cross rails and floor mats.

gilfam24 · April 2002

i GOT THE CROSS RAILS AND FLOOR MATS, BUT NOT THE ABS/TRACTION. THESE CARS ARE HARD TO GET HERE IN MA. LIMITED NUMBER TO EACH DEALER

venture1 · April 2002

Today I paid for the pewter AWD GLS with ABS/Traction Control, cross rails, floor mats, and mud guards. $21,500. A little more than I wanted to pay, but since they are getting OVER MSRP here (believe it or not), not too bad. If they hadn't gone out of their way to get this vehicle I might have haggled some.

My wife has only driven it twice on real short trips since she got it. It's been sitting in the driveway. Tomorrow she gets to go out and play a little.

Steve - I found out whose insurance pays for hail damage. My agent said "It's between God's insurance and your insurance and God's ain't paying". LOL

stever · April 2002

LOL, glad that question is answered.

Congrats on the new ride!

Steve
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peytonroad · May 2002

Well, it's been a year since I brought my pewter LX home - and its been completely problem free (except for the smell in the beginning). I have only 8600 miles on it and still looks new. My husband and I love this car.

orcinman · May 2002

That's the way Hyundais are, petyonroad. I have 42,000 completely problem-free miles on my 00' Elantra.

Conmgratulations on your one year- my two year is coming up shortly.

lrchome · May 2002

I have had my 01 Santa Fe Lx for 18 months and have 15,000 miles, and have not had a single problem. I did have the crankshaft position sensor replaced under recall,but I never had a problem with the CPS. I had it replaced just to be safe.

I am quite satisfied with my Santa FE.

sen1 · May 2002

Last year a couple of posts complained about the radio not getting good reception or fading in and out. Now mine is acting strange. Lots of static but if I pound on the dashboard near the radio, the static stops. Believe or not! Anybody got any ideas about this?

carseeker4 · May 2002

Loose antenna cable? I havent looked at car stereos in 10 years, but I'm sure there's still a coax connection to the antenna, if that was badly hooked up at the factory, vibration could be causing occasional fading in/out

sandiegocal · May 2002

In case this is of interest to those looking to buy, we just paid $19416 for a Pewter GLS 2WD with ABS brakes, floor mats, and cargo tray. Plus a $45 doc fee, and sales tax, registration, etc. This was below the $19458 dealer invoice price found at most web sites, including consumer reports. Used the Blast Fax method described by Philip Reed at edmunds.com. It took a few hours of work at home to hit every dealer within 100 miles of San Diego. This was also about $300 LESS than the carsdirect.com price, which would have involved a drive to L.A. and back (3 hours).

We heard from a dealer about 12 miles away, and drove right out and picked it up - no hassles. Drew Hyundai in La Mesa for those near San Diego. This was the most pleasant and easiest experience of car buying I ever had - just like he promised me it would be in the fax. Good luck to everyone buying.

johnaaa · May 2002

http://www.hyundai-motor.com/images/cybermall/showroom/rv/santafe/interior/f07-2.gif

Don't mind the blue circles.

tomsr · May 2002

I was torn between the SF and CRV.Chose CRV for
it's sunroof,airy feel,and pep.The SF on paper
has the same power to weight ratio as CRV,but they don't perform the same.Why?Maybe different gearing.The SF has a floor mounted manual/auto
which I would prefer.The other + is the warranty
will still be in force long after it is paid for.
I think the SF is easier on the eyes too.My CRV
headlights are too big like a pekinese.The most important place of any car is the interior cause
that is where you spend most of your time.The LX
has ACC and autodimming rearview mirror which
I would love to have.But,I enjoy my car and hope you enjoy yours.

guyf · May 2002

I now have 45,000 Km (28,000 miles) on my SF with no problem whatsoever. It is still as solid and rattle free as the day I took it out the dealer lot. Tried a Highlander that a co-worker lease the other day. Nice too but for $15,000.00 Can less with similar equipment (well the Highlander had a nicer sound system) I still prefer my SF.

onesantafe · May 2002

on my Merlot LX FWD Santa Fe and not a single problem. Glad I had the Sun/MoonRoof installed as my wife enjoys it. Without a doubt, the best auto purchase I ever made

rsharp83 · May 2002

It has been a long time since I have posted. My 2001 Sante Fe has 28,000 miles and up until about 2 months ago not a problem.

One evening it started funny. The engine seemed to have trouble turning over. The starter had to work longer than usual to turn the engine and get it going. Then as I drove the engine seemed to loose power as I pressed harder on the gas. If I only applied light pressure to the gas it woudl go, but if I stepped on the gas it would start to loose power the engine has never stalled out when driving but it acts like it could.

The problem went away after the car had sat for about 30 minutes. For several weeks it never happened again. Then it did. Now it is more frequent, almost daily. It always happens after having been driven for a while then parked for a few minutes and restarted.

I got a recall notice for the Crankshaft Position Sensor could this be the problem? Anyone had this experience? The dealership first told me to stop using any blended gas (10% ethanol). I also ran some injector cleaner through. Now the problem is back.

I went back quite a way in this group looking for any recall discussion but didn't find anything like this problem. The Sante Fe Problems fourm was not very helpful in looking at past posts there.

Any Ideas? I have it scheduled to go in on Monday.

R#

hyundaima · May 2002

mastrv · May 2002

The crankshaft position sensor could very well be the problem. Considering you actually got a recall notice from Hyundai about this, this means they have determined your Santa Fe may have the crankshaft position sensor that was not manufactured properly. I would take it in as soon as possible to have them perform the recall.

rsharp83 · May 2002

It is a v6
I am scheduled for Monday
I hope it is the sensor
R#

mikel12 · May 2002

My wife scratched our front bumper. We were thinking of covering the scratches with nose mask or bra. Does anyone have it and where can I get it from?

tsberkey4 · May 2002

After looking at this car (as well as every other SUV on the planet!) for the past 18 months, we took delivery of our 2002 FWD GLS today. Our entire experience of this purchase was out of this world. First, based on all previous information, we expected to pay close to sticker, but we paid $19761 for our vehicle, which was only $154 over invoice. (Sticker was $21109.) I feel this was very fair. Secondly, when we arrived at the dealer this morning to take delivery, there were a couple of items that needed to be repaired. Unfortunately, this will require the car to be brought back to the dealer, which is 60 miles from home. The general manager is bending over backwards to make sure that we are satisfied with his dealership. When the parts come in next week, he is sending his technician to my hometown to repair the car. If he is unable to complete the repair, he will leave me his SF and drive mine back to Grand Rapids, and then back home again. I would expect this out of a Mercedes dealer. I am blown away that this is a Hyundai dealer! If you care, the dealer is Fox Hyundai.
I am so excited to finally call myself a Santa Fe owner instead of a wannabe!

carseeker4 · May 2002

Congrats on the Santa Fe.... we also had the same problem, our selling dealer was 50 mi from us! Our local dealers did not have any! However, we have had ours serviced (2 minor problems) by our local dealer with no issues. Best wishes.... it is indeed a great car... we looked for 6 months and decided on the SF (Tribute came in 2nd.. the stalling issue was its undoing, and we found the build-quality of the SF was better)...

tsberkey4 · May 2002

Thanks for the greetings. I feel like a kid at Christmastime! Every once in a while, there is a vehicle that is so cool, the people who own one feel like they are part of something that only they know about. This is how I feel right now. I will keep you posted when the dealer completes the work.

carseeker4 · May 2002

Some rough weather up here on the way home from work today. Glad I had the SF.... it was this kind of weather I got it for and it did really nicely

rsharp83 · May 2002

Aparently my troubles were related to the Crankshaft Position Sensor recall. The dealer had it fixed within 3 hours (which is a miracle for this dealer's service dept.) Hopefully, that will be it. 28,000+ miles and that has been the only real issue.

roadkill55 · May 2002

I am looking for some advice. My family is planning a trip this summer and we will be taking our Santa Fe. I want to purchase a car top luggage carrier. However, I cannot find one that is will attach to the Santa Fe. It seems that they will fit. But since the weight limit is only 80 pounds, none of carriers that I looked at will certify that they fit on the Santa Fe. The one that I thought of getting was the X-Cargo from Sears. It is about the least expensive and since I plan on using it only once each year I did not want to spend anymore for one.

Has anyone attached a carrier to their Santa Fe? Does it meet your needs? Is there a loss of gas mileage? I would expect some but I am curious as to how much.

rlastar · May 2002

After running my windshield wipers yesterday during a rain storm I noticed an arcing streak on my windshield about 1/16" wide. I looked at my wiper blade and there was a tiny pebble stuck to it that caused the streak. I tried just washing the streak off with water, but it wouldn't come off. I then used the teflon back side of my kitchen sponge trying to remove it, but that didn't work either.

Turns out that this tiny pebble scratched the glass.

Now here is the worst part. The teflon back side of my sponge also scratched the glass. Needless to say I was shocked. I just got back from the Hyundai dealer and they told me that it was not covered under warranty.

This has to be the cheapest piece of glass that a teflon sponge can scratch it. Has this happened to anyone else and did Hyundai take care of it under warranty?

Thanks

stever · May 2002

I'm not sure what you mean by teflon sponge - the green-backed kitchen sponges are quite abrasive; the white-backed ones less so.

Did you ask your insurance agent whether the pebble scratch was covered?

Steve
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rlastar · May 2002

You have to be kidding me about the green backed kitchen sponges as that is what I used. They never scratch any of my dishes or glasses that we uses to eat with. There is no way that this sponge should be able to scratch a glass windshield.

I have even used these sponges to get rid of insect residue on my paint when washing my car and it doesn't scratch the paint.

I would certainly think that glass should be much harder than paint.

reoname · May 2002

My wife and I are ready to buy are Santa Fe. We fell in love with the styling since we first saw it.
Would anyone mind telling us what a fair price for the LX model is if they chose it.
I've read that people are getting better prices than edmunds TMV.
The dealers keep saying that they're moving too fast for any price breaks (in early discussions).
Any help would be appreciated.

stever · May 2002

That's what I heard somewhere; probably depends on the brand - we switched to the white backed pads since they were supposedly better for "light duty" stuff (usually brown ones are heavy duty, green are medium duty and white ones are for delicate stuff). I did know this 7 year old kid who washed her daddy's new car for his birthday. How was she supposed to know you shouldn't use Brillo pads to wash a car?

Steve
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reoname · May 2002

I forgot to clarify. We're looking for an AWD LX model.
Thanks for your help.

lrchome · May 2002

They have a product for covering scratches on eye glasses. I used it about 3 years ago and it worked wonderful. I do not remember the name or where I got the product, but if you ask any dealer that sells eye glasses, I am sure they could get you the product.

Those green backed sponges do scratch the paint, I used one to get bug residue off my Santa Fe. I stopped immediately when I saw the light scratches,and used a fine rubbing compound to remove the scratches. You might try the fine rubbing compound on the windshield,BUT ONLY DO A VERY SMALL SPOT TO SEE IF IT WORKS. IT COULD MAKE THE SCRATCHES WORSE.

bilt4_speed1 · May 2002

Take the front seats from the Elantra and put them in the Santa Fe. Test drove a rare bird, a 5 speed Santa Fe, decent acceleration if kept out of fifth gear for passing, good ride, rather quiet, but..........most men will find the drivers seat only fairly comfortable. Elantra seats larger and more comfortable. REgional dealer insists on selling Santa Fes for $2000 above sticker.....which I won't pay. 5 speed Rav4 a real option here.

peytonroad · May 2002

I paid $22500 for mine a year ago and it came with the cargo cover, cross rails, car mats. Got it through the Costco program (sold it to us fleet). Can also do the same thing through AAA - I think.

liz

bryanseveric · May 2002

I know the MSRP is around $24,100- 24,500. As far as it goes there is only about $1000 profit in the window sticker so you may be able to get it as low as invoice if not about $500 below depending on where you live and the dealership.

tbay · May 2002

the local dealer here offers to sell a four year "freedom maintenance plan" for $Cdn 900.00 which covers all routine maintenance and the replacement of anything that can wear out like brake pads,windshield wipers etc with the exception of tires. Any thoughts folks on whether this is a good investment or not? Thanks for any input!

fern88 · May 2002

Hyundai's website says that the GLS and LX has a sunroof option. I talked to two dealers and they say that it's not out yet. Is this true?

fpeak · May 2002

When I was at the Baltimore auto show in February I spoke with a Hyundai rep and she said the Santa Fe would be getting a sunroof starting in November. I took that to mean that it would be in the 2003 Santa Fes (being that time of year is traditionally when new models are introduced). I hope this helps.

enjoy

dirkdaddy · May 2002

On these sorts of things, they sell them to make money, so usually you usually won't have enough things wearing out during the duration of the plan to break even. Statistically, they have it all worked out so you lose most of the time, just like in Vegas. At least that's my take.

DD

tsberkey4 · May 2002

I just bought my 2002.5 Santa Fe GLS and I had an aftermarket inbuilt sunroof put in. It is a Solaire 5300 and it is fabulous. It is made by Webasto-Hollandia, which is a major supplier to the big 3. They have a nationwide network of glass dealers that can install them. Our price was $1100, but there is a $100 coupon on the Webasto website. This is probably more than the factory will charge, but for those of us who didn't want to wait another 6 months for our Santa Fe, it was a fair price to pay. The website is http://www.solaire-sunroofs.com/ and it has an application guide for all vehicles. You will want to be aware that due to pressure differences, you might have to close the sunroof slightly to avoid that horrible popping feeling in your head! Other than this minor detail, I love my new roof!

fern88 · May 2002

Thanks for the info on the sunroof.

I'm currently debating between the Santa Fe and the CR-V. My main issue is the reliability of the car, I drive around 18,000 a year and my closest Hyundai dealer is 30 miles away.

I like the looks of the CR-V better but I feel I'm getting more for my money with the SF. Do most of you see this car to be reliable 3 years from now with 54,000 miles?

billtung · May 2002

Here is Billtung again...... the flower delivery guy using SF.

My SF current condition:
-- 1 1/2 year-old.
-- 53,000 Km
-- very smooth & powerful (using shiftronic)
-- had replaced front brake pads & resurface front rotors.
-- had done crankshaft censor recall.
-- had replaced shiftronic magnet sensor (using shiftronic too much, the magnet insided the shift stick was broken !)
-- still love it but worry about the expiry of the 3 years/60,000km bumper-bumper warrenty.
-- $$$ so far spent on my SF was about Cdn$300(Brakes & rotors services), of course also oil changes expense.

* One thing don't feel happy: saw too many SF on the road, especial my SF color, don't feel too proud to drive the rare SF compared to 1 1/2 year ago.

iluvmysephia1 · May 2002

I remember you from WAY back on this thread. Your maintenance costs are pretty low on your SF. Looks like you put a lot of miles on your SF. I've put 19,400 miles on my 2001 Kia Sportage 4x4 and I bought it new on September 29,2001. I should be at around 31,000 miles after one year of ownership. I'm impressed with my Sportage's reliability and performance and I love the looks of it, too. My 2nd choice would be a SF or a Sorento by Kia. Anyway, good to see you're doing well in your SF and remember....Hyundai and Kia both are doing very well and you'll see more and more of both makers' cars and SUV's on the road as time goes on. No biggie-it's in fact a good thing! Take care!

Hyundai Santa Fe (2006 and earlier)

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