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Hyundai Santa Fe Maintenance and Repair (2007+)

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Comments

  • wsibi04wsibi04 Member Posts: 17
    That's what I originally thought too...seems like you defeat the purpose of having auto headlights if you still have to turn them on and off manually everyday. Will probably send an email to Hyundai now to doublecheck. Thanks.
  • rvanremorvanremo Member Posts: 3
    I was wondering, Technikal, were you ever able to successfully drill an additional set of holes into your 2007 Santa Fe roof rack's side rails so that you could move the cross-bars forward? Has anyone else had success doing this, or anything reasonably similar, to widen the distance between the cross-bars?
  • tjk850tjk850 Member Posts: 13
    There have been postings about the dealers wiring the map light replacement wrong. When they replaced and rewired my map lights it was noted that the factory instructions were wrong as to which color wire to splice into when installing the new system.

    Hyundai USA has really gone the extra mile and with great expense on the replacement of the map lights. They are to be commended for their efforts.
  • tinydog1tinydog1 Member Posts: 83
    I always leave mine on Auto and have never had a problem. They turn on at dusk and shut off when I shut off the engine.
  • pelican19pelican19 Member Posts: 323
    That doesnt sound right. Keep an eye on things. Also, I found a bug with the system. If you open the passenger door and start the truck as I did to use the cig lighter then turn off the truck and again exit through the passenger front door the dims remain on. Not cool. You must open then close the drivers door for them to go out. This bug only exists with the lights in the on position full time.
  • tjk850tjk850 Member Posts: 13
    If one turns on the lights after the keys have been removed from the ignition, the lights will remain on until you manually turn them off.
  • ravenfan50ravenfan50 Member Posts: 14
    Help please. I was trying to find the original message about the Map Lights. Correct me if I am wrong (I want to verify), the issue is having the Map Lights come on when the doors are opened, like the dome light, on early made 2007s, correct?
  • ravenfan50ravenfan50 Member Posts: 14
    Thanks for the verification.
  • bcme136bcme136 Member Posts: 21
    Just an fyi. Just had mine done and it took 4 hours because the instructions show using the light brown wire. It's the dark brown wire.
  • gizzer777gizzer777 Member Posts: 335
    That's weird that they would go to all that trouble and then screwup the instructions...

    My dealer must have good (or lucky), he was done in 45 min and it was the 1st one he tried....maybe he didn't read the instructions.... :) been about 4 weeks now and I will appreciate that fix come the short days of winter ahead!
  • wsibi04wsibi04 Member Posts: 17
    Thanks for everyone's advice and verification. I checked with Hyundai and they said the auto headlight can be left on all the time. I don't remember turning on the lights after taking out the key so it was probably something else that caused the battery to drain. I'll see if the dealer (who never did get back to me) can check the battery when I go in for the map light fix.
  • alman08alman08 Member Posts: 282
    I wouldn't be surprised if they filled them out themselves and signed for the customers. I have known 5 people who bought Hyundai cars and have yet to see any so called survey. Just so you know, there is an incentive to the dealer if the survery came back scoring very high (I believe $100 to the salesman, $100 to the finance mgr and $100 to the sales manager). As the matter of fact, I'm going to contact Hyundai myself to see if a survey had turned in from our Santa Fe purchased 4 months ago, which I have yet to receive in the mail.
  • gllundgllund Member Posts: 29
    I received a Dealer Satisfation Survey about a month after I got my Santa Fe. I gave my dealer high marks because I received very good service there. Gord
  • gllundgllund Member Posts: 29
    Just got back from dealer and here's a list I just compiled of the problems after the map light fix!!! I might have more problems to add after this weekend. I'm going back monday to try and solve these problems.

    2007 Hyundai Santa Fe
    1)NO OR VERY LITTLE ILLUMINATION IN UNDERGROUND PARKING. (CAN’T SEE ANYTHING)

    2)WHEN YOU TURN MAP LIGHT ON BOTH LIGHTS GOES ON. (NOT GOOD WHEN DRIVING AT NIGHT)

    3)WHEN IDLING AND I TURN ON LEFT MAP LIGHT THEN RIGHT MAP LIGHT THE DOOR CHIMES AND WILL NOT STOP TILL YOU TURN OFF RIGHT MAP SWITCH.

    4)WHEN PLAYING WITH SWITCHES, THE DOOR LOCKS OR UNLOCKS FOR NO REASON.

    5)WHEN I START CAR, THE OTHER DOORS UNLOCK AUTOMATICALLY.
  • gizzer777gizzer777 Member Posts: 335
    geez...all went just fine here. Sure sounds like your service dept made a some BIG errors! Good luck with it. From the number of issues, I would inform the Service manager of the lack of attention and shoddy troubleshooting.

    They will hear about it when you get the inevitable "rating" call from Hyundaiusa checking on your satisfaction I bet

    Also wouldn't it be nice if the service Depts actually checked over their work AFTER completing a repair...Sounds like they did not even check the map light operation!

    I am lucky...my Hyundai dealer is pretty good about that! I used to own a Mini (from BMW) and had to drive 125 mi each way for service. I had to check everything I could think of before leaving for home...they always screwed something up, even on a simple repair!
  • drwoodrdrwoodr Member Posts: 88
    Wow. My map light fix was done almost 2 months ago, and they are working fine. We've been out a few times late at night and it's so nice having the illumination.
  • somedai1somedai1 Member Posts: 416
    good help is hard to find... pooooor dealerships... they need to invest more into training the people they hire... or more thorough interview process or probation period... that sound like someone couldn't read an electrical diagram or they just don't like you! wow - i was supposed to get mine map lights done this week - they didn't have a rental for me on the day i requested so they pushed it back a week... hope i don't go thru that!
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Write a review!

    dealer ratings & reviews
  • gllundgllund Member Posts: 29
    That review is for USA only, I think. I will wait till monday as see what happens. But I'm a little pissed.
    Gord
  • somedai1somedai1 Member Posts: 416
    just got my map lights done - seems ok - i'll watch the next couple of days to see if all is well....
  • dtwicksdtwicks Member Posts: 7
    My Santa Fe has a DVD Entertainment system (LCD is attached to the roof) and a sunroof.

    Has anyone with this configuration had the map light fixed. And ,if so, did everything work after the installation.

    After reading some of the comments I'm not sure if I want it fixed.
  • tjk850tjk850 Member Posts: 13
    I have this same configuration and the dealer was able to change the lighting in about 45 minutes. One item to note, the wiring diagram that came with the new lights was wrong as to colors of the wires. The new lighting works and looks great. Hyundai USA has been very gracious to fix this problem at their expense.
  • gllundgllund Member Posts: 29
    I took my Santa Fe in last friday for the map light fix. It took 3 hours and when I got it, the light didn't work properly and I was getting a bunch of electrical problems. I took it back on monday and finally today after giving me a courtesy car all week, they said they couldn't fix the map light. They are putting back the old map light. Very upset about the whole procedure. Lots of people in the US got it done with no problems, but here in Canada it seems that they are having lots of problems. I guess I'll wait and see if they can figure it out.
    Gord
  • somedai1somedai1 Member Posts: 416
    it's kind of distressing to hear all the problems with getting this done... it's good that it's at no cost to get it done but it's so crazy the inconvenience of losing your car and not being able to have it fixed - calls for an official complaint to say the least - how about requesting to have it done elsewhere and they foot the bill. It seems like something as simple as installing fog lights... not as complex as installing audio and video....
  • bcme136bcme136 Member Posts: 21
    You may want to bring to their attention that the directions sent with the kits show the wrong wire to tie into. It's the darker brown wire not the lighter brown as shown. One tech "piddled" for 4 hours(they should have had someone else look at or called Hyundai)before he tried the darker wire. Works fine but as a side note he disconnected the battery thinking it would help now I can't get above 14mpg. Also there was some type of instructions after it was hooked up to turn the key off/on to get something to work??? Don't remember now. Don't think he did that as he in to big a hurry to get me out the door. Maybe just a coincidence on the mileage?
  • gllundgllund Member Posts: 29
    I told them about the different color wires but they still couldn't get it to work. They had it all week and said they were in contact with Hyundai Canada but they couldn't help either. They are going to wait till Hyundai gets it right then try again.
    Gord
  • jcwsbltdjcwsbltd Member Posts: 167
    07 Santa Fe Limited 3.3L FWD bought 4/30/07
    I posted the original message in the old Santa Fe maintenance and repair title- it really should have been this one.

    Problem: I was coming off the freeway 7/28, heard a "Clunk" and the S.F started rolling and pulling to the right when stopping. It rolled when going height variations in the road as well. Brakes were "grabbing" when stopping.

    Diagnosis : Tech. said that a bolt on the Anti Roll/Stabiliser arm had "come off" and left the D/side rear wheel floating around in the breeze. The clunk was the R/hand tail pipe hitting the body when going over bumps after the rubber retaing ring came off. The pulling was the EBD and ESC trying to keep everything on track when it was rolling ( at least that worked as designed.)

    Solution : replace bolt, which they did, but then it starts to get interesting. I asked him why the bolt would come off, and he said that he checked the alignment AND ALL FOUR WHEELS WERE OUT OF TRUE. He had to rotate all 4 tires and re-align them to specs. He also said he didn't think it had been tightened to the correct torque. (wasn't there a recent post about about a loose front torsion bar, too?)

    He went on to mention that they are seeing more and more problems from the Alabama built models,especially the TEMP. SENSORS and they may stop putting them in. There seems to be hardly any problems the S.F.'s built in Korea.

    So much for DUH! This fix seems to have cured all problems, excpt my problem with Chapman Hyundai here in Phoenix, who refused to replace my vehicle and tried to make me buy another in a trade in deal. I refused to send good money after bad.

    Interestingly, it now seems to drive a little differently than before, and the bumps seem a little louder, but the car is more stable. I would suggest to anyone having stability/quietness/smooth ride issues to have the alignment checked and see if they are to spec.

    So far, these are the problems I've had:

    1.Thin clearcoat paint ( diagnosed by paint manager)
    2.Rear seat Leather underneath was not attached properly, which i fixed)
    3.Rear center armrest cupholder assembly warped and wouldn't close - fixed under warranty
    4.Temp sensor went out - replaced under warranty
    5.Brake light switch went out - replaced under warranty
    6.Clip came off of tail pipe - fixed under warranty
    7.Anti Roll/stabilizer arm bolt come off - replaced under warranty.

    When I asked them to sign a paper that said they had fixed all problems related to the suspension bolt and had checked all anciliiary equipment and components of the ABS,ESC,EBD and Traction control mechanisms, including wheels and tires, they refused on legal grounds !

    The alignment problem may go some way to answering some of the driveability issues on this forum coming up relating to smootheness and quietness. Advice: WATCH YOUR TIRE WEAR PATTERNS AND ROTATE REGULARLY
  • roudy1roudy1 Member Posts: 36
    The driver's side window has been squeaking when I roll it up or down so when I took my vehicle in for service today, I asked them if they could check it. Turns out, that's the sound the regulator on the motor assembly makes when it starts to fail. They've ordered a new regulator and will install it, under warranty, when it arrives.
  • csi007csi007 Member Posts: 26
    We have had the truck for only two days. Santa Fe Ltd.

    The Climate Control outdoor temp only shows either 140f or 68f. Of course the service manager has never seen this problem before.

    The air conditioning did not work at all this morning when my wife was using the car. It just blew out hot air. When I arrived home though it was working correctly again after spending a few hours in the garage.

    The map lights do not light when opening or closing the doors. Once again the service manager says this is the way it is supposed to work.

    The service manager says that in order to have the auto door locks activated it will cost us additional $$. This is crazy for a safety feature.

    We had an SE at home for a few days and the map lights lit correctly, the outdoor temp sensor worked correctly on the dash too. The air never had an issue.

    This is our first time buying a Hyundai and so far the experience is not great. :(
  • mpuzachmpuzach Member Posts: 635
    Sorry, but I can't shed any light on the problems you're having with the outside temperature display or or your air conditioning. Both should be easy fixes, though.

    As for the map lights, the bottom line is that early-production Santa Fes were designed so that the front map lights do not come on when the doors are opened. Stupid? You bet. There was a mid-year production change; on Santa Fes built after the change the map lights come on when a door is opened. The good news is that Hyundai has authorized a retrofit to owners of early Santa Fes that, when implemented, will turn on the front map lights when you open a door. They'll do this at no charge to you. Your dealer should know about the retrofit; it's just a matter of them ordering the parts and then scheduling a time to put them in.

    As for the auto locks, activating them is a simple programming item for the dealer. I'm betting that if you ask them to do it for you next time your car is in for something (such as to check out your A/C or outside temperature display), they'll do so at no charge.

    All in all, these Santa Fes are darned decent SUVs. Hopefully, your experience will become a positive one very soon. Good luck.
  • davesuvdavesuv Member Posts: 149
    I sounds like your main problem is not with the Santa Fe but with your dealer. By the way, what is the build date of your Santa Fe? (It's listed on the drivers door pillar on the black sticker that contains the VIN number).

    A technical service bulletin was issued last fall about the temperature sensor wiring problem (which your symptoms describe exactly and was present on most early 07 Santa Fe's). Your dealer should be well aware of it and if they aren't you should download the TSB, wave it under their noses and say shame on you. The climate control system operation is dependent on a functioning temperature sensor, so your air conditioning problem may go away when you have the simple repair done to your sensor wiring (hopefully).

    As the prior poster states, the map lights / door issue was a mid year production revision. Hyundai has gone above and beyond by offering to perform this revision on existing 07 Santa Fe's for free. I'm glad I don't have it because I find the dome light more than sufficient and don't want to display myself and the entire car to everyone walking by when I get in.

    Your automatic door lock activation should have been offered to you when you picked up your vehicle and definitely should be a free alteration.

    It sounds like the SE you had home was built this year, while the Limited you purchased was built last year. My Limited was built on 8/1/06. It does not even have the wiring harness and extra transmission cooler that all more recent Santa Fe's with Touring package have. The fact is that companies constantly improve their vehicles during the model year. I'm happy to see Hyundai do this. What I would recommend is that you call Hyundai Customer Service and complain about your dealer charging you to activate your door locks and also about their ignorance of the TSB on the temperature sensor.

    I had my sensor repaired prior to the TSB coming out thanks to this great forum. I was able to give my service manager detailed instruction on how to fix it. He was amazed.

    This also is my first Hyundai and I have been extremely pleased with my experiences so far. I love my Santa Fe!

    Dave
    2007 Santa Fe AWD Limited with Touring and Premium packages
    Dark Cherry Red with beige leather interior
    Purchased Oct. 2006. 10,800 wonderful miles.
  • csi007csi007 Member Posts: 26
    The build date on this Santa Fe is August 11, 2006. Can't believe this has been sitting for so long!!! Over a year! I didn't even think to look at the build date. :(

    In any case, ours has the third row premium touring package as well.

    I figured that the air would need to have a proper working outside air temp sensor for the air conditioning to be working at optimum.

    I guess the build date is why this one did not have the XM radio either.

    This is a local (to baltimore) dealer that has been in business a long time but has just recently gotten into Hyundai (Feb 07) so perhaps this is part of the problem. But they should still be aware of these issues and correct them.

    Do you have the service bulletin # for the temp sensor? I have looked everywhere on here and while I did see it mentioned I was not able to find the bulleting #.

    With regards to you not having the upgraded radiator/tranny cooler trailer pre-wiring. It's interesting to note that while ours was built only 10 days later than yours the sticker on the truck (I just looked) says that it has all of these features.
    Thank You!
  • davesuvdavesuv Member Posts: 149
    The TSB number is 06-20-003 and is entitled "Inaccurate Ambient Temperature Sensor"..

    Dave
  • billb660billb660 Member Posts: 2
    Dave,

    Where did you find TSB 06-20-003 listed? I've checked the Edmunds and nhtsa web sites and cannot find it. What am I doing wrong?

    Thanks...
  • csi007csi007 Member Posts: 26
    Thank You.
  • davesuvdavesuv Member Posts: 149
    You can sign up for an account with Hyundai's official service web site at www.hmaservice.com . All the TSB's are avalable for download there. You can also view the service manual online. This site won't work with Firefox, you need to use Internet Explorer for some reason.

    Dave
  • billb660billb660 Member Posts: 2
    Thanks Dave. Lot's of great information.
  • angel20angel20 Member Posts: 22
    First, it sounds like you have a great dealer to go out and buy you a car seat! Yes, I too have had the same problem. My husband would sit in the passenger seat, and with his knees all the way up to the dash, we could not wait for the day to turn the seat forward. THe countdown was facinating! I bought this car because of the baby, and found that this suv was the only one that had room to grow. We just sucked it up until 12months later. I dont think there is any other suv with more room... sorry about no suggestions, but there are others with you! Baby now 14 months old
  • tbj0801tbj0801 Member Posts: 11
    Just bought a brand new 2007 SF AWD Limited with XM (only 4 miles when we took delivery) from Fitzmall one week ago. Driven about 100 miles now without incident until today. Left engine idling in park at the mall as I waited for my wife to return an item. When she returned, I didn't realize that the engine was still on (it's so quiet). Inadvertantly, I turned the key in the ignition further. The engine emitted a loud screetch and konked out. Couldn't restart the car (ignition wouldn't turn over at all despite two or three attempts) after that. Lights, fan, and radio continued to work if key in ignition, so it's not the battery. I had it towed through Hyundai Roadside Assistance to the local dealer (25-30 miles closer to my home compared to Fitzmall) today, but it's a Sunday so no answers yet. Anyone know what I might have done to my new Santa Fe? I keep wanting to pound my head against the wall. :sick:
  • jcwsbltdjcwsbltd Member Posts: 167
    Oh man - I feel for you. Assuming they still use the same method of starting the engine, sounds like you have got the starter-motor gear head stuck in the starter flywheel that turns the engine over when you engaged the starter while the engine was running.

    I had an old Ford that I did that to once, and it stripped the teeth off of the starter gear head and also knocked out one of the teeth in the starter fly wheel. (If the engine stopped at that particular place the starter head wouldn't engage because of the missing tooth - had to rock it in gear until the engine turned over enough to move the flywheel forward a notch or two ! Aaaah, the joys of college.)

    Hope that the new Santa Fe is strong enough to simply require a new starter. Hope they fix it under warranty !
  • mpuzachmpuzach Member Posts: 635
    It's hard to understand why they don't use some type of interlock to prevent turning the key while the engine is running. I've owned a couple of Audis and they have a system that works very well. When you turn the key to the "Start" position and release it (to the "On" position), you can't turn it to the "On" position again until you first turn it to the "Off/Lock" position.
  • somedai1somedai1 Member Posts: 416
    maybe - if you don't tell them what you did - they'll just fix it under warranty - however - the damage might be evidence enough of what was done to cause the condition...
  • tbj0801tbj0801 Member Posts: 11
    Very much appreciate the replies here. Still doesn't make me feel any less of a bonehead. What did you mean by "hope that the new Santa Fe is strong enough to simply require a new starter"? What else could I be in for? Anything else could it be? Could there be any lasting damage to the engine/vehicle (pardon my ignorance)? Almost feel like I've got a sick newborn...
  • jcwsbltdjcwsbltd Member Posts: 167
    It depends, as I said earlier, if there is any damage to the teeth on the engine flywheel. The engine crankshaft has a largeish toothed gearwheel on the end of it, which the starter enages when you try to turn the engine over.

    The starter used to have a spiral cut gear wheel on a sprung loaded shaft. When you turned the ignition switch to start, the starter shaft was spun by it's motor, which "threw" the sprung loaded gear head into the toothed gear wheel. The spiral teeth of the starter engaged the regular teeth of the flywheel, thus turning the engine over.

    When there was sufficient cranking from being turned over, the engine would start when the gas and air mixture was compressed by the pistons as they moved up and down in their pots, and then a spark from the spark plug ignited the gas/air mixture and started the engine internal combustion cycle .

    The engine turning over would then throw back the starter gear as it is sprung loaded, thus getting it out of the way if the engine was running.

    If the flywheel is damaged the engine has to dis-assembled to repair/or replace the flywheel. I was hoping that as you have a brand new vehicle, that hopefully only the starter has got jammed or burned out and the head stripped down by the flywheel teeth- in which case it's just a new starter.

    I'll keep my fingers crossed for you. especially that they fix under warrantty.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I test drove a Sienna in '98 and tried to crank it while it was running. It kept running. My Quest isn't that quiet but I still tend to glance at the tach just to make sure it's not on.

    Back in the 70's I had a Volvo with a broken tooth on the flywheel. Occasionally I would have to crawl under it and move the flywheel over a notch or two with a big screwdriver through an access hole. Then it would crank and if I was lucky, I could drive another couple of weeks before I hit the dead spot. Every once in a blue moon I could rock the car in Park just enough so that the starter would engage.

    Fond memories. ;)
  • tbj0801tbj0801 Member Posts: 11
    They're saying defective burgler alarm relay (goes to starter solenoid). New one (covered under warranty) won't be in until Wednesday AM. Don't see how this fits into the specific scenario I described, but I suppose it's much better than a new starter and/or flywheel. I'm hoping they are correct.
  • jcwsbltdjcwsbltd Member Posts: 167
    Phew! - a lucky escape, then. Sounds like it burned out the starter relay as they said. Hope that fixes it.
  • somedai1somedai1 Member Posts: 416
    Sick newborn - that is the best description...
  • csi007csi007 Member Posts: 26
    I figured out what was causing our air conditioning not to work. There was a connector next to the AC accumulator that was loose and not plugged in correctly. Plugged it in firmly and it now works perfectly all the time. The other issues still remain but will have to be fixed by the dealer.
  • jimsistjimsist Member Posts: 62
    :confuse: does any body know why hyundai cut off the parts on line order page.where can we order parts with out going down to the dealer when they realy dont know about the parts you want to order. i order a fog lamp switch two weeks ago and the dealer dont even know the part num.
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