Hyundai Santa Fe Brake Problems

LS37 · November 2010

Oh yeah, my pads were replaced somewhere around 30,000. Upgraded to ceramic. The service manager at the Hyundai dealership told me that the rotors had been downsized in thickness to make them lighter and improve gas mileage. Funny that my Toyota has not had this issue.

LS37 · November 2010

It was the sway bar link and unfortunately I did take it to the dealer out of laziness. Learned my lesson and how.

somedai1 · November 2010

upgrade to ceramic? Santa fe comes with ceramic standard - very good expensive akebono ceramic pads...

bambew · February 2011

@iv6tec said: "The so called brake service would have cost me $350 +tax. All Hyundai dealers are instructed not to cover any warranty repairs unless the customer follows the severe service schedule which includes very expensive and unnecessary work such as dismantling and cleaning the brakes yearly."

Dude...

It is very important and very necessary to have your brakes cleaned and lubricated at frequent intervals. If you don't, you may (as you found out) be paying for a more costly repair down the road. As we all are aware, if you do not follow the manufacturers recommended maintenance schedule to the 'T', they can deny coverage if there is an issue relating to the 'possible' non-adherence to the maintenance schedule.

Vehicle that are subject to environmental extremes may need servicing more frequently than others... BTW, where abouts do you live? What sort of climate is your vehicle subject to?

Unfortunately.... brakes (pads/rotors), clutches, tires etc are considered a 'wearable' item... and as such, usually are not covered under any warranty.

In the 40,000 miles that you have on your SF, how many times have you had the brake pads replaced?

John

crkyolfrt · February 2011

You remind me of someone who gets paid by piece work. While some of what you say is true, it's what you didn't say that spoke louder to me.

You can say follow the schedule to a T etc. But every one of those services ends up costing the customer $359.68 before even replacing any parts, or possibly one or two here and there! Now multiply that amount times the number of those service visits you will endure in 100000 miles, and all of a sudden you have already paid for some major component replacement at 100000 and you are ready to go again for a spell well out of wty at that point.
The dealership hope is that you do all these service visits "to a T" cuz it is money in their pocket. And the real bonus is they still hope to selll you a new car in 3 or 4 years anyway, so they get a tradein that has been maintained to a T, on your dime, yet they will advertise and charge for it as being an extremely well cared for car. Do you think you will get anywhere near a better tradein value for all that money you put out? Not with an easy majority of the dealers out there.

A well designed brake caliper should not have to be taken apart and cleaned every 30000 miles, no matter what climate it works in. Don't turn the responsibility of inferior designed parts or corner-cutting, back onto the customer, or else have them suffer the infamous small-print clauses.

It irks me when I read in big bold neon lighting and print bragging about a 10 year 100000 mile wty, but buried in print so small that many owners are shocked the hard way, when they find out that only applies to the first owner, and even then, only if they visited their dealer more often than they do their own family relatives in order to ensure that wty stays intact.

12346932 · February 2011

never heard of it being necessary or important to clean & lube brakes, unless you are employed by the dealership.

bambew · February 2011

Dude....

Read here:

http://www.ehow.com/how_7864696_maintain-brake-calipers.html

and here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disc_brake

On the wiki page, scroll down to 'Calipers'...

"Floating caliper (single piston) designs are subject to sticking failure, which can occur due to dirt or corrosion entering at least one mounting mechanism and stopping its normal movement. This can cause the pad attached to the caliper to rub on the disc when the brake is not engaged, or cause it to engage at an angle. Sticking can occur due to infrequent vehicle use, failure of a seal or rubber protection boot allowing debris entry, dry-out of the grease in the mounting mechanism and subsequent moisture incursion leading to corrosion, or some combination of these factors. Consequences may include reduced fuel efficiency and excessive wear on the affected pad."

If you don't frequently clean and lubricate brake calipers, they 'may' seize up and cause costly damage... Either do it yourself (it is very easy to do!!!), or pay someone else to do it for you... Either way, it needs to be done my friend...

Don't let infrequent use of the vehicle make you think that it doesn't require 'as much' servicing.... In many cases, the opposite is true... If your vehicle sits for long periods of time, you will need to service your brake calipers more often than the norm.

So I take it that you don't think it is necessary to clean and lubricate brake calipers... Let me ask you this... Do you change the oil in your engine? I'm sure you do... Why is it important to 'frequently' change your engine oil? Could it be to make sure that your engine's moving components are properly 'lubricated'...

I suppose if you have the mentality that your brake calipers do not need cleaning and lubricating, then you must have the same mentality and balk at changing your engine oil... I some how figure you don't though since an oil change is about $30 (give or take). Am I correct here??? However, when you are looking at $300+ to clean and lubricate brake calipers, you say "NFW... my car doesn't need that." Well, yeah... it does!!!!

Don't get me wrong here dude... I am not saying that you 'have to' take your vehicle to the dealership and pay $100/hr to have your brake calipers serviced... I don't... I do it my self at very low cost... all you need is a bit of high temp grease, a warm sunny afternoon and a few cool ones... If you don't have the know-how, or don't want to get dirty, then have a local garage do it for you... I'm sure they will be somewhat cheaper than your dealer's shop...

I remember a commercial that I saw on television years ago about automotive servicing... The 'mechanic' actor said "Pay me now, or PAY me later"... Meaning that if you don't pay him now, then you'll be paying much more a few months down the road... How true this is!!!

Sure, it's YOUR CHOICE on how you maintain your vehicle... However, you can't expect the manufacturer to dish out thousands of dollars for a repair that is a result of owner neglect...

John

bambew · February 2011

@iv6tec said: "I also had to completely rebuild the rear calipers which became badly corroded and seized up at about 20,000 mi. The rotors were badly scored and had to be replaced as well. I had to pay for everything. Hyundai would not cover the rear brake calipers or rotors as I declined their recommendation to clean and adjust the brakes once a year as my wife only drives the car about 10,000 mi/year. The so called brake service would have cost me $350 +tax. All Hyundai dealers are instructed not to cover any warranty repairs unless the customer follows the severe service schedule which includes very expensive and unnecessary work such as dismantling and cleaning the brakes yearly. That applies to every Hyundai vehicle. That is why they can offer 10 year/100,000 mile warranty. It is meaningless and they don't honor it!

Well now you know that cleaning and lubricating your calipers IS NECESSARY. One of life's little lessons.

All warranties have rules that you have to heed. There are rules for the manufacturer and there are rules for the vehicle owner... You cannot just purchase a car and not maintain it... The owner has to do his/her part...

John

stever · February 2011

Just browsing through the Edmunds Maintenance Guide, there's plenty of brake inspections that are on the list, but I don't see anything saying to lube the calipers. I just looked from 25 to 50k though, for an '09 Limited. For a $112 service at 30k, I doubt that a mechanic is going to include caliper removal as part of the inspection.

I doubt that the owner's manual says anything different since we get the maintenance schedule information from the manufacturers.

Wikipedia is fine and all, but what does Hyundai tell owners to do with their brakes?

bambew · February 2011

@gimmestdtranny said: "A well designed brake caliper should not have to be taken apart and cleaned every 30000 miles, no matter what climate it works in."

LOL, you are too funny dude...

Would that mean then, that a 'well designed engine' should not need to have its oil changed on a frequent basis. Or at all, for that matter???

Damn those car makers... If they built a 'well designed engine', we wouldn't have to change the oil in our engines at $30 a pop....

John

bambew · February 2011

Steve...

When a mechanic replaces brake pads he/she 'should' also clean and lubricate the sliders on the calipers. If the owner does not put many miles on the vehicle and there is considerable time between pad replacement, then the calipers should be removed and the sliders cleaned and lubricated...

Anyways... if you and the other 'non believers' want to follow that maintenance schedule, then go right ahead... You can 'duke it out' with Hyundai when the time comes...

Brake service is the responsibility of the vehicle owner, not the manufacturer...

Nuf said...

John

stever · February 2011

But what does the owner's manual say? If it says "inspect" and the dealer tech does that and determines that the caliper is fine and doesn't require disassembly and lube, then I don't see how the manufacturer can deny warranty coverage. The manual should show service requirement intervals based on miles and time.

Sounds like a call to the local consumer protection agency or attorney general's office is in order to determine if the brake repair should be covered under warranty.

kyfdx · February 2011

They pay people to write their articles at $15/ea.

That's really not a reliable source of information.

Not a comment on brake maintenance, just the cited source.

crkyolfrt · February 2011

Technically, there is some good info in those articles. What they don't get into, is stuff like, (to save weight and money) that the lengths of the (usually aluminum) pistons help determine how resistant they are to canting sideways in their bores in the cases of cars that sit idle for long periods of time. Or also that the mfgr saved a few bucks by using an aluminum content that was 'dirty'. Thereby falling prey to electrolysis prematurely. Who's going to possibly catch them at it, right? Especially if they encourage a labour intensive maintenance schedule..

My car fell into this category. And the last few in the past decade. In summer months I actually ride the bike more than the car.
I made a wty claim though on some faulty front calipers on my 03 Matrix. The rotors had started to corrode (which was my fault due to lack of use, not Toyota's) but was their fault is that the pads were only grabby about 2/3rds of the rotor, thereby reducing braking strength a lot. Especially because of where they were grabbing. They were grabbing near the hub, leaving the outer 1/3rd unsqueezed, so leverage challenged. This started happening though at only 12000 miles/18 months or so, so was obviously a design flaw.

It is fine (well no...it is not, but whatever) for companies like Hyundai to stipulate whatever rules they want to, and it is up to the consumer to either adhere and anti-up, or pay the potential consequences if the company can shirk responsibility enough to convince the customer that it is their responsibility, not the maker of the car. But many customers have a memory, and they will remember if there were unreasonable clauses like this and (like non-transferable long-term warranties etc) when they go to replace their car.

chucko6 · February 2011

Just thought you might appreciate a " brake" story and Dealer Service.

My '01 ACURA MDX developed a pulsutation when braking. This was @ 43,000 + miles. The brakes had never been serviced, other than visual inspection per State requirments. After a test drive, I was informed that all 4 rotors would have to be replaced. I started seeing $$$$ all over the place and when I inquired, was told that they would be replaced on Acura's
dime. To top that off, all 4 wheels received new pads. When I traded the X
with 82,000 miles, I had not spent a single cent on brake work. A lot can be said for Dealer/ Mfg. loyalty.

iv6tec · February 2011

How old are you? If you have to get your automotive facts from Wikipedia, I wonder, do you even own a car? I am an Automotive Engineer. I have owned 21 vehicles, including 16 company vehicles. I get a new company vehicle every year as part of my compensation package. I put about 40,000mi/year/vehicle. I have NEVER cleaned and lubricated brakes on any of those vehicles except when replacing disc brake pads every 55-60k mi. About 80% of my driving is on highways. I NEVER had disc brake calipers sieze up due to extreme/abnormal corrosion as on my wife's 2007 Santa Fe GLS 3.3V6 AWD. This is caused by poor choice of materials for the brake components which induces galvanic corrosion! I don't have to read about brakes on Wikipedia to know they SHOULD NOT need to be cleaned, much less lubricated once a year regardless of mileage, as Hyundai dealers' severe service schedule indicates.

somedai1 · February 2011

The voice of good sense and reason I must say... clearly - the components are prone to corrosion and the only thing that may save some Santa Fe owners from this problem may be which part of the world they live in - but there is no reason corrosion should be such a problem at 20k miles - I noticed it and saw posts here of people actually getting noise and mechanical problems due to corrosion at low mileage - even when you opt for aftermarket parts (I tend to use hi performance products to replace stock) - I could tell they just took the same materials and slapped a different brand name on it because they corroded exactly the same way - normally during a brake job the calipers should be serviced - it helps keep everything warranty proof - so the new parts installed won't get destroyed because you failed to do a proper service - every shop I manage the techs/mechanics have to check the caliper operation physically and visually - some just go ahead and do the procedure to be thorough - but it prevents wasted labor when the customer comes back and wonders why you didn't see a problem when you were replacing pads... brake components should not need service in between pad replacements unless you're rally racing or something - in which case - these components would have already been replaced with better stuff than what came stock...

bambew · February 2011

Mr. Wizard...

I am 47, have owned (and personally maintained the brakes) enough cars to KNOW...

Have YOU ever had the pleasure of jacking your car up in your driveway (on a frequent basis), pulling the wheels off, puling the calipers/pads off to inspect them, and in the process, GETTING YOUR HANDS DIRTY??? I doubt it, since you have the luxury of a BRAND NEW COMPANY VEHICLE every year... Except for your wife's 4 year old Santa Fe...

BTW, which automobile manufacturer do you work for?

My brother, who has been a GM Service Technician for 30 years, has told me many'a story about customers who decline a $500 brake service only to come 'limping' (their car, not themselves...) back to face a $2000+ repair job just because they were too cheap or didn't trust the technician/dealer... Just like the television commercial states... 'You can pay me now, or you can pay me later'....

See, the problem with 'Engineers' is that they live in a 'fantasy world'... not the 'real world'... Engineers are also very 'closed mined' as you have demonstrated with your dismissal of my 'Wiki' link... I have worked in factories with machinery for most of my working life. I am sure that many machine operators will agree, that when the 'ENGINEER' comes down to the production floor from his/her cushy office, they try to tell you that the machine 'should' work in a certiain way, when you, the machine operator (8-12 hours a shift), being very intimate with said machinery, KNOWS that the machine IN FACT, doesn't... EVERY MACHINE, just like us humans, have a very distinct PERSONALITY... Engineers 'assume' that all machines are created equal. NOT!!!

I am very disappointed with the fact that you are an 'Engineer' and that you say that brake caliper lubrication/cleaning is "Unnecessary"...

Anyways dude... it's not rocket science that moving parts need to be constantly lubricated... In addition, any moving parts (such as brake calipers), that are subject to adverse weather/road (ex: salt) conditions, need to be CLEANED and LUBRICATED frequently...

As I mentioned previously, what part of the continent do you live dude? Canada, USA, mid-continent or east/west seaboard...

John

crkyolfrt · February 2011

We're all from Dudeville.

$2000. brake job? Sounds like an overcharge unless it was on a very heavy duty or exotic vehicle.

When a used pad is looked at (by removing it) how it has worn in relation to the opposing pad tells you a lot about whether or not sliders should be re-lubed.

It is important that the caliper is free to float and self centre it self around the rotor. Somewhere between your make-work ($) scenarios and checking for obvious things that need attention (like i just mentioned), is probably a happy compromise and the middle ground.

Some friendly advice for you ok?..., if you want to garner credibility around here, I would at least start with not calling other posters, "Dude".

somedai1 · February 2011

to be sure - when manufacturers put out owners manuals - it is under the advisement of engineers - not technicians or mechanics - which is why all owners manuals service intervals will always seem like overkill to the everyday person... they are safeguarding both themselves and the customer but leaning more toward protecting themselves. As I say most vehicles would not need to lubricate calipers every year - BUT suggestion would be to inspect everytime the wheels are off - which would at least be every tire rotation 6k-8k miles - for some this might be a years worth of driving - but I think not for most people. And then you're at the mercy of who's doing the inspecting to be honest and say it needs work now or no everything is ok. (some lie to make money - some lie because it's a pain in the neck job to do and don't want the headache!) If you make a product that you warranty - you will offer the best case scenario as to how it should be maintained. The components will not definitely fail if you do not follow the recommended intervals - but you will lose the warranty if you don't and you are at risk - you are gambling when you don't follow their recommendation because although it might be just a money making scheme - there might be a legit reason why the interval is on paper that way - when you complain that your car sucks because this and that failed - my question will always be how was the maintenance kept up? And the ones that know they didn't do their due diligence and keep up with the prescribed maintenance will always cite someone they know who never did any maintenance on their car (usually different make/model/yr) and they never had a problem - well... guess who was lucky and who wasn't. I don't think that anyone is saying the brakes shouldn't need to be serviced at all - but every year in between brake changes as a rule to take everything apart for lube is insane - inspection should not always mean work has to be done. Finally - if a manufacturer becomes aware of a defect after the fact - they may not halt the production - they may release the car and try to mitigate the problem but adjusting the maintenance interval - as in - we know our tranny's suck so make sure we force them into using specific hard to find fluid (dealers) and make them come in for a service every 10k miles! It's a joke but we usually buy the cars and find out their flaws after the fact - maybe the dealers even find out after the fact - but I think maybe sometimes.... the manufacturers knew what was in store... by the way - anyone who can foot the bill for these intervals and do each and every one prescribed will probably have less problems overall... people are upset cause their paying so much for a vehicle that is supposed to be economical - where is the economy when you have to spend so much to maintain - oh - but I do go on...

stever · February 2011

it is under the advisement of engineers

I think marketing has some input too - fewer people would buy car X if car Y was known to have less frequent and cheaper maintenance requirements. Some of us (maybe fewer than I think), pay a little attention to that when shopping cars.

ecotrklvr · February 2011

I grew up in Euclid, Ohio. Bought my first car, a 1966 Corvair, and there was nothing on that car that hadn't had 5 winters of road salt attack it. Everything - brake drums, parking brake cables, wheel nuts, U-joints, shock absorber mounts, exhaust parts - everything was fused together with rust. It's a wonder that the brakes worked as well as they did, being all cast iron drums. My point is, in areas that use road salt, frequent brake inspections are needed much more often than where I live now - Southern California. Some that live very close to the ocean have some small part of the same problem.

But Manufacturers must make a warranty policy to cover both scenarios. So it's overkill for a place like this, but protects them for people that live in places that use road salt and the like, or who drive on ocean beaches. I don't think it's the policy as much as the application of it. If I had a frozen caliper during the lifetime of the first set of front brake pads, living here in So Cal, I'd scream bloody murder to the Manufacturer (and maybe even more). But if I drove off-road, or on the beach, or on salted road, and I had a sticking pad, I'd kick myself for not having inspected (or have the things inspected) every 30k. So some allowance must be made for the conditions, at least as much as the mileage.

I've personally performed at least 20 brake jobs myself, just to make sure it's done right - and also because by now I can do it in less time than it would take to take it into ABC Auto, and sit in the waiting room reading 8 month old Car & Driver mags. I spend less time and money dealing with brake issues than anyone I know. I thank my Dad for showing me how to do these things; it's not the right thing to do for most, but it does give me some insight into things like this. And since I made my first payment for my first ever Hyundai today, February 18th, I'm now more than just an observer. If Hyundai (or their suppliers) are using sub-standard materials in their brake components, I want to know about it. That's why I keep reading these Forums. We all need to stick together on these issues!

For the record, since moving West 29 years ago, I've never had to replace a single exhaust system part! I've discovered one or two sticking disc brake pad, but cleaning the pins and slides, and lubing them with high-temp grease, fixed them easily. The conditions make a huge difference!

Finally, may I respectfully request that a new Forum be started for Santa Fe Brake Issues, and leave this one to the guys with serious Transmission Problems?

stever · February 2011

request that a new Forum be started for Santa Fe Brake Issues

Great suggestion; we've moved the brake posts over here.

bambew · February 2011

Hello 'SIR'...

You have your opinions on maintaining ones vehicle and I have mine...

We'll leave it at that...

Best of luck to ya....

bambew · February 2011

Hello 'Sir'...

ROAD SALT / CORROSION.... this is what I was trying to convey to 'gimmestdtranny'.... I asked him his geographical location but did not get an answer...

As you have pointed out, if one lives in an area of the world that a vehicle must endure road salt or sea salt, then extra care MUST be given to the maintenance, especially brakes, of said vehicle...

So... did you buy a Santa Fe?

John

bambew · February 2011

@ gimmestdtranny said: "$2000. brake job? Sounds like an overcharge unless it was on a very heavy duty or exotic vehicle."

It was on a SABB...

John

drew17095 · March 2011

di you ever find out what it was mine is now doing the same

irish6004 · May 2011

My wife drives a '09 Santa Fe with a shade over 21,000 miles and recently noticed a high pich squeal while at highway speed. I drove her car and heard what sounded like the caliper rubbing on the driver side rear wheel. I immediatedly looked online to see if this was a widespread issue and found this post. I was kicking myself since I didn't know I was supposed to have the brakes serviced as 15,000 miles and was sure they were going to sell me the whole brake job. I brought the vehicle in this morning, and after inspection informed me that the problem would be corrected with thier $100 "brake service." I was fortunate enought that I brought the vehicle in so the brake pads still had plenty of life and there was no uneven wear or rotor damage. I live in upstate NY so road salt is a huge issue, sounds like this is something I'll need to take care of evey other year.

cherrman · May 2011

Hyundai Santa Fe Brake Problems

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