2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

DEAR NHTSA - MY SANTA FE HAD A MALFUNCTION AT 65 MPH THAT CAUSES THE CAR TO ABRUPTLY SLOW DOWN AND RUN IN ONLY THIRD GEAR. THIS IS A HUGE DISTRACTION TO THE DRIVER AND COULD EASILY CAUSE AN ACCIDENT. THE CODES ARE P0121 AND P0733 WHICH HAVE TO DO WITH A THROTTLE/ACCELERATOR POSITION SENSOR AND A THIRD GEAR RATIO MISMATCH. I BELIEVE THE WAY THIS WORKS IS THE ACCELERATOR POSITION SENSOR SENDS A SIGNAL TO THE ELECTRONIC THROTTLE SYSTEM MODULE WHICH ACTIVATES AN ETS MOTOR ON THE THROTTLE BODY WHICH OPENS/CLOSES THE THROTTLE BUTTERFLY DAMPER BASED ON A COMPUTED ERROR SIGNAL. UPON RESEARCHING THIS ON HYUNDAI FORUMS IT WAS VERY APPARENT THAT THIS MALFUNCTION IS VERY COMMON AND VERY DANGEROUS. I SEARCHED THE CURRENT RECALLS AND THIS IS NOT ONE OF THE TWO RECALLS I COULD FIND FOR THIS VEHICLE. BUT IN 50% OF THE CASES I READ ABOUT IT APPEARED THAT EITHER THE ACCELERATOR SENSOR OR THROTTLE SENSOR IS A COMMON FAILURE. I REALLY THINK THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. THERE ARE ALSO SOME OTHER ITEMS THAT CAN CAUSE THESE SENSORS TO SEE THIS MISMATCH AND GIVE THE ENGINE/TRANSMISSION THE FAULT CODE WHICH CAUSES THE CAR TO EITHER GO INTO "LIMP" MODE OR SINGLE GEAR MODE. ALTHOUGH BOTH ARE AT DIFFERENT SPEEDS IT BASICALLY LIMITS THE CAR TO A MAXIMUM RPM AND CAUSES IT TO EITHER RUN IN ONE GEAR OR NOT SHIFT ABOVE A GEAR, FOR EXAMPLE 3RD GEAR INTO OVERDRIVE. THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON FAULT THAT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS WHEN RUNNING AT OR NEAR HIGHWAY SPEEDS DUE TO THE UNEXPECTED NATURE OF THE EVENT AND THE SPEED CHANGE AND NOISE IT CAN CAUSE THUS SURPRISING THE DRIVER WHICH MAY CAUSE THEM TO STOP OR PULL OVER UNEXPECTEDLY. OTHER MALFUNCTIONS THAT CAN CAUSE THIS ARE MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR, FUEL INJECTOR O-RING FAULTY AND LEAKY INTAKE MANIFOLDS AMONG OTHERS. THIS SERIOUS ISSUE THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED AND REDESIGNED OR REPAIRED ON THESE VEHICLES. *TR

PULLING INTO PARKING SPACE WHEN CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AND WENT UP ONTO A 6 INCH SIDEWALK BARRIER. DRIVERS FOOT WAS FIRMLY ON THE BRAKE BUT CAR ACCELERATED ANYWAY . DRIVER PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL TO KEEP FROM GOING FORWARD AND STOP. VERY VERY SCARY AND THANKFUL NO ONE WAS WALKING IN FRONT OF US. *TR

I HAD MY 2004 HYUNDAI SANTE FE AT THE DEALER'S FOR THE SMELL OF GASOLINE IN THE VEHICLE AND WHEN WALKING BEHIND THE CAR. IT WAS TOLD THERE WAS A SMALL LEAK IN THE GAS TANK DUE TO RUST. THE VEHICLE IS NOT 9.5 YEARS OLD HAS APPROXIMATELY 82,000 MILES ON IT - HAVE REGULAR SERVICE DONE ON THE VEHICLE. I HAVE UNDERCARRIAGE OF CAR WASHED AFTER SNOW STORMS AS I LIVE IN NEW ENGLAND AND KNOW THE SALT FROM THE ROADS CAN RUST THE CAR. I WAS QUOTED A PRICE OF $1,500 OR MORE - "CAN'T TELL UNTIL WE START TAKING THINGS APART HOW MUCH JOB WILL BE". THIS EVENING WENT TO GO TO THE STORE FOR MILK CAR STARTED RIGHT UP DROVE DOWN HILL AND CAR STARTED TO BUCK AND STOPPED. THANK GOD FOR AAA - CALLED FOR A TOW AND THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO START CAR - CAR STARTS BUT THEN STALLS SAID THERE MAY BE AN AIR BUBBLE IN FUEL LINE - COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED WHEN DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT CHECKED FOR THE LEAK. (I DO NOT HAVE THE MONEY TO REPLACE A GAS TANK WHEN I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH THE COST WILL BE). HAS ANYONE ELSE HAD THIS PROBLEM. THE SERVICE PERSON INFORMED ME MY CAR WAS "OLD" I DON'T THINK 9.5 YEARS WITH 81,000 MILES A GAS TANK SHOULD RUST???????? ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CAR IS TAKEN CARE OF. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE SMELLED A GASOLINE FUEL ODOR WHILE STANDING NEAR THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS EXAMINED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO STATED THAT THE FUEL TANK WAS RUSTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

AFTER STARTING VEHICLE AND WHILE DRIVING, ENGINE SHUTS DOWN IMMEDIATELY AND WITHOUT WARNING. WAS ABLE TO STEER TO THE SIDE OF THE STREET IT AS IT WAS STILL ROLLING. NO INDICATIONS CAME ON AS TO WHAT THE ISSUE MAY POINT TO. I SHUT THE ENGINE OFF AND WAITED FOR A TOW TO MY HOME WHICH I TOTAL TOOK ABOUT 45 MINUTES. ONCE AT HOME THE VEHICLE STARTED WITH NO ISSUES. FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS MY VEHICLE WAS AT MY MECHANICS AND HE COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. I WENT AHEAD AND HAD THE TRANSMISSION. FLUSHED AS HIM AND I HAD DISCUSSED AS ONE OF THE LAST THINGS TO GET SERVICED BEFORE WINTER. LATER THAT DAY I DROVE A LONGER DISTANCE WITH TOP SPEED ABOUT 65 MPH WITH NO ISSUES. JUST AS I WAS RETURNING HOME THE CAR SHUTDOWN AS I WAS CROSSING A BUSY INTERSECTION. LUCKILY, AGAIN I WAS ABLE TO STEER THE ROLLING VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I ATTEMPTED TO START A FEW TIMES BUT AFTER A NOT SO PLEASANT SOUND LEFT IT OFF. AFTER BEING COMPLETELY OFF FOR 30 TO 45 MINUTES THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO START AGAIN. THIS TIME THE CHECK ENGINE STAYED ON. MY SEARCH ON THE ISSUE POINTS TO A CRANKSHAFT PROTECTION SENSOR, BUT THIS IS NOT A CLEAR SOLUTION AND A COSTLY THING TO FIX IF THIS DOES NOT RESOLVE. I SEE MANY COMPLAINTS ON THE ISSUE WITH NO DEFINITIVE RESOLUTION FOR HYUNDAI OWNERS EVEN BY HYUNDAI TECHNICIANS AS THEY TROUBLESHOOT THE PROBLEM. THIS IS A SCARY THING TO HAVE HAPPEN AND SOME OF THE VEHICLE JERKS ARE RATHER HARD AND VIOLENT. BEFORE THESE SHUTDOWNS BECOME DEADLY PLEASE ADDRESS. MY LAST EXPERIENCE WAS 10/18 MY VEHICLE IS AT MY MECHANIC TODAY. *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY CAR TO PICK UP MY SON. I DID NOT CRASH MY CAR AT ALL. ALL OF SUDDEN. MY AIR BAG LIGHT CAME ON AND WONT SHUT OFF. I HAVE CONTACTED THE WARRANTY COMPANY AND THE DEALERSHIP. THERE IS NOTHING THEY CAN DO. I BROUGHT MY CAR TO MY MECHANIC HE PUT IT UP TO THE COMPUTER IT READ RESISTANCE AIR BAG. ITS GOING TO COST ME A LOT OF MONEY TO GET IT FIXED. MY WARRANTY WAS UP A WHILE AGO. ITS A SAFETY ISSUSE. I JUST DON'T HAVE THE MONEY CAUSE I JUST GOT THE CAR 8 MONTHS AGO. ALREADY I PUT IN 1,000 INTO IT. I JUST GOT THE FOOT MODULE THE BRAKES AND NOW THE AIR BAG LIGHT IS ON. CAN YOU PLEASE HELP ME. THERE IS ALSO A PROBLEM WEIGH THE SUSPENSION.

WHILE BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY, HEARD A LOUD POPPING AND CRACKING SOUND. GOT OUT TO LOOK. THERE WAS A LARGE "C" SHAPED PIECE OF METAL LAYING IN DRIVEWAY WHERE DRIVERS SIDE WAS. TOOK CAR TO HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP. COIL SPRING HAD BROKEN. SPRING AND TIRE WAS REPLACED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. CONCERNED ABOUT PASSENGER SIDE NOW THAT UTE NOW HAS 88,000 MILES THAT WILL NOT BE COVERED IF OCCURS OUT OF 10 YEAR, 100,000 MILE WARRANTY. *TR

CAME HOME FROM VACATION A FOUND THE CONTENTS OF MY FUEL TANK ON THE GARAGE FLOOR. LUCKY THERE WAS NO FIRE OR EXPLOSION. I TOOK IT TO THE SERVICE GARAGE AND THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE GAS TANK RUSTED THROUGH AND ALONG WITH THE PROTECTIVE PLATES, ALL HAD TO BE REPLACED. CONTACTED HYUNDAI BUT THEY WERE NOT HELPFUL. *JB

I BOUGHT THE HYUNDAI LESS THAN A YEAR AGO. A FEW MONTHS AFTER I BOUGHT IT, I STARTED SMELLING GAS. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP, AND WAS TOLD THE GAS TANK WAS LEAKING. AFTER PAYING AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT TO REPLACE IT, IT WORKED FINE. NOW LESS THAN A YEAR LATER, I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE SHOP FOR A ROUTINE INSPECTION AND WAS INFORMED THAT MY NEW GAS TANK IS LEAKING AND NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. WHAT'S THE PROBLEM, HYUNDAI? THIS IS RIDICULOUS! *TR

WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, I HEARD A "CLUNK" SOUND IN THE FRONT OF MY VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION, I FOUND A "C" SHAPED PIECE OF METAL ON THE DRIVEWAY. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO MY MECHANIC'S SHOP, WHERE HE TOLD ME THAT THE COIL SPRING ON MY SANTA FE HAD BROKEN ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. THE COIL SPRING ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WAS ALSO CRACKED. HE HAD TO REPLACE BOTH COIL SPRINGS. HE LATER TOLD ME THAT IT WAS UNUSUAL TO HAVE THESE SPRINGS BREAK FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I DECIDED TO GO ONLINE TO SEE IF HYUNDAI HAD ISSUED A RECALL OR WHETHER THIS WAS A PROBLEM FOR OTHER CONSUMERS WHO OWNED THIS VEHICLE. I FOUND NUMEROUS SITES WHERE PEOPLE HAD WRITTEN IN STATING THAT THEY HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM - IN MOST CASES, THE COIL SPRING BROKE AS THE OPERATOR WAS PUTTING THE 2004-2006 CAR INTO GEAR TO EITHER BACK OR, PULL OUT OF A PARKED POSITION. I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR LOOKING INTO THIS ISSUE, AND GETTING BACK TO ME ON ANY FURTHER INFORMATION YOU MAY NEED FROM ME. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR