2002 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING, THE TRANSMISSION BEGAN SHIPPING IN AND OUT OF GEAR. AT LOW SPEEDS THE VEHICLE STALLED, SHUT OFF AND IMMEDIATELY RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. A TECHNICIAN CONCLUDED THAT SINCE HIS VEHICLE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER WAS EXCLUDED FROM RECALL # 03V030000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:STARTER ASSEMBLY), HE WOULD HAVE TO PAY $350.00 TO HAVE THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. NO REPAIRS WERE MADE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED AND NO ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 78,000.

FRONT HEADLIGHT LENSES ARE CLOUDY AND YELLOW TO POINT WHERE I CAN NOT SEE THE INSIGHT OF THE LENS. THE LIGHT FROM THE LIGHT BULB IS GREATLY REDUCED TO THE POINT WHERE I HAVE DIFFICULTY SEEING THE STREET AT NIGHT. I CONTACTED HYUNDAI AND THEY REFUSED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE CORRECTED BY HYUNDAI AT NO COST TO ME. THE CAR IS ONLY 7 YEARS OLD. *TR

2002 HYUNDAI SANTA FE GLS. WHEN MODERATELY BRAKING TO SLOW DOWN TO EXIT THE INTERSTATE THE CAR RAPIDLY DECELERATED AND VIBRATED VIOLENTLY. PULLED OVER AND COULD NOT GET THE CAR TO GO OVER 20 MPH. MY INITIAL IMPRESSION WAS THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING. THIS HAPPENED RANDOMLY ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. THE 2ND TIME IT OCCURRED I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE NEAREST HYUNDAI DEALER. DEALER COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. I DROVE THE CAR BACK WITHOUT INCIDENT AND DROPPED IT OFF AT THE HYUNDAI DEALER THAT SOLD ME THE CAR. THEY HAD THE VEHICLE FOR SEVERAL DAYS BEFORE THEY COULD REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS A FAULTY BRAKE SYSTEM MASTER CYLINDER AND PROPORTIONING VALVE. COST OF THE REPAIR WAS OVER $500. I INVESTIGATED THIS PROBLEM AT VARIOUS HYUNDAI FORUMS ON THE INTERNET AND LEARNED THAT THIS SAME PROBLEM HAS BEEN REPORTED ON OTHER HYUNDAI VEHICLES (INCLUDING MY GENERATION OF SANTA FE). I FEEL THAT ANY BRAKE SYSTEM FAILURE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT THAT SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. *TR

2002 & 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE TRANSMISSION CASE DEFECT: WE LIKED THE FIRST SO MUCH, WE BOUGHT A SECOND.... NO INDICATION OF MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS IN OWNERS MANUAL. REGARDING TRANSFER CASE ATTENTION OR MAINTENANCE WHICH VIOLENTLY CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO DANGEROUSLY, ABRUPTLY STOP - RESULTING IN A DANGEROUS HIGHWAY SAFETY SITUATION AND PERSONAL INJURY. WE HAVE THE OLD TRANSFER CASE - WHICH LOOKS INSIDE, LIKE A TOSSED SALAD. WE PAID FOR THE REPLACEMENT BY WESTERN AUTO - A MATTER THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. REPORTED IN GREAT DETAIL TO HYUNDAI USA, THEY DENY RESPONSIBILITY OR WARRANTY COVERAGE IN EFFECT AT THE TIME PROBLEM WAS NOTICED. FURTHERMORE, THE VEHICLES WERE PURCHASED AS 'DEALER DEMOS,' WITH LOW MILEAGE AND FULL MANUFACTURERS 100,00 MILE, 10 YEAR WARRANTY - UNFORTUNATELY FROM A DEALER MISREPRESENTING THEMSELVES AS AN AUTHORIZED HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP. 2002 VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED BY THE DEALERSHIP WHEN PROBLEM REALIZED, - DURING WARRANTY PERIOD, BUT REPORTED NO PROBLEM. WE LATER DISCOVERED A REPAIR / MODIFICATION KIT WAS ISSUED BY HYUNDAI TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM - PURCHASED AT WESTERN AUTO - HYUNDAI SERVICE MANAGER CLAIMED HE HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE ITEM UNTIL WE SHOWED IT TO HIM IN A BRAND NEW UNOPENED BOX. HYUNDAI DID INSTALL THE MODIFICATION / REPAIR KIT TO THE SECOND 2004 SANTA FE AFTER WE BROUGHT IT TO THEIR ATTENTION. ALL DOCUMENTED BY HIDDEN CAMERA VIDEO RECORDING. DANGEROUS AND COSTLY SITUATION. PLEASE ADVISE. WE SEEK REIMBURSEMENT FOR THE REPAIR AND TOWING COSTS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. *TR HAROLD BAYUK

MY HUSBAND WAS IN A FRONTAL CRASH WITH THE SIDE OF A SCHOOL BUS AND THE AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED ON OUR 2002 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WE REPORTED THIS INCIDENT TO HYUNDAI AND THEY SENT AN INDEPENDENT COMPANY OUT TO INVESTIGATE. A FEW WEEKS LATER WE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM HYUNDAI TELLING US THE AIRBAGS WERE OPERATIONAL AND MY HUSBAND NEEDED TO USE HIS BREAKS IN ORDER FOR THE AIR BAGS TO DEPLOY. THIS IS RIDICULOUS WHAT ARE AIR BAGS GOOD FOR WHEN YOU GET INTO AN ACCIDENT WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE ANY TIME TO REACT. THIS ISN'T THE FIRST TIME OUR HYUNDAI VEHICLE'S AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. IN 2001, I WAS IN A 65 MPH FRONTAL CRASH WITH A GUARD RAIL ON THE INTERSTATE IN MY 2000 HYUNDAI TIBURON. WHEN I CALLED HYUNDAI THEY TOLD ME I SHOULD HIT THE GUARD RAIL AT A CERTAIN ANGLE. WHAT ANGLE OTHER THAN STRAIGHT ON WILL DEPLOY THE AIRBAGS? I DID NOT PURSUE THE MATTER, WHICH I REGRET NOT DOING BUT KNOWING THAT ANOTHER HYUNDAI VEHICLE WE OWN HAS AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT ISSUES I AM AFRAID AS I OWN ANOTHER HYUNDAI VEHICLE. I ASKED HYUNDAI TO INSPECT THE SAFETY OF MY 2006 SONATA BUT THEY HAVE REFUSED. *TR

I PURCHASED A 2002 HYUNDAI SANTE FE IN SPRING 2007. I HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS WITH UNTIL TWO DAYS AGO I BEGAN TO FEEL THE CAR WHEEL JERK ON THE FREEWAY. I BROUGHT THE CAR HOME AND ASKED MY BOYFRIEND TO DRIVE THE CAR AND SEE HOW HE FELT IN IT. THAT NIGHT ON HIS WAY TO WORK AS HE WAS EXITING THE FREEWAY THE TIRE POPPED OFF. WHEN THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE CAR STORE THE MECHANIC SAID THE TIRE POPPED OFF DUE THE FRONT SUBFRAME BEING ROTTED AND RUSTED OUT. TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM WILL BE $3400. NO ONE WAS INJURED. HOWEVER DURING THESE TOUGH ECONOMIC TIMES I CAN BARELY MAKE ENDS MEET. MY FAMILY HAS NO TRANSPORTATION TO SCHOOL OR WORK. GRANTED THAT I RECEIVE THE JOB OFFER FROM A COMPANY I RECENTLY INTERVIEWED WITH I WILL BE UNABLE TO ACCEPT FOR I HAVE NO TRANSPORTATION TO GET THERE. I NOTICE THAT HYUNDAI HAS THIS PROBLEM WITH MANY OF ITS CARS WHAT'S THE DEAL WITH THEIR QUALITY? *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE DROVE ABNORMALLY ROUGH AND THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED ON THE INSTRUMENT PANEL. ON ONE OCCASION, THE ENGINE STALLED WITHOUT WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE RESTARTED IMMEDIATELY. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO SUCCESSFULLY IDENTIFY THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE AND PROVIDE A SUFFICIENT REMEDY. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 112,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 118,000.

WE FOUND THAT BOTH REAR TRAILING ARMS WE COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH. WE HAD TO GET THEM BOTH REPLACED BY THE DEALER FOR $650 A PIECE. THE OLD PARTS WERE DISCARDED BY THE HYUNDAI DEALER. THE DEALER THINKS THIS IS NORMAL WARE AND TARE ON AN 2002 VEHICLE. THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS THAT THE REAR TRAILING ARMS ARE A MAJOR SUSPENSION COMPONENT. FIFTY PERCENT OF THE VEHICLE WEIGHT RESIDES ON THESE COMPONENTS. HYUNDAI SHOULD HAVE BUILD THEM WITH HIGHEST QUALITY IN MIND. MY OPINION THE REAR TRAILING ARMS SHOULD HAVE LASTED LONGER THEN THE FENDER ON THE CAR. THEIR WAS NO EVENT LEADING UP TO THE SUSPENSION PROBLEM. ONE DAY THE CAR FELT LIKE THE WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS OUT. THE VEHICLE WAS VERY HARD TO HANDLE ON THE ROAD. WE THEN ARRANGED FOR THE CAR TO GET A WHEEL ALIGNMENT. THEY SAID THAT THEY COULDN'T DO A ALIGNMENT BECAUSE THEIR IS A SUSPENSION PROBLEM WITH THE REAR TRAILING ARMS. THEY ALSO INFORMED US THAT THE CAR IS NOT SAFE AND TO BRING IT TO A DEALER TO GET FIXED. I FEEL THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL ACCIDENT!!! *TR

I BOUGHT A 2002 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, STANDARD 5-SPEED. SINCE THAT TIME I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE THE CLUTCH TWICE. NOW I AM REPLACING IT AGAIN AS IT WAS DAMAGED BY THE FLY WHEEL. A NEW FLY WHEEL COSTS $1500.00. I HAVE MADE EXTENSIVE EFFORTS TO FIND A USED ONE. MOST OF THE SALVAGE YARDS TELL ME THAT THEY DON'T HAVE ONE BECAUSE IT IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM AND EVERYONE IS LOOKING FOR ONE. MY MECHANIC TELLS ME MOST FLY WHEELS ARE MOUNTED TO THE ENGINE AND DON'T HAVE THIS PROBLEM. ALSO MOST FLY WHEELS COST UNDER $100.00, SO MOST WARRANTIES DO NOT COVER THE FLY WHEEL. IT SEEMS THIS IS A MANUFACTURING PROBLEMS SINCE IT HAPPENS FREQUENTLY. *TR

THE FAN SPEED SWITCH FOR THE BLOWER MOTOR INSIDE THE VEHICLE HAS FAILED FOR THE SECOND TIME. IT FIRST STARTED A WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS IN DECEMBER OF 2007, I CAME OUT OF THE STORE STARTED THE CAR AND THE BLOWER WOULDN'T CAME ON FOR THE HEATER. I HAD TO JIGGLE THE SWITCH FOR THE FAN SPEED CONTROL TO GET THE BLOWER TO COME ON, IT WORKED FOR AWHILE, BUT IT FAILED COMPLETELY. I HAD NO WARNING AT ALL, THE FAN SPEED BLOWER SWITCH JUST STOPPED WORKING. I WENT TO THE DEALER AND BOUGHT THE PART FOR $20.57, IT WAS WORKING FINE AND THEN ON 7/19/2008 I CAME OUT OF THE STORE STARTED THE CAR, I ENGAGED THE AIR CONDITIONER AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN. NOW I AM GOING TO HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE DEALER AND BUY THIS PART AGAIN. I CANNOT UNDERSTAND HOW A SIMPLE FAN SPEED CONTROL SWITCH CAN FAIL IN 7 MONTHS. IT IS VERY ANNOYING TO GO THROUGH THIS. I HOPE THAT HYUNDAI CAN HELP ME WHEN I GO BACK TO THE DEALER. *TR