2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE CONTACT HEARD A WHINING NOISE. ALSO, WHEN THE CONTACT SHIFTED FROM FIRST TO SECOND OR FROM THIRD TO FOURTH GEAR, THE TRANSMISSION SHOOK VIOLENTLY AND THE ENGINE WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE PURGE VALVE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. AFTER THE REPAIR, THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 41,432.

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS FILLED UP WITH GAS THE FUEL GAUGE GOES TO ZERO AND THE ENGINE SERVICE LIGHT COMES ON AND THE CODES GENERATED ARE P2067, P0463 AND P0464. AT SOME POINT THE GAUGE BEGINS WORKING PROPERLY AGAIN BUT THE ACCURACY OF THE GAUGE IS IN QUESTION. THERE IS A SAFETY CONCERN SINCE THE VEHICLE COULD RUN OUT OF GAS AT ANY TIME LEAVING THE USER STRANDED IN BAD WEATHER OR IN A DANGEROUS TRAFFIC SITUATION. THIS PROBLEM IS NOT ISOLATED, JUDGING FROM SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON THE INTERNET, IT APPEARS THAT THE PARTS USED FOR THE FUEL LEVEL INDICATION ARE UNRELIABLE AND A RECALL IS NEEDED TO RESOLVE THIS SAFETY ISSUE. THE PROBLEM OCCURS AT FILL UP AND DRIVING HAS NO EFFECT ON THIS ISSUE AND HAS BEEN HAPPENING TO MY VEHICLE OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS BUT SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE AS TIME GOES ON. .

ON A TRIP THIS PAST WEEKEND, I EXPERIENCED AN ALARMING SITUATION. I WAS DRIVING 65 MPH ON A HIGHWAY, WHEN THE FUEL GAUGE SUDDENLY REGISTERED EMPTY AFTER MY HAVING FILLED THE TANK ONLY 40 MILES PREVIOUSLY, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I IMMEDIATELY EXITED THE HIGHWAY, STOPPED, AND CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND TALKED TO A MECHANIC, WHO SAID THE LIKELY EXPLANATION WAS A FAULTY FUEL SENSOR. WHILE WE WERE TALKING, THE NEEDLE BEGAN TO RISE AND FALL. WHEN I DETERMINED IT WAS NOT IMMEDIATELY DANGEROUS, I CONTINUED MY TRIP. THE GAUGE EVENTUALLY RETURNED TO NORMAL, BUT THE PROBLEM REAPPEARED THE NEXT TIME I FILLED UP; AGAIN, THE GAUGE EVENTUALLY BEGAN BEHAVING NORMALLY, AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OUT. THIS MORNING I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, AND THEY CONFIRMED THE FAULTY FUEL SENSOR. COST TO REPAIR WAS $612 ' AN OUTRAGEOUS AMOUNT. I DECIDED TO DECLINE THE REPAIR AND JUST TRACK MY NEED FOR GAS FROM THE TRIPOMETER. STILL THIS COULD BE A DANGEROUS SITUATION IF THE GAUGE WERE SHOWING ADEQUATE FUEL BUT THE TANK WAS REALLY EMPTY. HYUNDAI SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL.

WHILE AT A STOP IN A CONSTRUCTION ZONE, MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE, WHEN THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED INTO THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF ME. ALTHOUGH MY FOOT WAS PLANTED HARD ON THE BRAKE, THE ENGINE CONTINUED RACING, AND IT FELT LIKE MY CAR WAS GOING TO PUSH HIS CAR DOWN THE STREET! I SHIFTED INTO PARK AND TURNED THE CAR OFF. LUCKILY THERE WAS ONLY $4,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO MY CAR, AND NO ONE WAS HURT. I REFUSED TO DRIVE IT, AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER. THEY SAID THE COMPUTER SHOWED NO MALFUNCTION, AND IT HAD TO BE DRIVER ERROR. THREE MONTHS LATER, IT DID IT AGAIN TO A LESSER DEGREE, IN AN OPEN AREA. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AGAIN, AND IT WAS FINE UNTIL YESTERDAY. IT HAS BEEN 4 MONTHS SINCE THAT LAST INCIDENT, BUT THIS ONE EVEN WAS WORSE THAN THE FIRST. ONLY THING IS, NOW I KNOW TO PUT ALL MY WEIGHT ON THE BRAKE, SHIFT TO NEUTRAL AND TURN THE CAR OFF AS FAST AS I CAN. THIS ONE FRIGHTENED ME SO BADLY, I WILL NOT DRIVE IT AGAIN. IT IS GOING TO SIT AT THE DEALER UNTIL THEY FIND OUT WHAT TO DO. I CANNOT IN GOOD CONSCIENCE DRIVE IT, SELL IT OR EVEN TRADE IT IN UNTIL I KNOW IT IS SAFE! EVERY TIME IT HAPPENED, THE CAR WAS ON A CITY STREET, STATIONARY, AND HEADING STRAIGHT. THE ENGINE REVS UP SO LOUD, IT SOUNDS LIKE AN AIRPLANE! YESTERDAY I COULD TELL THE PEOPLE IN THE CAR STOPPED NEXT TO ME HEARD IT AND LOOKED AT ME! I HAVE OWNED THIS SANTA FE SINCE IT WAS BRAND NEW, AND PEOPLE TELL ME IT LOOKS LIKE A NEW CAR. I KEEP UP WITH THE RECOMMENDED MAINTENANCE AND ALWAYS TAKE IT TO THE DEALER FOR SERVICE. UNTIL LAST JULY, IT HAS BEEN AN EXCELLENT CAR. THE ACCIDENT I HAD WITH IT WAS THE ONLY ACCIDENT I HAVE HAD IN 50 YEARS OF DRIVING! PLEASE GIVE ME SOME IDEAS ON WHAT TO TELL THE DEALER TO REPLACE, REPAIR OR DISCONNECT. THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!

WHILE ACCELERATING TO MERGE WITH TRAFFIC THE ENGINE STARTING MAKING A STRANGE NOISE. IT CONTINUED TO RUN AND THE NOISE DECREASED, AND SOMETIMES EVEN QUIT. THE NEXT DAY THE NOISE WAS BACK AND WHILE DRIVING DOWN A HILL THE ENGINE DIED AND MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO COAST ONTO AN EXIT RAMP. I WAS ABLE TO GET IT RESTARTED AND DROVE IT TO THE DEALER. THE DEALER STATED WITH THE KNOCKING SOUND AND THEY FOUND METAL IN THE OIL IT WOULD NEED A NEW ENGINE. I COULD NOT AFFORD THE OVER $7,000 ESTIMATE SO I LOADED THE CAR ON A TRAILER AND TOOK IT HOME TO REPAIR MYSELF. WHEN I DISSEMBLED THE ENGINE I FOUND ONE OF THE CONNECTING ROD BEARINGS HAD SPUN AND ALL THE MAIN BEARINGS HAD SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE CONSISTENT WITH METAL DEBRIS ON THE BEARING SURFACE.

LOW FUEL LIGHT STAYS ON REGARDLESS OF FUEL LEVEL. THIS IS AN ONGOING COMPLAINT ON THIS MODEL AND NEEDS TO BE RECALLED FOR THE SAFETY OF DRIVERS. THE GAUGE HAS BEEN MOVING PERIODICALLY BUT NOW HAS STAYED AT A CONSTANT "EMPTY STATE" WITH THE WARNING LIGHT ON. LUCKILY WE WERE ABLE TO FILL THE TANK. WE NOW ARE GOING TO MOVE IT THE TANK FROM USING G THE TRIP MILES.

FUEL GAUGE PROBLEM: WHEN FILLING THE CAR, THE FUEL GAUGE IN THE CAR WILL SHOW EMPTY, EMPTY LIGHT IS ON DESPITE FILLING THE CAR WITH PLENTY OF GAS. ADDITIONALLY, IN 2009 MY CAR STOPPED SUDDENLY WHILE WE WERE ON A BRIDGE IN 4 LANES OF TRAFFIC. THE FUEL TANK HAD TO BE PULLED AND REPLACED. NOW, WHEN I'M DRIVING(KNOWING THAT I HAVE ENOUGH FUEL TO CONTINUE) THE FUEL GAUGE IS NOT REGISTERING PROPERLY AND WILL 'WAG' BETWEEN FULL AND EMPTY. DANGEROUS!

THE FUEL GAUGE DOES NOT READ CORRECTLY UNLESS THE TANK IS 100% FULL. EVEN THEN IT OCCASIONALLY WILL READ INCORRECTLY. WHEN FILLING THE TANK IT OCCASIONALLY SHUTS OFF AS IF FULL DESPITE NOT BEING FULL. THIS IS A MAJOR ISSUE BECAUSE IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO TELL HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE TANK AT ANY GIVEN TIME WHICH IS A SAFETY CONCERN WHEN DRIVING LONG DISTANCES.

HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE GAS GAUGE BEING ERRATIC AND MY 2008 SANTA FE, HESITATING WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE. HAD THE FUEL PUMP REPLACED AT AN AFTER MARKET SHOP THAT I HAVE ALWAYS USED ON ON MY VEHICLES, IN APRIL 2016 ($707.00) AND APPEARED TO FIX THE PROBLEM. HERE IT IS FEB. 2017 AND ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT THIS TIME WE WERE DRIVING AND THE VEHICLE JUST DIED AND COULD NOT BE RESTARTED. I HOPE IT'S NOT THE FUEL PUMP AGAIN. CAN'T FIND A RECALL FOR THIS PROBLEM.

FUEL LEVEL SENSOR FAILED AT 65,000 MILES. FUEL GAUGE OSCILLATES, NO WAY TO KNOW HOW MUCH FUEL IS REMAINING. SIGNIFICANT DANGER OF VEHICLE CUTTING OFF WHILE DRIVING BECAUSE FUEL TANK EMPTY WITHOUT DRIVER BEING AWARE. OTHER AUTOMAKERS HAVE ISSUED RECALLS FOR THIS PROBLEM; HYUNDAI NEEDS TO FIX THIS KNOWN, POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS ISSUE.