2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

WAS JUST PULLING THE CAR DOWN THE DRIVE WAY AND THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE TIRE BLEW OUT. I STOPPED THE CAR AND A FRIEND WAS GOING TO CHANGE THE TIRE. HE NOTICED THE SPRING HAD BROKEN LOOSE AND PUNCTURED THE TIRE. THE CAR HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE DRIVE WAY FOR 12 TO 15 HOURS BEFORE WE WENT TO DRIVE IT. WE HAD NOT EVEN MADE IT ON THE ROAD AND WAS ONLY GOING A COUPLE MILES PER HOUR AND ABOUT 15 TO 20 FEET. WE WERE ON OUR WAY, GOING OUT OF TOWN AND WERE THANKFUL THAT WE DID NOT HAVE THIS HAPPEN GOING 65 MPH ON THE HIGHWAY WERE WE COULD HAVE BEEN HURT OR HURT SOME ONE ELSE. SEVERAL TIMES A WEEK WE HAVE A NEW BORN AND A TWO YEAR OLD IN THIS VEHICLE. THANKFULLY THEY WERE NOT WITH US. THIS FRONT END SUSPENSION PROBLEM NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT, SOMEBODY IS NOT GOING TO BE AS LUCKY AS WE WERE. FOR US IT WAS THE DRIVE WAY AND NOT DRIVING ON THE HIGH WAY AT A HIGH SPEEDS WITH OUR FAMILY. *TR

DRIVERS SIDE COIL SPRING BROKEN. STRUT MOUNT ALSO NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I BOUGHT THIS CAR NEW IN 2004. AS THE MILEAGE WILL TELL YOU, I DON'T DRIVE IT MUCH. MY CAR HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY FOR A COUPLE OF DAYS WHEN I WENT TO GO TO WORK. AS I STARTED BACKING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY I HEARD A VERY LOUD NOISE WHEN I TURNED THE WHEEL. I DECIDED NOT TO TRY DRIVING IT. MY HUSBAND TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY FOUND THE SPRING BROKEN. THEY SAID I WAS NO LONGER UNDER WARRANTY. FORTUNATELY, I WAS NOT DRIVING IT AT THE TIME AS IT COULD HAVE PUNCTURED THE TIRE AND CAUSED A BLOWOUT. SINCE THIS INCIDENT, IT HAS HAPPENED AGAIN, ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THIS TIME IT HAD BEEN SITTING FOR ABOUT 4 DAYS IN THE DRIVEWAY AND WHEN I WENT TO BACK OUT, I HEARD IT. WE IMMEDIATELY TOOK IT TO A NEARBY GARAGE AND FOUND THE SPRING HAD BROKEN AND WAS RUBBING ON THE TIRE. THIS TIME THE MILEAGE WAS ABOUT 25,000 MILES. HYUNDAI DOES NOT SEEM TO THINK THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THESE SPRINGS. I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED INTO BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED. I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS PERTAINING TO THIS COMPLAINT, BUT I DO WANT TO MENTION THAT AT 27,000 MILES I ALSO HAD TO REPLACE BOTH REAR CONTROL ARMS. THERE SEEMS TO BE A REAL PROBLEM WITH THE SUSPENSION SYSTEM ON THE VEHICLE. PLEASE LOOK INTO IT.

I TRIED TO START MY 2004 SANTA FE BUT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER (IT CRANKED FINE SO WE KNEW IT WAS NOT THE BATTERY). WHILE IT WAS BEING DRAGGED ONTO THE TOW TRUCK THE DRIVER'S SIDE FRONT TIRE DEFLATED. THE WHEEL DID NOT TURN WHILE BEING DRAGGED UP THE TRUCK RAMP. THE REPAIR SHOP SAID THAT THE FRONT SPRING HAD SNAPPED AND TRIGGERED A KILL SWITCH TO THE FUEL LINE WHICH PREVENTED THE CAR FROM STARTING. I NEVER HEARD ANY AWFUL SOUNDS WHILE DRIVING SO THE THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE COIL SPRING MUST HAVE SNAPPED WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. THE SPRING NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, AS DOES THE TIRE. *TR

I WENT INTO GARAGE TO MOVE MY 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE OUT SO MY HUSBAND COULD PUT OUR 2009 HYUNDAI SONATA INTO IT. THE SANTA FE HAD BEEN SITTING IN THE GARAGE FOR ABOUT 4 DAYS UNDRIVEN. WHEN I STARTED TO BACK UP, IT WAS MAKING A LOUD NOISE. I GOT OUT OF THE VEHICLE TO MAKE SURE THERE WAS NOTHING IN THE WAY. NOT SEEING ANYTHING IN MY WAY, I CONTINUED TO BACK THE SANTA FE OUT TO THE STREET STILL HEARING A LOUD NOISE. MY HUSBAND CAME OVER TO SEE WHAT WAS MAKING THE NOISE AND NOTICED THAT THE WHOLE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE FENDER WAS RESTING ON THE TIRE. UPON RAISING IT WITH THE JACK, HE NOTICED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SUSPENSION COIL WAS BROKEN. I EVEN TOOK PICTURES OF IT WHILE IT WAS JACKED UP. THE UPSIDE TO THIS WHOLE THING IS THAT WE WEREN'T DRIVING IT AT A HIGH SPEED WHEN THIS HAPPENED. I'M SURE WE WOULD HAVE FLIPPED THE VEHICLE AND BEEN SERIOUSLY INJURED OR EVEN KILLED. WE HAVE 84,647 MILES ON IT AND WERE ALWAYS VERY METICULOUS WITH MAINTENANCE. WE WILL CALL THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW, BUT FROM WHAT I CAN SEE, IT LOOKS LIKE AN EXPENSIVE REPAIR. *TR

I HAVE A 2004 SANTA FE AND JUST THE OTHER DAY MY DRIVER SIDE COIL SPRING BROKE, LUCKY I WASN'T DRIVING IT AT THE TIME HOWEVER IT GOING TO COST ABOUT 1250.00 TO FIX. *TR

FAILURE OF FRONT COIL SPRING WHILE DRIVING. COIL SPRING SUDDENLY BROKE AND PUNCTURED TIRE. *TR

AT 84,360 MILES OUR SUV WASN'T SHIFTING INTO 2ND GEAR, WOULD GO FROM 1ST TO 3RD. A BIG KLUNK WOULD OCCUR AROUND 20 MPH. TOOK INTO DEALERSHIP (WITHNELL HYUNDAI, SALEM, OR) IN JUNE 08, AND THEY RESET THE COMPUTER. HUSBAND ARGUED WITH SERVICE DEPT., SAYING HE WANTED A NEW TRANSMISSION, GUY SAID IF IT WENT BAD AGAIN THAT WOULD PROBABLY HAPPEN, AND HE SAID IF IT WENT BAD, WOULD GO BAD BY 100000 MILES. TOOK SUV BACK IN 8-2010 WITH 99960 MILES, WAS SHIFTING HARD AGAIN, WAS TOLD IT WAS THE REAR MOTOR MOUNT, AND THEY REPLACED THAT. THEN AT 105000 MILES JAN. 2011, SHIFTING HARD AGAIN, TOOK BACK TO DEALERSHIP THEY AGAIN RESET THE COMPUTER..AT NO CHARGE TO US, AND TOLD US "TRANSMISSION WAS FAILING".

I TOOK MY CAR INTO MY NEW LOCAL DEALER WALLACE HYUNDAI , STUART FL. MY AIR BAG LIGHT STARTED STAYING ON ALL THE TIME. AT THE TIME I BROUGHT IT IN, MY VEHICLE WAS STILL COVERED UNDER THE BUMPER TO BUMPER WARRANTY. THIS DEALER TOLD ME I HAD TO PAY $100.00 TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE FOR THE ISSUE. I HAVE NEVER IN THE LIFE OF OWNING 2 HYUNDAI SANTE FE'S (THIS BEING MY 2ND) DID I EVER HAVE TO PAY UP FRONT FOR BUMPER TO BUMPER ISSUES. I AM DISABLED AND DID NOT HAVE THE $100.00 SO I LEFT AND THEN THE WARRANTY RAN OUT, SO MY ISSUE HAS NEVER BEEN TAKEN CARE OF. TO THIS DAY, MY AIRBAG LIGHT IS STILL ON AND I AM CONCERNED IT WILL EITHER DEPLOY OR NOT DEPLOY AT ALL IN AN ACCIDENT. UPDATED 03/23/11

I DRIVE A USED, 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE GLS. VERY RECENTLY, I WAS JUST LEAVING WORK WHEN A SEEMINGLY VERY ORDINARY THING HAPPENED TO MY CAR. I WAS STOPPED AT A STOP SIGN, WAITING TO TAKE A LEFT TURN. AS SOON AS I ACCELERATED AND BEGAN TO TURN, MY VEHICLE SUFFERED A BLOWN-OUT FRONT-PASSENGER SIDE TIRE. AS THE TIRE BLEW OUT, I HEARD A LOUD "CLUNK"AND THEN A "POP". SURPRISED, I PULLED THE CAR OVER AS SOON AS I COULD, OFF OF THE MAIN ROAD. I HAD ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE COME OUT TO CHANGE THE TIRE, BECAUSE I FOUND THAT I DID NOT HAVE THE TOOLS REQUIRED IN MY CAR TO CHANGE A TIRE. AFTER THE TOW TRUCK DRIVER PUT ON THE SPARE, I PAID HIM FOR HIS SERVICES AND WENT TO LEAVE. AS I TURNED THE WHEEL TO LEAVE, MY VEHICLE SUFFERED ANOTHER BLOW-OUT, SAME SIDE. MY CAR THEN HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST SHOP TO BE LOOKED AT. TURNS OUT, MY FRONT-RIGHT COIL SPRING SNAPPED AND PIERCED MY TIRE(S). I CURRENTLY HAVE 73,000 MILES ON MY CAR, WHICH IS A GOOD AMOUNT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, COIL SPRINGS DO NOT JUST SNAP FROM NORMAL WEAR AND TEAR. THE VEHICLE IS 7 YEARS OLD, NOT TWENTY. HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN? I FOUND OUT THAT WHEN THE COIL SPRING SNAPPED, IT ALSO SNAPPED THE STRUTS AND THE STRUT MOUNT, ON TOP OF MY TWO TIRES. THE TOTAL AMOUNT FOR THE DAMAGE WAS ABOUT $1200.00, AS BOTH SIDES NEEDED NEW PARTS TO ENSURE THE BEST HANDLING OF THE CAR. ALL I CAN THINK ABOUT IS, WHAT IF I WAS ON THE EXPRESSWAY DOING 65? IT'S A SCARY THOUGHT TO KNOW THAT I MAY NOT HAVE COME OUT OF THIS ALIVE. I AM VERY LUCKY IT HAPPENED AT SUCH A LOW SPEED, WITH HARDLY ANY CARS AROUND, OR ELSE I WOULD NOT HAVE LIVED TO TELL THE TALE. I HAVE NOTICED THAT SEVERAL OTHER SANTA FE OWNERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. AND GOD FORBID, MAYBE EVEN MORE THAT HAVE NOT LIVED TO TELL. THIS IS A DANGEROUS DEFECT, AND IT NEEDS TO BE LOOKED AT. *TR

BOTH FRONT COIL SPRINGS ON MY 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE BROKE THE RIGHT AT 22,000 MILES AND THE LEFT AT 32,000 MILES. LUCKILY THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED BOTH TIMES. *TR