2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

MY ADDRESS IS [XXX]. MY NAME IS [XXX]. THE PROBLEM IN MY CAR IS FUEL LEVEL SENSOR WHEN I DRIVE IN HIGHWAY MY FUEL GAUGE IS GOES CRAZY THEIR GOING UP THEN DOWN THEN WARNING LIGHT NO FUEL IN TANK BUT FUEL IS FULL THAT THE PROBLEM IN MY CAR. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL FOR THIS MAKE AND MODEL CAR TO REPLACE THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH FOR SAFETY REASONS BUT IT DIDN'T INCLUDE MY VIN FOR SOME REASON, EVEN THOUGH THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED ON MY VEHICLE. THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH WAS FAILING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE RECALL WOULDN'T BE FOR MY CAR AS WELL AS IT'S THE SAME SAFETY CONCERN.

AFTER FUELING MY CAR, THE GAS GAUGE IMMEDIATELY DROPPED TO EMPTY AND THE LIGHT WOULD COME ON. WHILE DRIVING IT WOULD THEN SLOWLY CREEP UP TO ABOUT 3/4 OF A TANK. AT THE HALF WAY MARK, IT WOULD GO UP AND DOWN GRADUALLY SO THAT I COULD NEVER TRUST HOW MUCH GAS WAS TRULY IN MY TANK, LEADING ME TO ALWAYS WANT TO REFUEL AT THE HALFWAY MARK. THIS HAPPENED CONTINUALLY IN BETWEEN FUELING AND NEVER CORRECTED ITSELF.

THERE HAS BEEN NUMEROUS INSTANCES WHEN MY VEHICLE HAS A FULL TANK AND DURING DRIVING THE GAUGE SUDDENLY INDICATE AN EMPTY TANK. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON ON FURTHER INVESTIGATION I HAVE DISCOVERED THAT THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THIS MAKE VEHICLE. I AM AFRAID OF TRAVELLING I BELIEVE THAT THIS ISSUE NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED AS IT COULD CAUSE A SAFETY ISSUE FOR DRIVERS WHO MAKE THE ASSUMPTION THAT THIS IS ONLY A SENSOR PROBLEM AND CONTINUE DRIVING AND SUDDENLY STALL IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD.

AT APPROX 65000 MILES OF NORMAL DRIVING FUEL GAUGE BECAME ERRATIC AND UNRELIABLE. GUAGE READS ANYWHERE FROM FULL TO ONE EIGHTH AND FLUCTUATES ALMOST CONSTANTLY REGARDLESS OF ACTUAL FUEL LEVEL. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON PRODUCED ERROR CODE P0464. THIS IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTE FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE AIR BAG LIGHT WAS CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS NOT DETERMINED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE VIN AND FAILURE MILEAGE WERE UNKNOWN.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. FUEL GAUGE READ EMPTY. I HAD JUST FILLED UP A DAY OR SO PRIOR. I TOOK TO MY MECHANIC HE SAID THAT IT IS THE FUEL SENSOR. SO I FILL UP THE CAR AND RESET MY TRIP TO 0 EVERY TIME I FILL UP NOW. OTHERWISE I HAVE NO IDEA HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE CAR...THE FUEL GAUGE JUMPS AROUND...SOMETIMES IT SAYS HALF EMPTY...SOMETIMES IT SAYS LOW FUEL LIGHT. THIS IS A DANGEROUS AND EXPENSIVE SITUATION...THE FUEL SENSORS SHOULD NOT FAILING! I SEE THAT MAY OTHER PEOPLE ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM...ALTHOUGH THIS FIRST HAPPENED OVER THE SUMMER THE PROBLEM IS ONGOING AND APPARENTLY WIDE SPREAD.

VEHICLE INSPECTION PERFORMED BY MANUFACTURE CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN. TWO ISSUES WERE RECOMMENDED BY THE TECHNICIAN: A) NEW TIRES. ALL 4 TIRES CURRENTLY ON THE VEHICLE ARE AROUND 5 YEARS OLD (BASED ON THE DOT DATE OF MANUFACTURE), AND HAVE BEEN DRIVEN FOR OVER 100,000 MILES (BASED ON ODOMETER READINGS FROM 2010 AND CURRENT). B) NEW REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS. THE INSPECTION REVEALED REAR PADS AROUND 3 MM, AND ROTORS SHOWING RUST. THESE ARE SAFETY ISSUES, WHICH SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SELLING THE VEHICLE. REGULAR MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN PERFORMED ON THIS VEHICLE, BUT EXISTING RECORDS DO NOT SPECIFY THAT RECOMMENDED FLUID/TIMING BELT REPLACEMENTS WERE PERFORMED.

VEHICLE CAUGHT FIRE WHILE PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN DRIVEN FOR APPROXIMATELY 4 HOURS.

I NOTICED THAT WHEN I WAS IN PARK, THE CAR WOULD JUST SHUT OFF. THIS HAPPENED THREE TIMES WITHIN A FEW WEEK'S TIME. I WAS CONCERNED AND WONDERED IF THE CAR WOULD EVER JUST SHUT OFF WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY OR A BUSY STREET. TO MY HORROR, IT HAPPENED! A FEW DAYS AGO I WAS TURNING INTO A PARKING LOT AND THE CAR JUST SHUT OFF!...THERE WAS A CAR BEHIND ME THAT CAME TO A SCREECHING HALT! AGAIN MY GREATEST FEAR IS THAT THE CAR WILL STALL ON ME WHILE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AND IF THAT HAPPENS ON A ROAD WHERE CARS ARE TRAVELLING AT HIGH SPEEDS, THEN I WOULD PROBABLY NOT LIVE TO TELL THE STORY.