2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE REAR FIXED WINDOW ON THE LEFT QUARTER PANEL BLEW OUT. THE LOCAL AUTHORIZED DEALER AND THE MANUFACTURER BOTH STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS OUT OF WARRANTY AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE. THE ENGINE SIZE WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 67,000.

WINDSHIELD WIPERS BOLTS HAVE LOOSENED 5 TIMES SINCE 2003. THE LATEST WAS ON 4/12/07. THE TIME BEFORE WAS 0 ON 1/28/07. FOUR OUT OF THE FIVE EVENTS HAPPENED DURING RAIN AND SNOW EVENTS ON I- 95 DRIVING AT 65 MPH. ONE SECOND YOU CAN SEE, THE NEXT YOU CANNOT. I FOR ONE HAVE NEVER SEEN BOLTS HOLDING WINDSHIELD WIPER ARMS ONTO THE VEHICLE IN THE FIRST PLACE. OBVIOUSLY FOR GOOD REASON. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE TO CORRECT THIS SITUATION. *AK

TL*- THE CONTACT STATED THAT 2 YEARS AGO HE STARTED HAVING STALLING PROBLEMS WITH THE 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE .S WHILE DRIVING AT 55 MPH OR ABOUT 15-25 MPH THE VEHICLE WILL STALL. HE STATED THAT THE DEALERSHIP HAD THE VEHICLE ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS, AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED HIM THAT UNLESS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED ONTHEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DO DIAGNOSTIC TESTING TO SEE WHAT COULD BE WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE DEALERSHIP INFORMED HIM THAT HE MAY HAVE TO TAKE THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE HE PURCHASED IT. THE CONTACT FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND WAS GIVEN A CASE#, WILL SUBMIT WITH THE HARD COPY. ALSO, HE HAS CONTACTED THE BBB AND FILED A COMPLAINT. THE USUAL DRIVER WAS TOO AFRAID TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE NOW BECAUSE OF THE STALLING PROBLEMS. HE STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE LOST POWER EVERYTHING IN THE VEHICLE SHUT DOWN AND THE STEERING LOCKED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 19999, AND THE CURRENT WAS 61480. THE VEHICLE STALLED 101 TIMES AZS OF 02/23/2007. *AK

I WAS ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK 1/21/2007 @07 :40 AM DOWN I 75 SOUTH @70-75 MPH WITH NO TRAFFIC ON THE ROAD NO ITEMS IN THE ROAD AND MY DRIVERS SIDE AIRBAG WENT OFF. I WAS DRIVING IN THE SLOW LANE AND KEPT MY HANDS ON THE WHEEL AND PULLED OVER TO THE SIDE. THE AIRBAG HIT MY ARM. I HAVE A LEFT UPPER ARM CONTUSION AND LEFT NECK/SHOULDER SPRAIN PER MY DOCTOR . NOTHING HIT MY CAR. THE NEXT DAY MY CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER IN ANN ARBOR AUTOMOTIVE . WHEN THE MAN PUT MY CAR ON THE TOW TRUCK HE NOTICED A DENT UNDER THE CAR AT THE GAS TANK. THAT DID NOT HAPPEN ON 1/21/07 I DID NOT HEAR OR SEE ANYTHING. THAT SHOULD NOT SET A SIDE AIRBAG OFF. THE DEALER STATEMENT IS THAT WHAT CAUSED IT. WHICH THEY ARE FULL OF IT. THE TOLD ME IT IS GOING TO COST $5500.00 TO FIX. I CONTACTED HYUNDAI CONSUMER AFFAIRS AND AWAITING TO HEAR BACK FROM THEM. THIS IS VERY UNSAFE AND THIS CAR SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED ON THE ROAD IF AIRBAGS DEPLOY FROM A ROCK ECT HITTING UNDER THE CAR. I FIND IT HEARD TO BELIEVE THAT THEY ARE THAT SENSITIVE. *JB

TL* - WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED, THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT DIRECTLY TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING THE CONTACT TO TURN THE POWER OFF IN ORDER FOR THE VEHICLE TO STOP. THE CONTACT STATED THAT ONCE HE TURNED OFF THE VEHICLE AND TURNED IT BACK ON THE BRAKES WORKED FINE. HE STATED THAT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT HE FELT A VIBRATION AND HEARD A LOUD CLICKING SOUND. VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP. *AK UPDATED 2/9/2007 - THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER BUT THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM . *NM

AT APPROXIMATELY 47,000 MILES, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IN ADDITION, VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN OCCASIONAL JUMP IN IDLE TO 3000 RPM+ WHILE IN PARK AND DRIVE AFTER THREE MINUTES OR SO OF OPERATION. WHILE IN DRIVE, VEHICLE LUNGES DANGEROUSLY FORWARD. WHEN THIS OCCURS, IGNITION IS TURNED OFF, AND RESTART TAKES SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. AFTER RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE WILL SPUTTER AND REFUSE TO ACCELERATE NORMALLY FOR 30-60 SECONDS. VEHICLE ALSO STALLS OCCASIONALLY AFTER 3 MINUTES OR SO OF USE WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A FULL STOP. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO NAPELTON HYUNDAI, WEST PALM BEACH, FL ON NOV 30. CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR AND CAMSHAFT SENSOR WERE REPLACED. BEFORE LEAVING DEALERSHIP WITH SERVICE MANAGER PRESENT AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IN PARK, VEHICLE IDLE SUDDENLY SPIKED TO 4,200 RPM. I WAS TOLD DEALER WAS CLOSED, AND TO DRIVE IT HOME. ON DECEMBER 5, VEHICLE AGAIN STALLED AGAIN IN TRAFFIC AT INTERSECTION ALMOST CAUSING A COLLISION. AFTER RESTARTING, IT REFUSED TO ACCELERATE NORMALLY FOR 30-60 SECONDS. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO BACK TO NAPELTON HYUNDAI BECAUSE BOTH THE STALLING AND SUDDEN ACCELERATION ARE SERIOUS CONCERNS THAT MAKE THIS SANTA FE UNSAFE TO OPERATE. THE SERVICE MANAGER AGREED FULLY THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. ON DEC 20 I WAS ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED BECAUSE ATTEMPTS TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEMS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. I WAS TOLD TO PICK IT UP AND DRIVE IT. I REFUSED TO DO SO. NAPELTON HAD OVER 20 DAYS TO DETECT AND CORRECT THESE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES, AND I WILL NOT DRIVE HYUNDAI'S FAILURE INTO AN ACCIDENT. A REVIEW OF NHTSA DEFECTS REPORTED FOR THIS SANTA FE FOR 2003-2005 MODEL YEARS REVEALS OVER 40 SIMILAR INCIDENTS, SOME INVOLVING COLLISION AND INJURY. THESE ARE CATEGORIZED UNDER SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMPONENTS INCLUDING VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: ACCELERATOR PEDAL, OTHER, POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, AND EQUIPMENT. PERHAPS THE SANTA FE'S CAN BE RECALLED BEFORE DEATHS RESULT. *NM

THIS VEHICLE (2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE) STARTED HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS JUST BE FOR THE WARRANTY EXPIRED (100,000 MILES), BUT WE WERE TOLD AT THE DEALER THAT THE WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THE POWER TRAIN SYSTEM. SO WE PAID TO HAVE SOME WORK DONE. BUT JUST TODAY WE WOKE UP AND WENT OUT TO USE THE VEHICLE, AND IT WILL NOT GO IN GEAR, WILL NOT IN NEUTRAL SO WE CAN MOVE IT OR PUSH IT. IT'S JUST LOCKED UP, (FLUID LEAVES ARE OK) IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN TO ANY ONE WITH THIS KIND OF VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC IT COULD BE TRAFFIC PROBLEM. I DO KNOW OTHERS WHO OWN THIS KIND OF VEHICLE AND DO NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS, BUT I ALSO KNOW OF ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH THEIRS. SO I'M JUST CONCERNED ON IF I AM THE ONLY PERSON WITH THIS PROBLEM OR IF THEIR ARE OTHERS, AND WHY IF THEY OFFER A 100,000 MI. WARRANTY DOSE IT NOT COVER THE DRIVE TRAIN? THIS DOSE NOT MAKE SENSE TO ME. ONE VERY UNHAPPY VEHICLE OWNER. P.S. THIS VEHICLE IS REGISTERED TO MY WIFE, AND HER LLC. *JB

MY 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, STARTED TO SHIFT DIFFERENTLY. IT WOULD BUCK WHEN SHIFTING INTO A HIGHER GEAR, IF I ATTEMPTED TO GO UP A STEEP HILL, THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE ALL POWER AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON. I TOOK IT TO A DEALER, THEY REPLACED A SENSOR, SAID THE VEHICLE WOULD BE FINE. I DROVE IT HOME ONLY TO HAVE IT STILL SHIFT WITH A BUCK. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER ONLY TO BE TOLD, AFTER THEY KEPT IT OVERNIGHT, THAT IT WOULD NEED A $2800 TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT. OF COURSE, BEING A SECOND OWNER, THE WARRANTY RAN OUT AT 60K.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE AIR BAG LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER ON FIVE DIFFERENT OCCASIONS. THE FIRST TWO TIMES, THE DEALER COULD NOT FIND THE PROBLEM. THE OTHER THREE TIMES, THE DEALER REPLACED A WIRE UNDER THE PASSENGER SEAT, THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT HARNESS, AND A WIRE HARNESS CLIP. THE PROBLEM STILL OCCURRED.

WENT TO THE DEALER TO GET MY VEHICLE FIXED 4 TIMES AND GOT CHARGED FOR A TUNE UP THAT I DID NOT NEED. THE LAST AND 4TH TIME WHEN PICKING UP MY VEHICLE , THEY HAD THE PARTS OUT AFTER I HAD TOLD THEM 2 TIMES NOT TO WORK ON IT ANYMORE AND THEY TOOK IT APART ANYWAY. THEY TOLD ME I NEEDED TO TOW IT OUT OF THEIR SHOP . I TOLD THEM I WANTED THE CAR BACK JUST THE WAY I BROUGHT IT THERE . THEY GAVE MY A MUCH STRESSFUL HARD TIME FINALLY THEY PUT IT BACK AND I GOT IT BACK THE NEXT DAY IN WORST CONDITION. THERE IS A LOT MORE STORY BUT NOT ENOUGH LETTERS LEFT SO I WILL END IT HERE FOR NOW. *JB