2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

I HAVE A 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE.12/9/06 MY WIFE AND DAUGHTER WERE INVOLVED IN A ACCIDENT WERE NEITHER FRONT AIR BAGS WENT OFF. THE POINT OF IMPACT WAS THE DRIVERS FRONT LEFT. PARAMEDICS AS WELL AS MYSELF WERE CONCERNED THAT THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. *NM

6/11/06: UPON BREAKING OFF HIGHWAY, VEHICLE MADE A CRUNCHING NOISE, THEN A HARD SCREECHING STOP, PROCEEDED TO IDLE, MAKE A HARD STOP. THE VEHICLE WASN'T RECOGNIZING GEARS, CONTINUING TO THRUST THE CAR INTO HARD STOPS, JERKING REPEATEDLY AS I TRIED TO ACCELERATE. HEADING HOME, IT HAPPENED AGAIN. THE NEXT DAY TOOK IT TO OUR DEALERSHIP. AS SOON AS I PUT IT IN REVERSE, THE PROBLEM OCCURRED. THEY REPLACED THE ABS MODULE, TEST DROVE IT AND SAID IT WAS FIXED. 6/25: SAME PROBLEM (SAME DISTANCE: 75 MILES). THE DEALERSHIP TEST DROVE, SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND PROBLEM. I TOLD THEM TO DRIVE IT SOME DISTANCE. SERVICE ADVISOR DROVE IT AND NOTHING. THEY DROVE IT AGAIN, DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM, RECORDED DATA. CALLED THEIR TECH LINE, UNHOOKED REAR COUPLER TO SEE IF THAT WAS IT. THEY REPLACED THE REAR COUPLER, TEST DROVE IT AND SAID IT WAS FIXED. I QUESTIONED IF IT COULD BE THE TRANSMISSION. WAS TOLD THEY COULDN'T REPLACE THINGS ON A WHIM. 10/26: PROBLEM OCCURRED (SAME DISTANCE). WIFE PHONED SERVICE ADVISOR,HE TOLD HER THE VEHICLE WAS FIXED PREVIOUSLY. TOWED IT TO A NEARBY DEALER. THEY CHECKED THE FLUIDS, RESET THE COMPUTER, COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. SINCE THIS TIME, THE FOLLOWING HAS OCCURRED: 10/31: WROTE A DETAILED LETTER AND SENT IT TO HYUNDAI. 11/04: LETTER WAS RECEIVED. 11/20: DIDN'T HEAR BACK, I PHONED HYUNDAI. 11/22: REPRESENTATIVE PHONED (I WAS UNAVAILABLE). 11/27: SPOKE WITH REP; TOLD TO CONTACT SERVICE MANAGER TO SET UP APPT WITH A FACTORY REP NEXT TIME THEY ARE AT DEALERSHIP. 11/28: SENT EMAIL WITH LETTER TO THE SERVICE MANAGER AND HYUNDAI, ASKING FOR A CALL BACK. 11/29: RECEIVED SURVEY FROM HYUNDAI, I RESPONDED UNFAVORABLY. 12/06: RECEIVED EMAIL FROM HYUNDAI, AGAIN REFERRING ME TO THE SERVICE MANAGER. THIS IS A GENUINE A LACK OF SERVICE FROM OUR DEALERSHIP AND HYUNDAI ITSELF. MOST IMPORTANTLY IT'S A SAFETY CONCERN. I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE ASSIST ME IN ANY WAY THAT YOU CAN. RESPECTFULLY, BRANDAN PIERARD. *NM

THERE IS A SAFETY DEFECT (THE VEHICLE LUNGES FORWARD WHEN THE GAS PEDAL IS LIGHTLY DEPRESSED) WITH OUR 2004 HYUNDAI SANTE FE WHICH WE HAVE REPORTED TO POHANKA, 5200 JEFFERSON DAVIS HIGHWAY, FREDERICKSBURG, VA 22408 ON MORE THAN THREE OCCASIONS: DATEINVOICE NO.DEALER COMMENT OCTOBER 6, 2005353592CAUSE: C40, 39106F00 PCM REPROGRAMMING (04-36-012) MARCH 6, 2006364047OPERATING PER SPECIFICATIONS APRIL 20, 2006367165COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE CONCERN THE REPROGRAMMING DONE IN 2005 SEEMED TO HELP FOR ABOUT A MONTH. SINCE THAT TIME THE PROBLEM HAS GOTTEN PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. WE THINK THE VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO OPERATE BECAUSE IT CAN RAPIDLY ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. *NM UPDATED 12/15/06. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE SPEEDOMETER DROPPED DOWN TO 0 MPH. THE SPEEDOMETER PICKED BACK UP BETWEEN 2-5 MINUTES. THE PROBLEM WAS GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORSE. THE DEALERSHIP WAS AWARE OF THE PROBLEM. SOMETIMES THE PROBLEM OCCURRED 2-3 TIMES A DAY.*AK UPDATED 10/17/2006 - THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN ONGOING SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED. *NM

LAST WEEK, MY HUSBAND WAS SLOWLY PULLING OUT OF A PARKING LOT AND WAS APPLYING THE BRAKES AS A GROUP OF PEOPLE PASSED IN FRONT OF HIM. THE VEHICLE SPONTANEOUSLY LURCHED FORWARD AND REVVED TO 4-5,000 RPM. MY HUSBAND WAS STANDING ON THE BRAKES BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD; THE PASSENGER TURNED THE CAR OFF AT WHICH POINT THE VEHICLE STOPPED GOING FORWARD--THE PEOPLE IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE BARELY ESCAPED BEING RUN OVER BY OUR SANTA FE. NEEDLESS TO SAY, THIS IS AN UNSAFE VEHICLE FOR ALL INVOLVED--DRIVER, PASSENGERS, OTHER CARS, PEDESTRIANS, ETC. WE WERE 100 MILES AWAY FROM HOME ON VACATION AND HAD THE CAR TOWED TO THE LOCAL DEALERSHIP WHERE WE BOUGHT THE VEHICLE. THAT DEALERSHIP (PORTER CHEVROLET/HYUNDAI, NEWARK, DELAWARE) HAS HAD THE VEHICLE FOR OVER A WEEK AND IS TELLING US THAT NO CODES ARE APPEARING AND THEY CAN DO NOTHING TO FURTHER INVESTIGATE AND/OR CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *JB

ALLSTATE FOUND THAT THERE WAS 1) WATER PUMP FAILURE 2) SOME FORM OF DRIVE BELT FAILURE, AND 3) THE INTERFERENCE ENGINE HAD PARTS COLLIDE WITHIN THE ENGINE LEADING TO A FIRE. THIS OCCURRED AS MY PREGNANT WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD. HYUNDAI IS CURRENTLY NEGOTIATING WITH ME TO REIMBURSE ME FOR THE TOTAL LOSS. OF COURSE, THEY ARE NOT OFFERING ME WHAT I LOST ON THE INVESTMENT AT THIS POINT. THE DEALERSHIP WAS FOUND TO NOT BE LIABLE BY THE BBB; THEREFORE I AM COMMUNICATING DIRECTLY WITH REPRESENTATIVES AT HYUNDAI MOTOR CO. I AM VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS VEHICLE, AND I AM CURIOUS ABOUT WHETHER WE ARE THE ONLY FAMILY THAT THIS HAS HAPPENED TO. I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH THE 12 PAGE INSURANCE COMPANY REPORT; I LACK ANY KNOWLEDGE OF ENGINES AND HOW THEY WORK, BUT IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THIS IS AN EXTREME DANGER TO CONSUMERS. I BELIEVE THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED FURTHER. SINCE HYUNDAI IS WILLING TO SETTLE WITH ME, IT CAN ONLY BE RECOGNIZED THAT THEY KNOW THIS PRODUCT WAS UNSAFE. I HAVE FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE NHTSA AND NUMEROUS OTHER SITES. IN FACT, I HAVE CREATED MY OWN BLOG: WWW.FLAMINGHYUNDAI.BLOGSPOT.COM, WHICH HAS LINKS TO 5 OTHER BLOG PAGES DESCRIBING MY STORY. WHAT IS SO CRAZY ABOUT ALL OF THIS IS YOU CAN FIND 50 STUPID & PETTY THINGS RECALLED AT WALMART EVERYDAY, BUT A VEHICLE CATCHES FIRE AND YOUR TOLD "IT'S AN ACT OF GOD." PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME AT ANYTIME; I WELCOME YOUR RESPONSE. THANK YOU. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE BRAKES FAILED WHILE PARKING WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO HIT A BUILDING. THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 2-3 MPH. THERE WAS DAMAGE DONE TO THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP, THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE BRAKE PROBLEM. AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP, THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN. *AK

CATASTROPHIC TIRE FAILURE TIRE THAT FAILED WAS A BRIDGESTONE DUELLER P225/70 R16 THAT WAS AN ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT SPARE ON A 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE SUV WAS PURCHASED NEW IN MARCH 2005, IT HAS APPROXIMATELY 25,000 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. THE SPARE WAS PLACED ON THE CAR ON THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR IN DEC. 2005 AND HAS APPROX. 5000 MILES ON IT. THE FAILURE OCCURRED ON I-95 IN SOUTH CAROLINA. IT WAS DAYTIME AND VISIBILITY WAS EXCELLENT. NO ROAD HAZARDS WERE OBSERVED AT ANY TIME. THE CAR HAD RECENTLY BEEN SERVICED AND ALL TIRES WERE FULLY INFLATED. THE CAR SHOWED NO SIGNS OF POOR OR ERRATIC HANDLING PRIOR TO THE INCIDENT. THERE WAS A LOUD SOUND WITH AN IMMEDIATE COMPLETE FAILURE OF THE TIRE. THE CAR WAS BROUGHT UNDER CONTROL WITH SOME DIFFICULTY. THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED AT A SPEED OF 70 MPH. THE TIRE WAS EXAMINED BY GARAGE PERSONNEL IN SC AND IN TALLAHASSEE, FL. IN BOTH CASES, NO SIGN OF ROAD HAZARD DAMAGE COULD BE FOUND. FURTHER, THERE WAS GENERAL AGREEMENT THAT THE TIRE HAD APPARENTLY FAILED DUE TO A SIDEWALL FLAW WHERE IT MET THE TREAD. I HAVE RETAINED THE DAMAGED TIRE FOR YOUR EXAMINATION. YOU SHOULD NOTE THAT IN 2004, BRIDGESTONE RECALLED A DIFFERENT SIZE OF THIS TIRE THAT WAS BEING USED AS A SPARE FOR A SIMILAR PROBLEM. I SUSPECT THAT THERE IS A LARGER PROBLEM THAT BRIDGESTONE IS COVERING UP DUE TO FIRESTONE'S WELL DOCUMENTED PROBLEMS. *JB

THE 1ST -DEC. 23 2004. MY HUSBAND AND I WAS TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AND THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. MY HUSBAND PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE BRAKES. AFTER GETTING OUT AND INSPECTING FOR PROBLEMS WE GOT BACK IN THE CAR AND ATTEMPTED TO PROCEED FORWARD AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. WE CALLED THE TOW TRUCK. BY THE TIME CAR GOT TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. WHEN THEY DID THEIR INSPECTION, THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS. WE WENT A WEEK LATER AND PICK THE CAR UP AND DROVE AWAY. WITHIN 2 WEEKS, A SIMILAR PROBLEM AROSE, BUT THE CAR WAS STILL DRIVABLE; THEREFORE WE DID NOT TAKE IT IN, BUT DID CALL TO INFORM THE DEALERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM. IN FEBRUARY 2006, THE PROBLEM CAME AGAIN AND THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALER. INITIALLY THERE WAS NO PROBLEM FOUND, BUT I REQUESTED THEY CHECK THE BRAKES AND IT WAS A FAULTY MASTER CYLINDER. THIS WAS REPLACED. WITHIN 2 MONTHS, WE WERE PULLING FROM THE DRIVEWAY AND IT APPEARED MY HUSBAND HAD MISTAKENLY PUT HIS FOOT ON THE GAS, HOWEVER WE WERE SURE IT WAS THE BRAKES AND THE ENGINE REVVED UP AND CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD. WE CALLED AND REPORTED AND THEY SAID WE COULD BRING IT IN FOR SERVICE., HOWEVER THEY RELY ON THE COMPUTER TO INDICATE THE PROBLEM. NO PROBLEM EXISTED BASED ON THE COMPUTER. AS RECENT AS SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 2006, MY SON AND I WAS DRIVING AND I WAS PULLING BEHIND A LINE OF CARS THAT WERE STOPPING AT A STOP LIGHT AND THE ENGINE REVVED AS I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES. THE CAR DID NOT STOP UNTIL I QUICKLY PUT IT IN PARK. WE TOOK THE CAR IN TODAY, MONDAY, APRIL 10 AND AGAIN, NO PROBLEM BEING FOUND. I CALLED THE HYUNDAI CUSTOMER SERVICE, WHO IS INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT. MY CONCERN IS THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM, BUT SINCE WE NOW RELY SOLELY ON COMPUTER TO LOCATE PROBLEMS WE MAY NEVER GET THE PROBLEM SOLVED. I HOPE IT DOESN'T TAKE AN ACCIDENT TO GET THIS PROBLEM RESOLVED. *NM

MY PREGNANT WIFE WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY. THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT. THERE WERE NO WARNING SIGNS BEFORE IT WAS TO LATE. WIFE SAW SMOKE COMING UP FROM THE ENGINE OF OUR 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE (ODO 24,000 MILES). SHE PULLED OVER TO THE CURB. THE VEHICLE HAD NEVER DONE THIS BEFORE. MY PREGNANT WIFE WAS PULLED OUT OF THE BURNING VEHICLE BY A PASSERBY. WIFE SUFFERED A CONTUSION TO HER RIGHT CHEEK DURING THIS INCIDENT. SHE DID NOT KNOW THE VEHICLE WAS ON FIRE. SHE NOTIFIED 911 WHO SENT A FIRE TRUCK AND POLICE OFFICER. THE VEHICLE EXPLODED AT LEAST 3 TIMES AS SHE WAITED OUTSIDE IN THE COLD, FRENZIED BY THE DISASTER. THE FIRE WAS SO INTENSE THAT THE FRONT WHEELS WERE MELTED. A POLICEMAN AND 2 FIRE TRUCKS RESPONDED TO THE BLAZE. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DECLARED A TOTAL LOSS BY ALLSTATE. RELIABLE IMPORTS (SPRINGFIELD, MO.) WOULD NOT EVEN HELP US OBTAIN A RENTAL CAR. THE SAFETY FEATURES OF THIS HYUNDAI VEHICLE WERE PROUDLY ACCLAIMED BY THE CAR SALESMAN AND MANAGER AT THE DEALERSHIP. BOTH THE MANUFACTURER AND THE DEALERSHIP HAVE BEEN UNHELPFUL IN HELPING US IN ANY WAY. THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER A FULL BUMPER-TO-BUMPER, NEW VEHICLE WARRANTY. THEY WILL NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE FIRE, AND DO NOT OFFER TO CONDUCT THEIR OWN INVESTIGATION ON THE VEHICLE. HYUNDAI AND RELIABLE IMPORTS SHOW COMPLETE DISINTEREST IN THE VEHICLE'S SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION, AND SHOW THE WORLD NO CONCERN OVER THE FACT THAT THIS MAY PROVE TO BE A NON-ISOLATED EVENT. SINCE THEN, RELIABLE IMPORTS IN SPRINGFIELD, MISSOURI HAS FIENDISHLY SENT ME AN EMAIL REMINDER TO HAVE MY VEHICLE SERVICE RENEWED. THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND HYUNDAI BOTH FAILED TO INSTRUCT ME TO FILE MY COMPLAINT @ NHTSA. AN ATTORNEY INSTRUCTED ME TO FILE THE COMPLAINT HERE. *JB