2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

RECENTLY, MY 2003 SANTA FE HAS HAD A GRINDING/WHINNING/RUBBING NOISE WHEN I TAKE OFF AT LOW SPEEDS. SOUNDS LIKE MIGHT BE TRANSMISSION, WHEEL BEARING OR PULLEY, BUT NOT SURE. TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALSHIP AND HIS ANALYSIS WAS THAT THE NOISE WAS COMING FROM THE IDLER PULLEY. ORDERED NEW PULLEY AND WILL REPLACE WHEN IT COMES IN. THIS NOISE WOULD COME AND GO AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 5 - 25 MPH AND WOULD LAST FOR SEVERAL SECONDS UP TO A MINUTE.*AK

ON MANY OCCASIONS OUR 2003 SANTA FE HAS A PROBLEM WITH THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPING AND THEN VIOLENTLY JERKING OR CATCHING BACK INTO GEAR, CAUSING PASSENGERS TO BE SLAMMED FORWARD AND BACKWARD IN THE VEHICLE. THIS OCCURS AT ANYWHERE FROM 20-65 MPH AND HAPPENS RANDOMLY. HAS BEEN TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASSIONS WITH THE EXACT SAME RESULTS - COULD NOT DUPLICATE COMPLAINT.*AK

THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVING ON THE WAY HOME. THE FOLLOWING DAY THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO INTO GEAR. THE CLUTCH IS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. *NM

WHILE DRIVING THE BRAKES FAILED. UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES VEHICLE CONTINUED TO COAST. HOWEVER, IT HAPPENED AGAIN, AND AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED. CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. IT HAPPENED A THIRD TIME WHICH LED TO ANOTHER ACCIDENT, AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. CONSUMER WAS INJURED, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED.*AK

WHILE APPLYING BRAKES VEHICLE MADE A VERY LOUD NOISE. WHEN TAKEN TO GET SERVICED THE CAUSE COULD NOT BE DETERMINED.*AK

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE VEHICLE VIBRATED UNCONTROLLABLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THE MECHANIC INFORMED THE CONSUMER THAT THE BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER DETAILS. *JB

ON NOVEMBER 5, 2004 AT APPROX 7:30 PM OUR 2003 SANTA FE WITH ONLY APPROX 14,000 MILES SUDDENLY "DIED" IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. ALL OF THE VEHICLE WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON, THE HEATER AND RADIO BEGAN MAKING STRANGE NOISES, THE HEADLAMPS FAILED, AND THE VEHICLE ENGINE STOPPED RUNNING AND WOULD NOT START, LEAVING THE VEHICLE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD, STRANDING ME AND MY PREGNANT WIFE, WITH NO LIGHTS OR FLASHERS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD ON A COLD NIGHT. HYUNADAI ROADSIDE SERVICE CONTRACTOR CROSS COUNTRY MOTORCLUB CLAIMED THAT IT WOULD TAKE OVER 3 HOURS TO GET THE VEHICLE TOWED, SO FINALLY 9 AFTER NEARLY 2 HOURS) COUNTY POLICE TOWED THE VEHICLE AS A TRAFFIC HAZARD TO FAIRFAX HYUNDAI. *JB

ON 10/23/04, MY 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WITH 21,600 MILES, BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE A VERY LOW IDLE AND THEN STALLED OUT EACH TIME I HAD TO STOP AT A STOP SIGN OR A STOP LIGHT. I COULD START THE VEHICLE WITHOUT A PROBLEM EACH TIME BUT AS SOON AS I WOULD SHIFT INTO "DRIVE", THE CAR WOULD REPEAT THE LOW IDLE/STALL OUT PROCESS AND I COULD NOT MOVE THE CAR AN INCH. THE CAR HAD TO BE FLATBED TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE DEALERSHIP SAID THEY DROVE THE CAR AND HOOKED THE CAR UP TO THE COMPUTER BUT COULD NOT DUPLICATE OR FIND A REASON FOR THE PROBLEM. ON 10/29/04, TWO DAYS AFTER I PICKED THE CAR UP FROM THE DEALERSHIP WITH A CLEAN BILL OF HEALTH, THE EXACT SAME SCENARIO OCCURRED AGAIN AND THE CAR WAS AGAIN FLATBED TOWED TO A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP TO TRY TO GET ANOTHER MECHANIC'S VIEW OF THE SITUATION. THEY ALSO COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND NOTHING WAS FOUND WRONG WITH THE CAR. I AM UNABLE TO RELY ON THIS VEHICLE BUT AM FRUSTRATED THAT 2 DIFFERENT HYUNDAI DEALERSHIPS CANNOT SEEM TO DISCOVER THE PROBLEM. THEY KEEP TELLING ME "THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR".*JB

VEHICLE STALLED INTERMITTENTLY WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *AK

THE REAR DRIVER SIDE DOOR DOES NOT ALWAYS UNLOCK WITH THE REMOTE. THE DEALER AND HYUNDAI REFUSE TO GIVE ME A LOANER SO I CAN BRING THE VEHICLE BACK A NINTH (9TH) TIME TO HAVE IT INSPECTED FOR THIS AND MANY OTHER CONCERNS SO I AM UNABLE TO HAVE THE CONCERN ADDRESSED.*AK