2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

I WAS DRIVING APPROX 30 MPH ON A STRAIGHT ROADWAY WHEN ALL ELECTRICAL SEIZED. POWER STEERING, BRAKES, ECT....I HAD TO PULL OVER AND HAD MY 17 MONTH OLD SON IN THE VEHICLE WITH ME. I HAD TO PUT MY EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON AND FIND A SAFE PLACE TO PULL OVER. IF THIS WOULD HAVE HAPPENED ON A HIGHWAY, WE MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE HAD AN ACCIDENT. THIS IS AN URGENT SAFETY ISSUE!! WE BROUGHT OUR VEHICLE TO OUR LOCAL HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP, IN WHICH THEY DID NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG......TO BE CONTINUED!! I SMELL A RECALL DOWN THE ROAD. HOPING IT'S BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY INJURED, OR WORSE KILLED. *TR

AIR BAG LIGHT WARNING LIGHT REMAINS ON WHEN VEHICLE IS RUNNING. TOOK TO DEALER THEY SAID IS CLOCK SPRING ASSEMBLY NEEDS REPLACING. I TOLD THEM IT WAS A RECALL AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO RECALL ON IT. I DECLINED THE REPAIR BECAUSE I KNEW THERE WAS A RECALL BUT I DIDN'T TAKE PAPERWORK WITH ME THINKING THEY WOULD KNOW ABOUT IT. UPON RETURNING HOME AND FINDING PAPERWORK ON RECALL (CAMP103) I CALLED BACK AND THEY NOW SAID THERE WAS A RECALL AND THEY REPLACED THAT PART IN NOVEMBER 2012. I DO NOT REMEMBER THEM REPLACING IT BUT I'LL TAKE THEM AT THEIR WORD ON THAT. MY ISSUE IS, DID THEY REPLACE THE RECALLED PART WITH ANOTHER DEFECTIVE PART IF IT ONLY LASTED 18 MONTHS! I'VE HAD MANY CARS OVER THE YEARS SOME A DECADE OLD OR OLDER NEVER THIS AIR BAG ISSUE. I FEEL THEY SHOULD REPLACE THIS RECALL AGAIN IF THEY REPAIRED IT WITH ANOTHER SHORT LIVED DEFECTIVE PART. *TR.. .. .UPDATED 07/21/15 *BF

MY 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE HAS 55000 MILES AND RECENTLY THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. MY MECHANIC RAN A DIAGNOSTIC ON IT AND SAID THE FUEL SENSOR WAS BAD. I CALLED HYUNDAI TO TAKE IT TO THEM TO REPLACE AS UNDER WARRANTY HOWEVER THEY SAID THEY WOULD NEED TO RUN THEIR OWN DIAGNOSTIC WHICH WOULD COST ME $130 FOR WHATEVER THEY FIND AND IT WOULD NOT BE REFUNDABLE. NEXT THEY SAID THE FUEL SENSOR WAS NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND WOULD COST $800. THEY SAID IT WAS A SAFETY ISSUE WHICH SHOULD BE FIXED BUT OUT OF MY POCKET AS THE CAR CAN STALL OR SEIZE WHEN OUT OF GAS. IF THIS IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE THEN THEY SHOULD RECALL. *TR

WE HAVE OWNED 2 HYUNDAI, SANTA FE. THE FUEL SENSOR HAS FAILED IN BOTH VEHICLES. AFTER DOING MUCH RESEARCH, I DISCOVERED THAT FUEL SENSOR FAILURE IS A PREVALENT OCCURRENCE IN THESE VEHICLES. THERE ARE NUMEROUS DOCUMENTATIONS ON THE INTERNET. FUEL SENSOR FAILURE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. THE DRIVER HAS NO IDEA HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE CAR. THEREFORE, THE VEHICLE MAY STALL AT ANYTIME ON THE ROAD, AND THE DRIVER WOULD BE INJURED ESPECIALLY IF HIT AT A HIGH SPEED. THE VEHICLE MAY STALL LATE AT NIGHT AND THE DRIVER MAY BE IN A REMOTE LOCATION. IF THE CAR WERE TO STALL AFTER DARK, ONCOMING TRAFFIC WOULD NOT SEE THE STALLED CAR. THE AVERAGE COST TO REPLACE THE SENSOR IS BETWEEN 500 AND 800 DOLLARS. I HAVE HAD TO MAKE THIS PAYMENT TWICE BECAUSE I CANNOT SLEEP AT NIGHT WITH MY DAUGHTER DRIVING A CAR WITHOUT ANY IDEA OF WHEN IT WILL STALL. I HAVE CONTACTED HYUNDAI AND THEY ARE WELL AWARE OF THE SAFETY ISSUES. THEY TOLD ME THAT THE CAR WAS NOT UNDER WARRANTY. THEY SAID THAT THERE IS NOTHING THEY WILL DO TO HELP ME OR OTHER OWNERS. THIS PROBLEM IS NOT ABOUT WARRANTY. IT IS ABOUT DRIVER SAFETY. HYUNDAI REFUSES TO RECALL THESE AUTOMOBILES AND WOULD RATHER WAIT UNTIL SOMEONE IS DEAD/INJURED. *TR

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. TEST SHOWS IT IS THE FUEL SENSOR. FUEL GAUGE INSIDE FLUCTUATES. *TR

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON IN THE CAR, I TOOK IT TO BE DIAGNOSED AND IT IS A FAILURE OF THE FUEL LEVEL SENSOR. APPARENTLY HYUNDAI IS WELL AWARE OF THIS VERY COMMON PROBLEM AND REFUSES TO ISSUE A RECALL. ADDITIONALLY, THE ENTIRE ASSEMBLY IS ONLY SOLD TOGETHER, THEREFORE THIS IS A FIX THAT WILL COST AT LEAST $800 WHICH I CANNOT AFFORD. SO NOW I JUST HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON AT ALL TIMES, HAVING NO IDEA HOW MUCH FUEL I HAVE OR IF ANY OTHER ENGINE ISSUES HAVE COME UP. SHAME ON HYUNDAI. *TR

THE 2008 HYUNDAI SANTE FE HAS A RECALL ON FAULTY AIRBAG CLOCKSPRINGS. COINCIDENTALLY MY 2008 SANTE FE CLOCK SPRING NOW NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. THE HYUNDAI SERVICE DEALERSHIP AND HYUNDAI CUSTOMER CARE TELLS ME THAT I AM NOT COVERED BECAUSE MY VIN IS NOT LISTED IN THE "RECALL CAMPAIGN" MY CONFUSION IS I OWN A 2008 THE RECALLS ARE FOR THE 2008....HOW DO I GET MY CAR INCLUDED IN THIS "RECALL CAMPAIGN"? PLEASE HELP. I WILL HAVE TO PAY $400 TO GET THIS FIXED WHEN IT SHOULD BE UNDER HYUNDAI FAULTY WARRANTY. PLEASE HELP THE LITTLE GUY/CONSUMER!! THANK YOU *TR

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND WHEN I GOT IT CHECKED IT WAS FOR FUEL LEVEL SENSOR. I ALSO NOTICED SHORTLY AFTER I FILLED UP WITH GAS THE GAUGE WOULD GO DOWN AND WHEN 1/2 OR LESS IT WOULD DROP AND GAS LIGHT WOULD COME ON. TOOK TO DEALERSHIP, WHILE I WAS PULLED INTO SERVICE CENTER, CAR STOPPED AND RUNNING, SERVICE TECH SAW GAS GAUGE GO DOWN AND LIGHT CAME ON EVEN THOUGH I HAD AT LEAST 3/4 GAS. NO LONGER COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AND QUOTED ME $605 TO FIX. SHOULD BE A RECALL SINCE SO MANY OTHER OWNERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM!! *TR

THE FUEL GAUGE DOESN'T SEEM TO BE WORKING PROPERLY. WHEN I FILL UP THE TANK IT WORKS FINE BUT WHEN ITS ABOUT HALF A TANK, THE LOW FUEL LIGHT TURNS ON AND GAUGE READS EMPTY. *TR

FUEL GAUGE AND FUEL SENSOR NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THE GAUGE REGISTERS LESS FUEL THAN IS IN THE TANK. THE GAUGE WILL INDICATE THAT THE TANK IS EMPTY WHEN THERE'S MORE THAN 1/2 A TANK LEFT, AND THE MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LIGHT COMES ON. THE ISSUE OCCURS SPORADICALLY. IT WILL REGISTER A FALSE READING FOR SEVERAL CONSECUTIVE DAYS WITH THE WARNING LIGHT ON EVEN AFTER FILLING UP THE GAS TANK, AND THEN SOME DAYS IT WILL SELF CORRECT AND THE WARNING LIGHT WILL TURN OFF. *TR