2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DISENGAGES FREQUENTLY WITH ADULT IN SEAT. DEALERSHIP SAYS IT IS FUNCTIONING AS IT IS SUPPOSED TO ...... NOT ACCEPTABLE. THIS IS NOT A SAFE SITUATION. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN SPEED, THE AIR BAG INDICATOR WOULD NOT STOP ILLUMINATING WHEN THE PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NO DEFECT. THE AIR BAG INDICATOR REMAINED ILLUMINATED EVEN WHEN SOMEONE OCCUPIED THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER APPROXIMATELY TWO MONTHS LATER AND WAS LEFT FOR REPAIRS. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 4,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 300.

THE LAST WEEK FOR NOV. 2008 I PURCHASED A NEW SANTA FE FOR MY WIFE. ON 12/26/2008 SHE WAS INVOLVED IN A HEAD ON WRECK. MY 25 YR. OLD DAUGHTER WHO IS VERY PETTY ABOUT 110 LBS. WAS RIDING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. DUE TO THE AIR BAGS NOT DEPLOYING SHE WAS INJURED VERY SERIOUSLY. I HAD NO IDEA THAT THERE WERE PRIOR COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE AIR BAGS IT APPEARS THAT THERE HAS BEEN QUITE A FEW COMPLAINTS I HOPE SOMETHING IS DONE BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED. THE MANUFACTURE NEEDS TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER FOR TWO MONTHS BECAUSE THE AIR BAG LIGHT AND DOOR LOCKS WERE NOT WORKING PROPERLY. THE DEALER IS CURRENTLY STATING THAT THEY HAVE TO REWIRE THE ENTIRE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT YET BEEN TO THE REPAIR SHOP FOR THE AIR BAG LIGHT TO BE REPAIRED. THE PART WAS ORDERED, BUT IT DID NOT REMEDY THE FAILURE. THE DOORS HAVE BEEN REPAIRED UNSUCCESSFULLY APPROXIMATELY SIX TIMES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 300 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 3,000.

THE AIR BAG SUPPRESSION SYSTEM OF MY 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SE IS SUPPRESSING THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAGS WHEN MY WIFE, WHO WEIGHTS BETWEEN 110 AND 115 POUNDS, OCCUPIES THE SEAT. THIS HAS HAPPEN EVER TIME MY WIFE HAS SAT IN THE VEHICLE SINCE WE TOOK DELIVERY ABOUT 3 WEEKS AGO. THE CAR WAS BROUGHT TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT AT ADVANTAGE HYUNDAI IN HICKSVILLE, NEW YORK WERE THEY USED A MALE TECHNICIAN WHOM I WAS TOLD WEIGHTS 130 POUNDS TO SHOW ME THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM WAS WORKING TO SPECS AND INDICATED THERE WAS NOTHING FURTHER THAT COULD BE DONE. I WAS ALSO TOLD BY SERVICE THAT THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM WOULD SUPPRESS THE AIR BAGS FOR ANY WEIGHT UNDER 120 POUNDS. FOLLOWING THIS SERVICE APPOINTMENT, I SPOKE WITH CHARLIE CASE FOR THE NHTSA WHO SUGGESTED I FILE THIS COMPLAINT. *TR

MY 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SEEMS TO HAVE A FAULTY PASSENGER OCCUPANT SENSOR. MY WIFE WEIGHS ABOUT 105 LBS. AND THE SENSOR INTERMITTENTLY RECOGNIZES THE PASSENGER SEAT AS BEING OCCUPIED. WHEN I SIT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT THE AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT WILL TURN OFF. I WEIGH 198 LBS. MY WIFE CAN USUALLY POSITION THE SEAT TO MAKE THE AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT TURN OFF BUT THEN THE SENSOR LIGHT WILL COME BACK ON AGAIN AFTER APPROXIMATELY 30 SECONDS OF DRIVING. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD SINCE THE PASSENGER SEAT OCCUPANCY SENSOR SHOULD REGISTER ANYTHING OVER 100 LBS. AS AN ADULT AND THEREFORE THE SENSOR SHOULD REMAIN OFF INDICATING THAT THE AIR BAG IS ACTIVATED. THE HYUNDAI DEALER CHECKED OUT THE SENSOR AND STATED THAT IT WAS WORKING NORMALLY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG INDICATOR ILLUMINATED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER AND THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM WAS DEFECTIVE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AT THAT TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE DEALER A SECOND TIME AND THE MECHANIC PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM WAS NOT DEFECTIVE. THE FAILURE PERSISTED AND THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THEY WERE NOT LIABLE FOR THE REPAIRS BECAUSE THE PASSENGER NEEDS TO WEIGH 120 LBS OR MORE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 5,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 145.

THE FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG ARMS AND DISARMS INTERMITTENTLY DEPENDING ON THE WEIGHT OF THE PASSENGER. RECENTLY MY 21 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER WHO WEIGHS 130 POUNDS HAD THE AIR BAG LIGHT GO ON INDICATING THAT THE AIR BAG WAS TURNED OFF WHILE WE WERE DRIVING. I CANNOT GET ANYONE FROM HYUNDAI OR THE DEALERSHIP TO GIVE ME AN EXACT WEIGHT REQUIREMENT FOR THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. CAN A SMALL ADULT WHO WEIGHS 115 TO 120 NEVER SIT IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, THIS SHOULD NOT BE THE CASE AND WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PERMANENTLY ARM THE AIRBAG IF WE WANT. I CANNOT GET ANYONE TO HELP ME WITH THIS MATTER. THE DEALERSHIP SAYS THE AIRBAG CHECKS OUT FINE SO THEY ARE AT A LOSS. I CALLED HYUNDAI AND THE WILL NOT COMMIT. *TR

2008 HYUNDAI SANTA FE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS. *NJ WHILE DRIVING ON AN UN-LIGHTED OR HILLY ROADWAY, THERE WAS A DISCERNABLE HORIZONTAL LINE BETWEEN THE LIGHTED ROADWAY AND DARKNESS. THE CONSUMER COULD SEE THE LINE ABOUT 3 FEET ABOVE THE ROAD SURFACE. THE LINE ALSO EXTENDED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. AT TIMES, THE LIGHTED ROADWAY WAS LESS THAN 30 FEET WHILE GOING UP AND DOWN THE HILLY ROAD. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THAT 30 FEET OR LESS WAS TOO SHORT OF A LIGHTED LANE OF TRAVEL. A VISUAL INSPECTION, SHOWED THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT WAS MOUNTED TOO FAR BEHIND THE FRONT OF THE VEHICLE, WHICH CAUSED THE HOOD TO BLOCK THE LOW BEAM REFLECTING UP. *JB

AIRBAG SENSOR IN FRONT PASSENGER SEAT DOES NOT DETECT AN ADULT SITTING IN THE SEAT. AIR BAG WILL NOT DEPLOY IN AN ACCIDENT. *TR