2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE Complaints

RIGHT FRONT FOG LIGHT INOPERATIVE. DEALER REPLACED HALOGEN BULB. WITHIN A FEW DAYS FOG LAMP OVERHEATED CAUSING BULB SOCKET AND LENS BULB HOLDER TO COMPLETELY MELT DOWN CAUSING BULB TO FALL DOWN ONTO THE INSIDE OF THE RIGHT FRONT BUMPER AND BURNED TWO HOLES THROUGH BUMPER ALMOST CAUSING A FIRE AS BULB WAS STILL FUNCTIONING. NO CIRCUIT BREAKERS OR FUSES BLEW. DEALER STATES THIS HAS HAPPENED BEFORE TO OTHER VEHICLES AND NOW DEALER NEEDS TO REPLACE BOTH SOCKET & WIRING AND COMPLETE LENS BODY.

FUEL GAUGE WENT UP AND DOWN. RAN OUT OF GAS GOING 70MPH ON TURNPIKE IT WAS HARROWING. GAUGE SAYS FULL AND THEN EMPTY RIGHT AWAY. FUEL SENSORS NEED REPLACED, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT IS NOW SHOWING. I NOTICE MANY OTHERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. MINE COULDVE CAUSED A BAD ACCIDENT. OUTRAGEOUSLY EXPENSIVE AND COST PROHIBITIVE TO FIX WHAT I THINK IS A SAFETY ISSUE. 70,000 MILES IS NOT A LOT FOR THIS TO HAVE HAPPENED.

MY VEHICLE WAS IN THE STATIONARY POSITION OR WAS SUPPOSED TO BE IN PARK. I HAD PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY, PUT MY CAR INTO PARK AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. UPON EXITING MY VEHICLE WITH GROCERIES IN HAND MY VEHICLE STARTED ROLLING (THANK GOD I WAS ABLE TO GET OUT OF THE WAY) VEHICLE ROLLED OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, ACROSS THE STREET AND INTO MY NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY WHERE IT CAME TO A STOP. (THANK GOD NO ONE WAS INJURED DURING THIS) I STARTED MY VEHICLE TO GET IT OUT OF MY NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY AND NOTICED THAT EVEN THOUGH THE SHIFTER WAS IN PARK,MY DASH SHOWED THAT MY CAR WAS IN REVERSE! ATTACHED IS A PHOTO OF MY DASH SHOWING THAT IT IS IN "REVERSE" BUT AS YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE MY SHIFT LEVER IS IN PARK

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON WHEN YOU ARE AROUND A HALF A TANK OF GAS AND EVEN IF YOU FILL IT UP IT TAKES IT 2 OR 3 TIMES OF STARTING IT FOR IT TO GO OFF. I'M NOT SURE WHAT IS CAUSING THIS. ALSO THE ESC AND THE ABS LIGHTS HAVE BEEN ON AND WON'T GO OFF. THE BOOK SAYS THE ABS LIGHT IS FOR SERVICE BUT I HAVE HAS IT SERVICED SEVERAL TIME AND IT STILL DOESN'T GO OUT.

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING THE CAR IN A PARKING LOT AND INITIALLY WAS UNABLE TO GET THE SHIFTER INTO DRIVE AFTER BEING IN REVERSE. SHE FINALLY GOT IT INTO GEAR AND DROVE HOME AND I ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT IT INTO PARK AFTER SHE ARRIVED HOME BUT IT REMAINED IN DRIVE AND THEN NEUTRAL AND WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK. THE SHIFT LEVER FROZE IN THE WRONG PLACE WHERE D IS BUT THE ELECTRONIC DASHBOARD SHOWED IT WAS IN NEUTRAL AND I WAS UNABLE TO GET IT INTO PARK, AND USING THE RELEASE LEVER FOR THE SHIFTER DIDN'T WORK EITHER. I WAS FORCED TO LEAVE THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL AND PUT ON THE PARKING BRAKE. I COULDN'T REMOVE THE KEY BECAUSE I COULDN'T GET THE VEHICLE IN PARK. IT WAS ON A SMALL INCLINE BUT THE BRAKE HELD THE CAR IN MY DRIVEWAY. AS A SAFETY PRECAUTION, I PUT BLOCKS IN FRONT OF THE TIRE TO PREVENT IT FROM ROLLING. FORTUNATELY IT HAPPENED IN MY DRIVEWAY AND NOT ON A HILL TRYING TO PARK. THIS ALL HAPPENED IN A VERY SHORT TIME SPAN. I FELT THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO MY MECHANIC WHO FOUND THAT THE CABLE RUNNING TO THE TRANSMISSION WAS BINDING DUE TO CORROSION CAUSING THE MECHANICAL SHIFTER TO BECOME OUT OF SYNC WITH THE ELECTRONIC CONTROLS THAT CONTROL WHAT GEAR THE TRANSMISSION IS IN. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN DRIVEN MOSTLY IN NEW JERSEY AND PENNSYLVANIA SO IT HAS BEEN EXPOSED TO A LOT OF ROAD SALT IN THE WINTER TIME. I CHECKED ON LINE AND SOME OF THE FORUMS SHOW THIS IS A COMMON COMPLAINT WITH OLDER HYUNDAIS. MY VEHICLE HAS AROUND 140,000 MILES ON IT.

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE DRIVER SIDE VISOR FELL OUT OF THE CEILING AS IF THE WIRES WERE CUT IN HALF IN THE HOLE THAT HELD THE VISOR IN PLACE. I DID NOT HAVE AN ACCIDENT DUE TO THE SUDDEN EVENT BUT I HAVE BARELY BEEN ABLE TO SEE WHILE DRIVING EARLY IN THE MORNINGS OR LATE IN THE EVENINGS WHEN THE SUN IS LOW IN THE SKY AND SHINING DIRECTLY THROUGH THE WINDOW.

PURCHASED USED W/ 103K MI ON IT FROM A DEALERSHIP. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AT DEALERSHIP - ALTERNATOR AND PURGE VALVE REPLACED - THOUGHT IT WAS FIXED. DROVE HOME AND JUST BEFORE TURNING RIGHT INTO DRIVEWAY AND STILL ON 55MPH BUSY COUNTY ROAD, ENGINE SHUT OFF (ALL DASH AND CONSOLE LIGHTS ON AND WIPERS RUNNING) RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD. NO STEERING OR BRAKES. I HAD TO COAST TO A STOP ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I PUT IT IN PARK, TURNED THE KEY OFF AND TURNED IT RIGHT BACK ON. WAS ABLE TO BACK UP AND PULL INTO MY DRIVEWAY WITHOUT INCIDENT. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME BACK ON AS IT WAS BEING TAKEN BACK TO THE SHOP THE NEXT DAY - NO SIGN OF FIX. I HAD JUST DRIVEN FROM THE DEALERSHIP SERVICE (ABOUT 25 MILES) ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE...A NUMBER OF RIGHT AND LEFT TURNS, ON AND OFF RAMPS, STOP LIGHTS, STOP SIGNS AND RESIDENTIAL ROADS. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A FATAL ACCIDENT AND THIS VEHICLE SHOULD BE TOTALED OUT AND SOLD FOR PARTS. HYUNDAI SHOULD RETURN OUR MONEY - WE WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE.

THE FUEL GAUGE FLUCTUATES ALL THE TIME. SOMETIMES I GET A READING BUT MOST TIMES IT TURNS ON THE EMPTY LIGHT . I HAVE CONSULTED SEVERAL HYUNDAI DEALERS MECHANICS AND BEEN TOLD THAT THIS IS A BIG AND FREQUENT PROBLEM. I HAVE READ OF SO MANY COMPLAINTS , THAT I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL ON SAID DEFECT. .IT IS AS YOU KNOW VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE AND VERY EXPENSIVE AND DANGEROUS FOR ME TO TRY TO FIX..I'VE RAN OUT OF GAS SEVERAL TIMES AND HAVE BEEN IN HARMS WAY.

"TAKATA RECALL" MY 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE, AT APPROXIMATELY 110 MILES, DEVELOPED A PROBLEM, WHICH ACTUALLY RESULTS IN A SERIOUS/SAFETY PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE FUEL SYSTEM FUEL GAUGE DISPLAYING THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF FUEL AVAILABLE IN THE TANK. I DON'T KNOW IF THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE FUEL PUMPS, OR THE FUEL SENSING UNITS IN THE GAS TANKS, OR WITH THE WIRING BETWEEN THE GAS TANK AND THE GAS GAUGE, OR WITH THE GAS GAUGE ITSELF. IT DOESN'T MATTER IF THE VEHICLE IS STATIONARY OR MOVING NOR IF THE VEHICLE IS SLANTED AT AN ANGLE. QUITE OFTEN THE PROBLEM RESULTS IN THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT COMING ON. SO FAR I'VE ONLY RUN OUT OF GAS ONCE, AND SINCE I WAS ON THE FREEWAY THIS WAS A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE AS I LOST BOTH MY STEERING AND BRAKING SYSTEMS. ANY MORE I STOP FOR FUEL AFTER ABOUT 120 MILES OR SO. MY HYUNDAI DEALER HAS QUOTED MY A PRICE OF AROUND $3,000.00 (THAT'S THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS) TO FIX THE PROBLEM, AND HE SAID THAT THEY CAN'T EVEN GUARANTEE THAT THE PROBLEM WON'T REOCCUR. AND HE SAID THAT THIS IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH I PURCHASED WITH THE VEHICLE. THIS IS AN ISSUE THAT "HYUNDAI" SHOULD TAKE CARE OF !!!

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL TRAVELED TO THE FLOOR MORE THAN TWICE WHEN DEPRESSED. IN ADDITION, THE TACHOMETER INCREASED AS THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ABOVE 90 MPH. THE CONTACT HAD TO QUICKLY PLACE THE VEHICLE IN NEUTRAL TO REDUCE THE SPEED WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED. THE DEALER (HUFFINES KIA MCKINNEY, 1201 N CENTRAL EXPY, MCKINNEY, TX 75070, (888) 450-2260) WAS NOTIFIED, BUT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 88,000.