2003 Hyundai Santa Fe

I HAD GREAT DIFFICULTY CONTROLLING THE STEERING OF MY CAR. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER WHERE THEY SAID THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. IN JANUARY OF THIS YEAR DURING A SNOW STORM I ACTUALLY RAN OFF THE HIGHWAY AND DOWN A SLIGHT SLOPE. I THEN TOOK MY CAR TO MY REPAIR SHOP WHERE A CORRODED AND BENT TRAINING ARM WAS DISCOVERED AND REPLACED. I AM NOW IN THE MIDST OF A REBATE FROM THE COMPANY AS THE CAR WAS RECALLED FOR THAT PARTICULAR PART. WHEN I TOOK THE CAR TO HAVE IT CHECKED FOR THIS DEFECT I WAS TOLD THAT THE OTHER TRAILING ARM WAS NOT CORRODED ENOUGH TO BE REPLACED AND THAT IT WOULD BE SPRAYED TO PROTECT IT FROM FURTHER DAMAGE. I AM NOT COMFORTABLE AT ALL WITH THIS REMEDY AS I AM NOW HEARING THE SAME NOISE FROM THE LEFT SIDE AS I HEARD FROM THE RIGHT SIDE WHEN THE PROBLEM BEGAN. WHY CAN'T THE COMPANY DO THE RIGHT THING FIX THESE PROBLEMS SO THAT THOSE OF US WHO DRIVE HYUNDAI PRODUCTS CAN FEEL SAFE. YOURS TRULY, MARIE E. ENWRIGHT *TR

SINCE BUYING MY CAR USED IN 2006, MY 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE SLIPS OUT OF GEAR AND VIOLENTLY JERKS. ON THE HIGHWAY IT SCARES ONE HALF TO DEATH. AND I SEE THAT THERE ARE MANY OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THIS PROBLEM ALONG WITH THE VEHICLE STOPPING ALTOGETHER. THIS PROBLEM HAPPENS SO INTERMITTENTLY WITHOUT AN ENGINE CHECK LIGHT, THAT I KNEW A DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO FIND A PROBLEM. NOW THE VEHICLE WON'T SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR. *TR

MY HYUNDAI SANTA FE 2003, 4 CYLINDER, 2.4 LITER ENGINE STALLED 4 TIMES. ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO SERVICE DIAGNOSED WITH CRANK PRECISION SENSOR. NO COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. DOING RESEARCH I FOUND OUT THAT THE 2001 AND 2002 WAS RECALLED FOR THIS MATTER. ALSO FOUND OUT THAT MANY 2003'S ARE HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. ALSO I FIND IT DISTURBING THAT HYUNDAI WONT COVER THIS BECAUSE IT IS AND ELECTRONIC PART BUT THE ENGINE CAN JUST STALL AT ANY MOMENT. BECAUSE IT WAS RECALLED 2YRS PRIOR SHOULD RAISE A RED FLAG. I WILL BE CALLING HYUNDAI CORP. THANK YOU SORAYA GARCIA *TR

MY 2003 HYUANDAI SANTE FE STALLS ANYTIME THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR GETS HOT (AT LEAST THIS IS WHAT THE SERVICE MANAGER [MR. LABESE] AT JOHN AMATO AUTO - MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN EXPLAINS). I'VE HAD COUNTLESS CLOSE CALL VEHICLE ACCIDENTS AND I HAVE TAKEN MY VEHICLE IN TO BE REPAIRED ONLY TO HAVE THE VEHICLE STALL OVER AND OVER AGAIN EVEN AFTER THE PART ABOVE WAS REPLACED. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND VERY UNSAFE I HAVE BEEN VERY LUCKY TO THIS POINT! *TR

AT APPROXIMATELY 47,000 MILES, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. IN ADDITION, VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN OCCASIONAL JUMP IN IDLE TO 3000 RPM+ WHILE IN PARK AND DRIVE AFTER THREE MINUTES OR SO OF OPERATION. WHILE IN DRIVE, VEHICLE LUNGES DANGEROUSLY FORWARD. WHEN THIS OCCURS, IGNITION IS TURNED OFF, AND RESTART TAKES SEVERAL ATTEMPTS. AFTER RESTARTING, THE VEHICLE WILL SPUTTER AND REFUSE TO ACCELERATE NORMALLY FOR 30-60 SECONDS. VEHICLE ALSO STALLS OCCASIONALLY AFTER 3 MINUTES OR SO OF USE WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A FULL STOP. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO NAPELTON HYUNDAI, WEST PALM BEACH, FL ON NOV 30. CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR AND CAMSHAFT SENSOR WERE REPLACED. BEFORE LEAVING DEALERSHIP WITH SERVICE MANAGER PRESENT AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION IN PARK, VEHICLE IDLE SUDDENLY SPIKED TO 4,200 RPM. I WAS TOLD DEALER WAS CLOSED, AND TO DRIVE IT HOME. ON DECEMBER 5, VEHICLE AGAIN STALLED AGAIN IN TRAFFIC AT INTERSECTION ALMOST CAUSING A COLLISION. AFTER RESTARTING, IT REFUSED TO ACCELERATE NORMALLY FOR 30-60 SECONDS. VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO BACK TO NAPELTON HYUNDAI BECAUSE BOTH THE STALLING AND SUDDEN ACCELERATION ARE SERIOUS CONCERNS THAT MAKE THIS SANTA FE UNSAFE TO OPERATE. THE SERVICE MANAGER AGREED FULLY THAT THE VEHICLE WAS UNSAFE TO DRIVE. ON DEC 20 I WAS ADVISED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED BECAUSE ATTEMPTS TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEMS WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. I WAS TOLD TO PICK IT UP AND DRIVE IT. I REFUSED TO DO SO. NAPELTON HAD OVER 20 DAYS TO DETECT AND CORRECT THESE MAJOR SAFETY ISSUES, AND I WILL NOT DRIVE HYUNDAI'S FAILURE INTO AN ACCIDENT. A REVIEW OF NHTSA DEFECTS REPORTED FOR THIS SANTA FE FOR 2003-2005 MODEL YEARS REVEALS OVER 40 SIMILAR INCIDENTS, SOME INVOLVING COLLISION AND INJURY. THESE ARE CATEGORIZED UNDER SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMPONENTS INCLUDING VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL: ACCELERATOR PEDAL, OTHER, POWER TRAIN: AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, AND EQUIPMENT. PERHAPS THE SANTA FE'S CAN BE RECALLED BEFORE DEATHS RESULT. *NM

THIS VEHICLE (2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE) STARTED HAVING TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS JUST BE FOR THE WARRANTY EXPIRED (100,000 MILES), BUT WE WERE TOLD AT THE DEALER THAT THE WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THE POWER TRAIN SYSTEM. SO WE PAID TO HAVE SOME WORK DONE. BUT JUST TODAY WE WOKE UP AND WENT OUT TO USE THE VEHICLE, AND IT WILL NOT GO IN GEAR, WILL NOT IN NEUTRAL SO WE CAN MOVE IT OR PUSH IT. IT'S JUST LOCKED UP, (FLUID LEAVES ARE OK) IF THIS WERE TO HAPPEN TO ANY ONE WITH THIS KIND OF VEHICLE IN TRAFFIC IT COULD BE TRAFFIC PROBLEM. I DO KNOW OTHERS WHO OWN THIS KIND OF VEHICLE AND DO NOT HAVE ANY PROBLEMS, BUT I ALSO KNOW OF ONE INDIVIDUAL THAT HAS HAD TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS WITH THEIRS. SO I'M JUST CONCERNED ON IF I AM THE ONLY PERSON WITH THIS PROBLEM OR IF THEIR ARE OTHERS, AND WHY IF THEY OFFER A 100,000 MI. WARRANTY DOSE IT NOT COVER THE DRIVE TRAIN? THIS DOSE NOT MAKE SENSE TO ME. ONE VERY UNHAPPY VEHICLE OWNER. P.S. THIS VEHICLE IS REGISTERED TO MY WIFE, AND HER LLC. *JB

MY 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE WITH AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, STARTED TO SHIFT DIFFERENTLY. IT WOULD BUCK WHEN SHIFTING INTO A HIGHER GEAR, IF I ATTEMPTED TO GO UP A STEEP HILL, THE VEHICLE WOULD LOSE ALL POWER AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD COME ON. I TOOK IT TO A DEALER, THEY REPLACED A SENSOR, SAID THE VEHICLE WOULD BE FINE. I DROVE IT HOME ONLY TO HAVE IT STILL SHIFT WITH A BUCK. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER ONLY TO BE TOLD, AFTER THEY KEPT IT OVERNIGHT, THAT IT WOULD NEED A $2800 TRANSMISSION REPLACEMENT. OF COURSE, BEING A SECOND OWNER, THE WARRANTY RAN OUT AT 60K.

THE CLUTCH ON MY 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE (58,000 MILES)WENT OUT ON THE NJ TURNPIKE AT THE START OF A WEEK LONG FAMILY VACATION. MAXON HYUNDAI IN UNION, NJ CLAIMED THAT MY DRIVING HAD BURNED THE CLUTCH OUT (I HAVE BEEN DRIVING STICK FOR 12 YEARS AND MY PREVIOUS CAR- A SATURN- HAD OVER 100,000 MILES ON IT AND THE ORIGINAL CLUTCH WHEN I SOLD IT) AND WHEN THE CLUTCH WENT IT DAMAGED THE FLY WHEEL. THEY CLAIMED THAT THE FLY WHEEL, THOUGH PART OF THE POWER TRAIN SUPPOSEDLY COVERED UNDER THEIR WARRANTY, WAS NOT COVERED SINCE IT WAS MY FAULT THAT IT WAS DAMAGED. THEY FURTHER INDICATED THAT REPLACING THE CLUTCH AND PUTTING THE OLD FLY WHEEL ON WOULD JUST CAUSE ME TO BURN OUT ANOTHER CLUTCH LEADING ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE FLY WHEEL IS WHAT CAUSED THE CLUTCH TO GO IN THE FIRST PLACE. ANYWAY, I DID PAY FOR THE CLUTCH TO BE REPLACED BUT NOT THE FLYWHEEL AND THEN I TRADED IT IN ON A NEW SATURN VUE. I WAS OUTRAGED AT THE WAY I WAS TREATED BY BOTH THE DEALER AND BY HYUNDAI CORPORATE WHEN I CALLED THEM. I WOULD REALLY APPRECIATE ANY ADVICE YOU COULD GIVE ME AS I GOT A WHOLE $4,500 FOR THE VEHICLE THAT I PAID $17,000 FOR JUST 3 YEARS AGO AND THIS WAS AFTER I HAD TO PAY A REPAIR BILL OF $1600 AND PAY $500 FOR A RENTAL CAR SO THAT OUR VACATION WAS NOT RUINED. *NM