IllustrationON VARIOUS OCCASSIONS THE SPEDOMETER WILL CEASE WORKING WHILE DRIVING AFFECTING THE CRUISE CONTROL. ALSO, CAR SOMETIMES FEELS LIKE IT'S SLIPPING OUT OF GEAR WHILE DRIVING. OCCASSIONALLY, WHILE CAR IS IDLING, CAR WILL SHUT DOWN WITH NO WARNING.
2003 Hyundai Santa Fe
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 212.5.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Santa Fe years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
500–25K
3025–50K
3950–75K
3375–100K
65100–150K
28150K+
245 reports with mileage · 63 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Suspension. Review the 56 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 42 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Power Train. Review the 35 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
26 crash reports5 fire reports17 injury reports
What owners actually said
308 reportsWHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS AND APPLYING THE BRAKES,THERE WAS EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH INCREASED THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ACCIDENT. CURRENTLY, THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONDUCTING A RECALL ON THE ABS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK THE DEALER STATED THAT UNLESS THEY COULD R…
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WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEEDS AND APPLYING THE BRAKES,THERE WAS EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH INCREASED THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ACCIDENT. CURRENTLY, THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONDUCTING A RECALL ON THE ABS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT. HOWEVER, THIS VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED DUE TO VIN. *AK THE DEALER STATED THAT UNLESS THEY COULD REPRODUCE THE SYMPTOM WHEN THEY PERFORMED A TEST DRIVE AND IF THEY COULD SHOW A SPECIFIC CODE NUMBER, THE COMPUTER WOULD NOT ALLOW THIS PROBLEM TO BE FIXED. RECALL CAMPAIGN #04V131000. *SC *JB
WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE STALLED. DRIVER WAS NOT ABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE, AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AND REPLACE IT. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THEN, …
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WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED VEHICLE STALLED. DRIVER WAS NOT ABLE TO RESTART VEHICLE, AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. MECHANIC DETERMINED THAT THE CRANKSHAFT POSITION SENSOR NEEDED TO BE REPLACED, AND REPLACE IT. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM RECURRED, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION. THEN, MECHANIC REPLACED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT RELAY, FUEL SENSOR ASSEMBLY, AND THE COMPUTER MODULE. *AK CONSUMER STATED THERE HAS BEEN 6 INCIDENTS/FAILURES THAT ARE CAUSING SERIOUS CONCERNS WITH STARTING AND STALLING. IT BECAME MORE FREQUENT AND STARTED HAPPENING WHILE DRIVING SANTA FE ON ROADS AND HIGHWAY. CONSUMER HAVE CONFIDENCE IN THE VEHICLE AND FEAR OF IT STALLING IN THE CENTER LANE WHERE THERE IS LITTLE OPTIONS EXCEPT GETTING HIT AND POSSIBLE GETTING SERIOUSLY INJURED. *BF
SINCE THE PURCHASE OF MY VEHICLE, I HAVE EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH THE ABS SYSTEM, SIMILAR TO THOSE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL OF THE 3.5L SANTA FE'S. I KNOW THAT RECALLS ARE VIN SPECIFIC, BUT I FEEL THAT HYUNDAI AND NHTSA SHOULD LOOK INTO RECALLING THE 2.7L LX SANTA FE ALSO. MY CONCERN IS THAT WHEN STOPPING THE ABS WILL INTERM…
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SINCE THE PURCHASE OF MY VEHICLE, I HAVE EXPERIENCE PROBLEMS WITH THE ABS SYSTEM, SIMILAR TO THOSE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL OF THE 3.5L SANTA FE'S. I KNOW THAT RECALLS ARE VIN SPECIFIC, BUT I FEEL THAT HYUNDAI AND NHTSA SHOULD LOOK INTO RECALLING THE 2.7L LX SANTA FE ALSO. MY CONCERN IS THAT WHEN STOPPING THE ABS WILL INTERMITTENTLY ACTIVATE CAUSING THE BRAKING DISTANCE TO INCREASE. WHEN IT ACTIVATES, THERE IS A RUMBLING NOISE AND VIBRATION AND THE VEHICLE WILL NOT STOP AT A SAFE DISTANCE. AT MANY TIMES, I HAVE RUN THROUGH STOP SIGNS OR ENTERED TOO FAR INTO INTERSECTIONS AT RED LIGHTS DUE TO THE BRAKE FAILURE. SOMETIMES I HAVE TO HIT A BUMP OR ICE FOR THIS TO OCCUR, BUT MORE TIMES THAN NOT, I AM ON A SMOOTH, DRY SURFACE WHEN IT HAPPENS. I HAVE MENTIONED THIS TO THE DEALER ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION AND THEY EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS NORMAL ABS FUNCTION.
WHILE DRIVING THE BRAKES FAILED. UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO COAST, THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED, IT RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. A THIRD TIME RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT, AND THE AIR …
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WHILE DRIVING THE BRAKES FAILED. UPON APPLYING THE BRAKES, THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO COAST, THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED, IT RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE DEALER, AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. A THIRD TIME RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT, AND THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. THE CONSUMER WAS INJURED, AND THE VEHICLE WAS TOTALED. *AK *SC
THE VEHICLE HIT A POT HOLE, WHILE DRIVING 55-56 MPH. THE CONDITION CAUSES THE LEFT REAR ALLOY WHEEL TO SPLIT IN HALF AND DAMAGES THE EMERGENCY PARKING CABLE. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *NM *NM
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 …
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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…
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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,…
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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
Official recalls
414V435000 · Suspension:front:springs:coil Springs
Jul 18, 2014
Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model Year 2001-2006 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured from March 31, 2000, through February 15, 2006, that are registered and operated, or which were originally sold and registered, in the following 20 salt belt" states and the District of Columbia: Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wisconsin. The affected vehicles may experience front coil spring corrosion from road salt, causing the coil spring to fracture and make contact with the tire.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the front coil spring fractures due to corrosion it could cause the coil spring to make contact with the tire, possibly puncturing the tire and increasing the risk of a vehicle crash.
Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and if necessary replace the coil spring, free of charge. The recall began on October 24, 2014. Owners may contact Hyundai customer service at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's number for this recall is 124.
09V123000 · Suspension:rear
Apr 16, 2009
HYUNDAI IS RECALLING 83,355 MY 2001-2003 SANTA FE VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD IN OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE STATES OF CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, WISCONSIN, AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. ROAD SALT APPLIED IN THESE JURISDICTIONS DURING THE WINTER MONTHS MAY RESULT IN PROGRESSIVE, INTERNAL CORROSION OF THE REAR TRAILING ARMS, WHICH COULD LEAD TO THINNING OR PERFORATION OF THE REAR TRAILING ARM STEEL. OWNERS MAY SEE OR FEEL SLIGHT TO MODERATE CHANGES IN VEHICLE OPERATION WHICH WILL INCREASE IF THE VEHICLE IS NOT REPAIRED. THESE CHANGES INCLUDE A LOWERING OF VEHICLE HEIGHT THAT CAN LEAD TO TIRE MISALIGNMENT AND STEERING PULL. OWNERS MAY ALSO NOTICE A CREAKING SOUND.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF THE CORROSION IS ALLOWED TO PROGRESS, THE REAR TRAILING ARM MAY FRACTURE WHILE DRIVING, THEREBY INCREASING THE RISK OF A VEHICLE CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE REAR TRAILING ARMS FOR INTERNAL CORROSION DAMAGE. IF SPECIFIED LEVELS OF CORROSION DAMAGE ARE FOUND, THE REAR TRAILING ARMS WILL BE REPLACED. REAR TRAILING ARMS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE REPLACEMENT WILL HAVE DRAINAGE HOLES ADDED AND WILL BE TREATED WITH RUST-PROOFING MATERIAL TO ARREST THE CORROSION PROCESS. INSPECTION, TREATMENT AND REPLACEMENT PROCEDURES WILL BE CONDUCTED AT NO COST TO OWNERS. THE RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING MAY 2009. OWNERS MAY CONTACT THE HYUNDAI CUSTOMER ASSISTANCE CENTER AT 1-800-633-5151.
04V131000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:antilock/traction Control/electronic Limited Slip:control Unit/module
Mar 16, 2004
ON CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 3.5 LITER V-6 ENGINES, 4-WHEEL DRIVE AND ANTILOCK BRAKING SYSTEMS (ABS), IF THE BRAKE PEDAL IS DEPRESSED AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 3 AND 12 MPH WHEN THE BRAKE PAD FRICTION SURFACES ARE WET, A VIBRATION MAY OCCUR BETWEEN THE BRAKE DISCS AND PADS CAUSING ABS SENSOR ELECTRONIC SIGNAL NOISE TO DEVELOP. AT SPEEDS BELOW 5 MPH, THE ABS SENSOR SIGNAL NOISE MAY CAUSE THE ABS ELECTRONIC CONTROL UNIT (ECU) TO ACTIVATE THE ABS, EXTENDING THE STOPPING DISTANCE.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: IF AN EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE OCCURS, IT COULD RESULT IN A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPROGRAM THE ABS ECU. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON MARCH 24, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
03V520000 · Equipment:other:labels
Dec 18, 2003
CERTAIN SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES FAIL TO COMPLY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS OF FEDERAL MOTOR VEHICLE SAFETY STANDARD NO. 120, "TIRE SELECTION AND RIMS FOR MOTOR VEHICLES OTHER THAN PASSENGER CARS."
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THE TIRE PRESSURE LABELS DO NOT CONTAIN THE INFORMATION REQUIRED BY THE STANDARD.
Remedy: OWNERS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH A CORRECT LABEL AND INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON OCTOBER 29, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT HYUNDAI AT 1-800-633-5151.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1EA08023 · Rear Trailing Arm Corrosion Failure
Opened Oct 28, 2008 · Closed Apr 17, 2009
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Suspension; Suspension:rear
IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 14, 2009, HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER, INC (HYUNDAI) NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL OF APPROXIMATELY 85,000 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2001 THROUGH 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO JANUARY 27, 2003, THAT ARE REGISTERED AND OPERATED IN THE FOLLOWING SALT BELT STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN.HYUNDAI IS RECALLING THE VEHICLES TO REMEDY A CONDITION WHERE INTERNAL CORROSION OF EITHER THE RIGHT OR LEFT REAR TRAILING ARMS MAY RESULT IN FRACTURE OF THE AFFECTED ARM WHILE DRIVING, WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND A CRASH.THE REAR TRAILING ARMS WILL BE INSPECTED IN THE RECALLED VEHICLES USING A PROCEDURE DEVELOPED BY HYUNDAI TO MEASURE METAL THICKNESS.PARTS WITH PERFORATIONS FROM CORROSION OR WITH METAL BELOW THE SPECIFIED THICKNESS WILL BE REPLACED WITH REDESIGNED TRAILING ARMS.IF THE MINIMUM METAL THICKNESS IS MET, DRAINAGE HOLES AND AND RUST PROOFING MATERIAL WILL BE ADDED TO THE EXISTING REAR TRAILING ARMS.ALTHOUGH NOT SUBJECT COMPONENTS OF THIS INVESTIGATION, HYUNDAI NOTED IT WOULD PERFORM A SIMILAR PROCEDURE FOR THE FRONT SUBFRAMES OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. ODI'S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT DATA REVEALED THAT 99% OF ALL CONSUMER COMPLAINTS RELATED TO TRAILING ARM CORROSION WERE FROM VEHICLES EITHER ORIGINALLY SOLD OR OPERATED IN SALTBELT STATES. SIMILARLY 92% OF THE WARRANTY CLAIMS WERE FROM VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR OPERATED IN SALTBELT STATES.ODI IDENTIFIED 30 REAR TRAILING ARM FRACTURE INCIDENTS THROUGH ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY INFORMATION AND CONSUMER INTERVIEWS.TWENTY-NINE (29) OF THE FRACTURE INCIDENTS INVOLVED VEHICLES IN STATES COVERED BY THE RECALL.BASED ON HYUNDAI'S DECISION TO CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED.
Additional source detail variants (2)
Suspension
IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 14, 2009, HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER, INC (HYUNDAI) NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL OF APPROXIMATELY 85,000 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2001 THROUGH 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO JANUARY 27, 2003, THAT ARE REGISTERED AND OPERATED IN THE FOLLOWING SALT BELT STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN.HYUNDAI IS RECALLING THE VEHICLES TO REMEDY A CONDITION WHERE INTERNAL CORROSION OF EITHER THE RIGHT OR LEFT REAR TRAILING ARMS MAY RESULT IN FRACTURE OF THE AFFECTED ARM WHILE DRIVING, WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND A CRASH.THE REAR TRAILING ARMS WILL BE INSPECTED IN THE RECALLED VEHICLES USING A PROCEDURE DEVELOPED BY HYUNDAI TO MEASURE METAL THICKNESS.PARTS WITH PERFORATIONS FROM CORROSION OR WITH METAL BELOW THE SPECIFIED THICKNESS WILL BE REPLACED WITH REDESIGNED TRAILING ARMS.IF THE MINIMUM METAL THICKNESS IS MET, DRAINAGE HOLES AND AND RUST PROOFING MATERIAL WILL BE ADDED TO THE EXISTING REAR TRAILING ARMS.ALTHOUGH NOT SUBJECT COMPONENTS OF THIS INVESTIGATION, HYUNDAI NOTED IT WOULD PERFORM A SIMILAR PROCEDURE FOR THE FRONT SUBFRAMES OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. ODI'S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT DATA REVEALED THAT 99% OF ALL CONSUMER COMPLAINTS RELATED TO TRAILING ARM CORROSION WERE FROM VEHICLES EITHER ORIGINALLY SOLD OR OPERATED IN SALTBELT STATES. SIMILARLY 92% OF THE WARRANTY CLAIMS WERE FROM VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR OPERATED IN SALTBELT STATES.ODI IDENTIFIED 30 REAR TRAILING ARM FRACTURE INCIDENTS THROUGH ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY INFORMATION AND CONSUMER INTERVIEWS.TWENTY-NINE (29) OF THE FRACTURE INCIDENTS INVOLVED VEHICLES IN STATES COVERED BY THE RECALL.BASED ON HYUNDAI'S DECISION TO CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED.
Suspension:rear
IN A LETTER DATED APRIL 14, 2009, HYUNDAI-KIA AMERICA TECHNICAL CENTER, INC (HYUNDAI) NOTIFIED NHTSA THAT IT WILL CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL OF APPROXIMATELY 85,000 MODEL YEAR (MY) 2001 THROUGH 2003 HYUNDAI SANTA FE VEHICLES MANUFACTURED PRIOR TO JANUARY 27, 2003, THAT ARE REGISTERED AND OPERATED IN THE FOLLOWING SALT BELT STATES AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA:CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, IOWA, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW JERSEY, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, RHODE ISLAND, VERMONT, WEST VIRGINIA, AND WISCONSIN.HYUNDAI IS RECALLING THE VEHICLES TO REMEDY A CONDITION WHERE INTERNAL CORROSION OF EITHER THE RIGHT OR LEFT REAR TRAILING ARMS MAY RESULT IN FRACTURE OF THE AFFECTED ARM WHILE DRIVING, WHICH COULD RESULT IN LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL AND A CRASH.THE REAR TRAILING ARMS WILL BE INSPECTED IN THE RECALLED VEHICLES USING A PROCEDURE DEVELOPED BY HYUNDAI TO MEASURE METAL THICKNESS.PARTS WITH PERFORATIONS FROM CORROSION OR WITH METAL BELOW THE SPECIFIED THICKNESS WILL BE REPLACED WITH REDESIGNED TRAILING ARMS.IF THE MINIMUM METAL THICKNESS IS MET, DRAINAGE HOLES AND AND RUST PROOFING MATERIAL WILL BE ADDED TO THE EXISTING REAR TRAILING ARMS.ALTHOUGH NOT SUBJECT COMPONENTS OF THIS INVESTIGATION, HYUNDAI NOTED IT WOULD PERFORM A SIMILAR PROCEDURE FOR THE FRONT SUBFRAMES OF THE SUBJECT VEHICLES. ODI'S ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT DATA REVEALED THAT 99% OF ALL CONSUMER COMPLAINTS RELATED TO TRAILING ARM CORROSION WERE FROM VEHICLES EITHER ORIGINALLY SOLD OR OPERATED IN SALTBELT STATES. SIMILARLY 92% OF THE WARRANTY CLAIMS WERE FROM VEHICLES ORIGINALLY SOLD OR OPERATED IN SALTBELT STATES.ODI IDENTIFIED 30 REAR TRAILING ARM FRACTURE INCIDENTS THROUGH ANALYSIS OF COMPLAINT AND WARRANTY INFORMATION AND CONSUMER INTERVIEWS.TWENTY-NINE (29) OF THE FRACTURE INCIDENTS INVOLVED VEHICLES IN STATES COVERED BY THE RECALL.BASED ON HYUNDAI'S DECISION TO CONDUCT A SAFETY RECALL THIS ENGINEERING ANALYSIS IS CLOSED.