2004 Hyundai Santa Fe

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE BRAKES FAILED WHILE PARKING WHICH CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO HIT A BUILDING. THE VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING 2-3 MPH. THERE WAS DAMAGE DONE TO THE FRONT END OF THE VEHICLE. WHILE DRIVING TO THE DEALERSHIP, THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN. WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS AT THE DEALERSHIP, THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE BRAKE PROBLEM. AFTER LEAVING THE DEALERSHIP, THE BRAKES FAILED AGAIN. *AK

THE 1ST -DEC. 23 2004. MY HUSBAND AND I WAS TRAVELING ON THE INTERSTATE AND THE CAR BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. MY HUSBAND PULLED TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THERE WAS SMOKE COMING FROM THE BRAKES. AFTER GETTING OUT AND INSPECTING FOR PROBLEMS WE GOT BACK IN THE CAR AND ATTEMPTED TO PROCEED FORWARD AND THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE. WE CALLED THE TOW TRUCK. BY THE TIME CAR GOT TO THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT, THEY WERE ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE. WHEN THEY DID THEIR INSPECTION, THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS. WE WENT A WEEK LATER AND PICK THE CAR UP AND DROVE AWAY. WITHIN 2 WEEKS, A SIMILAR PROBLEM AROSE, BUT THE CAR WAS STILL DRIVABLE; THEREFORE WE DID NOT TAKE IT IN, BUT DID CALL TO INFORM THE DEALERSHIP OF THE PROBLEM. IN FEBRUARY 2006, THE PROBLEM CAME AGAIN AND THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO THE NEAREST DEALER. INITIALLY THERE WAS NO PROBLEM FOUND, BUT I REQUESTED THEY CHECK THE BRAKES AND IT WAS A FAULTY MASTER CYLINDER. THIS WAS REPLACED. WITHIN 2 MONTHS, WE WERE PULLING FROM THE DRIVEWAY AND IT APPEARED MY HUSBAND HAD MISTAKENLY PUT HIS FOOT ON THE GAS, HOWEVER WE WERE SURE IT WAS THE BRAKES AND THE ENGINE REVVED UP AND CONTINUED TO MOVE FORWARD. WE CALLED AND REPORTED AND THEY SAID WE COULD BRING IT IN FOR SERVICE., HOWEVER THEY RELY ON THE COMPUTER TO INDICATE THE PROBLEM. NO PROBLEM EXISTED BASED ON THE COMPUTER. AS RECENT AS SATURDAY, APRIL 8, 2006, MY SON AND I WAS DRIVING AND I WAS PULLING BEHIND A LINE OF CARS THAT WERE STOPPING AT A STOP LIGHT AND THE ENGINE REVVED AS I PUT MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES. THE CAR DID NOT STOP UNTIL I QUICKLY PUT IT IN PARK. WE TOOK THE CAR IN TODAY, MONDAY, APRIL 10 AND AGAIN, NO PROBLEM BEING FOUND. I CALLED THE HYUNDAI CUSTOMER SERVICE, WHO IS INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT. MY CONCERN IS THAT WE KNOW THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM, BUT SINCE WE NOW RELY SOLELY ON COMPUTER TO LOCATE PROBLEMS WE MAY NEVER GET THE PROBLEM SOLVED. I HOPE IT DOESN'T TAKE AN ACCIDENT TO GET THIS PROBLEM RESOLVED. *NM

ABS BRAKES ENGAGING PREMATURELY. 1ST INSTANCE AFTER HEAVY RAIN STOPPED AT STOP SIGN ON SLIGHT SLOPE ABS ENGAGED AND KEPT MOVING VEHICLE OUT ONTO ROAD. DEALER COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM, HOWEVER THERE WAS A RECALL TO ADJUST BRAKES. 2ND INSTANCE ON SNOW COVERED DOWN GRADE VEHICLE IN FRONT STOPPED TO MAKE LEFT TURN AND I PUT MY FOOT ON BRAKE ,IMMEDIATELY THE ABS BRAKES ENGAGED CAUSING MY VEHICLE TO SLIDE INTO THE OTHER VEHICLE THE ENGAGING OF THE ABS BRAKES INCREASED THE STOPPING DISTANCE OF MY VEHICLE AND CAUSED THE ACCIDENT ABS BRAKES ARE WORTHLESS IN SLOW STOPS ON SLIPPERY ROADS AND THERE SHOULD BE A SWITCH TO SHUT THEM OFF. *JB

2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE BRAKES MADE GRINDING NOISE IN SLOW TRAFFIC AND WET CONDITIONS. *TS ***NO ANSWER REQUIRED*** THE CONSUMER WAS INVOLVED IN A SLOW SPEED ACCIDENT WHILE PULLING OUT FROM A STOP SIGN AT AN INTERSECTION. THE CONSUMER APPLIED THE BRAKES BUT THEY DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE. AS A RESULT THE VEHICLE HIT ANOTHER VEHICLE IN THE INTERSECTION. SIX MONTHS AFTER ACCIDENT THE CONSUMER THE CONSUMER NOTICED INTERMITTENT BRAKE LOSS AND GRINDING NOISE WHILE BRAKING AT SLOW SPEEDS. THIS USUALLY OCCURRED DURING WET ROAD CONDITIONS. THE VEHICLE WAS CHECKED AT THE DEALER AND CLAIMED THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER LATER RECEIVED A RECALL FOR THE ABS ECU. THE RECALL DESCRIBED EXACTLY WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO THE CONSUMER VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN BACK TO THE DEALER FOR RECALL REPAIR. AFTER REPAIR THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO MALFUNCTION. *NM

10/11/2005 - BREAKS FAILED AT LOW SPEED AT TRAFFIC SIGNAL - MANAGED TO COAST TO STOP BEFORE HITTING VEHICLE AHEAD OF ME. BROUGHT VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIP SERVICE DEPARTMENT ON 10/12/05 - THEY INDICATED THAT THEY "COULD NOT REPRODUCE CONCERN. OPERATES NORMALLY" : ON 12/16/05 THE PROBLEM RE-OCCURED RESULTING IN MY VEHICLE HITTING THE VEHICLE AHEAD OF ME AT TRAFFIC LIGHT INTERSECTION (AGAIN I APPLIED BREAKS AT A SPEED OF BETWEEN 5 & 10 MILES PER HOUR. BREAKS INITIALLY SEEM TO GRAB THEN DISSAPPEAR WITH PEDAL GOING TO FLOOR BOARD WITH NO AFFECTIVE BREAKING. *NM

DT: THE CONSUMER OWNS A 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONSUMER WAS HAVING PROBLEMS WITH THE BRAKE SYSTEM EVER SINCE SHE OWNED THE VEHICLE. WHEN THE CONSUMER PRESSED THE BRAKE PEDAL HALF WAY DOWN THE BRAKE WILL START TO STOP THE VEHICLE, BUT INSTEAD OF COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP, THE VEHICLE WILL GRADUALLY COME TO A STOP. NO WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED, INDICATING THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES. THE SERVICE DEALER STATED THAT IT WAS THE BRAKE DESIGN ON THIS VEHICLE. THE CONTACT CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURER.*AK *JB

THREE MONTHS AGO, WHILE I WAS FULLY STOPPED AT AN INTERSECTION WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKES, MY 2004 SANTA FE SUDDENLY REVVED UP AND SURGED FORWARD, COLLIDING WITH THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THIS HAD HAPPENED ONCE BEFORE (WITHOUT A COLLISION) AND THE DEALER STATED "NO PROBLEM FOUND." IT HAS NOW BEEN IN THE SHOP THREE MONTHS, AND THE DEALER STILL STATES "NO PROBLEM FOUND." I CONTACTED HYUNDAI CONSUMER AFFAIRS WHO WROTE ME BACK STATING THEY HAD CONCLUDED THAT THERE WAS NO DEFECT WHICH CAUSED THIS PROBLEM (THEY NEVER INSPECTED IT, HOWEVER). THE CAR IS BEING TRADED IN; THE DEALER IS BEING GENEROUS ON THE TRADE ALLOWANCE. HOWEVER, HYUNDAI STILL MAINTAINS THERE IS NO PROBLEM AND I AM TOLD THE CAR WILL GO TO AUCTION. HYUNDAI MOTOR AMERICA HAS TAKEN NO ACTION TO INVESTIGATE THIS SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT.

WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES INSIDE OF THE PARKING GARAGE THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR. THE DRIVER SKIDDED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THIS PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED THREE TIMES. THE DRIVER TOOK VEHICLE TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION, AND MECHANIC INFORMED DETERMINED THAT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED. *AK THE DRIVEWAY WAS ON AN UPHILL INCLINE AND WAS COVERED IN SNOW. THE BRAKE PEDAL VIBRATED AND THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD INSTEAD OF STOPPING. THIS WAS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. *SC THE CONSUMER STATED A RECALL WAS ISSUED ON THE ABS. *JB

THE PROBLEM STARTED DECEMBER 27, 2004 AS I WAS PULLING UP A PRIVATE DRIVE AND ATTEMPTING TO STOP MY SANTE FE. AS I APPROACHED THE TOP OF THE DRIVE I APPLIED BRAKING, MY VEHICLE SLOWED AND CAME CLOSE TO WHAT I THOUGHT WOULD BE A FULL STOP WHEN THE ABS BRAKE SYSTEM SUDDENLY ACTIVATED. I HELD THE BRAKE PEDAL DOWN BUT THE BRAKING DISTANCE INCREASED AND IT WAS THEN THAT IT MADE CONTACT WITH A PARKED TRUCK. THE VEHICLES HIT FRONT BUMPER TO FRONT BUMPER. FORTUNATELY NO ONE WAS INJURED BUT BOTH VEHICLES WERE DAMAGED FROM THE IMPACT. MY VEHICLE HAD BEEN RECALLED PREVIOUSLY FOR A PROBLEM WITH THE ABS BRAKESWHICH, ACCORDING TO THE RECALL NOTICEWERE PRONE TO UNEXPECTEDLY ACTIVATE AT LOW SPEEDS. I HAD OTHER TWO INCIDENTS BEFORE THE RECALL NOTICE IN WHICH THIS SAME TYPE OF UNEXPECTED ABS ACTIVATION HAD OCCURREDBOTH AT UNDER 5 MPH AND WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS NEAR STOPPED. I FEEL HYUNDAI NEEDS TO ADDRESS MY VEHICLE STATUS, THE SAFETY OF THE ABS BRAKE OPERATION ON MY VEHICLE AND OTHERS LIKE MINE, AND THE COST OF REPAIRS TO MY VEHICLE AND THE TRUCK I COLLIDED WITH DECEMBER 27, 2004. I CANNOT STATE STRONGLY ENOUGH HOW DISSATISFIED AND FRUSTRATED I AM WITH HYUNDAIS LACK OF RESPONSELET ALONE THEIR LACK OF ACTION. I TRULY HOPE YOUR OFFICE WILL BE ABLE TO HELP IN THIS MATTER. I WILL GLADLY COOPERATE IN ANY WAY YOU MAY DEEM NECESSARY. PLEASE NOTE: I ALSO CALLED AND DISCUSSED THIS MATTER WITH YOUR OFFICE. I AM COMPLETING THIS FORM AS A FOLLOW-UP TO THAT CONVERSATION.