2004 Hyundai Santa Fe

I WAS IN TN WHEN I HEARD A SLIGHT "THUNK" AND THEN A CONTINUOUS RATTLE UNDER THE VEHICLE. I ASSUMED A BROKEN EXHAUST BRACKET AND LEFT TN ON 8/17/2014 TO RETURN TO MY HOME IN SAINT LOUIS MO. I TRAVELED I55 IN SPEEDS IN EXCESS OF 75 MPH AND LISTENED TO THE RATTLE FOR ABOUT 100 MILES. AND THEN THE RATTLE STOPPED AND I ASSUMED THAT THE BROKEN BRACKET HAD FINALLY COME LOOSE AND IS NOW LOCATED SOMEWHERE ON I55. I TOOK MY CAR TO FIRESTONE AND WAS STUNNED TO LEARN THAT MY RIGHT FRONT SUSPENSION COIL SPRING WAS MISSING AND MY RIGHT FRONT STRUT WAS BROKEN. AN INSPECTION OF THE LEFT FRONT COIL SPRING ALSO INDICATED SIGNIFICANT CORROSION AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED FOR SAFETY. HYUNDAI HAS RECALLED 419,000 VEHICLES OF THIS TYPE IN DC AND 20 OTHER STATES SPECIFICALLY STATING EXCESSIVE CORROSION AS A RESULT OF ROAD SALT--THIS LIST EXCLUDED THE STATE OF MO WHICH HAPPENS TO ALSO USE ROAD SALT. MY HYUNDAI HAS BEEN IN MO FOR 12 YEARS. HYUNDAI NEEDS TO DO THE RESPONSIBLE THING AND EXPAND ITS RECALL TO ALL STATES THAT USE SALT AND PERHAPS TO COASTAL STATES THAT HAVE OCEAN SALT. *TR

2004 HYUNDAI SANTAFE BROKEN COIL SPRING RUBBING AGAINST THE FRONT TIRE. VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY WHEN I HEARD A VERY LOUD BANG THAT SOUNDED LIKE A SHOTGUN. I WENT OUT TO INVESTIGATE BUT COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING WRONG. THE NEXT MORNING I ATTEMPTED TO LEAVE FOR WORK WHEN I NOTICED A STRANGE NOISE. I COULD NOT IDENTIFY THE SOUND SO I TURNED AROUND AN PARKED THE VEHICLE BACK IN THE DRIVEWAY. IT WAS THEN I NOTICED A CURVED SHAPE PIECE ON THE GROUND WHICH LOOKED LIKE A HOTDOG WHERE MY VEHICLE HAD BEEN PARKED. I PICKED THE HOTDOG SHAPED PIECE OF STEEL APPROXIMATELY 3/4" DIAMETER. IT APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN BROKEN ON ONE END. AFTER FURTHER INVESTIGATION I FOUND IT TO BE A PIECE OF THE COIL SPRING ON THE FRONT DRIVERS SIDE STRUT. THE COIL SPRING WAS NOW RUBBING AGAINST THE FRONT TIRE. LUCK FOR ME THIS DID NO HAPPEN WHILE I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY. *TR

MY OIL CHANGING PLACE THOUGHT I HAD A POWER STEERING FLUID LEAK, SO I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER TO CHECK. THE REAL PROBLEM WAS THE FRONT RIGHT AXLE BOOT WAS LEAKING BADLY (COVERED BY THE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY), BUT THEY FOUND THAT THE RIGHT AND LEFT CONTROL ARM BUSHINGS HAD COLLAPSED AND THE SENSORS WERE FROZEN IN PLACE. AFTER THEY FIXED THESE, THE MECHANIC TOOK IT FOR A TEST DRIVE, AND DURING THE TEST DRIVE, THE RIGHT FRONT COIL SNAPPED. I AM TOLD THAT I MUST NOW REPLACE BOTH LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT COILS AND HAVE THE CAR RE-ALIGNED. THE COILS SHOULD BE ON RECALL, AS OBVIOUSLY THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE MANUFACTURING. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH OVER RAILROAD TRACKS, HE HEARD A POPPING SOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER'S COIL SPRING HAD FRACTURED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 101,000. UPDATED 06/17/14 MA UPDATED 8/17/17*CN

WHILE BACKING OUT OF DRIVEWAY, HEARD A LOUD POPPING AND CRACKING SOUND. GOT OUT TO LOOK. THERE WAS A LARGE "C" SHAPED PIECE OF METAL LAYING IN DRIVEWAY WHERE DRIVERS SIDE WAS. TOOK CAR TO HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP. COIL SPRING HAD BROKEN. SPRING AND TIRE WAS REPLACED UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. CONCERNED ABOUT PASSENGER SIDE NOW THAT UTE NOW HAS 88,000 MILES THAT WILL NOT BE COVERED IF OCCURS OUT OF 10 YEAR, 100,000 MILE WARRANTY. *TR

WHILE BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY, I HEARD A "CLUNK" SOUND IN THE FRONT OF MY VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION, I FOUND A "C" SHAPED PIECE OF METAL ON THE DRIVEWAY. I IMMEDIATELY DROVE TO MY MECHANIC'S SHOP, WHERE HE TOLD ME THAT THE COIL SPRING ON MY SANTA FE HAD BROKEN ON THE PASSENGER'S SIDE. THE COIL SPRING ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE WAS ALSO CRACKED. HE HAD TO REPLACE BOTH COIL SPRINGS. HE LATER TOLD ME THAT IT WAS UNUSUAL TO HAVE THESE SPRINGS BREAK FOR NO APPARENT REASON. I DECIDED TO GO ONLINE TO SEE IF HYUNDAI HAD ISSUED A RECALL OR WHETHER THIS WAS A PROBLEM FOR OTHER CONSUMERS WHO OWNED THIS VEHICLE. I FOUND NUMEROUS SITES WHERE PEOPLE HAD WRITTEN IN STATING THAT THEY HAD THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM - IN MOST CASES, THE COIL SPRING BROKE AS THE OPERATOR WAS PUTTING THE 2004-2006 CAR INTO GEAR TO EITHER BACK OR, PULL OUT OF A PARKED POSITION. I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR LOOKING INTO THIS ISSUE, AND GETTING BACK TO ME ON ANY FURTHER INFORMATION YOU MAY NEED FROM ME. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AFTER STARTING THE ENGINE AND SHIFTING INTO DRIVE, A LOUD POPPING AND GRINDING NOISE EMITTED FROM OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS FOUND THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER'S TIRE HAD EXPLODED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE THE COIL SPRING AND DEFECTIVE TIRE WERE REPLACED. THE IDENTICAL FAILURE OCCURRED MOST RECENTLY WHERE THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE COIL SPRING FRACTURED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE PROBLEM. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 155,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 20 MPH, SHE HEARD A POPPING SOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A LOCAL MECHANIC. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE COIL SPRING HAD FRACTURED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,425. *TR

I DROVE TO WORK WITHOUT INCIDENT ON A MAJOR INTERSTATE AT 6AM. MY CAR WAS PARKED IN A SECURE LOT FOR 8.5 HOURS. WHEN I WENT TO LEAVE FOR THE DAY, I STARTED THE CAR, PUT IT DRIVE AND BEGAN TO ROLL FORWARD. WHEN THE CAR BEGAN TO MOVE I HEARD A LOUD GRINDING NOISE AND STOPPED IMMEDIATELY. I CALLED MY HUSBAND AND HAD HIM LISTEN TO IT BY PHONE. WE HAD THE CAR TOWED TO OUT LOCAL HYUNDAI DEAL WHO INFORMED US THAT THE DRIVERS SIDE SPRING HAD BROKEN WHICH BROKE THE STRUT, PINCHED THE BRAKE LINE AND BENT THE SWAY BAR. TOTAL REPAIR COST WAS 1053.31 WITH TAX. WE OPTED TO REPLACE BOTH FRONT SPRINGS AND STRUTS BECAUSE WE FELT THIS WAS THE SAFEST THING TO DO AFTER RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET AND DISCOVERING THAT THERE WERE HUNDREDS OF THE SAME COMPLAINT IN ALL SANTA FE'S NO MATTER WHAT THE YEAR ESPECIALLY AFTER READING THAT MANY OF THEM OCCURRED ON AN INTERSTATE TRAVELING AT 65 MPH RESULTING IN FURTHER DAMAGE AND INJURY ACCIDENTS. *TR