IllustrationWHILE DRIVING 40 MPH STEERING WHEEL PULLED TO THE LEFT. THIS WAS CAUSING A DISTRACTION TO THE CONSUMER. DEALERSHIP MECHANIC TRIED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE 3 TIMES, BUT DID NOT RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. CRUISE CONTROL IS NOT OPERATING PROPERLY. *AK *MR
2004 Hyundai Santa Fe
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 2004 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
550–25K
2825–50K
4550–75K
3875–100K
50100–150K
34150K+
250 reports with mileage · 53 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 69 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Air Bags. Review the 43 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 39 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
32 crash reports7 fire reports27 injury reports
What owners actually said
303 reportsBRAKE FAILURE OF MY 2004 HYUNDAI, SANTA FE. THE CAR HAD 1,940 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. I BRAKED, TO STOP BEHIND A CAR THAT WAS STOPPED FOR ANOTHER CAR TURNING LEFT. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND MY CAR ROLLED INTO THE STOPPED CAR. HYUNDAI IS DENYING THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR! I HAVE BEEN WITH…
Read full complaint
BRAKE FAILURE OF MY 2004 HYUNDAI, SANTA FE. THE CAR HAD 1,940 MILES ON IT AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT. I BRAKED, TO STOP BEHIND A CAR THAT WAS STOPPED FOR ANOTHER CAR TURNING LEFT. THE BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR AND MY CAR ROLLED INTO THE STOPPED CAR. HYUNDAI IS DENYING THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR! I HAVE BEEN WITHOUT A CAR FOR A MONTH NOW (WITHOUT A RENTAL CAR DUE TO THE FACT THEY CAN FIND NOTHING WRONG) AND THEY TELL ME, TO PURSUE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE, WILL TAKE UP TO TWO MONTHS. ONE OF THE THREE DEALER MECHANICS THAT LOOKED AT THE CAR TOLD ME THEY HAD THIS HAPPEN BEFORE (BRAKE FAILURE, AND COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG THEN EITHER). AFTER CHECKING THE NHTSA WEBSITE, I FIND 4 OTHER BRAKE FAILURE COMPLAINTS SIMILAR TO MINE SINCE OCTOBER 8TH OF 2003, WITH HYUNDAI DENYING THERE IS ANY PROBLEM WITH THE CARS. I BELIEVE THERE IS DEFINITELY A PROBLEM WITH THIS MANY INCIDENTS IN SUCH A SHORT TIME FRAME(HOW MANY HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED TO YOUR WEBSITE?). *LA
CONSUMER NOTICED VEHICLE HEATER KNOB WAS LOOSE. WHILE TURNING HEAT ON HEATER IT DID NOT RESPOND. DEALERSHIP SERVICED VEHICLE.*AK
Official recalls
314V435000 · 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.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.