2008 Hyundai Santa Fe

WHILE I WAS DRIVING ALONG AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH IN MY HYUNDAI SANTAFE THE STEERING BECAME VERY DIFFICULT AND THERE WAS NO THROTTLE RESPONSE. I STOPPED THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BOULEVARD STREET AND PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AND RESTARTED THE ENGINE. I WAS VERY FRIGHTENED DURING THE INCIDENT THAT SOMEONE WAS GOING TO RUN INTO THE BACK OF MY CAR AND THAT THE VEHICLE WOULD STOP AGAIN BEFORE I GOT HOME. I REFUSED TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE AGAIN AND FOLLOWED MY HUSBAND IN ANOTHER VEHICLE AS HE DROVE THE FAULTY VEHICLE TO THE DEALER THE FOLLOWING DAY. THE TECH REP WE SPOKE WITH AT THE DEALER CASUALLY SAID THE THROTTLE POSITIONING SENSOR WAS BAD AND IF WE WANTED IT REPAIRED IT WOULD COST ABOUT $400. I COULDN'T BELIEVE THEY WOULD LET ME LEAVE THE DEALERSHIP WITH THIS MALFUNCTIONING PART. THE SYMPTOMS ARE THE SAME AS THE GENERAL MOTORS IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEM. I LOOKED IT UP ONLINE AND THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THE HYUNDAI SANTAFE. WHERE IS THE OUTRAGE? WHERE ARE THE RECALLS? IS IT GOING TO TAKE MANY DEATHS AND 10 YEARS TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM LIKE GM IGNITION SWITCH PROBLEM? DOES SOMEBODY HAVE TO DIE BEFORE THIS IS TAKEN SERIOUSLY? HYUNDAI MANAGEMENT REFUSES TO DISCUSS THIS PROBLEM. I SINCERELY HOPE I CAN APPEAL TO YOUR SENSIBILITY AND FORCE THIS KOREAN COMPANY TO ADDRESS THIS DANGEROUS PROBLEM. *TR

MY WIFE INDICATED THAT WHEN SHE GOT ON THE RAMP TO RT. 80 , THE CAR COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN. SHE ALSO STATED THAT SHE ALMOST HAD AN ACCIDENT SINCE SHE HAD NO BRAKES NOR POWER STEERING. THIS OCCURRENCE HAS BEEN REPORTED TO THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY SAFETY BY A NUMBER OF OWNERS YET YOU CONTINUE TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM WHICH COULD BE ATTRIBUTED TO OIL DRIPPING FROM THE VALVE COVER ON TO THE ALTERNATOR. I GUESS YOU'RE WAITING FOR SOME ACCIDENTS TO HAPPEN BEFORE TAKING ACTION....MAYBE A FEW DEATHS RESULTING FROM A CRASH. VERY PROACTIVE!

MY SANTA FE AWD 2008 WAS BOUGHT IN JUNE 2009 AND NOW HAS ~99K MILEAGE. I HAD FOUR OR FIVE SIMILAR INCIDENTS WITH MY SANTA FE STARTING ON 4/21/15, WHICH LED TO SIGNIFICANT POWER LOSS AND SPEED LOSS OF THE CAR ON THE ROAD. THE FIRST TIME, I WAS DRIVING ON A LOCAL ROAD AT ~25 MPH. SUDDENLY I FELT THE CAR LOST THE POWER AND BEGAN TO SLOW DOWN. I STEPPED DOWN ON THE ACCELERATOR, BUT THE CAR COULD NOT ACCELERATE (THE SPEED DROPPED TO ~10 MPH). I SAW 3 SYSTEM INDICATOR/WARNING LIGHTS ON: THE ESC OFF(ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL) AND CHECK ENGINE INDICATORS HAD A STEADY LIGHT AND THE AWD SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT WAS FLASHING. I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, SHUT OFF THE CAR, WAITED ~1 MINUTE, AND THEN RESTARTED THE CAR. THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYED ON, BUT THE OTHER LIGHTS WENT OUT. THEN I DROVE THE CAR TO CONTINUE TO MY JOB. THE 2ND INCIDENT OCCURRED ON MY WAY HOME. THE SAME SCENARIO EXCEPT THAT I WAS DRIVING AT ~40 MPH AT THE TIME. THE SUDDEN POWER LOSS CAUSED THE CAR SPEED QUICKLY DROPPED TO ~10 MPH AND PROBABLY LED THE CAR BEHIND MINE TO MAKE A SUDDEN STOP TO AVOID A CRASH. AGAIN, I PULLED OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, SHUT OFF THE ENGINE, AND THEN RESTARTED THE CAR WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYING ON. THE OTHER TIMES I WAS ON THE CRESENT CITY CONNECTION (BRIDGE) IN THE CENTER LANE. I HAD TO WORK MY WAY OVER TWO LANES TO TURN THE VEHICLE OFF TO RESTART TO CONTINUE ON MY WAY TO OR FROM WORK. AFTER THE 5TH TIME, I DID SOME RESEARCH ONLINE AND FOUND AN ARTICLE STATING THAT THIS PROBLEM WAS ON THE TSB (TECHNICAL SAFETY BULLETIN). MAYBE SOMEONE SOMEWHERE SHOULD BE AWARE OF MORE THAN ONE VEHICLE HAVING THIS PROBLEM.......

FRONT VALVE COVER GASKET KEEP LEAKING OIL ON TO THE ALTERNATOR CAUSING THE ALTERNATOR TO GO OUT . THE SECOND TIME IT HAPPEN THE CORE OF THE ALTERNATOR BURNED .I HAVE REPLACE THE ALTERNATOR 3 TIMES AND VALVE COVER GASKET TWICE. HYUNDAI HAVE A RECALL ON THE VERACRUZ FOR THIS SOME ISSUES BUT WILL NOT RECALL THE SANTA FE FOR THIS ISSUES .

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE FUEL PROPULSION SYSTEM LIGHT CAME ON AND THE FUEL GAUGE READ EMPTY. HOWEVER, BASED ON MILEAGE AND THE LAST TIME I HAD FILLED THE GAS TANK, I KNEW I SHOULD HAVE CLOSE TO HALF A TANK. THE NEXT MORNING THE GAUGE READ CLOSE TO HALF A TANK. WHILE DRIVING THE FUEL GAUGE MARKED ONCE AGAIN EMPTY. AS A DRIVER, I HAD NO IDEA HOW MUCH GASOLINE THE CAR REALLY HAD. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY RETRIEVED THE CODE P0469: FUEL LEVEL SENSORS A AND B FAILURE. HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP/WARRANTY DID NOT COVER THE COST OF THE REPLACEMENT, EVEN THOUGH THE CAR ONLY HAD 40, 228 MILES. I HAD TO PAY $600.00 FOR THE REPLCEMENT OF THE TWO FUEL SENSORS.

SAFETY ISSUE: FAILURE OF THE FUEL SENDING UNIT PERMANENTLY TURNS ON THE "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" WHICH DENIES THE USE OF THE "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" FOR OTHER SERIOUS CONDITIONS. MANY CONSUMERS HAVE PREVIOUSLY REPORTED THE FAILURE OF THE FUEL SENDING UNIT. THESE UNITS COST BETWEEN $800 TO $1200 TO FIX SO MOST DRIVERS DO NOT FIX IT AND INSTEAD USE THE ODOMETER READING TO DETERMINE WHEN FUEL IS NEEDED. UNFORTUNATELY, DRIVING WITH THE "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" ON AT ALL TIMES PREVENTS THE DRIVER FROM SEEING THE "CHECK ENGINE LIGHT" ILLUMINATE WHEN A SERIOUS CONDITION EXISTS. THEREFORE, THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE. CONSIDERING THE NUMBER OF CONSUMER REPORTS ALREADY SENT TO NHTSA REGARDING FAILED FUEL SENDING UNITS, HYUNDAI SHOULD IMMEDIATELY ISSUE A SAFETY RECALL TO FIX THESE UNITS.

FILLED TANK AND READ EMPTY WITH LOW FUEL LIGHT ON. THE NEXT DAY WHILE DRIVING THE MORE I DROVE THE MORE THE FUEL NEEDLE WENT UP UNTIL IT EVENTUALLY READ FULL AND THE LOW FUEL LIGHT WENT OUT. NOW USUALLY WHEN IT GETS DOWN TO ABOUT 1/2 TANK NEEDLE WILL DROP TO EMPTY, FUEL LIGHT WILL COME ON, RANGE INDICATOR WILL READ----AND NOW THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES AND GOES.

AFTER SEVERAL HOURS OF NORMAL HIGHWAY DRIVING, THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN LOSS OF POWER AS THE ENGINE COMPUTER ENTERED "LIMP HOME" MODE. PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR HAD NO EFFECT. DIAGNOSED AS THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR FAILURE. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES, WITH AN ENGINE RESTART CLEARING THE PROBLEM TEMPORARILY. WHILE THESE INCIDENTS DID NOT RESULT IN A CRASH, THEY COULD EASILY HAVE, DEPENDING ON TRAFFIC CIRCUMSTANCES.