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2009 Hyundai Santa Fe

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2009 Hyundai Santa Fe do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 212.5.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

278 reports with mileage · 80 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.

  • Fuel/propulsion System. Review the 109 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 60 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Vehicle Speed Control. Review the 51 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

27 crash reports5 fire reports15 injury reports

Service Brakes complaints

41 reports
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100,000 miles · Apr 29, 2019
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Service Brakes

MY CAR HAD THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH REPAIRED IN 2013 BEFORE I OWNED THE VEHICLE UNDER RECALL 13V113000. NOW THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH HAS FAILED AGAIN. I FIRST NOTICED THE ISSUE WHEN I WENT TO START MY CAR AND COULD NOT PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE. THIS HAPPENED SEEMINGLY OUT OF NOWHERE AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED AND OFF FOR ABOUT 10 M…

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MY CAR HAD THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH REPAIRED IN 2013 BEFORE I OWNED THE VEHICLE UNDER RECALL 13V113000. NOW THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH HAS FAILED AGAIN. I FIRST NOTICED THE ISSUE WHEN I WENT TO START MY CAR AND COULD NOT PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE. THIS HAPPENED SEEMINGLY OUT OF NOWHERE AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED AND OFF FOR ABOUT 10 MINUTES. MY BRAKE LIGHTS, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL, AND CRUISE CONTROL DO NOT WORK AND I CANNOT SHIFT THE TRANSMISSION. WHEN I CALLED HYUNDAI I WAS TOLD THAT THE PART WAS REPLACED IN 2013 SO THERE IS NO LONGER A RECALL OPTION, EVEN THOUGH THE PART IS FAILING AGAIN.

NHTSA ODI #11204445

Mileage unknown · Aug 1, 2018
EngineService Brakes

MULTIPLE FAILURES OF THE VALVE COVER GASKETS ON THE 3.3 V6. HYUNDAI REPLACED TWICE UNDER RECALLS. GASKETS HAVE FAILED AGAIN AND HYUNDAI REFUSES TO REPLACE. REAR BRAKE CALIPERS ARE CONSTANTLY LOCKING UP. HAVE BEEN SINCE NEW. HYUNDAI REFUSES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY CONCERN WITH THIS.

NHTSA ODI #11115109

Mileage unknown · Jan 30, 2018
Service Brakes

2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO REAR BRAKE PADS BEING WORN. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT FROM THE DEALER UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT WAS STREET LEGAL AND SAFE TO DRIVE. AFTER 5 WEEKS, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR BRAKE PADS WERE WORN TO 0% WEAR AND THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE AT 1% WEA…

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2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO REAR BRAKE PADS BEING WORN. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS BOUGHT FROM THE DEALER UNDER THE ASSUMPTION THAT IT WAS STREET LEGAL AND SAFE TO DRIVE. AFTER 5 WEEKS, IT WAS DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR BRAKE PADS WERE WORN TO 0% WEAR AND THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE AT 1% WEAR. THIS CAUSED DAMAGE TO THE CALIPERS, ROTORS, AND PADS. *JS

NHTSA ODI #11042348

100,000 miles · Sep 13, 2017
Service BrakesVehicle Speed Control

MY 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE 4D SPORT ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. I APPLIED THE BREAK AS HARD AS POSSIBLE, AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP OR SLOW. LUCKILY, I DIDN'T WRECK. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER WITH MY HAZARDS ON, PUT IT IN NEUTRAL, AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED T…

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MY 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE 4D SPORT ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. I APPLIED THE BREAK AS HARD AS POSSIBLE, AND THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT STOP OR SLOW. LUCKILY, I DIDN'T WRECK. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER ONTO THE SHOULDER WITH MY HAZARDS ON, PUT IT IN NEUTRAL, AND TURNED THE ENGINE OFF. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO A HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP.

NHTSA ODI #11023380

120,000 miles · Apr 6, 2017
Service BrakesSteeringVehicle Speed Control

WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF. POWER STEERING AND BREAKS ARE GONE. THE CAR WILL CRANK RIGHT BACK OFF BUT THIS US VERY DANGEROUS. I'M NOT SURE IF WEATHER IS A FACTOR BUT WHEN IT HAS HAPPENED WHICH GAS BEEN MULTIPLE TIMES, IT HAS BEEN IN THE 80'S. MECHANICS AND DEALERSHIP HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING…

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WHEN SLOWING DOWN TO MAKE A TURN THE ENGINE SHUTS OFF. POWER STEERING AND BREAKS ARE GONE. THE CAR WILL CRANK RIGHT BACK OFF BUT THIS US VERY DANGEROUS. I'M NOT SURE IF WEATHER IS A FACTOR BUT WHEN IT HAS HAPPENED WHICH GAS BEEN MULTIPLE TIMES, IT HAS BEEN IN THE 80'S. MECHANICS AND DEALERSHIP HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIND ANYTHING AND NO CODES ARE RECORDED.

NHTSA ODI #10970982

89,780 miles · Sep 21, 2016
EngineService BrakesSteering

WHEN DRIVING THE 2009 SANTA FE THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. POWER TO BREAKS AND STEERING IS LOST. SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL START AGAIN WHEN THE CAR IS PLACED IN NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED. SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL NOT START AGAIN FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. IN BOTH INSTANCES THE CAR IS MOVING ON A HILLY ROAD. THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENC…

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WHEN DRIVING THE 2009 SANTA FE THE CAR WILL SHUT OFF WITHOUT WARNING. POWER TO BREAKS AND STEERING IS LOST. SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL START AGAIN WHEN THE CAR IS PLACED IN NEUTRAL AND RESTARTED. SOMETIMES THE CAR WILL NOT START AGAIN FOR SEVERAL MINUTES. IN BOTH INSTANCES THE CAR IS MOVING ON A HILLY ROAD. THE MOST RECENT OCCURRENCE IS 09/20/2016

NHTSA ODI #10908449

65,000 miles · Jul 15, 2016
EngineFuel/propulsion SystemService Brakes

I'VE TAKEN MY 2009 SANTA FE TO THE RICK CASE ROSWELL, GA ON FRIDAY, 7/1/2016 AND AGAIN TODAY, 7/15/2016, BOTH FOR THE SAME ISSUE, MY CAR IS STALLING WHILE I DRIVE IT. ON 7/1 THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE BATTERY, SO HAD A NEW ONE INSTALLED WHILE THERE. BOTH TIMES, I'M BEEN TURNING INTO A CURVE (IT WAS A RIGHT HAND TURN ON 7/1 AND A…

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I'VE TAKEN MY 2009 SANTA FE TO THE RICK CASE ROSWELL, GA ON FRIDAY, 7/1/2016 AND AGAIN TODAY, 7/15/2016, BOTH FOR THE SAME ISSUE, MY CAR IS STALLING WHILE I DRIVE IT. ON 7/1 THEY TOLD ME IT WAS THE BATTERY, SO HAD A NEW ONE INSTALLED WHILE THERE. BOTH TIMES, I'M BEEN TURNING INTO A CURVE (IT WAS A RIGHT HAND TURN ON 7/1 AND A LEFT HAND TURN ON 7/15). THE FIRST TIME I WAS LUCKY AS IT WAS JUST COMING OFF A STOP LIGHT. LAST NIGHT, HOWEVER, IT WAS A CURVE TO GET ON THE HIGHWAY WITH AN 18 WHEELER THUNDERING BEHIND ME WHEN MY CAR STALLED, AND I LOST THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKING AND ALMOST BECAME AN 18 WHEELER HOOD ORNAMENT. AS I MENTIONED, THE DEALER IS PERPLEXED BY THE ISSUE, NOTHING IS SHOWING UP ON THE DIAGNOSTICS AND THEY CAN'T REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. I HAD TO LEAVE THE DEALERSHIP WITH THE SENSE THAT I'M DRIVING AROUND IN A TICKING TIME BOMB. AS A WOMEN WHO FREQUENTLY DRIVES BY HERSELF IN THE CAR, AND ON THE HIGHWAY 99.9% OF THE TIME, I CAN'T TELL YOU THE FEAR THAT KNOWING THAT THIS CAN HAPPEN AGAIN AT ANY MOMENT AND THAT THE NEXT TIME I MAY NOT BE SO LUCKY, INSTILLS IN ME. THIS IS MY SECOND HYUNDAI AND I HAVE ALWAYS CONSIDERED MYSELF TO BE A PROUD HYUNDAI OWNER, BUT I JUST DID A LITTLE RESEARCH AND FOUND OUT THAT A) NOT ONLY AM I FAR FROM THE ONLY PERSON WHO HAS HAD THIS ISSUE, B) THERE HAS ACTUALLY BEEN A CLASS ACTION LAW SUIT THAT HYUNDAI LOST REGARDING THE FREQUENT STALLING OF HYUNDAI VEHICLES. I NEED HYUNDAI TO FIX THIS ISSUE ASAP OR RISK BEING SUED BY MY FAMILY AFTER I'M KILLED IN A CAR ACCIDENT THAT IS THE DIRECT RESULT OF YOUR STALLING VEHICLES.

NHTSA ODI #10885011

Mileage unknown · May 9, 2016
Service Brakes

THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL FOR THIS MAKE AND MODEL CAR TO REPLACE THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH FOR SAFETY REASONS BUT IT DIDN'T INCLUDE MY VIN FOR SOME REASON, EVEN THOUGH THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED ON MY VEHICLE. THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH WAS FAILING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE RECALL WOULDN'T BE FOR MY CAR AS…

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THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL FOR THIS MAKE AND MODEL CAR TO REPLACE THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH FOR SAFETY REASONS BUT IT DIDN'T INCLUDE MY VIN FOR SOME REASON, EVEN THOUGH THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED ON MY VEHICLE. THE BRAKE LAMP SWITCH WAS FAILING AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE RECALL WOULDN'T BE FOR MY CAR AS WELL AS IT'S THE SAME SAFETY CONCERN.

NHTSA ODI #10864007

129,500 miles · Dec 29, 2015
EnginePower TrainService Brakes

VEHICLE INSPECTION PERFORMED BY MANUFACTURE CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN. TWO ISSUES WERE RECOMMENDED BY THE TECHNICIAN: A) NEW TIRES. ALL 4 TIRES CURRENTLY ON THE VEHICLE ARE AROUND 5 YEARS OLD (BASED ON THE DOT DATE OF MANUFACTURE), AND HAVE BEEN DRIVEN FOR OVER 100,000 MILES (BASED ON ODOMETER READINGS FROM 2010 AND CURRENT). B) NEW …

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VEHICLE INSPECTION PERFORMED BY MANUFACTURE CERTIFIED TECHNICIAN. TWO ISSUES WERE RECOMMENDED BY THE TECHNICIAN: A) NEW TIRES. ALL 4 TIRES CURRENTLY ON THE VEHICLE ARE AROUND 5 YEARS OLD (BASED ON THE DOT DATE OF MANUFACTURE), AND HAVE BEEN DRIVEN FOR OVER 100,000 MILES (BASED ON ODOMETER READINGS FROM 2010 AND CURRENT). B) NEW REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS. THE INSPECTION REVEALED REAR PADS AROUND 3 MM, AND ROTORS SHOWING RUST. THESE ARE SAFETY ISSUES, WHICH SHOULD BE ADDRESSED BEFORE SELLING THE VEHICLE. REGULAR MAINTENANCE HAS BEEN PERFORMED ON THIS VEHICLE, BUT EXISTING RECORDS DO NOT SPECIFY THAT RECOMMENDED FLUID/TIMING BELT REPLACEMENTS WERE PERFORMED.

NHTSA ODI #10816777

138,880 miles · Oct 23, 2015
Power TrainService Brakes

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED; HOWEVER, T…

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 HYUNDAI SANTA FE. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ENGAGED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED AND FAILED TO RESPOND. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE WAS UNABLE TO BE DUPLICATED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 138,880. UPDATED 02/12/16*L CONSUMER STATED MANUFACTURER AGREED TO PAY FOR PARTS AND TO REPLACE THE BRAKE SWITCH. HAD MANY SENSOR FAILURES. UPDATED 5/21/18*JB

NHTSA ODI #10785513

Official recalls

2

13V113000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Apr 1, 2013

Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai) is recalling certain model year 2006-2009 Accent, model year 2007-2011 Azera, Sonata and Sante Fe,2006-2011 Tucson, 2009-2011 Elantra Touring, 2007-2010 Elantra, 2008-2011 Veracruz, 2009-2011 Genesis, 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, 2007-2008 Entourage, and 2006-2008 Tiburon vehicles. Originally, in April 2013, Hyundai recalled 1,059,824 model year 2007-2009 Accent and Tucson, model year 2007-2010 Elantra, model year 2007-2011 Santa Fe, model year 2008-2009 Veracruz, model year 2010-2011 Genesis Coupe, and model year 2011 Sonata vehicles. In September 2013, Hyundai informed the agency that it was adding more vehicles to this campaign, representing an additional 652,512 units. The total number of vehicles being recalled is now 1,712,336. In the affected vehicles, the stop lamp switch may malfunction. A malfunctioning stop lamp switch may cause the brake lights to not illuminate when the brake pedal is depressed or may cause an inability to deactivate the cruise control by depressing the brake pedal. Additionally, a malfunctioning stop lamp switch may also result in intermittent operation of the push-button start feature, affect the operation of the brake transmission shift interlock feature, preventing the shifter from being moved out of the PARK position and cause the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) malfunction light to illuminate.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Failure to illuminate the stop lamps during braking or inability to disengage the cruise control could increase the risk of a crash. Additionally, when the ignition is in the 'ON' position, the transmission shifter may be able to be moved out of Park without first applying the brake. This may lead to unintentional movement of the car which may increase the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will replace the stop lamp switch, free of charge. The safety recall began on April 22, 2013. Owners may contact Hyundai at 1-800-633-5151. Hyundai's recall campaign number is 110.

12V354000 · Air Bags:frontal:sensor/control MODULE-INACTIVE

Jul 25, 2012

Hyundai is recalling certain model year 2007 through 2009 Santa Fe vehicles manufactured from April 19, 2006, through July 7, 2008. The occupant classification system (OCS) may need recalibration to accurately detect small statured adults.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Improper classification or detection may cause the front passenger airbag not to deploy in the event of a crash, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger.

Remedy: Hyundai will notify owners, and dealers will update the classification software free of charge. The safety recall began on September 7, 2012. Owners may 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

1

DP21003 · Throttle Control System Vulnerabilities

Opened Nov 12, 2021 · Closed Jun 20, 2023

Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Vehicle Speed Control:throttle

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) received a petition letter dated October 10, 2021, requesting an investigation of possible defects in the electronic throttle control (ETC) system on certain Kia vehicles resulting in the opening of DP21-003. Accordingly, Model Year (MY) 2005-2016 Kia Optima/K5, MY 2006-2015 Kia Sorento, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Elantra, MY 2007-2016 Hyundai Santa Fe, MY 2006-2015 Hyundai Sonatas are all part of the subject population. The petition was originally filed as a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire that can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under reference (ODI) number 11439675.On November 12, 2021, ODI opened Defect Petition DP21-003 to evaluate the petitioner?s request. ODI performed trend analyses of the VOQs related to vehicle speed control issues for all the subject vehicles and found that none of the 52 Model/Model Year Hyundai/Kia vehicles demonstrated any actionable trend that warranted an investigation.Petitioners submitted 1119 VOQs and non-VOQ cases in which sudden uncommanded acceleration (SUA) or loss of motive power (LOMP) incidents were alleged.For the 1119 reports, 220 were incidents involving crashes, from which 69 subject Hyundai-Kia vehicles were inspected by Hyundai/Kia dealer technicians, Hyundai/Kia engineers, and/or third-party representatives.ODI found the inspections identified no vehicle defects related to the ETC system.Of the 220 crash-involved reports, 13 Event Data Recorder (EDR) records were downloaded successfully and 11 of those indicated driver error: (i.e.) pedal misapplication.A condition where the accelerator pedal is mistakenly applied instead of the brake pedal when the driver wants to stop the vehicle.In addition, ODI reviewed a scientific journal paper published in Forensic Science International in 2016 by Mr. Park et al ., as well as related test videos. ODI does not believe there is any evidence of uncontrollable SUA occurrences in any of the tests reviewed. NHTSA's Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance (OVSC) reviewed the allegations regarding the potential noncompliance with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 124.Based on the information provided, the Agency concludes there is insufficient information for us to determine if a possible non-compliance exists.Finally, both Hyundai and Kia informed ODI that all their vehicles manufactured after 2012 were equipped with an ETC management system, in which the engine speed will go to idle when the system sees signals from both the brake pedal and accelerator pedal at the same time; this is commonly known as the brake-throttle override system.After thoroughly assessing the material submitted by the petitioner, information already in NHTSA's possession, information submitted by Hyundai and Kia in response to an Information Request letter, and the potential risks to safety implicated by the petitioner's allegation, NHTSA does not believe that a formal investigation is warranted. After full consideration of appropriate factors, the petition is denied. A Federal Register Notice (FRN) further detailing NHTSA?s reasons for denial of the petition will be published.