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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

Vehicle Speed Control complaints

51 reports
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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

42,500 miles · Apr 2, 2017
Vehicle Speed Control

UNINTENDED ACCELERATION WHILE TURNING ON TO A BUSY INTERSECTION, TWO OTHER INSTANCES OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION ON CITY STREETS. HAVE TAKEN TO DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. VERY LEARY OF DRIVING CAR.

NHTSA ODI #10970020

170,000 miles · Oct 2, 2015
Fuel/propulsion SystemVehicle Speed Control

THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR AND HAS INCREASED IN FREQUENCY THE LAST 2 MONTHS. AT RANDOM TIMES, IN TOWN OR ON HIGHWAY WITH VARYING SPEEDS, THE RPM WILL JUMP WITHOUT ME USING ANY MORE PRESSURE ON THE GAS PEDAL, WHICH CAUSES THE CAR TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. THEN, THE RPM WILL GO BACK DOWN…

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THIS HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES OVER THE PAST YEAR AND HAS INCREASED IN FREQUENCY THE LAST 2 MONTHS. AT RANDOM TIMES, IN TOWN OR ON HIGHWAY WITH VARYING SPEEDS, THE RPM WILL JUMP WITHOUT ME USING ANY MORE PRESSURE ON THE GAS PEDAL, WHICH CAUSES THE CAR TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY AND WITHOUT WARNING. THEN, THE RPM WILL GO BACK DOWN IN THE SAME MANNER JUST AS QUICKLY.

NHTSA ODI #10779302

21,000 miles · May 10, 2015
Service BrakesSteeringVehicle Speed Control

WE WERE EXITING A RAMP OFF RT 75 IN FLORIDA. OUR SPEED WAS ABOUT 30 MPH. SUDDENLY WE LOSS POWER STEERING AND BRAKING AND ACCELERATION. WE COASTED TO A STOP. WE TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND RESTARTED THE CAR AFTER ABOUT 2 MINUTES...EVERYTHING RETURNED TO NORMAL. IT WAS THE SECOND SUCH EXPERIENCE. THE FIRST WAS AUGUST 2013. …

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WE WERE EXITING A RAMP OFF RT 75 IN FLORIDA. OUR SPEED WAS ABOUT 30 MPH. SUDDENLY WE LOSS POWER STEERING AND BRAKING AND ACCELERATION. WE COASTED TO A STOP. WE TURNED OFF THE IGNITION AND RESTARTED THE CAR AFTER ABOUT 2 MINUTES...EVERYTHING RETURNED TO NORMAL. IT WAS THE SECOND SUCH EXPERIENCE. THE FIRST WAS AUGUST 2013. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED THE THROTTLE SENSOR AT THAT TIME. THIS LATEST EXPERIENCE IS THE EXACT DUPLICATE OF THE FIRST. I AM TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TOMORROW MORNING.

NHTSA ODI #10715557

65,000 miles · Mar 18, 2015
Fuel/propulsion SystemPower TrainVehicle Speed Control

RPM JUMPED WITHOUT DRIVER INCREASING PEDAL PRESSURE, CAUSING SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. DEALERSHIP UNABLE TO IDENTIFY ISSUE. THIS IS THE SECOND OCCURRENCE IN THE LAST COUPLE MONTHS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10695003

65,250 miles · Feb 20, 2015
Fuel/propulsion SystemVehicle Speed Control

I WAS PARKING MY CAR IN A SPACE AT A LOCAL STORE. THE CAR TOOK OFF. SUDDEN ACCELERATION. WENT FORWARD PROBABLY A GOOD 15 FEET BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STOP. I ALSO HAD TO HAVE BOTH FUEL TANK SENSORS REPLACED. MY GAS GAUGE WOULD NOT REGISTER PROPERLY. FLUCTUATED UP AND DOWN AT RANDOM MOMENTS. COST ME $364.51! SEEMS TO BE A …

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I WAS PARKING MY CAR IN A SPACE AT A LOCAL STORE. THE CAR TOOK OFF. SUDDEN ACCELERATION. WENT FORWARD PROBABLY A GOOD 15 FEET BEFORE I WAS ABLE TO STOP. I ALSO HAD TO HAVE BOTH FUEL TANK SENSORS REPLACED. MY GAS GAUGE WOULD NOT REGISTER PROPERLY. FLUCTUATED UP AND DOWN AT RANDOM MOMENTS. COST ME $364.51! SEEMS TO BE A CONTINUING PROBLEM. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10689527

62,269 miles · Nov 11, 2014
Fuel/propulsion SystemVehicle Speed Control

VEHICLE SLOWED WITHOUT WARNING ON FREEWAY AT FREEWAY SPEED, THEN WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. WENT TO IDLE MODE. BEFORE SLOWDOWN, HAD MILD SURGING AT SPEED. PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AT TPS OR THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. PROBLEM WITH SAME SENSOR REPORTED TO HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP PREVIOUS, DIAGNOSED AS LOOSE CONNECTION REPORTED FROM PERIODIC SU…

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VEHICLE SLOWED WITHOUT WARNING ON FREEWAY AT FREEWAY SPEED, THEN WOULD NOT ACCELERATE. WENT TO IDLE MODE. BEFORE SLOWDOWN, HAD MILD SURGING AT SPEED. PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AT TPS OR THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR. PROBLEM WITH SAME SENSOR REPORTED TO HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP PREVIOUS, DIAGNOSED AS LOOSE CONNECTION REPORTED FROM PERIODIC SURGING WHILE DRIVING. AFTER RECENT PROBLEM WITH ALTERNATOR, WHICH REQUIRED REPLACEMENT OF PART, WITHIN ONE WEEK, TPS PARTIALLY FAILED. FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED AS KIA DEALERSHIP (SISTER COMPANY TO HYUNDAI) WHEN UNDERWENT FIRST REPAIR. FAILURE REQUIRED HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP TO BE TOLD EXACT PROBLEM, WHEREBY THEY CONFIRMED DIAGNOSIS. PART REQUIRED REPLACEMENT WITH SOFTWARE UPDATES. PART PROBLEM LEADING TO FAILURE SHOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BE DIAGNOSED UNDER FIRST ROUND OF TESTING, AND UNDER FIRST REPAIR A WEEK PRIOR. PARTS UNPREDICTABLE FAILURE IS BELIEVED TO PRESENT A SIGNIFICANT RISK WHILE VEHICLE IS OPERATING. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10654195

74,938 miles · Oct 25, 2014
Vehicle Speed Control

I ENTERED A LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY AND BEGAN TO ACCELERATE TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC WHEN THE CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE WILDLY WITH NO CONTROL OVER SPEED. I TRIED TO BRAKE THE CAR BUT IT KEPT ACCELERATING. I PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL AND ENGINE WAS OVER-REVVING FRIGHTENINGLY SO I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION.I FELT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL COME UP O…

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I ENTERED A LIMITED ACCESS HIGHWAY AND BEGAN TO ACCELERATE TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC WHEN THE CAR BEGAN TO ACCELERATE WILDLY WITH NO CONTROL OVER SPEED. I TRIED TO BRAKE THE CAR BUT IT KEPT ACCELERATING. I PUT CAR IN NEUTRAL AND ENGINE WAS OVER-REVVING FRIGHTENINGLY SO I TURNED OFF THE IGNITION.I FELT THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL COME UP OFF THE FLOOR AND TAP THE SOLE OF MY RIGHT FOOT. AT THIS POINT I WAS ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER AND PUT ON MY 4 WAY FLASHERS. I ESTIMATE MY TOP SPEED TO BE ABOUT 75 MPH DURING THIS INCIDENT. FORTUNATELY I DID NOT CONTACT ANY OTHER VEHICLES OR OBJECTS. MY WIFE WAS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT. AFTER A FEW MINUTES,I RESTARTED THE CAR AND IT BEHAVED NORMALLY. WHEN I REACHED HOME I CALLED THE DEALER AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE NEXT BUSINESS DAY. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10649956

67,000 miles · Sep 28, 2014
Vehicle Speed ControlCrashInjury

I WAS LEAVING TO GO TO WORK, MY HUSBAND WALKED ME OUT OF OUR HOUSE SAYING GOODBYE, I WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY, TURNED MY WHEEL TO GO AROUND OUR OTHER CAR, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SANTA FE FORCEFULLY ACCELERATED (NOT BY ME HITTING THE GAS ON ACCIDENT) HITTING MY HUSBAND THROWING HIM TO GROUND (WHICH HE IS A STURDY GUY) AN THEN H…

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I WAS LEAVING TO GO TO WORK, MY HUSBAND WALKED ME OUT OF OUR HOUSE SAYING GOODBYE, I WAS IN MY DRIVEWAY, TURNED MY WHEEL TO GO AROUND OUR OTHER CAR, WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE SANTA FE FORCEFULLY ACCELERATED (NOT BY ME HITTING THE GAS ON ACCIDENT) HITTING MY HUSBAND THROWING HIM TO GROUND (WHICH HE IS A STURDY GUY) AN THEN HITTING MY OTHER CAR, IT WOULD NOT STOP I HAD BRAKE PEDEL DOWN AND PUT ON EMERGENCY BRAKE ON PUT IN REVERSE AND YET NOTHING JUST GOING FULL FORCE IN THE BACK OF MY OTHER CAR. I EVEN TOOK MY FOOT OFF THE BRAKE TO MAKE SURE IT WAS NOT THE GAS PEDEL. IT WAS SO SCARY I DID NOT KNOW IF MY HUSBAND WAS BEENING CRUSHED BETWEEN CARS. I WAS SO SCARED THAT MY KIDS WOULD COME OUT AND GET RAN OVER TRYING TO HELP. I TURNED OFF THE CAR (WISH I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT OF THAT SOONER) AND FINALLY AFTER PUSHING MY OTHER CAR AT LEAST 5 FEET IT FINALLY STARTED WINDING DOWN AND MAKING A LOUD HISSING SOUND. I FOUND MY HUSBAND LYING ON THE GROUND THANKING GOD I DIDNT KILL HIM . I CALL THE POLICE TO REPORT WHAT HAD HAPPEND, TOOK PICTURES OF ALL THE DAMAGE THAT THE SANTA FE DID. WE TOOK THE SANTA FE BACK TO DEALERSHIP STILL UNDER WARRENTY JUST PURCHASED 8 MONTHS AGO ONLY 63,000 MILES ON IT, THEY SAID NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR DID NOT WANT TO HEAR ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED. ONLY THING THEY SAID WAS POWERSTEERING LINE CRUSH AND WHATEVER DAMAGE DONE FROM THE INCIDENT, AND TRIED TO CHARGE ME $120.00. SO NOW ITS AT A HYUNDAI DEALERSHIP, BUT SEEMS NO ONE CARES WHAT HAPPENED. I AM VERY CONCERNED WITH THIS PROBLEM, WHERE I WORK I PARK IN A COLLAGE CAMPUS AREA WITH LOTS OF PEOPLE WALKING AROUND ALL THE TIME, I"M AT MY KIDS SCHOOL AT LEASE 8 TIMES A WEEK, WHAT IF THIS HAPPENS AT THE SCHOOLS? SO WORRIED THAT THEY WILL SAY ITS OKAY NOTHING WRONG,( WHICH ALREADY HEARD THAT!) BUT NEXT TIME MIGHT NOT BE SO LUCKY. NEED HELP PLEASE!!!! *TR

NHTSA ODI #10639640

57,500 miles · Aug 25, 2014
StructureVehicle Speed ControlCrash

I WAS ATTEMPTING TO PARALLEL PARK BETWEEN TWO CARS AND AS I WAS ABOUT TO CUT THE WHEEL TO THE LEFT TO FINISH THE PARK, MY VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED (WITHOUT MY DOING) INTO THE CAR BEHIND ME. I HAD NO TIME TO COMPENSATE AND ULTIMATELY CRUSHED THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT/FRAME OF THE CAR BEHIND ME. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10628033

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.